Kira's alter ego, the female writer forced to use her initials to hide her sex, is a direct reference to D.C. Fontana (Dorothy Catherine), a writer on (among others) the original Star Trek (1966) who had to do the same.
Jake's character Jimmy uses the racial slur "n****r" in this episode, in reference to his belief that black people will never get into space except to shine white people's shoes. This is the first (and so far only) use of that word in the Star Trek universe. Also unique is the utterance "For Christ's sake" by the character Douglas Pabst.
One of the authors listed in the copy of "Galaxy Magazine" is Theodore Sturgeon. Sturgeon wrote the Star Trek (1966) episodes Shore Leave (1966) and Amok Time (1967).
A memo from Douglas Pabst above Rossoff's desk reads "No one would believe that a cheerleader could kill vampires", a reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997), a TV show which featured Armin Shimerman in a recurring role. Buffy's series frequently spoofed or otherwise referenced Star Trek.