The scene where Nog talks to Sisko about his father is actor Aron Eisenberg's all-time favorite piece of his own acting, and this is his favorite DS9 episode.
Ronald D. Moore was also impressed with Nog's storyline. Moore commented "I think that was an interesting direction. Somehow, Captain Nog sounds cool".
It is revealed that a non-Federation citizen, in order to be admitted to Starfleet Academy, needs a reference from a command-level officer.
Nana Visitor, who also suffers from claustrophobia, commented that she found the episode hard to film "because I thought the prop they used to encase me was an awful choice".
This episode marks the beginning of Nog's journey to become a Starfleet officer.