Names

Sometimes a name already means something to us, the readers. Examples abound. An sf writer does not have to explain who Einstein is - even when he then goes on to break all of Einstein's laws! Other names of scientists are less generally known. See Milne etc here.

James Blish transposed our relationship to Einstein into the future. Thus, his Adolph Haertel supersedes Albert Einstein. Haertel appears in Welcome To Mars and "Common Time." Then characters in A Case Of Conscience, the two Jack Loftus novels and The Quincunx Of Time cite Haertel as an authority the way that their ancestors, us, would have cited Einstein. 

Other characters become known names in their fictional universes. Blish's John Amalfi, revisiting the planet, He, is embarrassed to learn that the highest mountain on the planet is named Mount Amalfi. A character in Poul Anderson's "A Little Knowledge" quotes Old Nick van Rijn. In Anderson's The Game Of Empire, Fr. Axor has heard tales of Admiral Flandry. Also, Targovi, a minor intelligence agent, reflects somewhere that he is no Flandry.

Sometimes an author knows how to communicate that a newly introduced fictional character is a big name where he comes from. Somewhere in Heinlein's Starship Troopers, the narrator mentions a Nielson, then, after saying what Nielson did, adds "Yes, that Nielson." (Crude but makes the point.)

Poul Anderson gives Ricardo Iriarte Nansen Aguilar a big build up in Starfarers. First, Aguilar, here given his full name, is identified as the Captain of the Envoy in a list of characters' names on p. ix - although we might miss this when opening the book. Secondly, in the Prologue, it is stated that a young boy discussing the night sky with his father:

"...became the grandfather of Ricardo Nansen Aguilar." (p. 2)

That has to mean something, obviously. Finally, Chapter 1 begins with:

"Ricardo Nansen...floating weightless, looking out a viewscreen..." (p. 17)

We have reached not only the man himself but also his narrative point of view:

"He never tired of this sight." (ibid.)

Aguilar appears only in this single novel but obviously is going to amount to something while he is on-stage.

Ad astra.