This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for its prosthetic makeup effects.
The things hanging from Zoumas' face are artificial fishing lures.
This episode originally developed from an unused ending for Judgment (2003), which involved Enterprise attempting to intercept a prison ship which Archer was aboard and rescue him from that vessel.
Some props from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) are reused. The remote control for the prisoner cuffs is the Bajoran tricorder. The Enolian uniforms are the Miradorn and Mokra costumes. The rank pin worn on the Enolian official's collar is a modified version of the Red Squad pin.