In a brief shot of a cinema near the beginning of the episode, 'Back to the Future 4' is showing. The "cinema" is the same building facade on the Universal Studios Lot that Marty McFly's DeLorean almost crashes into in the first film.
The creature's requirements and techniques bear a distinct resemblance to Sil in Species (1995) released about a year before this episode.
Very similar to the Star Trek episode Operation: Annihilate, Season 1 Episode 29, in which the crew tries to stop flying amoeba like creatures from taking over.
Dawnn Lewis and Jerry O'Connell co-star on Star Trek Lower Decks as Captain Freeman and first officer Commander Ransom
This episode is clearly made by inspiration of the species films.