: Re: Referencing modern pop culture in science fiction A geek today is quite likely to reference the pop culture of 30 years ago: "Do or do not, there is no try", "Beam me up, Scotty" and "Ground

@Gonzalez219

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Stranger in a strange land. A foil.
Create a tagalong character that needs explanations; a child, somebody new to the group, a good asset but a foreign born person that doesn't get pop references (even if they speak the local language without error or accent).
Pretty much the whole point of having Watson (in the original stories, not all derivatives) was to have somebody for Sherlock to explain his detective thinking to, because by himself it would not be in character to explain anything to anyone until he solved the mystery.
You can create a dynamic for this foil, a love interest, a responsibility, a necessary business partner, an expert in a needed field, etc. They can give as well as receive. But then you use your invented pop culture references (or others do) and your MC explains them to the foil. You can even have some comic effects, of the foil trying to use them incorrectly. "Beam me up, Scott."

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