Borderlands pop culture references

There are a number of pop culture references (memes, movie references, etc) in the game:

The Canterbury Tales
Weapon: Lady Finger

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories about a group traveling to Canterbury. The stories are generally categorized in frames, where the stories within the frame are somehow related, while the relationship between frames is less apparent. The Prioress's Tale tells the story of Madam Eglantine, who wears a ring with the inscription "Amor vincit omnia", which translates into love conquers all. The flavor text of the Lady Finger, Omnia Vincit Amor, means the same. The name Lady Finger may refer to the fingers of the prioress, where the ring was worn.

The Dark Tower
Character: Roland

Roland resembles the antagonist from the series of books "The Dark Tower", written by Stephen King.

Fight Club
Character: Chuck Durden

Chuck Durden refers to Fight Club. Chuck Palahniuk wrote the book, and its main character is Tyler Durden.

Frankenstein
Enemy: Tankenstein

The name Tankenstein is a reference to the popular book by Mary Shelley. Its appearance matches the widely accepted appearance of Frankenstein.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy franchise
Character: Lucky Zaford

His last name is a reference to the characters Zaphod Beeblebrox and Ford Prefect.

 Claptrap (Old Haven): "I think you ought to know I'm feeling very depressed."

A phrase often said by Marvin, the depressed robot in Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. The entire speech of this Claptrap is very similar to how Marvin feels in the book and the rest of the series.

The Lord of the Rings
Enemy: Helob

The Spiderant Helob refers to the giant spider Shelob from the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Zombie TK Baha: "Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew"

A reference to The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers where Sam is preparing dinner and trying to explain to Gollum what 'taters' are.

Merchant of Venice
Psycho: "Now it's time for my pound of flesh!"

Refers to Shylock's line in Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare.

Moby Dick
Mission: T.K.'s Life And Limb

Baha is Ahab backwards, and in the book, Ahab was driven mad to find and kill the White Whale after his leg was taken from him. Scar also has several weapons embedded into his head, and is extremely tough. Moby Dick was described as having several harpoons in his head, and numerous scars from where many sailors tried, and failed, to kill him.

BioShock
Guardian Angel: "Would you kindly help him out?"

This quote is the trigger to the first Claptrap Rescue mission. The phrase "Would You Kindly" was the trigger phrase used by the main antagonist of BioShock, another game published by 2K Games, to force the player's character to perform actions. As with Bioshock, the storyline will not advance until you have completed this quest.

Blaster Master
Blaster Master Outrunner color

The name for this color is a reference to a NES game with the same name, featuring a buggy-like tank with a red color scheme.

Diablo 2
Enemy: Rakkinishu

A reference to the Diablo 2 mini-boss Rakanishu, that you face before entering Tristram. Rakkinishu drops a shield called Cracked Sash, a common item from Diablo 2.

Gauntlet Legends
Mission: Earl Needs Food... Badly

In Gauntlet Legends, an arcade game made by Atari games, a voice would announce that " needs food badly" when their health got low.

House of the Dead
Mission: House of the Ned

House of the Dead is originally an arcade game developed by Sega. You play as agents trying to kill the monsters created by Dr. Curien, a scientist who tried to discover the nature of life and death, but his experiments resulted in dangerous monsters.

Left 4 Dead
Enemy: Tankenstein

The Tank part of Tankenstein may be a reference to The Tank from the Left 4 Dead series. The Tank can also throw objects and punch the player.

 Underdome wave 18: "Game over man, game over"

In the first game, Zoey may say this phrase in response to Bill in the elevator on No Mercy.

Mario series
Achievement: My Brother is an Italian Plumber

Mario was originally an Italian plumber. Also, he often jumps on enemies to kill them, just like the requirement for this achievement.

Zero Wing
Mission: Dumpster Diving For Great Justice

Part of a popular internet meme where phrases were wrongly translated from Japanese to English, the best-known being "All your base are belong to us". The phrase "For Great Justice" was supposed to be "Our hopes for the future..."

Another one Bites the Dust
Roland: "Another one bites the dust"

Often-used term when defeating an opponent. Roland may say this after killing an enemy. Originates from Another one bites the dust by Queen.

I'm on a Boat
Achievement: You're on a boat!

A reference to the song I'm on a Boat by The Lonely Island.

Master Exploder
Achievement: Master Exploder

Possibly a reference to the song Master Exploder by Tenacious D.

Sabotage
Mission: Schemin' That Sabotage

Possibly a reference to the song Sabotage by The Beastie Boys.

Grassy Knoll
Location: Trashy Knoll

The Grassy Knoll is a small, sloping hill inside the plaza that became famous following the John F. Kennedy assassination. The knoll was above President Kennedy and to his right (west and north) during the assassination. Several witnesses reported hearing shots from its direction. In Borderlands, the Trashy Knoll is located in the north-eastern part of the Rust Commons East. Here, you have to kill Slither.

Well, there's your problem right there
Mission: Well There's Your Problem Right There

A saying used as a joke when regarding something which has been totally rendered inoperable in an obvious manner.

Turtles all the way down
Graffiti found on walls

The phrase "Turtles all the way down" comes from the theory that the world is resting on a turtle. The answer to the question what that turtle was laying on is that there are turtles all the way down.

A Christmas Story
Location: Hidden Basement

A secret room can be found in New Haven. Inside this room is a leg lamp. In the movie, The Old Man gets a lamp shaped like a leg. Furthermore, only in this basement can the Rider be found, another reference to this movie. In the movie, Ralph continuously asks for a Red Ryder BB Gun, to which everyone responds: "You'll shoot your eye out." The flavor text on this weapon ( Careful... you might put someone's eye out. ) further adds to the reference.

Aliens
 Underdome wave 18: "Game over man, game over"

This is a quote from the character Hudson.

Back to the Future
Achievement: 1.21 Gigawatts

1.21 Gigawatts is the power requirement for time travel.

Canvas News
Challenge: Boom goes the dynamite

19-year old Brian Collins has to replace the regular sports guy, but he fails horribly. One phrase from this broadcast turned into a meme, namely the phrase "Boom goes the dynamite."

Die Hard
Character: Bruce McClane

The name Bruce MacClance is a combination of the name of the protagonist from Die Hard, Officer John MacLane, and the actor who played him, Bruce Willis.

Dragon Ball Z
Xbox Live profile information

If a player gets more than 9000 kills, his Xbox Live profile will read "Kills Over 9000". This is a reference to the famous Dragon Ball Z meme, where Nappa asks Vegeta "What does the scouter say about his power level?". Vegeta's reply to that is: "IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAND". This meme can be viewed here.

Evil Dead
Weapon: Boom Stick

In the third movie of this series Bruce's character Ash wields a sawn-off shotgun he calls his "Boomstick". Also, the flavor text of this weapon is Beyond Groovy. "Groovy" is Ash's signature phrase.

Firefly
Character: Jaynis Kobb

Reference to the character Jayne Cobb from the TV show Firefly. In the seventh episode, "Jaynestown", the characters enter a mining town where the locals hail Jayne (who is a violent, amoral gunman who'd tried to steal money from the local magistrate years before) as a hero.

Mission: Missing Persons

During this mission you encounter the corpse of Shawn Stokely with the word "Reaver" carved into his forehead. This references the very raider-like antagonists, who are known as "Reavers", among whom facial mutilation of this type is commonplace.

Godzilla
Enemies: Skagzilla and Mothrakk

The names of these enemies refer to Godzilla, a giant monster, and Mothra, a giant moth, respectively.

Idiocracy
 Claptrap repair kit

A claptrap repair kit can have the description "It's got what claptraps crave". This refers to the drink "Brawndo" that completely replaces water in the movie Idiocracy. The slogan for "Brawndo" is "It's got what X craves", where X could be replaced by anything.

Jem
Character: Lilith

Lilith resembles the antagonist Jem from the likewise named animated TV series. They both appear as women with heavy make-up and they have bright colored hair. Also, Jem was the alter ego of Jerrica Benton. Jerrica uses a technology that turns her into Jem via holograms, similar to what occurs when Lilith uses her Phasewalk-ability. The names of the skills from Liltih Controller skill tree match the personality of Jem and her being a dancer and singer. Lastly, the achievement Truly Outrageous, which can only be acquired with Lilith, is a catch phrase; in the opening theme Jerrica states that Jem is "Truly Outrageous".

Mad Max
Character: Mad Mel

The name Mad Mel is a combination Mad Max, a character from the similarly named movie series, and Mel Gibson, his actor.

Enemies: Skags

In the Mad Max movie series, low-life wanderers and bandits are called skags.

Skill: Master Blaster

In the third Mad Max movie, two characters named The Master and The Blaster, who can combine into Master Blaster.

The Madness of King George
Weapon: Atlas Cyclops

The flavor text " I have you in my eye, sir. " is a quote from this movie.

Monty Python
Achievement: There are some who call me... Tim

Upon being asked for his name by King Arthur in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Tim the Enchanter answers with: "There are some who call me... Tim."

Mystery Science Theater 3000
Achievement: Can't We Get BEYOND Thunderdome?

Refers to a joke told by the robots Crow and Tom Servo in episode 706: Tom: "You see, if you live long enough, eventually, someone's going to say the word Thunderdome in your presence." Crow: "That's right, and I'm guessing most of you aren't equipped with a snappy comeback." Tom: "Well..." Crow: "We're gonna give you one." Tom: "We'll act it out for you. Ahem... Boy, I still think we really screwed up on that whole Thunderdome-fiasco." Crow: "Oh, come on, can't we get BEYOND Thunderdome?" This scene can be seen here.

Not Without My Daughter
Mission: Not Without My Claptrap

This mission may also be a reference to other movies or series, possible others are Pirates of the Carribean and South Park. This movie is the most likely the mission refers to.

Pulp Fiction
Mission: I've Got A Sinking Feeling...

The names of the ships you have to sink (Righteous Man, Great Vengeance and Furious Anger) refer to the fictionalized version of Ezekiel 25:17 Samuel L. Jackson's character recites. This scene can be found here.

Mission: Ned's undead, baby, Ned's undead

Reference to the line "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead." This scene can be seen here.

The Rock
Quote: "I'll take pleasure in gutting you, boy"

A random enemy may shout this phrase, referring to the movie The Rock where the same phrase was shouted.

The Royal Tenenbaums
Character: Mordecai

In the movie, Richie has a pet falcon called Mordecai. This is also reflected in Mordecai having a pet Bloodwing, a bird not too different from a falcon.

Saturday Night Live
Enemies: Hanz and Franz

Hanz and Franz are based on Hans and Franz, two characters from "Pumping Up with Hans and Franz". They spoofed Arnold Schwarzenegger by using padding for fake muscles, drab gray sweatsuits, weight belts, and Austrian accents.

Scare Tactics
Bandit: "Are you scared? You should be"

Scare Tactics is a TV show where the main goal is to scare people. If it succeeds, the someone goes to the victim and asks "Are you scared?". The victim usually answers with a yes, and they would get the reply "You shouldn't be! You're on Scare Tactics!"

Slumdog Millionaire
''Achievement: Pandora-dog Millionaire

In the movie, a boy from the slums, who manages to make a lot of money from a television quiz show. To get this achievement, you'll have to collect $1,000,000, similar to how the slumdog from the movie earns a lot of money from the show.

Space Balls
Location: Ludicrous Speedway

In the movie, there is a speed "Ludicrous speed", which is faster than both Light speed and "Ridiculous speed".

''Challenge: Hot! Too Hot!!''

Reference to the scene where Dark Helmet is drinking coffee and exclaims "HOT! TOO HOT!"

''Challenges: Who made that man a gunner? and Keep firing''

In this scene Dark Helmet first comments on the gunner, telling him "shoot across her nose, not up it." Upon finding out the gunner is squint-eyed, he asks: "Who made that man a gunner?" Later in the same scene, after finding out everyone on the bridge has the surname "Asshole", Dark Helmet directs them to "keep firing, Assholes!"

Star Wars
Jaynis Kobb: "a hive of scum and villainy" 

Obi-Wan Kenobi calls Mos Eisley "a wretched hive of scum and villainy" in Star Wars IV.

Trigun
Marcus: "This is not a planet of peace and love"

A reference to the catch-phrase '"Love and Peace"' of the Trigun-character Vash the Stampede.

Location: Pandora

The world/planet that Trigun is set in and the planet of Pandora are similar; with both planets being mostly a desert wasteland where bandits roam the wastes and various small settlements are scattered throughout the planet.

Challenge: Human Tsunami

A two-fold reference to Trigun. The main character was famed (albeit falsely) for being the first humanoid localized natural disaster, resulting in him being nicknamed "The Humanoid Typhoon" due to the unnatural aura of destruction that seemed to follow him. In addition, he also had an advanced prosthetic left arm with a SMG hidden in it that he could use. This challenge has you kill 2,500 enemies with SMG's.

V for Vendetta
Location: The Salt Flats

The title of Valerie's only movie, on the set of which she met her lover, is also The Salt Flats.