Difference between revisions of "Pop Culture References"

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m (The All-Pro: snipped extraneous text)
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“There is no try!” Quentin screamed at the entire team.</pre>
 
“There is no try!” Quentin screamed at the entire team.</pre>
 
:This is a reference to the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XsuY3qzDfY scene] in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' where Yoda is counseling Luke.
 
:This is a reference to the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XsuY3qzDfY scene] in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' where Yoda is counseling Luke.
* The first sentient dolphins are named by Dr. Albert Bietz:<ref name="TAPp295">The All-Pro, p. 295</ref>
 
<pre>He named his three test subjects Huey, Dewey and Louie.</pre>
 
:This is a reference to the classic Disney character ''Donald Duck's'' three [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey,_Dewey,_and_Louie nephews].
 
 
* After the sentient dolphins successfully sued for their independence, they were released to the ocean:<ref name="TAPp295">The All-Pro, p. 295</ref>
 
* After the sentient dolphins successfully sued for their independence, they were released to the ocean:<ref name="TAPp295">The All-Pro, p. 295</ref>
 
<pre>Dewey swam back only long enough to utter the famous words,  
 
<pre>Dewey swam back only long enough to utter the famous words,  
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:This basically pokes fun of how often Captain Kirk was a part of the [https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/129038/when-and-why-did-policies-concerning-captains-and-away-teams-change away team] in the original ''Star Trek'' series.
 
:This basically pokes fun of how often Captain Kirk was a part of the [https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/129038/when-and-why-did-policies-concerning-captains-and-away-teams-change away team] in the original ''Star Trek'' series.
 
* The [[Prawatt]] play [[The Game]], which is an on-ground version of Quidditch, from the Harry Potter books.
 
* The [[Prawatt]] play [[The Game]], which is an on-ground version of Quidditch, from the Harry Potter books.
 +
* [[Petra Prawatt|Petra]] describes room 931:<ref>The MVP, p. 85</ref>
 +
<pre>“A room like this, in a university, on another planet far, far away in a time long, long ago, was where our kind came into being.”</pre>
 +
: The phrasing is reminiscent of the opening screen in ''Star Wars'':
 +
<pre>"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...."</pre>
 
* When Petra asks Quentin to speak to the Sklorno on her behalf, he asks for some reciprocation. Petra asks if that means she'll owe him a favor:<ref>The MVP, p. 90</ref>
 
* When Petra asks Quentin to speak to the Sklorno on her behalf, he asks for some reciprocation. Petra asks if that means she'll owe him a favor:<ref>The MVP, p. 90</ref>
 
<pre>“That day may never come, but yes. I haven’t agreed to help you, but if I choose to do what you ask, then you will owe me.”</pre>
 
<pre>“That day may never come, but yes. I haven’t agreed to help you, but if I choose to do what you ask, then you will owe me.”</pre>
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:This is a reference to the closing narrative of the 1978 ''Battlestar Galactica'' TV show:
 
:This is a reference to the closing narrative of the 1978 ''Battlestar Galactica'' TV show:
 
<pre>"Fleeing from the Cylon tyranny, the last battlestar, Galactica, leads a rag-tag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest...a shining planet known as Earth."</pre>
 
<pre>"Fleeing from the Cylon tyranny, the last battlestar, Galactica, leads a rag-tag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest...a shining planet known as Earth."</pre>
 +
* The ''Incredible Hulk'' television show [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHSxQ2RRD9o&t=13s reference] made previously in ''The All Pro'' is made again in ''The MVP'' when John's face tattoo reads:<ref>The MVP, p. 134</ref>
 +
<pre>YOU WOULDN’T LIKE MA WHEN SHE GETS ANGRY scrolled across John’s face.</pre>
 +
* Quentin is pretending to be a psychic to freak out [[John Tweedy]]:<ref>The MVP, p. 139</ref>
 +
<pre>He closed his eyes and held his fingertips to his temples.</pre>
 +
:This behavior is similar to the mannerisms used by Johnny Carson for his character [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnac_the_Magnificent ''Carnac the Magnificent''].
 +
* John Tweedy teasingly accuses Quentin of doing drugs:<ref>The MVP, p. 303|</ref>
 +
<pre>JUST SAY NO! flashed across his forehead.</pre>
 +
:In this context, the words bring to mind the [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/03/06/reagans-just-say-no-effort-pop-culture-icon/81405996/ anti-drug campaign] headed by former First Lady Nancy Reagan in the 1980s.
 +
* During halftime, the Prawatt ask John Tweedy for Halftime Adjustments:<ref>The MVP, p. 314</ref>
 +
<pre>“Halftime adjustments? We don’t need no stinking halftime adjustments.”</pre>
 +
:This is a reference to the [https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinking_badges classic western line] often spoofed in pop culture.
 
* [[Virak the Mean|Virak]] says to [[Choto the Bright|Choto]]:<ref>The MVP, p. 330</ref>
 
* [[Virak the Mean|Virak]] says to [[Choto the Bright|Choto]]:<ref>The MVP, p. 330</ref>
 
<pre>"I despise these primitive screwheads."</pre>
 
<pre>"I despise these primitive screwheads."</pre>
Line 99: Line 111:
  
 
===[[The Rider]]===
 
===[[The Rider]]===
* Two of the mounts belonging to the [[Loppu Ogres]] are named ''Pinky'' and ''Brain''<ref>The Rider, iBooks p. 155</ref>
+
 
:This is a reference to two characters from the 1990s children's television show, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i456bzmvyZk ''Animaniacs''].
+
==Character Names==
 +
* In the GFL era, the first sentient dolphins are named by Dr. Albert Bietz:<ref name="TAPp295">The All-Pro, p. 295</ref>
 +
<pre>He named his three test subjects Huey, Dewey and Louie.</pre>
 +
:This is a reference to the classic Disney character ''Donald Duck's'' three [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey,_Dewey,_and_Louie nephews].
 +
* In [[The Rider]], two of the mounts belonging to the [[Loppu Ogres]] are named ''Pinky'' and ''Brain''<ref>The Rider, iBooks p. 155</ref>. They are named after two characters from the 1990s children's television show, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i456bzmvyZk ''Animaniacs''].
 +
* In the GFL, the Prawatt are sometimes named with references from pop culture.
 +
:[[Katzenbaum Weasley]] has the same surname as a [http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Weasley_family major family] in the Harry Potter books.
 +
:[[Tommyboy Snuffalupagus]] has a first name that was the name of a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9btKFrFhq28 1995 comedy], and a surname that was a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Snuffleupagus character] on Sesame Street (with slightly different spelling).
 +
* In [[The All-Pro]], the drydock vessel ''CAS Linus Torvalds'' is named after the principal developer of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Torvalds Linux Kernel].
 +
* In the GFL novels, the bodyguards of gangster [[Stedmar Osborne]] are named [[Frankie]], [[Sammy]], and [[Dean]]. These are the names of three of the members (Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin) of the notorious [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_Pack Rat Pack] from the 1960s.
 +
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
(hardcover, unless otherwise noted; ebook page numbers are approximate)
 
(hardcover, unless otherwise noted; ebook page numbers are approximate)
 
<references />
 
<references />

Revision as of 22:08, 20 July 2017

Scott Sigler likes to put references to pop culture into his books.

Novels

The Rookie

The Starter

Ju laughed. “Practice? What are we talkin’ about, man... practice? 
Not a game, not a game... we talkin’ about practice? I save it for the games, Q.”
This references a press conference held by NBA star Allen Iverson in which he states much the same thing.

The All-Pro

Tom straightened, hands on hips, eyes scrunched. “My ankle ... killing me. I’m ... trying ... Q.”
“There is no try!” Quentin screamed at the entire team.
This is a reference to the scene in The Empire Strikes Back where Yoda is counseling Luke.
  • After the sentient dolphins successfully sued for their independence, they were released to the ocean:[3]
Dewey swam back only long enough to utter the famous words, 
“So long and thanks for all the fish,” and then the three weren’t heard from for another two years.
This is a quote from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and is the last words the dolphins say before they leave the doomed planet Earth.
  • Doc Patah chastises Quentin for getting too injured during games[4]
“Young Quentin, it’s like you want to get hurt. Do you like the pain? Because you certainly eat it like candy.”
This is a reference to a scene in Any Which Way You Can, in which Clint Eastwood's character is complimented on his fighting ability.
  • Doc Patah continues to chastise quentin for not sliding:[5]
“You still need to learn how to slide. I’m a doctor, Young Quentin, not a mortician.”
This is a reference to the constant correction by Dr. McCoy on the Star Trek television show.
“The entire galaxy knows that you’re the real deal, blue twisted steel and sex appeal.”
Twisted steel and sex appeal is a phrase often used to describe professional wrestler Sputnik Monroe.
"Akbar, you are starting to make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
This is a nod to a line by David Banner in The Incredible Hulk TV show.
  • After Quentin shoots and destroys a pirate ship:[8]
"I got him!" Quentin said. "I got him!"
"Great, Quentin," Virak said. "Do not grow overconfident."
This is a reference to the scene in Star Wars when Luke shoots a TIE fighter and has pretty much the same conversation with Han.

The MVP

“No military in, like, the entire galaxy would ever send a ship captain to board another vessel. 
That would be as dumb as, I don’t know, sending a ship captain down to the surface of an unknown planet or something.”
This basically pokes fun of how often Captain Kirk was a part of the away team in the original Star Trek series.
  • The Prawatt play The Game, which is an on-ground version of Quidditch, from the Harry Potter books.
  • Petra describes room 931:[10]
“A room like this, in a university, on another planet far, far away in a time long, long ago, was where our kind came into being.”
The phrasing is reminiscent of the opening screen in Star Wars:
"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...."
  • When Petra asks Quentin to speak to the Sklorno on her behalf, he asks for some reciprocation. Petra asks if that means she'll owe him a favor:[11]
“That day may never come, but yes. I haven’t agreed to help you, but if I choose to do what you ask, then you will owe me.”
This is very reminiscent of a scene in The Godfather.
  • After Quentin answers, "No, I'm not!" to a Sklorno priestess who asks him is he is their Godling. Don Pine pulls Quentin aside and says:[12]
"When someone asks you if you are a godling, you say YES."
This is a reference to a scene in Ghostbusters.
  • Tom Skivvers, in a live broadcast from the border between the Sklorno Dynasty and the Prawtt Jihad, refers to the amassed sklorno armada as:[13]
"...the rag-tag, fugitive fleet of the Sklorno..."
This is a reference to the closing narrative of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica TV show:
"Fleeing from the Cylon tyranny, the last battlestar, Galactica, leads a rag-tag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest...a shining planet known as Earth."
  • The Incredible Hulk television show reference made previously in The All Pro is made again in The MVP when John's face tattoo reads:[14]
YOU WOULDN’T LIKE MA WHEN SHE GETS ANGRY scrolled across John’s face.
He closed his eyes and held his fingertips to his temples.
This behavior is similar to the mannerisms used by Johnny Carson for his character Carnac the Magnificent.
  • John Tweedy teasingly accuses Quentin of doing drugs:[16]
JUST SAY NO! flashed across his forehead.
In this context, the words bring to mind the anti-drug campaign headed by former First Lady Nancy Reagan in the 1980s.
  • During halftime, the Prawatt ask John Tweedy for Halftime Adjustments:[17]
“Halftime adjustments? We don’t need no stinking halftime adjustments.”
This is a reference to the classic western line often spoofed in pop culture.
"I despise these primitive screwheads."
"Primitive screwheads" is a phrase from Army of Darkness, though the actual phrasing is a little different.
Quentin smiled at her. "Aren't you a little small to be a Green?"
This is a reference to the scene in Star Wars when Leia first sees Luke dressed as a stormtrooper.

The Champion

Quentin saw a Creterakian dressed in a black bodysuit with bright images of bouncing cherries moving on it. 
The cherries were being chased by what looked like a yellow pie missing one slice, except the slice opened and closed 
like it was the pie’s mouth.
This is a description of the 1980s arcade game Pac-Man.
  • The bar where Quentin and the others ended their pub crawl around Neptune is called Kessell's Run.[21] This is a reference to the scene in Star Wars when Han is incredulous that Ben and Luke have never heard of the Millennium Falcon.
  • Paul "Bandit" Preston is killed in the attack on Bord.[22]
“Paulisdead Paulisdead Paulisdead,” Denver said, her tone sad for once.
This is a reference to the Paul is Dead hoax about The Beatles' Paul McCartney in 1969.
  • Quentin winds up on the cover of Madden 2686, then by season's end falls victim to the Madden Curse.

Contagious

Dew stopped and put his hand on his hips. He was too old for this crap.
This is a reference to the Lethal Weapon franchise, in which Sergeant Roger Murtaugh repeatedly expresses similar age-related laments.
“Sir, yes sir!” Climer said. “I want you to get your mind right, sir!”
This is a nod to a scene in Cool Hand Luke.

Pandemic

“Everybody out!” he screamed as he stumbled around to the other side. “Move, move! Get to the chopper!”
This is a reference to the scene in Predator where Arnie calmly advises someone to get aboard the helicopter.

Novellas

The Reporter

Yolanda again looked right — no way out — and then left — no way out there, either. She had only seconds.
“Follow me if you want to live,” she said.
This is a reference to the Terminator franchise. Like Star Wars' I've got a bad feeling about this, the phrase appears in multiple Terminator movies.
  • Turon the Ugly is holding a welder aloft, threatening to burn Yolanda Davenport to get information out of her.[27]
“You don’t need that,” she said. “I’ll tell you everything.”
“I know you will.” He walked out from behind the desk, the flame still hissing from the welder.
He walked closer.
She pulled harder, as hard as she could, but it was no use. The trembling increased. They were going to burn her?
This is a reference to the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark (from 1:57 to 2:12), between Marion Ravenwood and Toht.

The Rider

Character Names

  • In the GFL era, the first sentient dolphins are named by Dr. Albert Bietz:[3]
He named his three test subjects Huey, Dewey and Louie.
This is a reference to the classic Disney character Donald Duck's three nephews.
  • In The Rider, two of the mounts belonging to the Loppu Ogres are named Pinky and Brain[28]. They are named after two characters from the 1990s children's television show, Animaniacs.
  • In the GFL, the Prawatt are sometimes named with references from pop culture.
Katzenbaum Weasley has the same surname as a major family in the Harry Potter books.
Tommyboy Snuffalupagus has a first name that was the name of a 1995 comedy, and a surname that was a character on Sesame Street (with slightly different spelling).
  • In The All-Pro, the drydock vessel CAS Linus Torvalds is named after the principal developer of the Linux Kernel.
  • In the GFL novels, the bodyguards of gangster Stedmar Osborne are named Frankie, Sammy, and Dean. These are the names of three of the members (Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin) of the notorious Rat Pack from the 1960s.


References

(hardcover, unless otherwise noted; ebook page numbers are approximate)

  1. The Starter, p. 377
  2. The All-Pro, p. 129
  3. 3.0 3.1 The All-Pro, p. 295
  4. The All-Pro, p. 300
  5. The All-Pro, p. 301
  6. The All-Pro, p. 376
  7. The All-Pro, p. 384
  8. The All-Pro, p. 543
  9. The MVP, p. 13
  10. The MVP, p. 85
  11. The MVP, p. 90
  12. The MVP, p. 105
  13. The MVP, p. 108
  14. The MVP, p. 134
  15. The MVP, p. 139
  16. The MVP, p. 303|
  17. The MVP, p. 314
  18. The MVP, p. 330
  19. The MVP, p. 346
  20. The Champion, p. 313
  21. The Champion, p. 365
  22. The Champion, p. 398
  23. Contagious, p. 261
  24. Contagious, p. 277
  25. Pandemic, p. 572
  26. The Reporter, iBooks p.231
  27. The Reporter, iBooks p.116-117
  28. The Rider, iBooks p. 155