The Outer Worlds is full of references - many quests are named after significant pieces of science fiction literature.
Unfortunately, much of this information cannot be verified and therefore cannot be housed on a wiki page. Below is a collection of identified cross-media references found in the quest titles, item descriptions, and other lore in the game.
Please feel free to let me know if you find any others!
Quests[]
Main Quests[]
- Radio Free Monarch: The name of the quest is a reference to Radio Free Albemuth, a novel by Philip K. Dick which shares similar themes to Graham Bryant's beliefs.
- Brave New World: The name of the quest is a reference to Brave New World, a novel by Aldous Huxley.
- Comes Now the Power: The name of the quest is a reference to Comes Now the Power, a short story by Roger Zelazny. This Reddit post explores how the short story's themes parallel those of the quest, and includes a link to where you can read the story.
- Foundation: The name of the quest is a reference to the Foundation series, a series of books by Isaac Asimov.
- Stranger in a Strange Land: The name of the quest is a reference to Stranger in a Strange Land, a novel by Robert A. Heinlein.
- The City and the Stars: The name of the quest is a reference to The City and the Stars, a novel by Arthur C. Clarke.
- The Demolished Woman: The name of the quest is a reference to The Demolished Man, a novel by Alfred Bester.
- The Puppet Masters: The name of the quest is a reference to The Puppet Masters, a novel by Robert A. Heinlein.
- The Ones Who Walk Away From Gorgon: The name of this quest is a reference to The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, a short story by Ursula K. Le Guin.
Companion Quests[]
- Don't Bite The Sun: The name of the quest is a reference to Don't Bite the Sun, a novel by Tanith Lee.
- Drinking Sapphire Wine: The name of the quest is a reference to Drinking Sapphire Wine, a novel by Tanith Lee and the sequel to Don't Bite the Sun.
- Star-crossed Troopers: The name of the quest is a reference to Starship Troopers, a novel by Robert A. Heinlein.
- The Illustrated Manual: The name of the quest is a reference to The Illustrated Man, a collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury.
- The Low Crusade: The name of the quest is a reference to The High Crusade, a novel by Poul Anderson.
Side Quests[]
- Makes Space Suits, Won't Travel: The name of the quest is a reference to Have Space Suit—Will Travel, a novel by Robert A. Heinlein.
- Rendezvous at Llama: The name of the quest is a reference to Rendezvous with Rama, a novel by Arthur C. Clarke.
- The quest giver Bowen Babbage shares a last name with computer science pioneer, Charles Babbage, who was an influential person in Clarke's life.