Battletech Trivia

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Many of the novels and sourcebooks incorporate pop-culture references, in names and places. Anime and manga seem to be a popular source of names for minor characters, as does history. Examples of both include:

• FASA, the company that produced BattleTech, was sued for copyright infringement for using several mecha designs from Macross and other anime series without the proper copyright licenses¹ (the first edition of BattleTech, then named BattleDroids, actually included two Japanese 1/144 model kits from the Fang of Sun Dougram anime series).) The related lawsuits were settled out of court, and later products of BattleTech do not use the designs under contention.
  • In the Japanese edition of BattleTech, all of these designs got redesigned by Studio Nue, creator of Macross.
• Perhaps the most famous character in BattleTech, General Aleksandr Kerensky, is said to be a direct descendant of a real-world Russian statesman of similar name.
• Reference to an "Area 51" in the "Roswell district" of New Avalon.
• Reference to a Precentor "Igarashi Miya" of ComStar. In Here is Greenwood, Igarashi Miya is the love interest of protagonist Hasukawa Kazuya.
• Reference to an Adept "Madoka Kasuga" of the Com Guards. In Kimagure Orange Road, Ayukawa Madoka was one of the two love interests of protagonist Kasuga Kyosuke. The Kimagure-class cruiser of the Star League Defense Force may also be an indirect reference to the series.
• Reference to a Colonel "Benton Frasier" of the Royal Diefenbaker Rifles. This is a reference to the CBS TV Series Due South.
• Reference to the planet Lum, capital of Clan Snow Raven, in the Kerensky Cluster. Lum is the name of the female lead character in Urusei Yatsura. The reference is further bolstered by mention of a major city on the planet named Rumiko, which is probably a reference to Takahashi Rumiko, author of the Urusei Yatsura manga (among others). Lum is also an Alcoholic beverage in Star Wars.
• Reference to the planet Harloc in the Capellan Confederation. This is a reference to anime icon Space Pirate Captain Harlock. This reference is further bolstered by mention of the "Owen Stanley Mountains" on the planet; a mountain range known by this name was a plot device in the Captain Harlock movie My Youth in Arcadia.
• Reference to the planet Klathandu IV in the Draconis Combine, this is a reference to Starship Troopers, where the main "bug" planet is Klendathu or "Big K"
  • In an art item in the sourcebook Field Manual: Federated Suns, a suit of powered combat armor has the name "CDR J. Rico" emblazoned on it, this is also a reference to Robert A. Heinlein's novel Starship Troopers.
• The Wolf's Dragoons sourcebook has a Char Aznable listed in the unit roster for the famous Zeta Battalion. The original Aznable is a character from various Mobile Suit Gundam series. Lieutenant Aznable was written out of the unit in 1989. The sourcebook lists him as killed on the planet Misery, a reference to the events in the 1988 novel Wolves on the Border.
• The Star League Sourcebook mentions an Aegis-class heavy cruiser named the E. Presley. This is almost definitely a reference to Elvis Presley.
• Some of the early novels make mention of a mercenary regiment named "Team Banzai", under contract to the Federated Suns, whose leader, Dr. B. Banzai, is a scientific genius who teaches at the New Avalon Institute of Science. This is clearly a reference to Buckaroo Banzai. The reference was altered to be more subtle in later works, with the unit changing its name to the "Hong Kong Cavaliers".
• There are references in the game to "The Fighting Urakhai," a mercenary unit said to have taken its name from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The unit's insignia even features a white hand on a black shield. Following the release of New Line Cinema's LotR movie trilogy and a subsequent increase of public awareness, a decision was taken to write the unit out of the game.
• Another The Lord of the Rings reference can be found with the name of the Capital planet of the Draconis Combine, Luthien.
• The mercenary unit Cranston Snord's Irregulars (later Rhonda's Irregulars) would regularly scour the Inner Sphere for 20th century artifacts, resulting in numerous pop culture references. In one instance (seen in "Shrapnel,") the unit tricks House Marik during a raid in order to obtain, amongst other things, original Frank Frazetta paintings.
• There is a reference to Deadheads (fans of the Grateful Dead) in the House Kurita sourcebook as a mysterious and possibly seditious secret society under investigation by the Draconis Combine secret police.
• The mercenary unit Grim Determination was, for years, led by one Colonel "Hardy Haarhar". This is both a reference to a cynical laugh as well as a Hanna-Barbera character of the same name.
• Another mercenary unit, Wylie's Coyotes, is a reference to the classic Looney Toons character Wile E. Coyote. Later, this unit changed its name to Blanc's Coyotes, a reference to Mel Blanc, who voiced many of the old Looney Toons characters.
• Clan Coyote's Delta Galaxy is led by Armin Tamzarian, an alias of Seymour Skinner from The Simpsons
• Several Battletech players, fans, or development staff have also been canonised, either as recognition for their contribution to Battletech or via Prize Draws in support of various charities. The most notable of these are:
  • "Sang-Shao Jordan Weis": Jordan Weisman, founder of FASA & Wizkids
  • "Gustavus Michaels": Michael Stackpole
  • "Terrence Peter LaCasse": Peter LaCasse
  • "Colonel Warner Doles": Warner Doles
  • "Marshal Randy Hasek-Bills": Randall N. Bills
  • "Demi-Precentor Rebek Craines": Rebekah Crane
  • "Intel Director Larry Coleman": Loren L. Coleman
  • "Adept Nonda Toolippi": Donna Ippolito
  • "Professor Bertram Habeas" and "Aristide Habeas" are the identites of Herbert A. Beas II.
  • "Larry Acuff": A Solaris VII Champion of the same name.
  • "Brian Pryde": Brian Bunch (a well-known if unlucky Jade Falcon player).
  • The late J. Andrew Keith is referenced in memoriam as "Keith Andrew" in the 1999 PC game MechWarrior 3.
  • "Dr. Rick Raisley": Rick Raisly, programer of the "Heavy Metal" line of software, used by players (and the development staff) of Battletech to create units, and print out said units, for use with the board game.
  • "Professor-General Sam Lewis" is a reference to Sam Lewis, once-president of FASA
• Reference to the holovid show "The ComStar Files", a reference to the TV series "The X-Files."
• The mercenary unit Canned Heat is a reference to the blues-rock band Canned Heat from the late 60's and early 70's.
• In the "Technical Readout: 3026" a new type of light hovercraft by the name J. Edgar Hover(J. Edgar Hoover) is introduced.
• The Royal Black Watch, since the publication of the Star League Sourcebook, has been described as the body guard of the First Lord of the Star League. The unit is described to use the insignia of the Scottish battalion.