Maybe it was when I read it -- middle school, and Buckaroo Banzai was just available on VHS -- yes, I'm old. But it struck me as great fun, and it still does today. BB was a movie that no one in my area had seen, except for me and my close friends. And reading about them in TRO 3025, the Mechwarrior handbook and eventually after that Stackpole's novels, put a smile on my face, like I was in on the joke.
To this day, I enjoy finding the nuggets of in jokes in Battletech products. Like "Thom Kazanski" being the commander of the One-Eyed Jacks Aerospace component. That one still puts a grin on my face. I haven't located a "Pete Mitchell" in any of the aerospace groups yet, though.
It's all the more fun since it's at least publicly frowned upon by TPTB. Makes it feel like the inside jokes are even better. And even if they don't stand the test of time -- BB is no longer a great secret -- the nostalgia it brings is something I dearly love.