This episode marks the first appearance of Worf's silver baldric, which he would keep throughout the remainder of The Next Generation, throughout his stint on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), and in all four TNG movies. His previous (gold fabric) baldric was of the type worn by Klingon commanders in the classic Star Trek series. This episode also shows that Worf is now the official permanent security chief, having been made "acting" chief of security following the death of Natasha Yar in Skin of Evil (1988).
Jonathan Frakes returned to rehearsals at the start of the second season sporting a beard with the intention of shaving it off before shooting began, but the producers liked it and asked him to keep it. It remained for the rest of the show's run. (He eventually shaved it off during an ending scene of the movie Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)).
This episode marks the first appearance of Ten Forward. A reorganization of the sets after the first season created space for a new set, and the producers decided to introduce a space where the crew could be seen interacting when they were off duty.