Mariner reveals in this episode that she was friends with Sito Jaxa and Nicholas Locarno who both made their first appearances in The First Duty (1992). This means that she also was in the academy at the same time as Wesley Crusher, and most likely knew him as well since he was part of the same flight group as the others.
In this episode Mariner explains that she was friends at the academy with a Bajoran cadet named Sito Jaxa, who made two appearances in the TNG episodes The First Duty (1992) and Lower Decks (1994) (the later being credited as being the namesake for this series), and died while on a secret mission in the later, which would affect Mariner for years to come.
At one point Boimler begins to talk in his sleep, where he asks Beverly Crusher to teach him how to tap dance. This is in reference to her famous dance scene in the TNG episode Data's Day (1991) where she teaches Data how to dance, and she reveals her nickname, "The Dancing Doctor". Crusher's actress, Gates McFadden, is also known as an accomplished tap dancer.
Robert Duncan McNeil returns to voice Nick Locarno who he played in the TNG 5th season episode The First Duty (1992).
In the briefing room it is mentioned that the Cerritos was assigned to recover one of four Starfleet officers. Those officers were Beverly Crusher, Seven of Nine, Thomas Riker, and Nick Locarno. While Crusher and Riker where actually in Starfleet, Nick Locarno was expelled from the Academy after trying to cover up an accident that resulted in the death of another cadet, and Seven, though backed by Katherine Janeway, would not be allowed to join Starfleet till the early 25th century. Most likely by the year this episode takes place in she would most likely have already joined the Fenris Rangers.