When investigating the alternate time-line created by Darhk and Merlyn, Gideon mentions that George Lucas was an insurance salesman who won the "Modesto Hartman's Insurance Salesman of the Year" award in 1977, 1980 and 1983. This is a nod to the years that the original three Star Wars films were released. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) premiered May 25, 1977, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) premiered June 20, 1980, and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) premiered May 25, 1983.
Several lines of dialogue parody lines from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). Two of the most notable ones are both spoken by Amaya, and are both parodies of lines that were spoken by Princess Leia. First she tells George Lucas that he is "our only hope", which is what Leia says in her message to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Then when Amaya, Ray, Nate and Lucas are trapped in the trash compactor, which itself is a parody of a scene from Star Wars, when Merlin turns on the compactor Amaya says "don't just stand there, try and brace it with something", which were the exact words Leia said to Han Solo when they were trapped in the Death Star's trash compactor.
The Hanna-Barbera cartoon show Nate mentions is SuperFriends (1973), which featured the Legion of Doom.
While shooting his student film, Phil Gasmer/Rip Hunter criticizes the performance of the actor playing the villain (who is obviously based on Vandal Savage). This is an inside joke acknowledging the generally negative reaction from critics and fans to Casper Crump's portrayal of Savage in the show's first season.
After restoring the timeline, Ray, Nate, and Vixen try to decide which George Lucas film to watch; Vixen suggests Howard the Duck (1986), which the others vehemently reject. A notorious box office bomb, the film was so negatively received that Lucas, one of the executive producers, disowned it after its release.