Fallout 4 cultural references

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
The quest 20 Leagues Under the Sea is a reference to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Alien (1979 Film)
When retrieving the flux sensor from Bedford Station, the numbers on the back of the item say CM-88B 180924609, which is a reference to the ship in Alien, the USCSS Nostromo (reg. 180924609), a Lockmart CM 88B Bison M-Class starfreighter used as a commercial hauler between Thedus and Earth in the film.

Aliens (1986 Film)
Some NPCs fighting alongside the player will quote Cpl Hicks (Michael Biehn) from the movie Aliens, saying "short controlled bursts" during combat sequences.

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.

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 Road leathers lying prone 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 references Blade Runner's Voight-Kampff test, meant to discern whether someone is a human or replicant.
 * The art for the Achievement Hunter/Hunted invokes Deckerd 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 captin 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. Inside is riddled with references to the series, which was set in Boston.

Claw Machines
In the game the Port A Diner uses a claw to try and pick up the Diner, but usually drops it. Much like a claw machine which is infamous for dropping prizes.

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 subtle nod 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: 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 steel horned helmet from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

One Railroad quest allows the Sole Survivor to claim a settlement as Mercer Safehouse. Mercer is a reference to the character Mercer Frey from Skyrim ' s Thieves Guild.

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, but then I took an arrow to 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.

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 direct reference to John Henry Eden's line on his radio station in Fallout 3.

A motorcycle near the Castle has the words "Lone Wanderer" on its side. 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.

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 direct reference to the Gary (clone) population of Vault 108.

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 "The 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."

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 (dead). There is also the same cage from the film under the boat.

King Arthur
The Prydwen shares its name with King Arthur's ship. From the Welsh poem 'Preiddeu Annwfn'.

Lost
'The Settler 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
One of the names that are supported by Codsworth is Toadie, a name of 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" and "Slit", which are references to the major characters Splendid Agharad, Capable, Toast the Knowing, the Dag and Imperator Furiosa, major villain Rictus Erectus and minor villain Slit from the film Mad Max: Fury Road.

Marvel
Inside the Gwinnett Brewery one can find a terminal behind the bar next to an elevator. If managing to hack the terminal and look to see who has a tab the Sole Survivor can find the names Samuels, J, and Mcmurdoc, which are references to Samuel Jackson an actor in many Marvel movies as Nick Fury, and Matt Murdock being the alter-ego of Daredevil.

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.

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, and originally by Mercutio in William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, as well as Deacon "taunting" a turret, stating "your mother was a peashooter" a reference to the french knight in MP and the Holy Grail.

Lady Lovelace
Ada Lovelace, was a mathmatition and engineer, who created the first mechanical computer. And one of the first set of instructions for it to follow. Lady Lovelace is a computer programmed for racing.

My Little Pony & 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 (A reference to the My Little Pony's Cutie 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.

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

The Raven
Nick Valentine may quote part of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven on occasion. The line "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.

Star Trek Voyager
Knight Captain Cade will sometimes say 'Please state the nature of your medical emergency', a reference to Star Trek Voyager's EMH (Emergency Medical Hologram) or "The Doctor", who says this line 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 to the Sons of Anarchy TV series character Opie Winston.

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 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.

Team Fortress 2
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 Sniper in his character video.

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

'The Walking Dead'
Inside Union's Hope Cathedral there is a hostile ghoul by the name Father Gabe wearing preacher vestiments 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.

Sanctuary settlers Jun and Marcy Long appear to be references to Glenn and Maggie Rhee.

Wizard of Oz
The 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 pick-nick. The sign is designed in the same manor as this one Youi Bear do not feed the bears kids!