You have to have read Arthur C. Clark to get that reference.
from Wikipedia: Trantor is a fictional planet in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series and Empire series of science fiction novels. Trantor was first mentioned in Asimov's short story, "Black Friar of the Flame", later collected in The Early Asimov, Volume 1. It was described as a human-settled planet in the part of the galaxy not ruled by an intelligent reptilian race. Later, Trantor gained prominence when the 1940s Foundation series first appeared in print. Asimov described Trantor as being in the center of the galaxy. In later stories he acknowledged the growth in astronomical knowledge by retconning its position to be as close to the galactic center as was compatible with human habitability. The first time it was acknowledged in novel form was in Pebble in the Sky.