Trivia: Unknown at the time, two future Star Trek references are made in this film. The director, Robert Wise, would go on to direct Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and at the end of the film when discussing the cloud seeding, a caption on the video monitor reads out "Nimbus 3". This was the name of the planet on which Sybok takes prisoners in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
2 trivia entries
Directed by: Robert Wise
Starring: Arthur Hill, David Wayne, James Olson, Kate Reid
Continuity mistake: On Day 2, when the two officers go into the town's doctor's office, they leave the van with the driver's door way open, beyond 90 degrees, almost 180. The door didn't move to indicate it corrected itself as they went in. When they come out, the door is almost closed. And there has been no indication of a wind other than the helicopter, and that is supposed to be 1000 feet up and not even close to the office.
Dr. Charles Dutton: Experiment with your own lives, damn it.
Question: Why wasn't Andromeda spread by the wind, killing birds, wildlife, and individuals in the area around Piedmont?
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Answer: The satellite containing the Andromeda strain was recovered quickly, helping contain the contagion. Also, Piedmont was an isolated town, further limiting the spread. Dead birds and other animals were shown, but most would be happening off-camera. The scientists also learned later that Andromeda quickly mutated into a non-lethal form but one that caused certain synthetic materials to dissolve, creating further havoc. To eradicate the strain, clouds were seeded to produce rain, which swept Andromeda out to sea where the alkaline ocean water rendered it inert. Would add that movies at this time and before had stricter standard codes and did not show excessive blood and gore like they do today.
raywest ★