This episode contains a tribute to actor Robert Blanche, who played recurring character Lt. Patrick Bonanno in the original Leverage (2008), and passed away in 2020. LeVar Burton's character is named Robert Blanche, and he is shown reading a book by "Patrick Bonanno," with a photo of Robert Blanche on the dust jacket.
LeVar Burton's character is a beloved librarian who inspires people (especially kids) with the love of reading. For 23 years, Burton was the host of Reading Rainbow (1983), a childrens' program to inspire kids with the love of reading. His company, RRKidz, continues to develop electronic apps and online content to encourage children to read.
LeVar Burton is well known for playing the character of Geordi LaForge on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) (aka "TNG"). When Parker's hacker character asks Eliot and Blanche (Burton's character) to watch "some TNG" with her, he replies, "What's TNG?"
Parker's hacker persona seems to be at least half Hardison - love of Star Trek, large bottle of orange soda next to the keyboard, aggravating Eliot to the point he mutters "Dammit" (one of his oft-uttered catchphrases in the original series was "Dammit, Hardison", but he obviously couldn't use that name here). She even offers Hot Pockets, a food Hardison was trying to enjoy in The Mile High Job (2009).
When Eliot and Breanna are discussing the kinds of stories Mr Blanche likes and what might work as the plot of their con, Eliot says Blanche preferred a hero in the wrong place at the wrong time, going up against impossible odds, and Breanna replies, "So going on a starship with a plucky sidekick ain't gonna work." This is an inside joke to LeVar Burton's character on Star Trek: The Next Generation and the long-held debate of whether Burton's character Geordi La Forge was a 'sidekick' to some of the other characters, in particular Data (Brent Spiner) and William Riker (Jonathan Frakes). LeVar Burton makes the fourth main actor from Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) to appear in the Leverage/Leverage: Redemption world. Brent Spiner played a mark in The Juror #6 Job (2009). Jonathan Frakes cameo'd as a hospital patient in a waiting room with Nate Ford The Snow Job (2009), and had another cameo in season five in the toy safety office The Toy Job (2012). Frakes also directed 13 episodes of the original series, and one episode of Leverage: Redemption as of the end of season one. Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher) had a recurring role as Hardison's "archnemesis", black hat hacker Colin "Chaos" Mason.