: Is it appropriate to use real-life quotes in fantasy/sci-fi novels set in alternate worlds? Situation: You have an imaginary world, fantasy, sci-fi, whatever, and you are at a point where, as

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I've actually seen this used deliberately, to help establish the character of the... err... character in question.

In the first chapter of The Tales of Paul Twister, we're introduced to Paul, a thief-for-hire in a magical world who's got a bit of a sour, snarky attitude about the world around him in general and his line of work in particular. He's been hired for a job that looks like it'll be easy, and then things go sideways and he decides to turn on his employer. And then we get this:

[The employer] gasped and wheezed. “What are you doing? This is treachery! We had a deal!”

I growled at him in my most menacing tone of voice. “I am altering our
deal. Pray that she does not alter it any further.” Yeah, I know. No
one in this wretched kingdom is gonna get a reference like that. But
it made me sound all badass, which is what I was going for.

And then the reader realizes that a handful of things that seem a bit unusual about Paul so far suddenly make sense: he's "not from around here;" somehow the protagonist in this high-fantasy story is from modern-day Earth.

This may or may not be at all relevant to the story you're working on; simply including it as an example to show that doing something like this can have a valid use in some stories.

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Character is in trouble situation on a planet and danger is closing in. He is in a good mood and he is speaking over a com with his mates, quoting: "Houston, we got a problem." But in this universe for example Earth does not exist.

I'm going to edge away from the opinion part and try to focus on the when and why it may be appropriate. As with so many things in writing, this is from personal observation more than it is a decree.

Who is your target audience? Is your story intended to be light reading? Use out-of-universe colloquialisms as you see fit, if you feel they help make a point. Are you writing something more involved, where the expectation is that your audience memorize or visualize your setting? Stick to your setting; it might be disingenuous to your audience otherwise.

What is the focus of your story? Is it a period piece, a walk-of-life in a specific setting? Out-of-universe is not your friend: a slip-up may be forgiven, or it may ruin the experience for your readers. Is the actual setting a story aid, a backdrop more than it is the point of the story, then a brief out-of-universe reference might do the trick.

Out-of-universe references can be a useful tool because they may connect more directly with your audience (1). Used sparingly, they can bring a point across succinctly or effectively. But use them too often, and you're telling the audience that, yeah, this story might have been better in a different setting.

(1) Emphasis on "may" because cultural references, by their nature, require knowledge of the culture in question. "Shall we play a game?" may instill a sense of foreboding in some, and be non-sensical to others.

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This is certainly valid in some contexts, e.g., in a parody, or while leaning on the fourth wall, for example

...

"And using this device you can communicate if there are any issues." explained Houston.

"Oh, great, but what if I have to fix it first, «Houston, we've had a problem?»"

However, I would advise you against using it if you are not 120% sure it will be received well by the readers, in particular if it breaks the willing suspension of disbelief.

I hope this helps ;-)

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If the quote is in reference to something that would not exist at all in the world you've created, it is completely inappropriate.

Even if it happens to be a quote that would make contextual sense (no references to anything in our world), I would still avoid it.

References to things that happen in our world, in a world that is not ours, only serve to pull the reader out of the narrative flow - whether they reference something that is in our world, or are just a quote from an historic figure or novel. There is no reason for those characters to know about that quote, and using it cheapens the value of the fictional world, while robbing you of the opportunity to write your own memorable quote for the situation.

In short: By using a real-world quote as a literary shorthand, you sacrifice the quality of your work and the originality of your world. Unless you've crafted a world where the quoting character specifically is from Earth, don't do this.

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In my opinion it's ok to use such quotes, if an "explanation" is following, like: "He didn't really know, why those words appeared in his mind. They made no sense, but jsut sounded right in this situation."

However, if you use this too often, it surely will break the idea of your story.

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For your "Houston" example, definitely not if Apollo 13 is not culturally relevant to the person saying it.

You can use some sayings from this universe in your universe, for example

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Because this could come about without someone having seen The Godfather Part II. It's just advice.

But any quote or saying that relies on the speaker having access to a cultural facet that they do not have access to would not make any sense.

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It very largely would depend on the quote you are using, and how you are using it.

Using 'Houston we've got a problem' on a planet that has no Houston is going to leave the reader a little confused. Using 'Foobar we've got a problem' would fit better, and the reader would understand the context you're likely aiming for.

The thing to be careful of is to avoid making your writing sound clichéd, unless very carefully used reusing quotes can make your writing feel tired. It also robs the story of your involvement.

I'd imagine that if Arnie had used somebody else's quote instead of 'I'll be back' the story would have suffered, and could have been much less successful.

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