MGM Studios, owners of the James Bond movie franchise, were said to be unhappy with the episode, which they felt crossed the line from parody to infringement. Studio officials sent a letter to DS9 series producers, expressing their displeasure, which resulted in the cancellation of a planned sequel episode about Agent Bashir's further adventures. (Agent Bashir was then limited to cameos within a few episodes of the series.) This was similar to the controversy which happened when TNG attempted to spoof Sherlock Holmes in Elementary, Dear Data (1988) and Ship in a Bottle (1993).
Alexander Siddig and Nana Visitor had become romantically involved by the time this episode was filming.
While the 1960's era James Bond movies were the primary influence, Ronald D. Moore says he drew on inspiration from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964), Our Man Flint (1966), and The Wild Wild West (1965) as well.
As Bashir and Garak fight their way through the holosuite program, the underscored music is a sultry, jazzy version of the DS9 main theme, orchestrated in the same style as 1960s-era James Bond films.