Bebe Neuwirth was working on Cheers (1982) at the same time. In order to dovetail her schedule, it was sometimes necessary for her to go through makeup with TNG, then skip across the lot to rehearse with Cheers (in alien makeup), then return to TNG to finish makeup and shoot. She reported that the Cheers cast appreciated the humorous distraction (glued to her face).
When offering a glass of wine to Chancellor Durken, Picard says that the wine was given to him by his brother Robert. In Family (1990), Robert asks him not to drink it alone, and Picard grants his brother's wish here.
The script went through a number of drafts before the story was finalized. One version was proposed as a season ending cliffhanger. With Wil Wheaton's scheduled departure from the series, another draft was a proposed vehicle for Wesley's departure as he would have stayed behind on Malcoria as a cultural observer.
Entertainment Weekly ranked this episode number eight on their list of "The Top Ten Episodes" to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
In Mirasta's office, at 8:59, it appears that there is a model of the Discovery spaceship from 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) on a table at the back of the room.