Every Dune Reference in Pop Culture (Nerdist Remix)

Not sure if you’ve heard of Dune before? You must not fear! Nerdist has unleashed our editor and world’s biggest Dune fan, Matt Caron, to collect every single spicy pop culture reference to Dune. (Seriously, it’s all he talks about.) From The Simpsons to SpongeBob SquarePants, we’ve opened a whole can of sandworms. See how many references you can catch!

Edited by Matt Caron

[gibn]

I can't tell for sure which one's the best, but Spongebob's dune joke is both so dry and buried in a kid's show that it'll only appeal to a few number of people who've read the book. That's dedication.

[dootboi]

Friend: "How can it be so revolutionary if i've never heard about it before?"

Me: "Oh son, you HAVE seen Dune... you just don't know it yet"

[plazmapple]

So Dune is the western scifi version of, "is that a Jojo reference?"

[TehSkullKid]

There was a whole episode of Billy and Mandy that was a retelling of God Emperor of Dune. It went into the future where Mandy had assumed control of earth and became immortal by becoming a half-worm hybrid and was served by an endless stream of Billy clones that fulfilled the role of Duncan Idaho’s gholas. Then she predicted an assassination attempt by a conspiracy and alerted her past self so she could stop it. And her main powers came from cinnamon. Shit was wild; they don’t make cartoons like that anymore

[deadcard]

Whichever interns you had digging up all that footage deserve a maybe a bonus.

[PistachioDean]

This really helped explain why I felt the movie, especially sand worms, was so familiar, while not having had heard of Dune before now. When in reality it's been subliminally there my whole life.

[peeko_luxx]

The fact Christopher Walkin is playing the emperor in the new movie to come, completes this so perfectly. Enjoyed this very much

[evilemperorzurg]

Dune is the Lord of the Rings of Space fantasy.

Almost all other space fantasies borrow heavily from it and it establishes now common tropes.

[stingingcashew]

There's a reference you missed in Breaking Bad. Season 5 episode 4 Walt straight up says, "the methylamine must flow"

[andymanaus]

Congratulations to the researchers behind this montage. The amount of work and research required for these compilations is very often overlooked.

[LaDracul]

And Sir Patrick Stewart was IN that "Simpsons" episode with the various "Dune" novels...

[JoelGustafsson]

Star Craft has references to pretty much all sci-fi up to the late 90's, including dead worms on the desert maps. Star Craft II has the Nydus Worm, of course.

[Daysed.and.Konfuzed]

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that even _Monty Pithon's_ "Ministry of Silly Walks" was inspired by _Dune's_ sandwalk. 😁

[maskedbadass]

Many elements of Star Wars are pretty much lifted straight from Dune to the point that plagiarism is suspect. The Jedi mind control trick is literally the voice power of the Bene Gesserit.

[noirangel]

*Spore* has Spice as the main commerce.
It even comes in different colors. 😂

[Feefa]

Wait, Christopher Walken walk without rhythm? My brain hurts.

[qtarokujo]

I remembered watching that Spongebob Squarepants episode as a kid and didn't understand the "worm sign" joke at first, thinking it was a little too random. that is until I read the book as a grown man and now it's one of the best jokes ever 🤣

[OkayYaraman]

You forgot the best one: The Codename K.N.D. episode "A.F.L.O.A.T." where the kids crashland in a sea of asparagus and are hunted by an asparagus worm.

[asicdathens]

Chuck begins with the guys getting the sandworm costume from the dry-cleaners to get ready for the Halloween

[william_long]

Dune is to sci-fi pop culture what The Beatles are to pop music. Even if you aren't familiar with the original, you've definitely seen its influence somewhere before