In many ways, the 1990s space opera Babylon 5 was a kind of Rosetta Stone of various science fiction that had come before. Showrunner and creator J. Michael Straczynski baked various genre references into the series, including old-school sci-fi novels like The Demolished Man, to various nominative shout-outs to The Lord of the Rings. But with the introduction of one space drug called “Dust,” Babylon 5 seemed to reference Dune, at least in a roundabout way.
During the week of Febuary 5, 1996, Babylon 5 Season 3 dropped a pivotal episode called “Dust to Dust,” in which we learn that the titular narcotic substance can enhance telepathic and other mental abilities in folks that otherwise wouldn’t possess those powers. And although Spice in Dune doesn’t truly make folks telepathic, the Water of Life in that franchise does grant access to various memories from one's ancestors, something that happens in a very specific moment in this B5 episode.
