Paul Lynch, who directed this episode, directed several episodes of TNG over the years. He was an Englishman who was always extraordinarily wound up, red-faced, sweating profusely, and infamous for saying "Energy! Energy! Energy! And, and, and, and, action!" before takes. He did this before every take, regardless of whether the scene actually called for "Energy! Energy! Energy!" or not. During production of a later episode, in a scene when Brent had the first line, Paul did his "and, and, and, and, and ACTION!" thing. Instead of starting the scene, Brent looked at Paul, and said, very seriously, "Can I get another 'and' please?" to which Paul enthusiastically replied, Yes! AND AND AND! ACTION!"