Mercer and Pria discuss the story of Giles Corey as depicted at a museum in Salem, MA. Giles was accused of witchcraft in 1692 and tortured by being pressed under rocks. The story they told of him asking for "more weight" is accurate.
When Kelly and Alara search Pria's quarters, the background music is an altered, melodically identical version of Star Trek's Klingon theme music, first appearing in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979).
Charlize Theron played Seth MacFarlane's love interest in A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014). And Liam Neeson, who makes a cameo in If the Stars Should Appear (2017), played Theron's husband.
The uniform Pria is wearing when first encountered is very similar to the uniforms worn in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987).
This episode was directed by Jonathan Frakes who was Commander Will Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and other Star Trek productions.