* The planet Erewhon has the same name as a Samuel Butler novel.
** Erewhon itself is a planet of shoutouts, being founded by hyper-capitalists/crime families. The nation's largest cities? Maytag, Sears, Suds Emporium, and Whirlpool Gulf.
*** This is stated to have been intentional in-universe. After all, after going straight the families needed some way to launder the money...
* Haven is also the name of a planet in the Literature/CoDominium universe with an oppressive secret police.
* The phrase [[Literature/StarshipTroopers "On the bounce"]] is used in the first novel.
* Grayson based much of their pre-technological society and warfare on Creator/AkiraKurosawa's ''Film/SevenSamurai''.
* Grayson's "classical" music is based on country and western, and ''Ashes of Victory'' features a couple of snatches of [[Music/WaylonJennings "Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Spacers"]].
* At one point in ''Honor Among Enemies'', Honor enjoys a ''Literature/HoratioHornblower'' novel, and the narration points out that [[LampshadeHanging she likes his initials.]]
** In "A Short Victorious War", HMS ''Hotspur'' (named for Hornblower's ship in ''Hornblower and the Hotspur'') is destroyed in combat with a Havenite cruiser squadron. The same book had a group of Havenite revolutionaries gathering in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis_Court_Oath a tennis court]], back when the series was thick with historical references.
* The PRH's ''Mars''-class heavy cruisers are named after war gods; one of them is called [[Literature/TheWarGods Krashnark.]]
* ''Echoes of Honor'' mentions a "[[Creator/RobertAHeinlein Heinlein]] Maneuver" where [[Literature/TheMoonIsAHarshMistress lunar rebels dropped rocks on Old Earth]].
* In "A Whiff of Grapeshot," (the title itself a historical ShoutOut to UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte) to Citizen Admiral Esther [=McQueen=] finds herself trapped in a crashed vehicle dangling over a lethal drop. She calmly states "Here's my plan" then laughs and explains that it is a [[Film/TheItalianJob1969 classical reference]]. For bonus points about the UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte reference, [=McQueen=] is the universe's Napoleon [[spoiler:until Rachel Speer, acting under orders from Saint-Just in charge of the Committee of Public [[{{Irony}} Safety]], nukes her and the others involved, which throws the plot off in later books.]]
* The SS starship ''Tepes'' in ''In Enemy Hands'' is commanded by a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_III_the_Impaler Captain Vladovich]].
* Late in the series, William Alexander is declared "Baron Grantville" — a reference to ''Wages of Sin'' sub-series author Eric Flint's ''Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo'' series, portions of which Weber co-wrote.
* Honor's personal physician is [[Series/StargateSG1 the slim, short, auburn-haired Dr. Janet Frazier]].
* In ''The Shadow of Saganami'', [[spoiler:while using a "borrowed" freighter to reconnoiter a potentially unfriendly star system]], Commander [=FitzGerald=] identifies himself as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbeard "Captain Teach"]] and a subordinate as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Kidd "Lieutenant Kidd"]].
* The children's book ''David and the Phoenix'', prominently featured in ''At All Costs'', is [[http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/27922 a real book]] and one of author David Weber's favorites.
* A recursive shout-out: Baen DesignatedVictim Joe Buckley is mentioned in ''Mission of Honor'', as is a starship, ''Dahak'', named for the website that the real-life Buckley runs — which was itself named for a starship from David Weber's own ''Literature/EmpireFromTheAshes'' series.
* In ''War of Honor,'' Zahn's husband [[Creator/TimothyZahn Tim]] is said to be highly regarded by a Manticoran officer named Commodore [[Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy Tharwan]].
* Officers named Horn and Stackpole were serving aboard HMS ''Ajax'' at the Battle of Solon, referencing Creator/MichaelStackpole's ''Literature/XWingSeries'' novels.
* The operation [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Harbor_attack Oyster Bay]].
* Kevin Usher is a real fountain of knowledge where classical cinema is concerned, and gave the same taste to his student, Victor Cachat. Their favorite movie is ''{{Film/Casablanca}}''.
* ''Crown of Slaves'': "[[Music/TheBeatles You are the walrus]]". ''Very'' carefully set up, no less.
* [[Literature/LordDarcy Darcy Lord's]] "[[Creator/RandallGarrett Garrett Randall]]" psychic detective stories.
* Four members of the Mesan Alignment are named after famous directors: [[Creator/AlfredHitchcock President Roman Hitchcock]], [[Creator/StanleyKubrick Board Chairman Joan Kubrick]], [[Creator/RomanPolanski System President Anton Polanski]], and [[Creator/QuentinTarantino Chancellor Robert Tarantino]].
* In ''[[Literature/StephanieHarrington A Beautiful Friendship]]'', the Harringtons have a meeting at a restaurant called "The Red Letter", owned by a person by the name of Creator/EricFlint, with whom Weber has co-written books in this and the ''Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo'' series. The restaurant and its owner/cook also have a minor presence in the sequel, ''Fire Season''.
* A former politician and political commentator in the novella ''I Will Build My House of Steel'' is named [[UsefulNotes/HillaryRodhamClinton Hillary]] [[UsefulNotes/SarahPalin Palin]].
* Lois is the only habitable planet in the [[{{Franchise/Superman}} Clarke]] system. Doubles as a shout-out to Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold and Creator/ArthurCClarke. Triples as a pun on Lewis and Clark.
* In ''Flag In Exile'', a [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Chief]] [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine O'Brien]] is mentioned when Honor compares the religious diversity of a Manticoran superdreadnought to a Grayson one. For bonus points, he is described as a Shinto priest and the character who he is presumably a reference to has a Japanese wife.
* In ''Honor Among Enemies'', Manticore System Command briefly considers the possibility of assigning the cruiser ''[[Literature/StarshipOperators Amaterasu]]'' for escort duty. (It's not available soon enough, though, so another ship is sent instead.)
* Shannon Foraker's missile fire control system is called [[Literature/SherlockHolmes Moriarty]]. When the Grand Alliance happens, and [[GadgeteerGenius Shannon and Sonja]] start working together, their new combined system is called [[Literature/SherlockHolmes Mycroft]]. As for why Shannon named the systems after characters from it, see quote [[note]]"Sir, why did Admiral Foraker call it 'Moriarty'? I've been trying to figure it out for weeks now."I wondered that, myself," Deutscher admitted. "So I asked Admiral Giscard the same question. He said one of Admiral Foraker's staffers had introduced her to some old, pre-space fiction. 'Detective stories,' he called them. Apparently this 'Moriarty' was some kind of mastermind character in one of them." He shrugged."Mastermind," the chief of staff repeated, then chuckled. "Well, I guess that does make sense, in a way, doesn't it?"[[/note]]

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