First appearance of Ensign Samantha Wildman.
This is one of four episodes that were written and produced as part of the first season but held back to air in the second season, the other episodes being (in production order) Projections (1995), Twisted (1995), and The 37's (1995).
The plant that Kes is caring for when she eats the beetles is a tomato plant.
47 Reference - Ensign Kim says, "Shields are at 47 percent."
Kes experiences something similar to a real eating and mental disorder that affects humans called Pica, which is the craving and eating of things that are not food. One of the most common forms of Pica is the craving to eat soil, this is thought to be caused by a mineral deficiency in the body which results in a person craving soil, which often has essential minerals in it. However other forms of Pica cannot be explained by the body attempting to correct a nutritional imbalance, when a person with Pica is eating things that cannot possibly have any nutritional value it is considered a mental disorder. People diagnosed with Pica have been known to eat things such as burnt matches, feces, vomit, clay, chalk, glue, grass, wood, rocks, metal, ice, hair, urine and even blood. Pica is most commonly seen in pregnant women, small children and people with developmental disorders like autism. Children suffering from Pica are especially at risk for things like brain and internal damage, eating things that are covered in lead based paint has caused a number of children to develop permanent brain damage, and serious internal damage to the stomach and intestines can occur for people (especially children) who eat sharp or toxic material that cannot be digested.