The opening scene as shot was different from the opening scene that aired, but it had to be cut for timing reasons. Originally, the episode opens in Kira's quarters, with Kira and Jadzia Dax looking at Ziyal's paintings. Dax points out that Kira still misses Ziyal, to which Kira answers, "I'll get over it. Death and I are old friends." Dax then suggests that Kira bring Death to dinner. They get up and leave the room, and the scene then picks up in the corridor as seen in the finished episode.
A cut line from the script would have revealed that Worf served aboard the starship Hawk as an ensign. The line also stated that the Hawk was hit by an unknown anomaly on Worf's second day out of port.
Captain Boday is mentioned for the third time in this episode, having previously been referred to in The Maquis, Part II (1994) and Let He Who Is without Sin... (1996), where it was revealed that he and Jadzia Dax had had dinner together several times.
The shipping crate the Major is inspecting has a design like the arena in The Gamesters of Triskelion (1968).
This episode was directed by LeVar Burton, who played Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987).