Whoops! I think it originates from TV Tropes. It's basically when the creator of a piece of fiction mentions extra details about their work outside of the fiction itself. Like, in this case, if I recall correctly, Neill Blomkamp mentioned the stuff about nanotech and intergalactic travel stuff in an interview, but it wasn't explicitly included in District 9.

Honestly, if Star Trek stuff is involved, making up the technobabble as you go is pretty much the way to roll. XD