Craig Sheffer (Keith Scott) and Barbara Alyn Woods (Deb Scott) do not appear in this episode.

Michael Harding (Chief) previously appeared in "I Shall Believe" as a cop.

Haley: Okay, I know in high school you always think people are staring at you, but this is ridiculous.
Lucas: Well they're not used to having a celebrity in their midst.
Haley: Let's just find our lockers. I'm 141, what are you?
Lucas: 143. Must be alphabetical.
Haley: Which means --
Nathan: Should have used your stage name.

(in Whitey's office)
Haley: Hey coach.
Coach: Well, well. Avril Lavigne. What can I do for you?
Haley: I wanted to talk to you about Nathan. I'm not exactly his favorite person right now.
Coach: And you'd like me to talk to him.
Haley: I was hoping. He really listens to you.
Coach: Listen girly. I'm a basketball coach, not Dr. Phil. Don't have time for anyone else's problems right now, got plenty of my own.
Haley: I understand.
Coach: Besides that, I should be happy that my star player's focusing on the game rather than on his love life. We've got a championship game to win this year. Here.
Haley: What's this?
Coach: It's called a detention slip.
Haley: Detention for what?
Coach: Last time I checked, this was the boys' locker room.

Nathan: Look, I've been doing some thinking about us, about what we're gonna do. I still have the annulment papers. But if we have an annulment it'll be like our marriage never happened, and that'll be a lie. We had a lot of great times together, Haley. I don't want to pretend like we didn't.
Haley: Neither do I.
Nathan: So instead of an annulment, I looked into a divorce. The state says that we have to be separated for a year.
Haley: Wha -- What are you saying?
Nathan: I'm saying I think we should see what happens between now and then.
Haley: Nathan, I love you. I know that we can work this out, and a year from now things will be good for us again.
Nathan: Maybe. Or maybe not. I guess we'll just have to see.

Lucas: "This year I'm going to kiss a boy."
Haley: That's mine. It's from seventh grade!
Lucas: Well, it finally happened for you.
Haley: Bitch!

Haley: I'm usually one of those people who likes the first day of school, you know, new pens, new notebook, new backpack --
Brooke: A nerd.
Haley: Exactly.

Haley: "This year I'll volunteer at the tutoring center."
Lucas: "This year Mom and Keith will finally get married."
Haley: "I'll date a musician." Why do we do this again?
Lucas: It's supposed to be fun.
Haley: How about this year we just wait to see how the first day goes before we make any predictions?
Lucas: Good to have you back, Haley. Couldn't have done senior year without you.

Peyton: What are you doing on this side of the school?
Nathan: P.E.
Peyton: By way of Florida? You're dodging Haley.

Nathan: Did you really knock out Sue Garber's front teeth?
Haley: What? Where did you hear that?
Nathan: It's all over school.
Haley: Great. Add "bully" to my resume. You know, I played for some tough crowds on the road; nothing compares to the hostility I feel walking down that hall. What did I even do to make those girls hate me anyway? They don't even know me.
Nathan: It's high school, you don't need a reason. Try missing the winning shot at a home game, you'll feel hatred at a whole new level.
Haley: Yeah. I guess I never thought of it that way. Nathan --
Nathan: I should get back to this. I don't have a tutor anymore.

During the scene with Lucas and Dan at the rivercourt, a sweat stain on the back of Lucas' t-shirt appears near the end of the scene.

Episode Title: First Day on a Brand New Planet

"First Day on a Brand New Planet" is the title of a song by Jesse James.

Whitey: (to Haley) Well, well, Avril Lavigne.

Avril Lavigne is a Canadian punk artist who dropped out of school in order to pursue a career in music.

The episode title, "First Day on a Brand New Planet", can be related to the plot of the episode in several different ways. During the episode, Haley returns to school for the first time since leaving on the tour and finds that school is like a "brand new planet" even though she has been at the school for three years. Lucas and Brooke also start their "first day on a brand new planet" by Lucas refusing to date Brooke non-exclusively and forcing her to reconsider their relationship status.