Gideon shows unusual giddiness at the idea of dissecting Spooner's brain, likely a side effect of her repurposing by Lachesis to give orders through the Fatewatch.
The episode title is a reference to the David Bowie song, "Space Oddity", which has the repeated line, "Ground Control to Major Tom." Bowie appears as a character in this episode.
Ava's steps checklist on her clipboard include: *Distribute binders, *Have John Constantine use magic *Let any romances run their course, *What is Astra's deal *Even bad leads might prove fruitful, *Let Rory drink until he cooperates.
The following events are mentioned: Alex Danvers and Sara having had a one-night stand in Crisis on Earth-X, Part 1 (2017) and Rama Khan having destroyed the headquarters of the D.E.O. in The Missing Link (2020).
In real life, Spartacus was a Thracian gladiator who led an army of slaves against the Roman Republic in the Third Servile War.