The stardate is 2011.7. This is the first mention of the Rodaxian system in lore. It was established in TNG that starships run on a three-shift rotation (8 hours each), although some captains preferred four shifts (TNG: “Chain of Command”).
Uhura says the Rodaxians are very specific as to how they want to be spoken to. Another alien race which is very exacting in their diplomatic protocols - especially a ritual greeting to open negotiations - is the insectoid Jarada (TNG: “The Big Goodbye”).
We see what a tribble purring and gliding over the wreckage of Ortegas’ shore leave (TOS: “The Trouble with Tribbles”). Ortegas is wearing a headband with fake Andorian antennae. On the table is a plush toy or stuffed Alfa 177 canine (TOS: “The Enemy Within”). Scotty is wearing a mugato costume (TOS: “A Private Little War”), which we also saw in SFA: “Vitus Reflux”, as the mugato is the mascot of the 32nd century Starfleet War College.
The episode is written by Kathryn Lyn, who previously worked in LD, first as a “canon consultant” and then writing the iconic LD: “wej Duj”, which was nominated for a Hugo award. This may explain the LD-ish tone of the episode.
Kirk and Spock shared a mind meld in SNW: “New Life and New Civilizations” in order to coordinate an attack between Enterprise and Farragut, the first of a number in their friendship over the decades.
Una is singing “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in Klingon.
“It’s green,” is a line Scotty uses to describe an alcoholic beverage in TOS: “By Any Other Name”. When Data takes a similar looking bottle from under Guinan’s counter in Ten Forward in TNG: “Relics”, he uses the same line to answer an older Scotty’s question. That drink is identified by Picard later in the episode as Aldebaran whiskey.
Pike asks what they think of a face tattoo. In VOY, the character of Chakotay has one. The is the second episode in a row Anson Mount gets to play his “crazed Pike” expression, although the one in SNW: “The Griffin Incident” was of course psychotic rather than drunk. Pike has a cabin in Bear Creek, Montana (SNW: “Strange New Worlds”).
The closed captions have Scotty saying “tellurite”, which is an oxyanion of the element tellurium. He probably meant “Tellarite”.
The running gag of Vulcans looking perfectly fine but insisting they are out of control originated in “wej Duj” and previously referred to in SNW: “Ad Astra Per Aspera”. The significance of the title is made clear when Spock says to Kirk that he’s never had a “human best friend”.
Anbo-jyutsu is a martial arts/competitive area game first seen in TNG: “The Icarus Factor”. It’s also appeared twice on LD (LD: “wej Duj”, “Mugato, Gumato”). The Bingo Caller is Kathryn Lyn herself, probably in the persona of K’Lyn, a Vulcan character she cosplays as, and the inspiration for T’Lyn’s name in LD.
Ortegas’ brother (last seen in SNW: “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans”) is Umberto Ortegas, but she calls him “Beto” (a common nickname for Spanish names that end in “-berto”).
Pike has letters in piqaD, the Klingon script, tattooed on his face.
Isolinear ships were introduced into lore in TNG, but it was mentioned in “Relics” that they only replaced duotronic chips c.2329. However, technological progress has been altered, probably due to time travel shenanigans like those in SNW: “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”.
Spock mentions Quadrium particles which are native to the Rodaxian system. Varuvian is an ore which is a component of a varuvian bomb, which has enough explosive power to destroy a planet (LD: “First First Contact”). Niritlin is also an explosive compound (DS9: “Improbable Cause”).
A zeptosecond is one sextillionth of a second - the smallest unit of time ever measured. The time it takes for a photon to cross the length of a hydrogen molecule is 247 zeptoseconds. A transporter cycle, from dematerialisation to rematerialisation in the 24th century takes about 3-5 seconds.
Scotty nearly gets his thumb blown off. In real life, actor James Doohan lost the middle on his right hand during D-Day when a sentry accidentally shot him six times. He hid his missing finger during his acting career, usually by holding his hand at strategic angles, although occasionally you can spot it in episodes like “The Trouble with Tribbles” and TOS: “Catspaw”.