The Martian: 8 Easter Eggs, In-Jokes And References You Need To See

2. (Don't) Do A Barrel Roll

To get off Mars, Mark puts his life totally in the hands of Michael Peña's Martinez, who is going to remotely pilot the Ares IV launch model into space with Watney strapped along for the ride. Before it all kicks off, Mark makes one simple request - don't do a barrel role. This could be intended as a reference to many things. Maybe it's a straight warning from Mark to Martinez or perhaps an allusion to something that's happened with the pair in the past. However, the most likely reason is that it's a cheeky nod to Star Fox and its immortal quote "Do a barrel roll." The double-tapping of L or R has taken the spinning trick from simple areal manoeuvre to mainstream joke, to the point where even Google's in on it (search the term and see what happens). Not only a shout-out, this is a nice example of The Martian presenting the development of pop culture within its universe. Kinda like the next point...