The removal of the character of Deanna Troi from this episode alongside three other episodes made Marina Sirtis believe at the time that she was about to be cut from the show.
Marina Sirtis does not appear in this episode. This is her first non-appearance. The revised final draft screenplay submitted only three days prior to filming featured Deanna Troi which suggests that Sirtis' sudden unavailability was the reason for her non-appearance. Her lines were eventually cut from the episode or transferred to other characters (mostly Tasha Yar) and Picard's log entry explaining her absence (a trip home) was written for the beginning of the teaser.
Cliff Bole, knowing that John de Lancie would appear as Q, watched Encounter at Farpoint (1987) in order to maintain Q's tone. He found after shooting began that his research wasn't required as de Lancie slotted back into his previous role naturally.
Q's tent shows French royal arms with three fleurs-de-lis, which was the French national flag from 1376 until 1790, when it was replaced by the tricolor (blue, white, red) of modern-day France.
Director Cliff Bole remembered: "I liked the episode but it wasn't one of my favorites." But Bole praises John de Lancie for his performance and mentioned that he is an excellent actor and he took him to Australia for a guest role in The Killer (1988).