Shipmaster Quarrie is named after Star Wars concept designer Ralph McQuarrie and his name written on his breast tag in Aurebesh lettering. The Astromech droid BG-81 is named after ILM model maker Bill George, who designed the B-Wing fighter for Return of the Jedi. BG's striped blue color scheme even matches an old photograph of Bill George wearing a striped T-shirt while working on the vehicle.
The ship Hera test flies is a B-Wing Starfighter. The A/SF-01 B-wing starfighter (or simply the B-Wing) was a Rebel single-pilot starfighter that saw action during the Galactic Civil War, as seen in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983).
Kevin Kiner's flying music (titled "Hera Soars") is heavily influenced by James Horner's main theme for The Rocketeer (1991).
Quarrie's B-Wing has the word 'prototype' written on its side in Aurebesh lettering.
The name 'Shantipole', used here as Quarrie's base of operations and project name, first appeared in the 1989 West End Games role-playing book "Strike Force: Shantipole", in which it was revealed that another Mon Calamari, Admiral Ackbar, was instrumental in the design of the B-Wing fighter.