"As Time Goes By" by Dooley Wilson is the piano song playing throughout. It is most likely a homage to Rick (who was in a similar relationship situation as Ed currently is) in Casablanca (1942).
Alara calls Bortus a yenta. A yenta is defined as: -A person, especially a woman, who is considered to be meddlesome or gossipy. Or more aptly in this case, -A matchmaker; a woman who specializes in finding spouses.
The addition of Lt. Tyler and Olix in the first episode of the second season mirrors the addition of Dr. Pulaski and Guinan to the lineup of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987).
The photos Captain Mercer views of him and Kelly on a picnic early in their relationship strongly resemble the photos of Captain Pike and Vina picnicking in the original Star Trek pilot The Cage (1966). The angle and composition of the photos, the red picnic blanket, wicker basket, and the obvious studio setting with fake grass and plants are painstakingly recreated.