 Many of the crew were avid fans of Japanese animation, and often put  in references to their favorite shows. This includes the "Exocomps"  in the episode "Quality of Life" were modeled after the robot Namno  from _Dirty Pair (1989) (V)_ (qv), while other episodes often  referenced characters from _"Urusei yatsura" (1981)_ (qv). The  "Akira