One of three TNG episodes where LeVar Burton has a beard, the others being A Fistful of Datas (1992) and The Quality of Life (1992). Burton actually preferred facial hair, but the producers did not, which is why his beards never last for very long.
Two lines of dialogue were cut from the final edit: Noor explaining to Riker that the J'Naii are by all accounts an enlightened race, and Riker asking: "Then how is it that Soren has no choice about her sexual orientation?"
We learn in this episode that the Federation was founded in 2161.
Rick Berman tried not to let perceptions of what the public would find acceptable "influence us too much" in the choice of Riker's opposite, adding "having Riker engage in passionate kisses with a male actor might have been too unpalatable for viewers." Jonathan Frakes (Riker) didn't agree. He criticized the decision to cast women in the roles of the J'Naii because he felt a love affair shared between two men would have made the statement of the episode much stronger.
One of the few Trek episodes that touches upon the subject of homosexuality, but only in a very oblique manner. Producer Rick Berman commented: "We thought we had made a very positive statement about sexual prejudice in a distinctive Star Trek way, but we still got letters from those who thought it was just our way of 'washing our hands' of the homosexual situation." The Star Trek producers are often accused of having cold feet when it comes to addressing homosexuality, and Berman has been accused (by lead actors of various Trek series) of routinely vetoing scripts which deal openly with the subject.