Not sure how many of you readers like learning the little nuances and references within film and T.V. but I know I do.
I also think this should be the same with books, little stories like how Mary Shelley won a little writing competition amongst friends and authors with Frankenstein, her first writing endeavour. These interest me and add depth to the stories and writers. So with that in mind, any references et cetera I've made I'm putting in separate paragraphs below (each number).
1. Code names - all troopers except sergeant Oakham have a different call sign to their real names. Each call sign is that of a deity, the deities themselves have a virtue or represent a particular facet of that trooper.
2. To keep myself clued in to the right technology and what it can do my main source of reference is the OGL d20 role-playing book based mostly on the cartoons and some of the movie.
3. Although I love the cartoon and really enjoy the various movies, I have never read the book (it's on a very long to read list)
4. The main story arc for this series of books was a pen and paper role-playing game using various d20 books. I never got a group together large enough for a full unit.
5. Originally it was going to end with the whole bug asteroid and the troopers transported and them then being held responsible for an infestation as well, but I changed my mind.
6. The ship Dark Sword, is a reference to one of my favorite Star Wars books Darksabre, this was mainly due to the death of a major character from the expanded universe.
That's all for now for this book, if anything else is remembered or a question brings it to mind I'll add it.