Yamato Captain Osamu Yamanami is named after the historical Shinsengumi warrior Keisuke Yamanami (1833-1865).
After travelling through the nebula, the last hour of the film switches to an anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio. In theaters,this effect was accomplished by having the curtains open partially enough to accommodate the 4:3 NTSC aspect the for the first half of the film without the audience being distracted by the blank screen areas that would have flanked the image had the curtains been fully drawn. During the pivotal scene, the curtains would gradually, and discretely open fully to accommodate the widescreen image. In a darkened theater, this gave the effect that the audience was exiting through a portal. This effect was simulated in home video by simply having the image change from full-screen to letterbox at the appropriate time..