Rick And Morty Season 4 Episode 5: 26 Easter Eggs And References In "Rattlestar Ricklactica"

Everyone has a plumbus in their home.

Rick and Morty Season 4, Episode 5, "Rattlestar Ricklactica," was a return to form for the show. Even more importantly, it was an exciting milestone: For the first time ever, Rick and Morty did a time travel plot. Despite the box marked "time travel stuff" that's always been on a shelf in Rick's garage, creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland have stated multiple times that they don't want to do time travel.

Well, we're glad they did. "Rattlestar Ricklactica" was easily the best episode of this five-episode half season, with a classic concept (well-intentioned Morty screwing up an entire alien civilization), a strong subplot (Jerry wanting to get out of his floating jam without Rick's help), some incredible gags (the time traveler riot in Nazi Snake Germany), and effortless execution.

As always, the episode was also full of Easter eggs, references, and other things you might have missed. Here's everything we caught in Rick and Morty Season 4, Episode 5, "Rattlestar Ricklactica." Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below.

1. Comic-Con Preview

The episode's opening scene, in which Rick teases Jerry as Jerry attempts to put up Christmas lights, was previewed at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 in unfinished form.

2. Siri Surprise

The idea that Siri could misinterpret something as simple as a request to set a timer is more than a mere joke for any iPhone user.

3. Christopher Walken

This is the first part of a multi-layered Christopher Walken gag that plays out over the course of this episode. Christopher Walken is an American actor known for countless classic movie roles--and for his iconic voice. No doubt many fans would be happy for a Christopher Walken voice pack.

4. '90s Japanese Ghost

When Rick says Morty is "starting to look like a '90s Japanese ghost," he's referring to movies like The Ring and The Grudge, which featured creatures with a fairly specific, usually pale and veiny look.

5. The Kardashev Scale

When Rick refers to the Snake planet as a "type zero civilization," he's referencing the Kardashev Scale, a method of rating a civilization's advancement via the amount of energy it can harness. A level zero society is what we're living in now, according to astronomer Carl Sagan.

6. Jeff Snakeworthy

Rick's joke is also a reference to the comedy of Jeff Foxworthy, whose signature jokes involve ways to know whether you're a "redneck."

7. Buzz Tylenol

The joke here is that neither Rick nor Morty can remember Buzz Aldrin's name. Instead, they think he's either "Buzz Advil" or "Buzz Aspirin." Morty we can understand, but you'd think Rick, at least, would know the name of one of the first men to walk on the moon.

8. R2-D2 Candles

Morty has several R2-D2 candles on his desk. He's probably as excited about Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker's release this week as we are.

9. Snuffles

You can catch a glimpse of Morty's dog from Season 1, Snuffles, on a display in the pet store.

10. Slippy Snake

Morty names his new snake Slippy. This may or may not be a reference to the Star Fox character Slippy Toad.

11. Everyone Has A Plumbus in Their Home

As Morty sneaks out past the sleeping Rick, you can hear what's on the TV--the plumbus infomercial seen previously on interdimensional cable.

12. Downbeat!

Summer, Rick, and Morty are playing Downbeat, a fictional take on Yahtzee that has appeared in the series before.

13. The Jesus Christ of Christmas

Jerry's proclamation that he is "the Jesus Christ of Christmas" makes no sense. Jesus Christ is the Jesus Christ of Christmas.

14. All The Terminator

Much of the rest of this episode is one big, extended Terminator reference. If you need us to explain it, maybe just go watch the first couple of Terminator movies.

15. Jerry's Number Isn't In Beth's Phone?

Jerry and Beth's relationship has seemed fairly strong since last season's finale, but maybe Beth's discovery that Ted Danson is her soulmate earlier this season has had an effect on the way she sees her husband. Because according to this scene, Beth doesn't have Jerry's number saved in her phone. Poor Jerry.

16. Time Travel Stuff

Rick and Morty creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland finally took that box marked "time travel stuff" off the shelf in the garage, despite saying many times that they wouldn't. This episode marked the first time the show featured time travel. And it was glorious.

17. Back to the Snake Future

Back on Snake World--in 1985--there's a poster on the wall for the snake version of Back to the Future, which was released that year in our world as well.

18. Snake History

Somehow, a snake time traveler preventing Snake Abraham Lincoln's assassination caused the snake Nazis to win snake World War II. Don't think too hard about it and you'll be fine.

19. Snake Hitler's Dog

It's well known that Hitler was a failed artist. What we can't figure out is whether the German Shepherd painting hanging on the wall here is a reference to a real Hitler painting, or just the version from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Season 8 premiere, "Pop-Pop: The Final Solution," in which Charlie paints a fake Hitler painting that looks a bit like the one in this episode.

20. Testicle Heads

These testicle-headed monsters have appeared in the series before--specifically, in Season 2 Episode 1, "A Rickle in Time."

21. Shleemypants

The creature introduces himself as "Shleemypants." That's a curious name, as the syllable "shleem" has popped up before in the series, although there doesn't seem to be any real connection between this guy, Rick's bumper sticker, and the production of plumbuses. Maybe the real answer is simply that there are only so many fictional nonsense syllables in the world, even for Justin Roiland. Also, this character was played by comedian and actor Keegan-Michael Key.

22. The Ouroboros

As the snakes are about to disappear from the Smiths' front lawn, the ones remaining alive briefly form the shape of Ouroboros, a symbol for infinity.

23. Boob World

Believe it or not, this is the first we've heard of "Boob World." Of course, given that there are dimensions and entire planets based on butts, it only makes sense that there would be worlds based on other body parts as well.

24. Ghost of Christmas Future

The Ghost of Christmas Future reference comes from Charles Dickens's 1843 book A Christmas Carol, in which the spirit visits Ebenezer Scrooge to teach him a lesson.

25. The Post-Credits Scene

This episode has a post-credits scene in which Morty figures out one last thing: how his future self got that black eye.

26. The Episode Title

This episode's title, "Rattlestar Ricklactica," was a red herring. As we've noted, the episode had much more in common with Terminator than with Battlestar Galactica.