In the cold open, Beau Bridges was able to consistently sink the basketball shot with each take, since he played basketball in college and was even scouted by several NBA teams at one point.
When Col. Mitchell bemoans the fact he will no longer have a nuke-free career, and subsequently calls the nuke "god-awful" when speaking to the Prior, it reflects Ben Browder's real-life distaste for nuclear weapons and WMDs in general.
Fourth of six episodes to feature Colonel Lionel Pendergast Barclay Hope as commander of the Prometheus.