Fallout 4 cultural references

Alien Franchise

 * The inscription on the back of the flux sensor reads "FLUX SENSOR CM-88B 180924609". This is a reference to the ship in Alien, the USCSS Nostromo (reg. 180924609).
 * When first talked to after completing the Freedom Trail, Glory compliments the Sole Survivor by saying his work on the trail was "Not bad, for a human." This is likely a reference to the same compliment the Synthetic Bishop gives Ellen Ripley in the movie Aliens.

The American Revolution

 * The standard Minuteman weapon is a Laser musket, just as the Musket was during the revolutionary war.
 * John Hancock shares his name with one of the first men to sign the Declaration of Independence.
 * The quest The Battle of Bunker Hill is also named after one of the opening battle of the American Revolution.

The Andy Griffith Show
In the terminal in the Nahant Sheriff's Department building, a Sheriff Taylor is referenced, which is the name of the character Andy Griffith played on The Andy Griffith Show.

Apocalypse Now
When fighting a Gunner Colonel Gutsy he will sometimes say "I love the smell of plasma in the morning" which is a reference to the character Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore from Apocalypse Now who says "I love the smell of napalm in the morning".

The Aviator
Newspapers scattered around The Commonwealth display the headline "Way of the Future!", which is the same line Leonardo DiCaprio's character Howard Hughes repeats over and over at the end of the film The Aviator.

Back to the Future
Codsworth supports both the names Marty and McFly. This is a reference to Michael J. Fox's character in the film franchise.

Bad Fonts
One of Codsworth's jokes "Comic Sans, Arial and Papyrus walk into a bar..." is a reference to commonly misused, and over used fonts.

The Bible

 * The Lifegiver perk depicts a vault-boy in robes, a beard, and a halo, much like common depictions of Jesus.
 * Ahab, a customized robot found along side Jezebel in the Headhunting quest of the Automatron DLC. This is a reference to Ahab, king of Israel, and his wife Jezebel.

Blade Runner

 * In the middle of the Diamond City there is a robot Takahashi, who sells noodles, and the only line he speaks is "Nani ni shimasho ka?", which means "What should we order?". This is the very same phrase (including imperfect grammar) as said by the noodle seller in the "Noodle Bar" scene of the Blade Runner movie.
 * On the southwest corner of the Mass Fusion containment shed rooftop is the body of a man in a random outfit lying supine in front of a kneeling, deactivated Synth. The setup alludes to the 'Tears in rain' scene at the end of the film.
 * The SAFE test is an allusion to Blade Runner's Voight-Kampff test, meant to discern whether someone is a human or replicant.
 * The art for the Achievement Hunter/Hunted invokes Deckard being stalked by a vault boy.

Blues Brothers
One of the prisoner files in the BADTFL building describes a Jake Redds, with the same personal effects as Jake Blues in the movie.

The Book of Abramelin
The "Abremalin field" imprisoning Lorenzo Cabot refers to historical occult work The Book of Abramelin.

Captain Planet
The mission 'With our Powers Combined' is a reference to the cartoon Captain Planet. It is said as the Planeteers combine their powers to form Captain Planet.

The Cask of Amontillado
When the Sole Survivor finds General McGann's body in The Castle Tunnels, he is lying next to wine crate containing some bottles of "Amontillado" wine. Opposite him is a skeleton behind a half-built brick wall. These are references to Edgar Allan Poe's famous story The Cask of Amontillado. In addition, if the player "inspects" the object in their inventory, the name "Montressor" is on the bottle. Montressor was one of the main characters in The Cask of Amontillado. The name "P. Edgar" in smaller print on the bottom of the label is another reference to Edgar Allen Poe. On a side note, Poe was inspired to write the story during his time serving at Fort Independence, also known as The Castle.

Cheers
The Bar from the 1980's American Sitcom Cheers is by the Boston Commons as Prost bar. Inside is riddled with references to the series, which was set in Boston. The word "prost", after which the in-game bar is named, is german for "cheers".

Comics Code Authority
The 'American Comics Code' stamp found on the Unstoppables is a reimagining of the stamp used by the Comics Code Authority. Its goal was to inform parents of the content of comics.

Commodore 64
The boot-up screen of the Pip-Boy 3000 Mark IV has 64kb of RAM and 38911 bytes free.

The Crucible
A character named Hawthorne resides inside the Dugout Inn. He warns against encounters with the Institute synths, a friendly Vault, and how he has "a bad feeling" about exploring the pre-war ruins of Salem, found in the north eastern most portion of the map. This is a reference to John Hathorne from the Salem Witch Trials.

Dr. Strangelove
In the intro, there is a short scene of a meeting room with a large circular table with a diorama of a mushroom cloud in the center, and a man with his hand gripped tensely on the nuclear hotline. The set design, lighting and general scenario are a reference to Stanley Kubrick's 1964 comedy Dr Strangelove.

Donkey Kong
The game Red Menace is a reference to the 1981 Nintendo game Donkey Kong.

The Elder Scrolls: Arena
A telephone pole just east of Sanctuary outside the Robotics Disposal Ground reads TES 01 PPL 364946. In March of 1994, TES1 was released.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Sweet Rolls can be found throughout the game. And perhaps most notably, one can be found in East Boston Police Station on the desk of a detective. A play off the situation given for character creation in Morrowind.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The cover of one Taboo Tattoos magazine has the iron helmet from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The iron helmet is an armor piece from the game that was made famous by being featured heavily in the marketing of the game as being the chosen headgear of the "Dragonborn".

Crippling a Raider's leg may cause them to groan about a "bullet in the knee." The specificity and wording of "the knee" instead of "my knee" makes it similar to the often-repeated Skyrim town guard dialogue "I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee..."

Equilibrium

 * Gun Fu is a reference to Gun-Kata from the motion picture Equilibrium. Where one would learn to fight in close quarters with a pistol.
 * The main character in Equilibrium, Preston (also a named used in Fallout 4), goes to Freedom in order to find the underground. After doing so he aids them in taking down Father. Similar to Fallout 4, you follow freedom trail in order to find the Underground Railroad, thus helping them in taking out Father.

Fallout 3
In the very beginning of the game, the news reporter on the TV will begin a segment on local baseball news, and start his talk by saying "And now for something unquestionable, inescapably... American", which is a quote of John Henry Eden's on the Enclave Radio in Fallout 3.

Fallout 4 shows a pre-War motorcycle company named "Lone Wanderer", this being inherent for on every motorcycle found in the game has "Lone Wanderer" on their side, plus billboards showing off the name of the old company. There is also a perk called "Lone Wanderer," as well as a hair style option. These are all references to the name of the player character in Fallout 3.

Robert Joseph MacCready, the character you meet at The Third Rail, is the former mayor of Little Lamplight from Fallout 3. If you decide to hire him, he will occasionally say "Tunnel Snakes rule!", a reference to the Tunnel Snakes from Vault 101. He may also make reference to other areas, such as Little Lamplight or Vault 87.

In various locations (such as Wicked Shipping Fleet Lockup) there are sets of Wooden blocks with the letters "G", "A", "R", "Y", usually present with one or more other children's toys. This is a reference to the Gary clones that populated Vault 108.

The Synth test used at Covenant is the same as the GOAT test, with exception to the Overseer question.

Flowers for Algernon
Swan's backstory shares many similarity with the character Charlie, who is a mentally disabled janitor that is given a serum which increases his I.Q. However, he eventually starts regressing, and once again becoming mentally disabled.

Grand Theft Auto
In the South Boston Police Department, there is an entry on the evidence terminal pertaining to a suspect named Nicole Connelly, who is accused of the crime of grand theft auto. Her name is shortened to "NiCo" in the evidence log entries. Niko Bellic is the name of the protagonist in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV.

H.P. Lovecraft
Northeast of Goodneighbor, there is a place called "Pickman Gallery". It is the main site of a quest called "Pickman's Gift" and it is a reference to one of H.P. Lovecraft's short stories, "Pickman's Model". There are several little references to the story throughout both the quest and inside the building.

Dunwich Borers is also a direct reference to "The Dunwich Horror", and also to the Dunwich Building of Fallout 3. The giant face deep inside Dunwich Borers is also a reference to the story "The Shunned House."

Here There Be Monsters
The quest Here There Be Monsters is a reference to the term for a dangerous place on the map. Taken from early maps where unknown, or dangerous regions would include drawings of dragons, scorpions or mermaids.  Here Be Dragons.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The beginning of the quest Kid in a Fridge is a reference to a scene in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, where Indiana Jones survives a nuclear blast by hiding in a lead-lined refrigerator.

Jaws
In boats all around The Commonwealth there is a man with the same blue jacket and the blue bandana as Robert Shaw's character in the film, along with a machete, and a mutant dolphin. A cage similar to the one in the film will also be under the boat.

King Arthur
The Prydwen shares its name with King Arthur's ship from the Welsh poems 'Preiddeu Annwfn' and 'Culhwch ac Olwen.'

Lady Lovelace
Ada Lovelace was a mathematician and pioneer in computing who is credited for being the first person to devise an algorithm intended to be run on a machine. Lady Lovelace is a robot programmed for racing.

Lost
The Scavenger and the Hatch random event is most likely a reference to Lost

Mad Max
Two of the names that are supported by Codsworth are "Rockatansky" and "Toecutter", respectively being the surname of the main character and the name of the main villain in the 1979 movie Mad Max.

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Some of the names that are supported by Codsworth are"Humungus" and "Wez", the two major villains as well as "Toadie", a minor character  in Mad Max 2.

Mad Max: Fury Road
Also among the names Codsworth supports are "Splendid", "Capable", "Toast", "Dag", "Imperator", "Furiosa", "Rictus", "Erectus" "Slit", "Immortan" which are references to the major characters Splendid Agharad, Capable, Toast the Knowing, the Dag and Imperator Furiosa, major villains Rictus Erectus  and Immortan Joe, and minor villain Slit from the film Mad Max: Fury Road.

The Matrix
Three of the names supported by Codsworth are "Neo", "Morpheus" and "Trinity", which are the names of three of the main characters from the 1999 film the Matrix and its sequels.

Megaman/Rockman
In the pip boy image of the quest Nuclear Family, the depiction of Father bears an almost identical appearance to Dr. Thomas Light from the original Megaman series.

Missile Command
The game Atomic Command is a reference to the 1980 Atari game Missile Command.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Sometimes when Codsworth is hit he says, "'Tis but a scratch!", which is a famous line said by the black knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, as well as Deacon 'taunting' a turret, stating "Your mother was a peashooter?", a reference to the French knight in the same movie.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Arlen Glass's Office, in the Wilson Atomatoys Corporation Building, contains two terminals which hold references to the Television show. 3 consecutive logs make nods to three Episodes: "The Last Roundup", "Too Many Pinkie Pies" and "Lesson Zero."

A second terminal mentions Arlen's surprise at a lack of interest in the line of toys in comparison to how it used to be, wondering if he should instead start creating a boy-centric line of collectible, limited edition variants. This could be referencing the primarily male fanbase that cropped up over the show, and the subsequent increase of collectible's licensed to others by Hasbro, whose main reason for rebooting the show, was to sell toys.

Another entry mentions Arlen's ideas; Some notable ones include: Different color coats and Identifying marks to distinguish between multiple types as well as a line of Pegasi and Unicorn variants. Also mentioned is the possibility of crystal-coated variants, which could be in reference to the Crystal Ponies of the show, and their real-world toy counterparts.

Ozymandias
If brought to the General Atomics Galleria, Nick Valentine will rephrase the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley to mock the large Mister Handy statue.

Playstation
Toro, the cat mascot of Diamond City's school shares his name with the Playstation mascot.

The Raven
At the end of the quest Reunions, Nick Valentine may quote part of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven in response to the Prydwen entering The Commonwealth upon exiting Fort Hagen. The line he quotes is "Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing..."

Rockville, Maryland
The Weapon 'Rockville Slugger' is named after the city of Rockville, the current location of Bethesda Game Studios.

Roman Empire
In Zoe's diary the title of an entry is "Who Protects the Protectron?" This is a reference to Juvenal's "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" A phrase popularized as "Who Watches the Watchmen?" in the comic series of the same name.

Star Trek: Voyager
Knight Captain Cade will sometimes say, "Please state the nature of your medical emergency", a reference to The Doctor in Star Trek: Voyager, who uses a very similar greeting when activated in the show.

Sons of Anarchy
Head to the BADTFL regional office, which is slightly North West of Bunker Hill. Make the way down to the basement, and there is a Terminal (novice). Hack into the terminal or use Nick Valentine and look for "Prisoner 4CA8712". One will notice that all the features of the prisoner are strikingly similar but the name Opie Hurst is a combination between Opie Winston and his portrayer Ryan Hurst.

The Shining (film)
A tricycle can be found on a red carpet in the center of a corridor inside Parsons State Insane Asylum. It alludes to the famous scene from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining in which Danny Torrance rides his tricycle through the corridors of the Overlook Hotel.

Star Wars
The title of the fourth U.S. Covert Operations Manual is called "Not the Soldiers You're Looking For" which refers to the Jedi mind trick Obi-Wan uses on Stormtroopers during A New Hope.

Stephen King
Two of the names supported by Codsworth are "Roland" and "Deschain". Roland Deschain is the protagonist of Stephen King's Dark Tower series.

Stonehenge
Car-henge can be found south of Walden Pond.

Terminator 2
The PIN "9003" given by Father for full access to his terminal is the one John Connor uses to fraudulently withdraw cash from an ATM in Terminator 2.

Todd Howard
Several paintings found throughout the game feature the likeness of Bethesda employees, most notably Todd Howard in the place of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Underground Railroad
The Railroad is an allusion to the Underground Railroad, which was known for moving escaped slaves across the United States using a series of safe houses, and stations.

United States Marine Corps
At the top of KL-E-0's terminal it reads "Have a Plan to Kill Everyone you Meet", which is one of the 'standards' upheld by the United States Marine Corps, and was said by the now retired General James Mattis.

The Walking Dead
Inside Union's Hope Cathedral there is a hostile ghoul by the name Father Gabe wearing preacher vestments fighting several feral ghouls. This is a reference to the character Father Gabriel from The Walking Dead who survives the zombie apocalypse by hiding inside his church until the main characters find and rescue him.

A tractor can be found crashed into a fence, with a ghoul lying at the front end of the tractor, near a dead settler who's trapped under it. This is a reference to a scene from first episode of the first season of Telltale Games's The Walking Dead.

The names "Michonne" and "Tyreese" are offered as possible names to be said by Codsworth. Michonne and Tyreese are uniquely named main characters from the graphic novel and television series.

Winter Hill Gang
Edward Winter is based on Boston's notorious mob boss, Howard 'Howie' Winter, Who was the second boss of The Winter Hill Gang. Howie Winter was famously put away by, then anonymous FBI informant, John Cannolly.

The Wizard of Oz
Tin Man, a protectron found at Easy City Downs, is a reference to The Wizard of Oz.

Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear is referenced with a sign, and a hostile yao guai at a picnic. The sign is designed in the same manner as the Yogi Bear do not feed the bears kids! sign.