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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/35745
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I face the problem myself when I dabble in future SciFi stories and settings, I like to use a "Famous 3" where the third one is an oddball that is either comically modern compared to what we see Or are obviously alien. For example, in dialog, the hero would refer to the "Three B's" of music (a real term denoting the significance of classical musicians Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms) but his definition is Bach, Beethoven, and The Beatles (Or worse, Bach, Beethoven, and Beiber). In a space opera setting, using great philosophical minds such as Socrates, Locke, and Zibba to denote the importance of alien influences on the new modern culture.

Another idea I like to use is that aliens have an odd appreciation for the diverse works of art that come from Earth. I use this one in one of my Scifi things where aliens teach "Star Wars" as a great epic of politics and heroes, but also find it absolutely hilarious because every Star Wars alien has a near identical counterpart race... but they act totally differently. For example, the Hutt equivalent absolutely hate crime, and will over punish. The people from the Yoda race act more like Jar Jar... You get the point.

This reflects that in real life cultures, various cultures latch on to things from obvious cultures for all sorts of reasons, which help to expose things about their own culture when you dig into why they are important. By seeing what cultures like what earth things and why, you can actually say a lot more about their cultural identity.

Original score: 10