The mineral was named Trisilicate because Barry Letts saw it listed on the back of a tube of Boots Toothpaste as one of the ingredients.
This story was inspired by the 1972 U.K Miner's Strike.
In an attempt to recapture the feel of "The Curse of Peladon", the same director and designer were assigned to this story and many of the props that still existed (including the Alpha Centauri and Aggedor costumes) were re-used. The Ice Warrior costumes were all originally made for the 1960s episodes.
This episode was watched by 9.2 million viewers on its original transmission.
This episode takes place on Peladon in the 40th Century.