Easter eggs

Hello, Commander! I see you're player too! - Paradox Interactive positive Standing greeting

Easter eggs are inside jokes and references to popular culture, included for the player's amusement.

Mission Sponsors

All Mission Sponsors were shown as their real life (or fictional) counterparts in the Gamescom demo of Surviving Mars.

SpaceY

Inspired by SpaceX.

Church of the New Ark

Inspired by the Latter Day Saints movement.

Blue Sun Corporation

Inspired by Weyland Corporation from Alien vs. Predator, and a direct name reference to Firefly and Serenity. The name also resembles SpaceX rival, Blue Origin.

Technologies

Project Mohole

Reference to a project of the same name

Soylent Green

Reference to movie of the same name

Good Vibrations

Reference to song of the same name

The Positronic Brain

Reference to Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg's novel the Positronic Man

Achievements

Can't Stop the Signal

Reference to Serenity

You can't take the Sky from Me!

Reference to Firefly, line from the lyrics of The Ballad of Serenity

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Reference to the novel of the same name

It's Always Sunny On Mars

Reference to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Marvin the Martian

Reference to the Looney Toons character of the same name

Mirror, mirror...

Reference to Snow White

Open the Pod Bay Doors

Reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey

S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

Reference to the Fallout series

Space Invaders

Reference to the arcade game of the same name

The Beanstalk

Reference to Jack and the Beanstalk

The Final Frontier

Reference to Star Trek

The Positronic Man

Reference to Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg's novel of the same name

The Rabbit Hole

Reference to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

The Watney Challenge

Reference to Andy Weir's The Martian

Fear my Botany Powers!

Reference to Andy Weir's The Martian

What is Real?

Reference to The Matrix movie

Where No Man has Gone Before

Reference to Star Trek

Wubba, lubba, dub, dub!

Reference to Rick and Morty

Good News, Everyone!

Reference to Futurama

Europa Universalis

Reference to the Paradox Interactive game series of the same name

Skies of Blue

Reference to Louis Armstrong's song What a Wonderful World

Creator of Worlds

Reference to an infamous Robert Oppenheimer quote

Mysteries

The Power of Three

Reference to Doctor Who episode of the same name.

Inner Light

Reference to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode of the same name.

Beyond Earth

Rede Goddenberry is a reference to scifi writer Gene Roddenberry, best known for creating Star Trek. Title could also be a reference to Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth, spiritual successor to Alpha Centauri.

Artificial Intelligence

NetSky is an anagram for Skynet from the Terminator series.

Wildfire

Reference to The Andromeda Strain novel.

Marsgate

Reference to the Watergate scandal, after which major scandals have generally become marked with a '-gate' suffix.

Events and Story Bits

Catch-a-Ride!

Reference to Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster. Fittingly the SpaceY Mission Sponsor has an additional Story Bit choice. Title is also a reference to the vehicle spawning service in the Borderlands franchise.

Comet Sighted

Reference to games developed by Paradox Development Studio.

Dormant Life

Reference to the Jurassic Park series.

Fhtagn! Fhtagn!

Reference to H. P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu. In the long forgotten tongue the word means "dreams", "sleeps" or "waits".

Flat Mars Society

Reference to the Flat Earth Society and Mike Hughes' failed rocket launch attempt.

Gaming Tournament

Reference to StarCraft.

Immortal Engines

Reference to Philip Reeve's novel Mortal Engines.

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

Reference to the Simon & Garfunkel song "The Sound of Silence".

Iron-Oxidizing Bacteria

Reference to Dr. Strangelove.

The Man from Mars

Reference to Jerome Bixby's story, The Man from Earth.

Foreigner in a Foreign Land

Reference to Robert A. Heinlein novel, Stranger in a Strange Land.

Total Recall

Reference to the movie of the same name.

Water Chip

Reference to the Fallout series.

Witness me!

Reference to Mad Max: Fury Road.

Blood Music

Reference to the novel of the same name.

Smoke on the Water

Reference to the song of the same name.

Dark Side of the Sun

Reference to the Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon

Event Replies

Goodbye and thanks for all the drones!

Reference to The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.

I don't want to set the world on fire.

Reference to a song of the same name by The Ink Spots, used as the main theme for Fallout 3.

I will do anything for love but I won't do that.

Reference to a popular, similarly named song by Meat Loaf.

Mars - just add water!

Reference to H2O: Just Add Water.

Step aside, I know regular expressions!

Reference to XKCD #208: Regular Expressions

[Church of the New Ark] Nobody expects the Martian inquisition! (New Messiah Event)

Reference to Monty Python's the Spanish inquisition.

Rival Colony Dialogue

I used to be an astrogeologist like you, but then I took an asteroid in the sensor tower. (positive Standing greeting for Astrogeologist Commander Profiles)

Reference to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Hello, Commander. How are things going in your colony? Do you want us to sell you not-a-flamethrower already? (SpaceY neutral Standing greeting)

Reference to Elon Musk's Not-a-Flamethrower.

Greetings. Listen carefully, for our words are backed with NUCLEAR WEAPONS! (India negative Standing greeting)

Reference to the "Nuclear Gandhi" meme from Civilization.

All your base are belong to us! (Japan resource request refusal)

Reference to Zero Wing.

Other

Hawking Institute (building)

Tribute to theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. Originally called Science Institute, the building was renamed following his death.

Please don't go. The drones need you. They look up to you. (game exit message)

Reference to the voice audio played when exiting Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.