As they work to retrieve the information from the encrypted Imperial data pad that Omega stole, the show’s heroes encounter a new threat native to Barton IV in the form of giant Ice Wyrms. These Wyrms are sensitive to vibrations and are repelled by sensors spiked into the ground around the base. When the power goes off, the Ice Wyrms strike, barreling below the surface to attack the Bad Batch.
These Wyrms are actually opposites of the Sand Worms in “Dune.” In “Dune,” the sandworms are affected by vibrations of the thumpers the Fremen place into the ground to call them, which serve to attract them rather than repel them like in “The Bad Batch.” Even so, the Ice Wyrms traveling through the snow look like an icy corollary to the sandworms of Arrakis. It’s a very cool parallel and a respectful nod to one of the science-fiction franchises that “Star Wars” has been borrowing from since day one.
Indeed, there are several direct lines one can draw between “Dune” and “Star Wars”. The world of “Dune,” like “Star Wars” is ruled by a largely unseen Emperor. In both, a hero rises on a desert planet, with “Star Wars” substituting Arrakis for Tatooine. One of the most obvious homages, though, is spice being a highly valuable commodity linked to a powerful crime lord (Jabba the Hutt in “Star Wars” and Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in “Dune,” respectively).
It could even be argued that the twin children of Paul Atreides in “Dune: Messiah” — who are born after his own turn into a genocidal religious figure and before he walks off into the desert — were an inspiration for the lineage of Luke and Leia (who were also borne of a father who was perceived as a messiah of sorts only to evolve into a genocidal religious figure).