As the previous episode was a homage to the Godzilla series, this one pays homage to another monster movie, King Kong (1933). A large, possibly sentient creature is brought against its will to a dense population center and goes on a rampage, scaling buildings and swatting down attacking aircraft before finally being struck down and falling to its death.
This episode features one of the few times that the trademark line "I've got a bad feeling about this" is used by one of the adversaries; in this case, Chancellor Palpetine who has not yet shown his true nature at this point.
The 'Jedi fortune cookie' message that opens the show reads "The most dangerous beast is the beast within".
The Season Two Blu-ray includes the deleted scenes "Strategy in the Jedi War Room" and "Trapped in Palpatine's Shuttle".