In general structure and plot, Dreddline refers to such “hero trapped with villains” movies like Die Hard, Runaway Train, Narrow Margin, Speed, and Under Siege 2. Television shows Thunderbirds (notably the episode ‘Brink of Disaster‘) and 24 were also major influences on the tone.
Brit-Judge Dalton mentions “Farnsworth Parkway”, which is named after Futurama‘s baffled Professor Hubert Farnsworth.
Dreddline was originally planned to be a direct sequel to David Bishop’s Judge Dredd audio Get Karter!, to be released directly after that disc, but story concerns with Rebellion held it back in rewrites. However, plot elements from Get Karter! set up some of the action in Dreddline, and characters from Bishop’s story are mentioned, so this script still acts as an indirect follow-up.
The use of the word “feck” is a homage to the excellent sitcom Father Ted.
Actor Jeremy James based his vocal characterisation of Bax Philo on Moe, the bartender from The Simpsons.
“Is this one of those Lawmasters that flies?” This is an oblique reference to both the Judge Dredd movie and the Flying Squad from the comic, who ride airborne Zipper Bikes.
“Prisoner 3-2-5 has been delivered.” is a line from the futuristic prison movie No Escape.
Although they’re hidden under some of the action, the announcements from the public address system at the train terminal include fleeting references to two other 2000AD strips, D.R. & Quinch and Sinister Dexter.
“Easy, chief. I’m walking, I’m walking.” is a line from another futuristic prison movie, Escape From New York.
The trippy hippy chick passenger is named Lucy, after the Beatles song ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds‘.
The crusty English colonel is named Sir Henry, after the Vivian Stanshall’s titular character from Sir Henry at Rawlinson End.
“They say credits talk, but mine only say goodbye.” This parodies a line from the David Lee Roth song ‘No Big ‘Ting‘.
The robot conductor’s “Mind the Gap,” mimicks the automated voice of the London Underground sysytem.
“A large Parafino…” Another Sir Henry at Rawlinson End reference.
“Drokk da Police!” parodies the NWA song title ‘F**k tha Police‘.
“I gave up Tap for Jazz….” This is a line from ‘Bart’s Little Helper’, an episode of The Simpsons, which I just found hysterical at the time.
“I’ll be back.” The Terminator, natch.
“Ono-Sendai” are a ficticious company that appears in William Gibson’s ‘sprawl’ novels, such as Neuromancer and Count Zero.
“Little Paulie” is a nod to the mafia drama series The Sopranos.
The Palais de Boing refers to a Mega-City One amusement center where you can bounce around a giant pinball machine inside a plastic ball.
Kate Mulgrew Block is of course named after the actress who played Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager.
The theft of a Morris Minor refers to one of the very first Judge Dredd strips (Prog #7), in which the antique car was stolen.
Like the superhero known only as The Tick, the cargo pod is “nigh invulnerable”.
More Futurama references; “skin tube” and “meat bag” are two of the robot Bender’s charming nicknames for humans.
The Volgan War took place in the 2000AD strips Invasion! and The ABC Warriors.
“Bullet time” is a reference to the slo-mo combat scenes in The Matrix.
Rufus’s poor Dredd impersonation – “I am the Law!” – is another reference to the Judge Dredd movie.
“Flux capacitors” are what run the time-travelling DeLorean in the Back to the Future trilogy.
A “nanotech mallet” is a gag reference that only science geeks should laugh at.
The Conductor Bot’s “No ticket?” refers to a scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where another hero throws a baddie off a moving vehicle.
“My vision is impaired! I cannot see!” is a Dalek line from an episode of Doctor Who.
Dredd’s speech about “the longest train journey of his life” parodies Jack Bauer’s opening narration from season one episodes of 24.
The train’s Robo-Driver mimicks Ringo Starr’s voice acting in that other railway adventure, Thomas the Tank Engine.
“Duotronic” technology exists in the Star Trek universe.
The “interociter” was a piece of high-tech gadgetry in the movie This Island Earth.
“That won’t work, either.” is a line from The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.
Lomax’s line “That’s whack!” and pretty much all of his cod-homeboy dialogue is a swipe a fakey futuristic streetspeak in shows like Dark Angel.
The “take pleasure in gutting you” line comes from yet another prison movie, The Rock.
“It’s all in the wrists.” Classic hacker dialogue from Tron.
“Klegg-skin boots” refer to the lizard-like aliens from the Judge Dredd story ‘The Day the Law Died‘.
“A lead salad” is a homage to Edward Norton’s ad-libbed line from Fight Club.
The “Zoom train – Boom train!” line is a reference to producer John Ainsworth’s original title for the story premise, Boom Train.
“I knew you’d say that.” is a line from the Judge Dredd movie which unsurprisingly failed to become Dredd’s new catchphrase.
The mob guy named “Castrato” once again spoofs The Sopranos.
The kitchen fight in the dining car is a homage to a similar scene in Under Siege 2.
“You’re a big man, but you’re out of shape.” This iconic (but mis-quoted) line from the movie Get Carter wasn’t used in the audio Get Karter!, so I inserted it here.
Other Judge Dredd continuity references include mentions of the Apocalypse War, the Tulsa Melts, the Atlantis undersea colony and Judge Death.
…and finally, for all those nit-pickers who asked why Whyte’s hair on the cover art was black instead of blonde, it’s because she has nanotech colourants that change depending on her mood… I just forgot to mention that in the script…
