When Marton Csokas found out that his character Borias was based on Attila the Hun, he decided to play the role with a Hungarian accent, as Csokas' father was from Hungary. There is a common belief that the people of Hungary are primarily descended from Attila's Huns. Although thoroughly debunked, the idea has been the basis for a number of fictional works.
Lao Ma's gift painting of a green dragon had 4 claws per foot. In the early dynasties the imperial dragon had 5 claws, 4 claws were for lesser folks. Perhaps the writers did not know, perhaps Lao Ma's gift was written to be a subtle insult.
Marton Csokas plays Borias, just two episodes after playing the unrelated character Khrafstar in The Deliverer (1997).
Ming Tsu is played by Grant McFarland who would later go on to play the evil space ninja Lothor in Power Rangers Ninja Storm (2003).