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The story
pitch that initiated the writing of this episode had a botanical
basis. Supervising Producer Kenneth Biller explained,
"Bill Prady,
who pitched and wrote the story [...] had this idea about the
pitcher plant, a plant that sends out false pheromones to attract
its prey." |
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According to
the unauthorized reference book Delta Quadrant, the
windowed corridor through which Seven of Nine carries Naomi Wildman
was actually the mess hall set, and the interior of Qatai's shuttle
contained many "bits and pieces" from stock, including the distress
beacon from the previous episode ("Gravity"). |
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The creature
that stars in this episode is similar to a creature – described by
Worf in the earlier-produced TNG: "Where Silence Has Lease" – that
is said to "devour entire starships." Another creature similar to
the one in this episode is Bevvox from the episode "Think Tank",
which prefers a variable-gravity environment. |
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Seven of
Nine says that the spaceship eater is the largest organism she has
ever seen, at 2,000 kilometers in size. This is orders of magnitude
smaller than the protozoan life form Voyager entered prior to her
presence on the ship. It is also orders of magnitude smaller than
other space organisms the Federation has encountered. |
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Ken Biller
perceived this episode to be reminiscent of Star Trek: The Original
Series. "It's kind of like old-fashioned Star Trek," he observed. |
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The creature
gives a false letter to Janeway that supposedly came from Mark,
saying that he had broken off his engagement to another woman. Yet
from an actual letter Janeway receives in the fourth season
installment "Hunters", Mark was already married to another woman. |
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Ken Biller
did not hold this outing in high esteem. "'Bliss' was not my favorite episode [....] A big monster in space that eats starships
has the potential for being silly," Biller opined. |