Community:Fallout 3 Easter Eggs

Numerous Easter eggs and references to various books, movies and other games are one of the staples of the Fallout series.

Guidelines for adding cultural references

 * 1) A character having the same name is probably not a reference in and of itself. A similar rather than identical name is even less likely.  Other contextual indications are necessary in both cases.
 * 2) If a geographical name corresponds to any real-world geography in or around the DC Metro area, it is definitely not a reference.
 * 3) Any usage of common words and phrases is not a reference without other contextual indications.
 * 4) Be conservative in what you identify as a reference. If the connection is vague and questionable, consider opening a discussion about it on the talk page instead of adding it to the article.
 * 5) There is no need to write extensive essays about well-known topics in this page; prefer to link to Wikipedia or similar sources.  Information about what makes it likely to be a reference is the most relevant, and even that can be kept to a minimum.
 * 6) You do not need to say where people or items are, or anything else about them that isn't directly related to why they are a reference, if they have wiki pages; just link to their pages.
 * 7) Avoid tacking on material to existing entries using "also".  These tend to grow into chains of "alsos" that read very poorly.  If you are adding information to an entry that isn't directly related to anything currently present in it, separate it from the existing material with two line breaks.
 * 8) If something is a reference to some classic, well-known source &mdash; for example, Greek or Norse mythology, or H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos &mdash; it is almost certainly not a reference to any other recent source; rather, both Fallout 3 and the other recent source are independently referencing the classical source.  (If someone reverts your edit and describes it as a 'parallel reference', this is why.)
 * 9) Refrain from describing references as "simple", "direct", "obvious", "clear" and so on.  Identifying it as a reference suffices, without intensifiers. Editorializing about how blatant the reference is can come across more as insulting people who may disagree with you than anything else. (If you consider the reference vague or indirect, go ahead and say so, if you believe it's worth listing at all.)
 * 10) Don't debate references in the main article.  If you think that a reference isn't one or should be modified in some way, appropriate responses include opening a dialogue on the talk page or making the changes you feel are appropriate in the main article.  It's not appropriate to add text to the main article's entry contradicting it.
 * 11) Use as few words as you can. "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." &mdash;Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
 * 12) References are organized by the non-Fallout topic referenced, in alphabetical order. Maintain this organization. This means keep things alphabetical, do not add sections with Fallout topics as headings, and do not add information about unrelated non-Fallout topics to topic sections.

1984
In Tenpenny Tower, on the top floor, resides Irving Cheng. If you look on the computer in his suite, you will find a listing called "Daily Affirmation". One of the affirmations is "Comrade Cheng is Watching You", as opposed to "Big Brother is Watching You" in George Orwell's dystopian classic 1984. Comrade Cheng refers to Chairman Cheng.

Another reference is found in Vault 92, where on the overseer's terminal it notes that he used the quote: "Sanity is not statistical" to stop the crazies for a time.

In Orwell's "1984", room 101 was a torture chamber in which victims were forced to face the physical manifestations of their greatest fears. The popularity of the novel led to numerous and varied instances in pop culture where a room 101 has carried very mysterious or sinister connotations whilst not necessarily containing a direct reference to the novel itself. Examples of this include a locked room 101 in the videogame, Half-Life 2, various references in the movie, The Matrix and, of course, Fallout 3 ' s Vault 101.

A Boy And His Dog
The protagonist of Harlan Ellison's A Boy And His Dog refers to his dog, Blood, on at least one occasion, as "dogmeat", and the setting contains locations strongly resembling the Vaults. There are other distinctive thematic similarities between this and the Fallout series, which can be expected from post-apocalyptic fiction, but a major element in common is the blending of idealized 1950s America with futuristic horrors.

The hunting rifle also heavily resembles the bolt-action rifle used by the main character in the movie.

A Christmas Story
While in the Rivet City Market, near the dining area, you can over hear the Young family having a conversation at the diner table. Mrs. Young says to her daughter "Eat your dinner, dear", to which C.J. responds by saying "But mom, do I have to". Then Mrs. Young says "Yes, because there are starving people in the Wasteland." This may be a reference to A Christmas Story, a classic vehicle of the idea that children must eat their food because there are starving people in China.

AC/DC
The Devil's Highway perk maybe a reference to AC/DC's hit song Highway to Hell

Arkansas
Arkansas has the same name as the state in which the location of one of the last remaining diamond mines is in America and seen as Arkansas is found in the Minefield it could be a reference to that.

The name could also be a reference to famed US Marine Sniper Carlos Hathcock II who was born and raised in Arkansas. “Gunny” Hathcock, a champion competition sharpshooter, was one of the highest scoring snipers in the American military. He held the longest distance recorded kill of the 20th century, was responsible for helping start the current Marine Corp Sniper School and the rifle and pistol complex at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar was officially renamed the Carlos Hathcock Range Complex.

Apocalypse Now
Mr. Gutsy references the famous napalm quote from the film Apocalypse Now when he says, "There is nothing I like better than the smell of plasma in the morning."

Aqua Teen Hunger Force
In the Museum of Natural History, among the many Abraham Lincoln related items that can be obtained is an action figure of Lincoln holding a katana. This may be a reference to Aqua Teen Hunger Force ' s character Meatwad who occasionally transforms into what others call "Samurai Lincoln", although he says it's Wayne Gretzky.

Armitage III
Armitage may be a reference to the main character of Armitage III, who is an android struggling with who she is.

See also Neuromancer, Shadowrun.

Back to the Future
Butch DeLoria shares many personality traits with Biff Tannen. DeLoria is probably a reference to the De Lorean, the car used as a basis for the time machine.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes
In Megaton, the unexploded bomb and Children of Atom are a reference to the film Beneath the Planet of the Apes, in which a cult of survivors worship an intact nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile.

Bethesda Softworks
The Bethesda Ruins refer to the site of Bethesda Softworks's original office in Bethesda, Maryland.

The Sweetroll Question
The "sweetroll question" has been a staple of Elder Scrolls character generation quizzes since Arena. In the "tutorial" part of the game, as you turn 10, Old Lady Palmer will give you a sweetroll. After the cake is cut, Butch will accost you for your sweetroll while you are left with a few decisions on what to do. This is a continuation of Bethesda's recurring inclusion of a question involving a sweetroll in character generation quizzes. In the scenario from Morrowind, a baker gives the protagonist a sweet roll, who is then accosted by three thugs; the player's choices in this and other questions determines their character makeup. Sweetrolls are also an item in a minor quest in the Shivering Isles expansion for Oblivion. In Oblivion, one of the random things people will say to each other is "There was this one time I was eating a sweetroll, when three thugs attacked me. So I took the sweetroll..." (They never finish the sentence.)

Daggerfall
Liberty Prime is a large combat robot that bears more than a passing similarity in concept to Numidium, a giant robot in The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. Like Numidium, Liberty Prime plays an important role in the endgame.

Morrowind
Bittercup shares her name with a trophy from Morrowind. Use of the Bittercup lowered your lowest stat by 10, while raising your highest stat by 10.

South of Megaton's external fence, there is an hollow rock that contain a note very similar to the one in Thirsk's hollow trunk in Morrowind expension pack Bloodmoon.

The name of the Enclave base, Raven Rock is a direct reference to a colony in one of Morrowind's expansions called Raven Rock.

Doctor Lesko will occasionally greet you with "Your arrival is unexpected, but not unwelcome", a line sometimes said by high elves in Morrowind. Additionally, Lesko speaks in a high-pitched voice similar to the voice acting for the Breton race.

Oblivion

 * The image of Grognak on the Grognak the Barbarian skill book is identical to the image used for the Barbarian class in Oblivion. As might be expected, it also bears an distinct resemblance to depictions of the famous Robert E. Howard character of film, books, comics, etc "Conan the Barbarian".


 * The Jalbert Brothers Waste Disposal facility may be a nod to Oblivion, specifically a Redguard Necromancer named Jalbert found in the Ayleid ruin of Vilverin early on in the game.


 * Once the Big Trouble in Big Town mission is complete, if the Super Mutant attack on Big Town was driven off, a citizen of Big Town will shout "Why it's you, the Hero of Big Town!" This may be a reference to Oblivion where the city guards say "Why it's you, the Hero of Kvatch!"




 * Outside of Big Town, along the city wall at the "back" of town, in what appears to be the exact center of the world map, is a utility pole with the unique identification tag "TES-04" which could mean The Elder Scrolls-04 which is Oblivion.


 * Some traders say "Another satisfied customer" - the exact same phrase traders say in Oblivion.


 * When Super Mutants hear something but do not detect the player, they may say "My ears are playing tricks on me", a phrase that enemies in Oblivion may say in a similar situation.


 * While in the Arlington Library, Scribe Yearling can be heard citing phrases from parts of speech used by random NPCs in Oblivion, and other games of the Elder Scrolls series.


 * While walking by a Brotherhood of Steel NPC, they will sometimes say "hail", a common greeting used by friendly NPCs in Oblivion.


 * Ghouls have a voice resemblance of the "Argonian" race in "Oblivion"


 * Many of the voices in both games are similar, owing to Bethesda Softworks employing the same voice actors, such as Wes Johnson; for example, Fawkes, voiced by Johnson in a manner similar to the Arena Announcer in Oblivion, can sometimes be heard saying "Let the Battle Begin!", which is said at the opening of the gates in every arena battle. Johnson would also reprise his role as an Arena Announcer in The Pitt DLC pack.


 * When you have finished a transaction with Moira Brown in Craterside Supply (Megaton) she will say "good hunting". The exact same phrase is used in Oblivion by many Khajiit and Argonian characters.


 * Talon Company operates much in the way that Blackwood Company did in Oblivion.

The Shivering Isles

 * Uncle Leo, the non-hostile Super Mutant, shares his name with a non-hostile zombie that lives in a woman's home in New Sheoth.


 * If the player attacks Betty in the Tranquility Lane simulation, Betty will casually remark "You can't do that here." before executing the player with her godlike powers, which reflects how Sheogorath (a plot-critical godlike being in Shivering Isles) dealt with people who attacked him. Sheogorath tended to drop his victims from a great height, albeit to the same effect.


 * In Paradise Falls, there is a surgeon named Cutter who is similar in personality to a smith of the same name in Crucible, a town in the Shivering Isles.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
In Rivet City you will find the game's ultimate slacker: Ted. With his "whoa, dude" phrases he is the namesake from the classic movie, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.

Blade Runner
The Replicated Man refers, in name, content and theme, to the replicants from Blade Runner.

In The Pitt, the ambient sounds of Downtown and the bursts of flame coming out of the smokestacks in the Steelyard are a references to the soundtrack and the opening scene of Blade Runner, respectively.

During the quest Finding the Garden of Eden, Fawkes says "Wake up, time to die" once. For the rest of the game, he and other mutants commonly say "time to die," but this is the only instance where he says "wake up."

See also Philip K. Dick.

Bob's Big Boy
The large statue in Paradise Falls is a reference to the statues at the Big Boy restaurant chain. The statues at the restaurants are rarely larger than life-sized, the large size of the Paradise Falls statue may also be a reference to Dr. Evil's escape rocket in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, which is a Bob's Big Boy statue.

Bradbury, Ray
A bit of a dual-natured reference in this one. In Georgetown, one of the few accessible buildings, McClellan Family Townhome, has a powered-down Mr. Handy. You can activate the robot, and one of the things you can tell it to do is to give a bedtime story to the children (or, given the war, the skeletal remains of the children) of the house. The poem spoken, There Will Come Soft Rains, speaks about how, if mankind would go extinct because of a war, nature would care very little. Ray Bradbury wrote a story of the same name (and directly used the poem) in a story of a robotic house continuing the actions of the family that lived there, before a nuclear war killed them. So, in essence, the player can reenact the main plot of Ray Bradbury's short story (have the robot do things for its obviously-dead owners), by having it speak the poem that inspired the short story in the first place. "McClellan" is also the last name of a character from Fahrenheit 451, Clarice McClellan.

Brahman cattle
Brahmin may be partially a reference to the Brahman breed of cattle.

See also Hindu Culture.

Calvin and Hobbes
Sugar Bombs are probably a reference to "Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs" in the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. They are Calvin's favorite breakfast cereal and in one strip he got a decoder ring prize from inside the box; this is reflected in the advertisement for Sugar Bombs, which also contains a decoder ring inside.

Catcher in the Rye
In the initial escape from Vault 101, Vault dwellers named Tom and Mary Holden are seen quoting Catcher in the Rye before running to their death amid a shower of bullets. In Catcher in the Rye the protagonist's first name is Holden.

Clue
The butler in your home in Megaton is a Mr. Handy robot named "Wadsworth". Wadsworth the Butler is Tim Curry's character in the movie Clue. Like other Mr. Handy robots, he speaks in a tone and voice similar to that employed by Tim Curry in the movie (a stereotypical "English butler" voice).

Coca-Cola
Nuka-Cola is a parody of Coca-Cola. The Nuka-Cola bottles, vending machines, and advertisements refer to those of the Coca-Cola brand in the 1950s.

Sierra Petrovita claimed to be addicted to Nuka-Cola, a reference to the fact that the original Coca-Cola recipe included cocaine.

Cool Hand Luke
In some circumstances, Rory McLaren will say "Nobody can eat 50 eggs!", referencing the movie Cool Hand Luke, in which Paul Newman's title character accepts a bet to eat 50 eggs in an hour.

In Paradise Falls there is a Pulowski Preservation shelter named "The Box". This could be a reference to when Carr says "Any man playing grabass or fightin' in the building spends a night in The Box."

Cram
Cram is obviously a refrence to the common tinned food spam as it has the same style packaging and colour scheme.

Crowley, Aleister
In Underworld, there is a ghoul named Mister Crowley, presumably a reference to occultist Aleister Crowley. Allistair Tenpenny is one of the people Mister Crowley sends you to kill, which can be interpreted as reinforcing the connection to Aleister Crowley.

See also Osbourne, Ozzy.

Crystal Pepsi
Inside the Nuka-Cola Plant, you can find terminals mentioning the recent development of Nuka-Cola Clear as well as its recipe. This is probably a reference to the very short-lived Crystal Pepsi, which was a colorless, caffeine-free variant of the regular Pepsi Cola.

See also Tab Clear.

Dick, Philip K.
Many places, views and situations in Fallout 3 are similar to ones in Philip K. Dick's Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb: situations such as eating dog meat, which in the book is depicted as a delicious meal and even aftermath newspapers talk about recipes on how to cook it, mutated cattle and two-headed or multi-bodied people. In particular, Three Dog's character and speech style presents a lot of similarities with that of Walter Dangerfield, a lone astronaut that had been sent on a trip to Mars with his wife (who died shortly after the launch) and never got there because of the start of the nuclear war. He remained in Earth's low orbit becoming the one and only radio broadcaster for the whole Earth, broadcasting music and playing the DJ part, inspiring all the people that remained alive on the planet, who gathered in groups to listen to his show.

See also Blade Runner.

Dirty Harry
Callahan's Magnum can be found in a hard safe within the ruins of the Citadel if you choose to destroy it while onboard the Enclave Mobile Base Crawler during the Who Dares Wins quest. The weapon's name is a reference to Harry Callahan from the Dirty Harry movies, whose character carries a Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum as his signature weapon.

Die Hard
Bryan Wilks can be heard saying, while in the preservation pod during the Those! quest, that he now "knows what a TV dinner feels like", which is a line from the movie Die Hard. The name "Bryan Wilks" is also similar to the name Bruce Willis, the star of Die Hard.

Argyle, the name of 'Herbert 'Daring' Dashwood's' ghoul manservant is also the name of the limousine driver in the first Die Hard film.

Gruber, the final opponent faced in "Unsafe Working Conditions", is named similarly to "Hans Gruber", leader of the gang that raids the Nakitomi Plaza in Die Hard.

Dracula
Lucy West, the woman who kicks off the Blood Ties quest, is probably a reference to Lucy Westenra, Mina Murray's friend in Bram Stoker's Dracula who is turned into a vampire and then staked by Van Helsing. Also the town Arefu is the name of the town out side of the castle of Count Dracula.

The password to the Washington Monument Access is "Renfield", another character from Dracula (the original Clerk sent to Castle Dracula before Jonathan Harker who wound up a bug eating lunatic).

Duck and Cover
At Springvale School, there is a poster referencing Duck and Cover, a famous United States "nuclear preparedness" propaganda piece.

The explosives skill book is also called Duck and Cover! However, this may not be a reference, and may actually be from before the timelines split.

This could also be a reference to a fan ran site called Duck & Cover that covered the Fallout series.

Dune
Mentats are a reference to Frank Herbert's Dune, in which Mentats are humans trained to function as "living computers".

Ellis, Warren
The receptionist terminal in the Hubris Comics building contains a letter to the editor about the villain called The AntAgonizer in the Grognak the Barbarian comics (the apparent inspiration for The AntAgonizer). It complains about the current writer of the series, a Mr. Neptura, and demands the return of a former writer, Mr. Moorellis. The latter is a portmanteau of the last names of Alan Moore and Warren Ellis, critically regarded as two of the best comics writers now or ever.

See also Alan Moore, Promethea.

Escape from New York
In the DLC episode "The Pitt," The bridge the character crosses at the very beginning bears a striking resemblance to the bridge Snake Plissken used to escape from New York in the film of the same name. Both bridges are strewn with vehicles and debris, and are mined all the way across, making escape extremely difficult. The character Wernher resembles Snake, in that both have an eye patch and use a one handed scoped weapon. And in each instance, the protagonist has to participate in a brutal arena match.

Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness
After nuking Megaton, if you run into Moira at the ruins, one dialog option with her is the Army of Darkness quote "Honey, you got reeeal ugly!"

Fawkes, Guy
When asked about his name, Fawkes says that it was taken from researching history texts and that Fawkes was the name of a man who died for what he believed in, and as such, he felt a kinship to him.

See also V For Vendetta.

Fear Factory
In the Research Lead terminals in the Museum of Technology, the first log entry ends with: "After a complete cleanup on the mainframe's core, I am happy to announce that the infection has been removed... the soul of this machine has improved. - B. Bell, Research Lead". This is a reference to the Fear Factory song "Archetype", which contains the lyrics "The infection has been removed, the soul of this machine has improved". The mainframe is also called the "Archetype Model FF06", Archetype being the song name, FF being Fear Factory, and 06 being the album number, and vocalist Burton C. Bell's name can be abbreviated to B. Bell, the researcher's name.

Forrest Gump
It may not be a major easter egg, but a certain "Frank" in paradise falls, repeats the quote off the movie forrest gump, "RUN FORREST, RUN!". This happened to me when I attacked the slavers, Frank ran up to me and repeated the quote.

Frisky Dingo
The AntAgonizer is a reference to Grace Ryan from Frisky Dingo, who falls into a vat of radiation and can then command ants to attack, using the name Antagone and soliloquizing about how humans shall fall and ants shall inherit the earth.

Flags of Our Fathers
After completing either of the initial objectives in the Operation: Anchorage mission "Paving the Way", when you exit the HQ tent, a reporter is gathering a group of soldiers for a photo and says "Maybe someone will make this picture into a statue one day." This is a reference to the movie Flags of Our Fathers.

Full Metal Jacket
The Mr. Gutsy robot will sometimes say when you kill one "Pin my medals upon my chest" or "Tell my mom I did my best" which are small parts of a running cadence sang in the military. This cadence is also sung in the movie Full Metal Jacket. This is not only from a cadence, but from the song "Ballad of the Green Berets" by SSgt Barry Sadler.

Sergeant RL-3's designation may be a reference to R. Lee Ermey, who played Gunnery Sergeant Hartmann in Full Metal Jacket.

See also Tim O'Brien.

Futurama
The Pulowski Preservation Shelters apparently were lethal to use during the Great War, and say "Occupied" while closed, resembling in both regards the suicide booths from Futurama. Without a nuclear war in progress, Pulowski shelters are harmless or beneficial, except to Rory McLaren.

In Big Town, if you ask Pappy about trading, he'll inform you that the only things to do in town are "suck and die". This closely mirrors a line in the Futurama episode "The Sting", where Leela claims the only things that a previous Planet Express crew did better than hers were "suck and die".

Galley, Garry
Gary's Galley may be a reference to Garry Galley, a hockey player.

God of War: Chains of Olympus
Charon may refer to the character of the same name in God of War: Chains of Olympus. Setting aside that both refer to the Charon of Greek mythology, both characters are under a contract, kill their contract-holder in the course of the game, and say the line "I will work for ill and for good."

Gorillas in the Mist
Isabella Proud's story is a reference to Dian Fossey's, the basis of the movie Gorillas in the Mist.

Greek Mythology
Cerberus is a reference to the Cerberus of Greek mythology. One dialogue option with Cerberus asks if he is the "guard dog", which he reluctantly confirms.

Charon is a reference to the Charon of Greek mythology.

Centaurs refer to the Centaurs of Greek mythology.

GURPS
The word "GURPS" can appear as a password when hacking computers; this is the name of the tabletop RPG that Fallout was originally planned to be based on.

Hardware
Three Dog is reminiscent of a radio DJ called Angry Bob (Played by Iggy Pop) in the 2000 AD-inspired film, Hardware or M.A.R.K. 13 (European title).

Harvey
The picture for the Animal Friend perk may be a reference to Harvey.

Hindu Culture
The Brahmin (cows) in Fallout 3 and throughout the series appear to be a reference to Hindu culture, in which "Brahmin" names what is said to be the highest position among the four varnas (related to the caste system), the class of educators, law makers, scholars and preachers. Its use in the Fallout games is likely to be a play on the reverence held for cows in Hindu culture. This is also indicated by the multiple limbs of the Brahmin, which mimic the multifarious nature of many Hindu deities. Brahmin is also similar to Brahma, which is what Hindu culture believe to make up the universe.

One could stretch this analogy even further by saying that the double heads of the brahmin refer to a brahmin title, that of dvija, meaning "twice born".

Understandably, this has been seen as disrespectful to the Hindu culture, and use of the name Brahmin was banned in India from Fallout 3.

See also Brahman cattle.

Incredible Hulk, The
You can overhear a Mr. Gutsy say, "I'm starting to get angry. You would not like me when I'm angry." This is much like the comment Dr. Banner would give to Mr. Mcgee in the opening sequence of the TV series The Incredible Hulk. Exact quote: "Mr. McGee, don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

The image for the Nerd Rage perk is of a geeky man ripping his clothes, much like Bruce Banner transforming into the Hulk.

Internet culture
Moira Brown's terminal password is MB3K-OMFG; the last four digits, OMFG, are a common internet acronym for "Oh My Fucking God". (The first two letters are Moira's initials; the significance of the 3K, or 3,000, is most likely a reference to MST3K or Mystery Science Theater 3000, a popular comedy series involving a man and his two robots mocking terrible sci-fi films.)

James Bond
When you go on the quest Shock Value, you eventually climb up a ladder in the sewers of Old Olney, two Ghouls will be there. Their names are "Wint" and "Kidd". This is a reference to the James Bond movie "Diamonds are Forever" where Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd were assassins charged with killing James Bond.

James Hubert Blake High School
Arts preservation vault, Vault 92 is located just outside of Old Olney. This is a reference to real life arts school James Hubert Blake located just outside of Olney, Maryland.

Jefferson, Thomas
During one of President Eden's radio broadcasts, he utters the phrase "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance". On another occasion, he quotes "Commerce with all nations, alliance with none." Both quotes originally come from Thomas Jefferson. (See also Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom)

Jericho
Jericho refers to the post-apocalyptic television series of the same name. The TV series is supported by Bethesda, as seen on their blog site on the attempted second revival of the show.

John Carpenter's "The Thing"
The alien from The Thing changes into a multi-limbed, grotesque form with some human attributes when it changes its appearance or attacks, similar to the appearance of the Centaur. Also, Mayor MacReady of Little Lamplight is known to the locals as "RJ" - RJ MacReady was Kurt Russell's character in The Thing.

Lincoln, Abraham
The level 21 title from Fallout (1997) and Fallout 2 (1998) "Last,Best Hope for Humanity", and the level 20 title from Fallout 3 (2008) "Last,Best Hope of Humanity" are references to a similar, evocative phrase used by President Abraham Lincoln in the closing remarks to his 1862 Annual Message to Congress. In reference to the preservation of The Union, Lincoln states, "We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth."

The phrase has also been used in other works such as Babylon 5 (1993) and Terminator 3 (2003).

Day of the Dead
Inside the Red Racer Factory a scientist known as The Surgeon keeps a Glowing One named Stefan in a cage. The journal entries on a nearby terminal allude to the ghoul being one of the surgeon's special projects. This is reminiscent of the movie Day of the Dead, in which a mad scientist nicknamed "Frankenstein" imprisons and experiments upon an intelligent zombie which he names "Bub".

Land of the Dead
Tenpenny Tower is very similar to Land of the Deads Fiddler's Green, a fortress-tower owned by a wealthy elitist. In Land of The Dead, the tower gets attacked by intelligent zombies. A similar event happens if the player chooses to aid the ghouls in the Tenpenny Tower Quest.

Led Zeppelin
The Escalator to Heaven perk is a reference to Led Zeppelin's hit song "Stairway to Heaven".

Also, in The Pitt in the area of up town is the 'Haven' Building, inside of which is the 'Elevator to Haven' leading to the top of the building where Ashur resides. Inkeeping with the 'Heaven' metaphor, Ashur is described as being worshiped as a God.

Lost
The combination to Billy Creel's safe is 15, 16, 23, 42, which is the latter two-thirds of a recurring chain of numbers in the television show Lost.

Lovecraft, H.P.
In the extreme southwest of the world map you can find the Dunwich Building, which once housed the offices of a pretty innocuous company (Dunwich Drilling, a manufacturer of industrial mining and drilling machines). This is possibly the single "creepiest" or "spookiest" location in the game, as the ruins now form a very dark, chaotic three dimensional maze absolutely chock-full of feral ghouls. The personal logs you find here and an object you find at the very end of the maze form a reference to Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos/setting. The name of the location itself is a reference to Lovecraft's the Dunwich Horror. (The company based in the building being titled Dunwich Borers.)

During exploration of the Dunwich Building the player comes across nine personal audio tapes that make reference to a mysterious book (somewhat implied to be the Necronomicon) that drove the man's father insane and lead him to the whispering obelisk in the Virulent Underchambers.

The Pulowski Preservation Shelters may be a reference to, among other things, suicide booths in The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers, an influential contribution to Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.

Mad Max


There are many items and incidents that appear to refer to the Mad Max movies, which starred Mel Gibson as a post-apocalyptic warrior.


 * For instance, one of the Little Lamplight children uses the word humongous incorrectly, saying "humungus". Though it appears incorrect, it is actually a reference to Lord Humungus, the leader of the antagonizing gang in The Road Warrior.


 * The design of the Leather Armor in Fallout 3 is similar to Mel Gibson's armor in Mad Max.


 * Additionally, a picture of the main character walking beside Dogmeat that is featured on the back of the packaging, and in every ending is an homage to the image of Mad Max walking beside his dog from The Road Warrior, though it is from the back rather than the front.


 * Fallout 3s Dogmeat is also a Blue Heeler, the breed that was used for Mad Max ' s dog in the movie.


 * There is also a random encounter with a character named Mel wearing a leather jacket and sporting a Sawed-Off Shotgun. If your Perception is high enough, you'll notice that the shotgun is unloaded. In The Road Warrior Max (played by Mel Gibson) threatens the Gyrocaptain with his shotgun, even though it wasn't loaded.


 * The Raiders' style of dressing is very similar to that of the various raider and biker gangs in the Mad Max films.


 * You will also find Medical Leg Braces randomly throughout the wastes similar to those that Max wears on his left leg in the films.


 * One of the possible passwords to a computer in Vault 87 is "Bartertowne"; the main settlement in Beyond Thunderdome is Bartertown.


 * In Scrapyard, where Dogmeat is found, there is a dead guy named "Max" wearing a leather jacket and wielding a shotgun and with some Pork n Beans Scattered around.


 * The Raider Blastmaster Helmet bears a striking resemblance to the helmet worn by Blaster, the "muscle" of Bartertown in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. In the film, Blaster - and his brainy dwarven friend "Master" - are collectively referred to as "Masterblaster".


 * The scoped magnums bear a striking resemblance to the gun used by the Lord Humungus in "The Road Warrior".


 * The outfit worn by Mayor MacReady of Little Lamplight is identical to the costume worn by the Gyro Captain's Son in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome - a pith helmet, goggles, and a too-big jacket.


 * The image for the perk Pitt Fighter depicts Vault Boy wearing armor identical to what Blaster wore in the film Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.


 * The arena in the Pitt DLC resembles the Thunderdome, both are very deep, and have people hanging on the mesh fencing

Mandroid
Dr. Zimmer is probably a reference to the movie Mandroid, in which Dr. Karl Zimmer is the creator of a humanoid robot.

Megadeth
The phrase "First Mistake....Last Mistake" is commonly heard being said by Pitt Raiders,Wildmen and several other hostiles of a similar nature.This phrase is also used in the song "Holy Wars" from the album "Rust in Peace"

Ministry
While traveling with Fawkes, during battle he will occasionally say "I only kill to know I'm alive", which is a partial lyric to the song "So What" by Ministry, from the album The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste.

Moby Dick
If the player visits Fort Independence and asks an Outcast named Defender Morgan, "What have you got against the Brotherhood?", she will refer to Elder Lyons as "Ahab Lyons", who "is off chasing his Super Mutant white whale."

Furthermore, if the player's Intelligence is high enough, he or she can respond with "By that analogy, you think Lyons will be killed by the Super Mutants?", much to Morgan's astonishment. She replies, "Huh. And here I thought we had the only remaining copy of that."

This is a clear reference to Herman Melville's Moby Dick, in which Captain Ahab and his whaling crew are hunting for a monstrous white whale, and a nod to the book itself, which was written in 1851 - long before the Divergence.

Molotov Cocktail
The Nuka Grenade can be considered a Fallout version of a Molotov cocktail - an incendiary grenade created from common household items. Aside from the ingredients in a Nuka Cola Quantum adding a radioactive effect to the grenade, Turpentine is an ingredient that can be used as a fuel in an actual Molotov cocktail

Monty Python's Flying Circus
In the Museum of Technology there are several terminals that have notes from the lead researcher, Professor R. J. Gumbie, a reference to the Monty Python character Professor R.J. Gumby.

Moore, Alan
The receptionist terminal in the Hubris Comics building contains a letter to the editor about the villain called The AntAgonizer in the Grognak the Barbarian comics (the apparent inspiration for The AntAgonizer). It complains about the current writer of the series, a Mr. Neptura, and demands the return of a former writer, Mr. Moorellis. The latter is a portmanteau of the last names of Alan Moore and Warren Ellis, critically regarded as two of the best comics writers now or ever.

See also Promethea, Warren Ellis.

Munchkin
The Board of Education probably refers to the weapon of the same name from Munchkin.

Music Man, The
One of Dr. Zimmer's lines, "And he's right here in Rivet City!", may conceivably be a reference to the musical The Music Man, that takes place in River City, Iowa, and has a music montage frequently featuring the line "... right here in River City."

Mystery Science Theater 3000
A computer in the National Archives contains a memo from the man in charge of robot maintenance is signed, P. Brantseg. Patrick Brantseg was one of the prop guys from MST3K, listed in the credits of the MST3K movie as puppet wrangler.

The Hubris Comics computers list a comic called Drake Tungsten, Chrono-Cowboy. This is a reference to the episode "Hercules Against the Moon Men".

Neuromancer
Armitage may refer to the character of the same name from Neuromancer.

See also Armitage III, Shadowrun.

Norse Mythology
The slaver that kills the bartender in Paradise Falls, Ymir, is a reference to the Norse frost giant whose body is the foundation of Midgard. His son is called Jotun, which is the name of the race of the Norse giants.

A raider named Thor is referenced by recordings found in the Dunwich Building.

O'Brien, Tim
When you kill a Mister Gutsy robot they sometimes will say "Box me up and ship me home". This is a reference to Tim O'Brien's "If I Die in a Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home", which in turn references a U.S. Army running cadence popular in the Vietnam era and still used today.

See also Full Metal Jacket.

Occam's Razor
Occam's Razor refers to the scientific principle of the same name.

Osbourne, Ozzy
Mister Crowley's name appears to be a reference to the song "Mr. Crowley" by Ozzy Osbourne.

See also Crowley, Aleister (the subject of Osbourne's song).

Paradise Lost
John Milton's Paradise Lost appears in Fallout 3 as a skill-training book. The person who gives it to you, the ghoul Tulip, explains that it is about a journey to Hell and the nearby bar The Ninth Circle is a reference to it. (This actually describes Dante's Inferno, not Paradise Lost; since the character claims to have read the book and therefore should know, this is probably a mistake or joke by the developers.) Tulip's personal terminal contains excerpts from the book's first four chapters.

The name of the area Paradise Falls is a multiple entente referencing Paradise Lost.

Peanuts
In the town "Little Lamplight" the doctor, Lucy, is a reference to the character "Lucy" from Charles Schultz's Peanuts. Inside of the clinic where she is located, a sign reading "The Doctor is in" can be found, which was often seen on Lucy's stand in the series.

Pittsburgh
In The Pitt DLC, there are two characters named to reference Pittsburgh cultural staples. Lulu, the woman who claims to feed the army in Uptown, is named after Lulu's Noodles, a popular restaurant near the University of Pittsburgh. Similarly, there is a character named Reddup, which is a Pittsburgh term meaning 'to clean.'

Additionally, the Tribal Power Armor was said by Everett to be fashioned by locals to resemble their "gods". While this may merely refer to Ashur and his set of armor (the two sets appear outwardly identical), it is also possible that, given the coloration, the inspiration for the armor was the Pittsburgh Steelers. Given that the locals of 2277 would not know anything about football, it may be that they saw posters of the Pittsburgh Steelers and thought them to be gods.

Pleasantville
The Tranquility Lane scenario is reminiscent of the movie Pleasantville, both involving protagonists transported into a black-and-white world modeled after an idealized version of 1950s America. Additionally, entering both Fallout 3 and Pleasantville is accompanied by the classic Indian Head TV test card.

Portal
The personality of the Robobrains and M.A.R.Go.T. (Broken Steel DLC) may be a reference to GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System), a computer artificial intelligence that monitors and directs the player in the videogame Portal. Both have "friendly" female personalities. It may also reference the turrets in the game, as both the Robobrain and the turrets share the line "Are you still there?"

Princess Bride, The
While patching you up during the Wasteland Survival Guide personal injury sub-quest, Moira asks you to describe the pain &mdash; "And remember, this is for posterity!" This echoes a line used by Count Rugin in The Princess Bride when asking Westley to describe the torture in the Pit of Despair.

A protectron found in the Old Olney sewers may be heard referring to "critters of unusual size" when directed to execute an infestation control routine. The critters are, unfortunately for the protectron, Deathclaws.

Bittercup's name may be a play on Buttercup's.

Promethea
The receptionist terminal in the Hubris Comics building contains a letter to the editor about the villain called The AntAgonizer in the Grognak the Barbarian comics (the apparent inspiration for The AntAgonizer). It complains about the current writer of the series, a Mr. Neptura, and demands the return of a former writer, Mr. Moorellis. The former is a reference to the metafictive writer Marto Neptura from Alan Moore's Promethea. Neptura is a pseudonym shared by several writers, all considered terrible hacks, that takes on independent existence in the realm of ideas.

See also Alan Moore, Warren Ellis.

P.S. I Love You
Little bit west of Vernon Square East (NW from the big crater) there's a cinema; on the now playing list there's a title called "P.S. I Hate You", a reference to the movie "P.S. I Love You".

Raven Rock Mountain Complex
Raven Rock Mountain Complex is a real-world U.S. government complex, also known as the "Underground Pentagon", which would go with the fact that the dwellers of Raven Rock conflict with the dwellers of the Citadel

ReBoot
Dot's Diner refers to the establishment of the same name in ReBoot.

Relic Hunter
During the quest Stealing Independence, you come across an NPC named Sydney who greets you as a fellow "relic hunter", referencing the television series of the same name where actress Tia Carrere starred as Sydney Fox.

Roosevelt, Franklin
President Eden's radio broadcasts are modeled on the Fireside Chats of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Since Eden claimed his personality was "an amalgam of America's greatest presidents", presumably including Roosevelt, this is presumably a deliberate choice on the part of the Enclave rather than a metatextual reference.

Rosie the Riveter
The haircut "Wendy the Welder", available to female characters, is probably best considered a reference to Rosie the Riveter, a model for working women during World War 2. There was, in fact, a Wendy the Welder propaganda character also promulgated at that time, but this character is herself considered a footnote to Rosie the Riveter. Similarly, a Nuka-Cola advertisment labeled "Nuka-Break!" displays an image of, presumably, Wendy taking a break while working on an atomic weapon. This implies that Wendy was used similarly to Rosie, to inspire women to aid in the war effort.

Rubin, Rick
Terminal documents show that the overseer of Vault 92, the music preservation vault, was named Richard Rubin &mdash; a reference to the real-life Rick Rubin.

Sagan, Carl
The planetarium exhibit's prerecorded guide in the Museum of Technology has a voice and introduction that is a nod to Carl Sagan and his Cosmos educational series.

Saving Private Ryan
Asked what she does for the Brotherhood, Knight Captain Dusk replies that she is a sniper, and then says "Put any mutie bastard within one mile of me and my rifle and well, pack it up troops...fight's over." Jackson in Saving Private Ryan makes the same remark, with 'Hitler' replacing 'mutie' as the subject.

When asked what his real name is, Knight Captain Gallows responds with "What's the pool up to?", similar to Captain Miller's response in Saving Private Ryan when a query is made regarding his occupation.

Also, there is a Soldier in the first mission of Operation Anchorage, hanging from the ceiling of a cave. When zooming in on him before his humiliating death with vats his name is revealed as Ryan. It is not possible to save him, so the reference is debatable.

Schindler's List
Allistair Tenpenny's desire to snipe at random "vermin" in the Wastes is reminiscent of Amon Göth's sniping at the Jewish prisoners in his camp, whom he considers subhuman.

Seinfeld
Uncle Leo the super mutant is more then likely a reference to Jerry's uncle Leo because he says something along the lines of he may have gotten the name from and old TV show or book but he can't remember.

Serenity
After the Galaxy News Radio quest, Three Dog shouts "You can't stop the signal!" This is a reference to the movie Serenity, in which the quote is mentioned by a cunning hacker and TV geek (Mr. Universe), before the main actors try broadcasting a top-secret video log over the universe-wide TV system.

The population of the planet Miranda in Serenity was subjected to a chemical agent intended to be calmative, but one tenth of 1% became hyper-aggressive Reavers. Similarly, hallucinogens were introduced into Vault 106, which apparently had a pacifying effect at first but later drove the inhabitants insane and berserk. If you commit enough negative karma acts, ThreeDog will identify you as a Reaver.

Shadowrun
The Wired Reflexes perk refers to the reflex acceleration cyberware of the same name in Shadowrun.

Jake Armitage was the name of the main character in the Shadowrun (SNES) video game from the early 1990s.

See also Armitage III, Neuromancer.

Sifl and Olly Show, The
One of the 911 Dispatch terminals in the Germantown Police HQ contains rantings referencing the song "Llama School" from The Sifl and Olly Show. The password for a computer terminal in the same building is "Vicious Coy", the name of the Precious Roy knockoff on the X-and-O show.

Simpsons, The
Some of the radios and televisions in the Wasteland are called Radiation Kings, which is the name of the TV Homer had as a young boy. This Easter egg was originally present in the opening movie of Fallout; this is a continuation of that reference.

Sugar Bombs are a candy in the Kwik-E-mart in The Simpsons, though as they appear to be a cereal in Fallout 3 they are probably a Calvin and Hobbes reference.

Smokey the Bear
On the radio, while Three Dog is talking about radiation, he says, "Remember, only you can prevent human flesh virus." this is a reference to "only you can prevent forest fires."

Snatcher
In the Capitol Post basement, there is a man named Gibson who has been decapitated in the same manner as Jean-Jack Gibson in Snatcher, with inventory of "Gibson's key" and "Gibson's Scrap of Paper". These are also found on his body in Snatcher, with the same message on the paper, "Search the house!" Gibson's house is in Minefield, along with two other buildings named after Snatcher characters: Gillian House (named for the protagonist, Gillian Seed) and Benson House (named for Benson Cunningham, Gillian and Gibson's boss). In Gibson House, there is a small model house on a table in the living room and a broken computer upstairs, both of which were in Gibson's house in Snatcher.

Starship Troopers
In the approach to Galaxy News Radio, one of the Brotherhood of Steel soldiers spurs on his comrades by inquiring as to whether they want to live forever. The quote is similar, possibly identical, to the "Come on, you apes, you want to live forever?" that figures prominently in Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers and its movie adaptation. That, in turn, is a reference to a quote sometimes attributed to one Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph "Dan" Daly (and having an extensive history going back at least to Frederick the Great), but coming from soldiers wearing power armor, it constitutes a reference to Starship Troopers (it being one of the first novels where the concept of power armor was used).

Star Trek
Both Stanislaus Braun's and Constantine Chase's simulations (Tranquility Lane and Operation: Anchorage, respectively) make references to "safety protocols" that, if disengaged, can cause a simulation to become lethal to the participants, referencing the holodecks found in later Star Trek series, which had similar protocols.

Star Trek: The Original Series
In the beginning of the game when your character is being born, and your mother begins to die, it fades out with the phrase "James, I need a doctor, not a scientist", a reference to lines in the original Star Trek where Dr. McCoy says to Captain Kirk, "Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a scientist".

Similarly, Dr. Preston in Rivet City will say "I'm a doctor, not a dealer!" when asked about purchasing chems.

In the conversation with John Henry Eden in the quest The American Dream, if the player passes a check against the science skill, the player can "talk" Eden to death by revealing logic errors, much in the way that Captain Kirk had a knack of doing in the Original Series. Incidentally, Eden's voice actor in the game is Malcolm McDowell, known in Star Trek circles as "The man who killed Kirk" (although Kirk died from an unrelated fall, McDowell played the villain in the film in which Kirk perished).

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
The password for the shipping computer in the Nuka-Cola Plant is NC-C1864. The call letters of the USS Reliant, the ship hijacked by Khan, were NCC-1864.

The end of the final quest Take it Back! (if the player chooses to take the path of self-sacrifice) resembles Spock's self-sacrifice at the end of the movie of entering a heavily irradiated room to repair the warp core to save the lives of everyone aboard the Enterprise.

The Garden of Eden Creation Kit is significantly different in Fallout 3 than in previous installments, and works much in the way of a Genesis Device.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
If you have Broken Steel DLC, the player will be brought back to life two weeks after starting the purifier (if the player chose the path of self-sacrifice), similar to Spock's own resurrection.

Star Trek: Voyager
The robot, Sawbones greets you with the phrase "Please state the nature of the medical emergency", the signature phrase of the Emergency Medical Hologram "The Doctor" from Star Trek: Voyager.

Sting
Terminals in Vault 92, the "musicians' vault", document a resident named Gordie Sumner; Gordon Sumner is Sting's birth name.

Strapping Young Lad
The bottom log entry on the Maintenance Department terminal in the Presidential Sub Level (accessed through a Broken Steel quest) ends with lyrics to Canadian heavy metal band Strapping Young Lad's song "Detox": "I wish that I could get to sleep and just get this over with... this is only high school bullshit. I'm lost, I'm freaking and everybody knows... everyone's watching."

Tab Clear
Nuka-Cola Clear may be a reference to the early 1990s Coca-Cola Company drink Tab Clear.

See also Crystal Pepsi.

Them!
The quest Those! is a reference to the Oscar-nominated sci-fi/horror movie Them!, in which a small town is invaded by giant ants.

Terminator series
Near the beginning of the Pitt DLC you need slave clothing to disguise yourself as a slave. If the slaves who have the slave outfits are alive and you talk to one (and you most likely killed all the nearby slavers) and talk to the slaves several speech options are similar to the Terminators' famous "Your clothes... give them to me" lines.

Terminator, The
Three Dog says the Raiders "can't be bargained or reasoned with", which is what Kyle Reese tells Sarah Connor about the Terminator.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day
The picture for the Cyborg perk refers to the old-model Terminator's appearance with its face damaged.

There will come soft rains
One of the first houses encountered when you enter the D. C. ruins will be fully intact and a Mr. Gutsy will patrol the house. One of his dialog is a passage from "there will come soft rains," in which an identicle situation happens in which a family is killed in a nuclear war but the house and all of the robots are still functioning and perform their daily activities as if the family still lived, though they do not.

Thief
Stephen Russel voices the Mr. Handy robots. He also voiced a techno-religious Hammerite in Thief: The Dark Project. One of the lines that the Hammerite says in combat is "Have at thee!'" One of the Mr. Handy combat lines is also "Have at thee".

Tommy James & The Shondells
Eulogy Jones' slave bodyguards Crimson & Clover are references to the #1 hit song "Crimson And Clover" by the 1960s American rock and roll group Tommy James and the Shondells.

Torchwood
Rivet City's Head of Security is Captain Harkness which is probably a reference to Torchwood's main character Captain Jack Harkness (who first appeared on Doctor Who). In the show Torchwood, Captain Jack Harkness can't die (just as Security Captain Harkness can only be knocked out, though this is just a game mechanic) and heads up the Torchwood Institute (Harkness escapes from the Institute in the Commonwealth). Torchwood Harkness wears a wrist computer like the Pipboy, only much smaller and also acts as a teleport (think Fast Travel). The Torchwood Hub has much in common with Rivet City, both by being repurposed and in the look and feel.

THX-1138
The code of the safe in the Republic of Dave is 1138, a reference to THX-1138, the first movie made by George Lucas. The letters THX and numbers 1138 appear in numerous other Lucasfilm productions.

Transformers
During his march to Project Purity, Liberty Prime says many phrases, one of which is "Freedom is the sovereign right of all Americans." This is similar to the motto of the Autobot leader Optimus Prime, which is "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."

Underground Railroad, The
Victoria Watts speaks of an underground movement called "The Railroad" who work to free androids. This is a reference to the Underground Railroad, almost certainly even an in-character one (that is, the members of the Railroad, in the game world, presumably chose the name to be a reference, rather than the reference being strictly metatextual). Victoria Watts may also be a kind of in-game version of Harriet Tubman.

V For Vendetta
In V For Vendetta, the character V was imprisoned and experimented upon in cell number 5 (marked with the Roman numeral V), the same cell number as Fawkes's. Both V and Fawkes are great fans of Guy Fawkes.

See also Fawkes, Guy.

Van Vogt, A. E.
The Children of Atom may partially be a reference to A. E. Van Vogt's short story Hand of God, in which a Martian religion believes in the "Atom Gods".

Washington Post, The
The pre-war newspaper Capitol Post is most likely a reference to Washington, D.C.'s Washington Post.

Watson, Thomas
In Our Lady of Hope Hospital there is a terminal called "Nurse's Station Terminal 02" on the first floor. The third Injury Report (labeled 09007882) tells of a man with the last name of Watson that is splashed by caustic chemicals. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and the first call made was "Mr. Watson, come here. I need you.", a message sent to Thomas Watson after Bell had accidently spilt battery acid on himself and needed assistance.

Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom
In one of President Eden's Broadcasts on Enclave Radio, he states that "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance." While this is a quote from Thomas Jefferson, it is also the title of the fourth game in the Wing Commander series, in which Eden's voice actor Malcolm McDowell appeared as Admiral Tolwyn.

Yogi Bear
The Yao Guai are mutated black bears that wander the Wasteland, with a name that (aside from being the Chinese Pinyin symbol for "monster", its overt meaning) is linguistically similar to "Yogi" and contains those letters in sequence. Three Dog can be heard in one of his broadcasts warning Wastelanders "Don't feed the Yao Guai"; Jellystone Park's "don't feed the bears" policy and Yogi Bear's struggle against it is the main theme of the cartoon.

Upon entering the Yao Guai Tunnels, there is a picnic table directly to the right of the entrance. This refers to Yogi Bear's desire for "Pic-uh-nic Baskets".

Zen Buddhism
When you try to rob Uncle Leo, his dialogue where he tells you the clothes are a gift and he wishes he could give you the "wonderful moon" comes from the following Zen Buddhist koan:

''Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing to steal.

''Ryokan returned and caught him. “You have come a long way to visit me,” he told the prowler, “and you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift.”

''The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away.

''Ryoken sat naked, watching the moon. “Poor fellow,” he mused, “I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon.”

Much of the random dialogue heard from Fawkes as one wanders around can be heard as simple wasteland survival advice, but also references Zen philosophy. Examples include "Be aware of the present moment" and "There is safety in mindfulness". Taken together with Uncle Leo's reference, this suggests that Zen Buddhism may be a means to retaining a level of independent mental functioning after FEV transformation.