Daryl Anka is the person who channels the extraterrestrial entity, Bashar. Many of the plot points are directly from Bashar's messages. For example, Bashar has said, about 40 years ago, that movement through space was done because everything in space time has a vibration which includes a location component Superimpose a different location vibration on an object and that object just moves to the new location. He said an experiment might be performed with sensitive enough equipment. Take a copper sphere and tap it so that it vibrates, and record the vibration. Repeat in a new location. Move the object back to the first location, and after separating out the location component of the vibration, subject the copper sphere to the second location vibration and the sphere will move to the new location.
Jordan Waters' name has biblical significance since Jesus Christ was first baptized in the waters of the Jordan River.
Alludes to the "Star Trek" universe when 1. Jordan suggests that David wants "To go boldly where no man has gone before", 2. greets the alien hunter with the Vulcan salute, and 3. her people wait to contact other worlds when they learn how to travel from planet to planet - i.e. the Federation makes First Contact when a planet develops warp drive.
Jordan is reluctant to help David with his equations because her people are only allowed to observe and not interfere with "primitive cultures".
David accuses Jordan of not being honest and yet many of his questions she answered with correct earth-bound and not space-bound answers. For example, she says that she is waiting for a ride, even though it was by triangle shaped spaceship.