In this episode, several main characters, including Doctor Zoidberg (Billy West), Amy Wong (Lauren Tom) and Hermes Conrad (Phil LaMarr), are first introduced, and the crew goes on their first mission.
Settling into their new jobs, Fry, Leela and Bender are introduced to the other Planet Express employees: Doctor John A. Zoidberg, intern Amy Wong and bureaucrat Hermes Conrad.
Whilst trying to out-distance themselves from both the farmer's shotgun and the lunar terminator, Leela berates Fry for refusing to accept that, apart from the amusement park, the Moon is nothing but a wasteland.
As night falls on the Moon, Fry and Leela find the Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle and take shelter inside it, while Bender goes back to flirt with the farmer's daughters.
The title of the episode itself is a reference to the quote "The Eagle has landed" said by astronaut Neil Armstrong when he and Buzz Aldrin touched down on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission.
Fry nearly makes a reference to Neil Armstrong's "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind" quote when first setting foot on the Moon.
Ken Keeler was nominated for an Annie Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television Production" in 1999 for this episode.
The "with blackjack and hookers" has since entered into the popular lexicon as a humorous way of referring to the practice of making a competing product, service, or institution due to dissatisfaction with the original.