Which Buffy character inspired the premise of Total Rickall?

Dawn Summers inspired the premise of “Total Rickall.”

Dawn is introduced in season 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Buffy’s younger sister, even though the other characters initially behave as if she has always been part of their lives. The eventual explanation is supernatural: Dawn is actually the human form of the Key, and memories of her history were magically inserted into people’s minds.

“Total Rickall” adapts that unsettling idea into science-fiction comedy. The Smith family suddenly remembers years of adventures with characters who never existed, because alien parasites implant false, happy memories. Unlike Buffy’s more dramatic mystery, Rick and Morty turns the concept into a rapid-fire identification game involving characters such as Sleepy Gary, Uncle Steve, and Reverse Giraffe.

The premise is often confused with the episode’s other influences. Its title references the film Total Recall, and its parasite paranoia also recalls The Thing. However, Dawn Summers is the specifically credited Buffy inspiration for the false-history setup.