In the simulation program, Seth MacFarlane wears the same Western outfit that he wore in A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014).
Lt. Cmdr. Bortus's home planet is based on Norilsk, an over-polluted Russian city north of the Arctic Circle.
When Bortus asks Ed and Kelly to quote their home planet's great author, Kelly responds with, "I'm a survivor. I'm not gon' give up. I'm not gon' stop. I'm gon' work harder," from the Destiny's Child song "Survivor." Bortus asks who the author is. Ed replies, "The author is about 15 people." In reality, the credited songwriters are Beyoncé, Anthony Dent, and Mathew Knowles.
At 8:06, Isaac says "one month, seventeen days". This is an oblique reference to the number 47, which was a recurring reference on Star Trek.
The song that General Vásquez dances to is an instrumental version of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."