O Deep Space Nine Companion cita Hilary J. Bader (que recebe o crédito da história pelo episódio) dizendo que sim, é inspirado em Heyerdahl e na viagem dos Kon-Tiki
"I was talking with friends about the fact that the Federation is based on ships," says Hilary Bader, then an intern on Deep Space Nine. "Somebody mentioned exploring, and the old ways of doing things and people trying to prove things. And as soon as you start thinking along those lines, you see the parallels to Kon-Tiki. I thought, 'wait a minute, that would be a good story.' So I went in and pitched it."
Esta é a passagem referenciada pelo artigo da Memória Alfa (em Produção) quando menciona Heyerdahl.