The scenes involving the primitive planet were shot on location in Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California.
This episode and its conclusion, Basics, Part II (1996), were the last Voyager (and Star Trek) episodes written by series creator Michael Piller before he left to pursue other projects (although he remained on as creative consultant, and returned to the franchise to write the feature film Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)). Piller stated that he the title "Basics" was chosen for a number of reasons: "It wasn't by chance that it was about some fundamental issues confronting this Starfleet crew, because it was my message to the franchise to say... the key for success, the way to make this show work, the way to make this franchise fresh, is to stay with the basics that Gene Roddenberry set forth to us to begin with, to do the stories that have themes, to always ask, 'What is it about?' [...] That's what Roddenberry taught me and that was my last message to the staff of Voyager."
Landscape shots of the primitive planet were modified by adding active volcanoes in the distance.
First Maje Culluh's ornamental hardware is comprised of repurposed horse bits and metal from horse halters.