This is the one of the only episodes in the entire South Park series in which none of the main characters - Kyle, Stan, Kenny or Cartman - appear. The other is Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus (1998). This is the only episode to feature someone from South Park without including any of the four central characters.
One of the items Joe Gargery creates is a metal orange. This is perhaps a reference to the novel "A Clockwork Orange", which was adapted into a film starring Malcolm McDowell, who appeared as the narrator in this episode.
The "genesis device" was also a plot point in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. This is one of many Star Trek references in South Park.