The series was originally titled Deep Space during development, but the name was changed after Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was announced.

Steven Spielberg co-created the show with Rockne S. O'Bannon and served as an executive producer during the first two seasons, with the first season budget estimated at around $30 million.

Spielberg, who had been friends with Roy Scheider since Jaws, was instrumental in casting him as the lead; Scheider called it 'the best part offered me this year.'

Roy Scheider's Captain Nathan Bridger was based on real-life researchers John C. Lilly and Bob Ballard (who also served as the show's first-season technical advisor), and the character's name honors American patriot Nathan Hale.

The season two character Lieutenant Brody was named after Police Chief Martin Brody, the character Roy Scheider played in the first two Jaws films.

NBC fired Royce D. Applegate and John D'Aquino before season two because the network wanted a younger cast, though D'Aquino later returned for a guest appearance in season three.

Michael Ironside initially refused to take over as the show's lead in season three, only agreeing after weeks of negotiations in which producers accepted several of his suggested changes to the series' storytelling structure.

Actor Jonathan Banks, who had played environmentalist Maximilian Scully in the first-season episode 'Whale Songs,' was also considered for the season three lead role before Michael Ironside was cast; Banks instead reprised his Scully role.

Before season two, production moved from Los Angeles to Orlando, prompting Stacy Haiduk and Stephanie Beacham to decline returning, partly due to reluctance to relocate to Florida.

Several actors' real family members appeared on the show, including Roy Scheider's wife Brenda King as Carol Bridger, Rosalind Allen's husband Todd Allen as Clay Marshall, and Dom DeLuise (father of cast members Michael and Peter DeLuise) as Nick Piccolo.

Darwin the dolphin was not a real animal but an animatronic created by Walt Conti, who had built similar effects for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, The Abyss, and Free Willy.

Roy Scheider was openly critical of the show's second-season shift toward science fiction, calling it 'childish trash' and comparing it unfavorably to Star Trek, which led to public tension with executive producer Patrick Hasburgh.

John Debney won a 1994 Emmy for the seaQuest DSV main title theme, and in 2000 TV Guide ranked it the 48th best TV theme song of all time; Don Davis also won an Emmy in 1995 for his score on the season two premiere 'Daggers.'

A seaQuest DSV feature film entered pre-production stages but was never made.