The original idea of this episode was that Jake, who has been established as an aspiring writer, would have experiences similar to those of Ernest Hemingway during World War I.
The cave Bashir and Jake leave from to retrieve the generator from is Bronson Cave just outside L.A. The same cave used as the hidden entrance to the Batcave in the TV show Batman (1966).
The title is from a biblical quote Ecclesiastes 9:11: "Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all."
The U.S.S. Farragut is seen in Star Trek: Generations (1994). It is one of the Federation ships that rescued the Enterprise-D crew following that ship's destruction.