In The Beginning Allusions

Referencing the autobiography by USAF pilot Robert Lee Scott Jr., detailing his exploits in World War II with the Flying Tigers in China and Burma. It was made into a movie in 1945, and a queercore band took the name in 1991.

This episode title is from the Bible. Specifically it is from Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." The Book of Genesis is the first book of the Bible. It begins with God's creation of all things and as such it is the absolute beginning.

Referencing the similarity of many modern-day fliptop cell phones to the communicators found in the TV series Star Trek. The NBC series premiered in 1966 and starred William Shatner as James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as his science officer, Mr. Spock from the planet Vulcan. The series has spawned numerous spinoffs, movies, novels, and comic books.

Referencing the Back to the Future movies (1985) starring Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, a teenager who travels through time using his mentor Doc Brown's (Christopher Lloyd) time-traveling device, mounted in a DeLorean. Marty goes back to when his parents first met, similar to what happens here with Dean. Also, the scene where Dean first encounters his dad at a diner is a near reenactment from the movie. In it, Marty was unaware that the man next to him was his dad, until someone called their last name and they both turned around. And the man that visits Lydia is Dr. Brown

Referencing the comic strip girl created by Harold Gray in 1924 called 'Little Orphan Annie'. Annie is an orphan girl adopted by millionaire Daddy Warbucks. Accompanied by her dog Sandy, Annie has had thousands of adventures over the decades, and been the subject of a musical, Annie, premiering in 1977.