In the final act, Luke expresses the hope of avoiding "another Waco". The Waco siege in 1993 was originally an operation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, targeting the Branch Davidians cult in Texas, suspecting them of stockpiling illegal weapons; a planned raid turned into a two-hour firefight when their element of surprise was accidentally compromised. Taking over after the deaths of four ATF agents and six cult members, the FBI began a standoff that lasted 51 days, alternating tactics of negotiation and harassment, the goal of the latter being to drive the members out by force; on the final day, after the FBI inserted tear gas into the building, three fires broke out simultaneously and, due to strong winds, engulfed the compound, resulting in 76 more deaths.
David Koresh, the cult's leader, was also, in part, a loose inspiration for Benjamin Cyrus, the cult leader from season four episode
Minimal Loss (2008).