Directed by Roxann Dawson, one of two Voyager episodes she directed, along with Workforce, Part II (2001). She has been a successful director of many television shows in the following years.
This episode mirrors the events in Tuvix (1996) that involved Neelix and Tuvok becoming symbiogenetically joined as one entity. Tuvok's flair for cooking is reminiscent of Tuvix's cooking abilities, which the crew felt were better than those of Neelix. Tuvok's unwillingness to go through with the medical procedure that will restore him to his former self also mirrors Tuvix's reluctance to return to his former individual selves.
This takes place in 2376.