It originally aired on April 20, 1998, on syndicated television,[1] and received Nielsen ratings of 4.3 points, corresponding to about 4.2 million viewers.
While Kira travels to Bajor to meet with her ex-lover Shakaar Edon, Odo visits Vic to inquire further.
He has Odo perform on piano during one of Vic's shows, and then arranges a double date with a pair of holographic women.
Odo asks whether Shakaar would object to that, believing she is still seeing him, but Kira tells him her trip was strictly business, and that she isn't romantically involved with anyone.
Executive producer Ira Steven Behr had been intending since the fourth season of Deep Space Nine to introduce the character of a lounge singer who provided romantic advice to the main characters; the role had been offered to Frank Sinatra, Jr. and Steve Lawrence for potential scenes in the fourth and fifth seasons, but they had declined.
[4] For this episode, the role of Vic Fontaine was offered to Robert Goulet, Tom Jones, and Jerry Vale before being accepted by James Darren.
[3] Several pop standards are performed in Vic's lounge in this episode, including "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Come Fly With Me", "Fever", and "I've Got You Under My Skin".
[5] In addition, Odo (Rene Auberjonois) and Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) sing a verse of "They Can't Take That Away from Me".