According to DVD commentary, the sound engineers thought that the high, crackling vocal effect of the M5438 was a malfunction in the sound equipment and shut down the studio until they discovered that Billy West could naturally do the voice without any studio effects.
During the scene where Zapp Brannigan is lying down, talking to Leela, his gut was supposed to grow in every shot, but eventually, it got too big for the animators who decided to go no further.
First appearances of Zapp Brannigan, Kif, and Nibbler.
The painting over Zap Brannigan's bed is meant to be reminiscent of the official White House painting of John F. Kennedy.
One of the items on Leela's animal checklist for Vergon 6 is a "Sharktopus." A TV film entitled Sharktopus (2010) was released in 2010, eleven years after this episode was broadcast.