The Andromeda Strain

“You’re imagining things.”

The conversation between Shawn and Crane reveals humans’ unwillingness to accept the evidence in front of them. Both men see the bodies lining the streets, but they try to ignore the reality of the situation. Shawn tells Crane that he is imagining the dead bodies, but the comment is as much for himself as it is for his colleague. Shawn is trying to assure himself that there is no need to worry, that there are no bodies, because the alternative is too terrifying to comprehend. The subtle implication of Shawn’s comment is the desperate desire that the bodies in the street are a product of his own imagination.

“The fine-grain film really gives resolution when you need—”

Jaggers is disliked by his colleagues because he lacks warmth and humanity. His obsession with technical details and interesting puzzles makes him an excellent analyst but makes other people feel cold and distant in his presence. As the other men examine the footage of the dozens of bodies in the street, Jaggers only comments on the quality of the film. The comment hints at why he is disliked by other men on the base while establishing his scientific credentials. Jaggers is an expert in terms of technicalities but a rank amateur when it comes to dealing with people.

“It’s necessary that one member of the team be unmarried.”

Hall’s refusal to pay attention to the finer details of the Wildfire Project means he misses the hint of the assignment’s dangerous nature. The requirement that one member be unmarried is so important that it trumps scientific credentials. In the case of an emergency, one man may need to risk his life for the project, and such a person should not have a family waiting for him at home. This unique requirement should warn Hall about the potential danger he faces, but Hall does not pay attention.

“It was the job of the jet to shoot down the helicopter should the pilot suffer a last-minute loss of nerve and fail to go directly to Wildfire.”

The helicopter pilot knows the danger he faces. The presence of the jet ready to shoot him down if he risks contaminating anything demonstrates the scale of the threat. Every possibility is accounted for when dealing with a biological crisis. Even human cowardice is factored into the mission, and the man’s life will be cut short should his courage falter. The pilot is not an expert, but he is a vital part of the crisis response team. Despite his bravery and his experience, no one is willing to leave any aspect of the mission to chance.

“We don’t do anything to that child until we get out of this town.”

Stone puts aside his compassion and his humanity in service of the mission. Burton feels a need to comfort and feed the baby, but Stone recognizes that they are working for a greater good. The baby will have to suffer a little longer so they can study it for answers. Stone makes a decision and balances the baby’s needs against the potential threat to humanity. Stone is cold, calculating, and able to make difficult decisions, while Burton is more impulsive.

“In those early meetings, Leavitt had argued that the Wildfire team might be committing extraterrestrial murder.”

Leavitt is the first character to examine morality from the perspective of the extraterrestrial life-form. He argues that the Andromeda Strain may defy humanity’s inherent bias toward larger, more complex forms of life, and an alien bacteria or virus could represent developed, intelligent life. Leavitt’s quiet worries amid an existential crisis reveal the depth of the problems facing the men. Even with the fate of the world on the line, they must note important moral quandaries. The solution to the crisis will not be simple, and many moral absolutes must be challenged before the crisis can be resolved.

“All Scientists Are Blind.”

Leavitt’s rule about scientists indicates a degree of self-awareness. He understands that the scientific consensus on any given subject can be incorrect, so he created the rule to encourage original, innovative thinking. Leavitt is keen to put aside his inherent biases and entertain ideas and theories that may seem absurd. However, the rule has its limits. Leavitt is not immune to his own biases, and the other team members fail to fully internalize this rule. The scientists are chosen for the Wildfire Project because they are more willing to accept strange theories than their colleagues, but they are not entirely immune to prejudices and flaws. Leavitt’s rule informs the men’s successes as well as their failures.

“The black Norway rat was not black at all.”

The black Norway rats have been artificially bred by science until they are uniformly white. The name remains and serves as an indication that science can be a deceptive field. The disconnect between the rat’s color and the name reveals how scientific language and reality can diverge from one another, and in the world of the Wildfire Project, nothing is quite as it seems.

“Leavitt grinned, and crossed his fingers.”

The Andromeda Strain has already killed many people and has the potential to kill many more. However, the scientists cannot help but hide their excitement at the potential of the discovery. The bacteria found on the capsule presents a clear threat to the lives of millions of people, but Leavitt still grins and hopes to find something interesting. He is fascinated with the unknown, even during a crisis. His scientific curiosity trumps fear and anxiety in this difficult moment. Leavitt’s reaction illustrates the raw scientific potential of the moment even as the world in danger.

“So Burton lost immediate interest in the brain. And his mistake was compounded by his next experiment.”

Burton is a tired man working on a project he does not fully understand, while enduring impossible time constraints and unimaginable pressure. The narration, however, is written from the perspective of someone who already knows the outcome. The mistakes are signposted with regret and help illustrate how immense pressure compounds the men’s failures. Burton does not autopsy some of the dead rats, and this will later be revealed as a mistake. The narrator and the audience are aware of this, but Burton is not. The audience must stand by as more mistakes are made and the threat increases, adding to the tension and danger of the situation.

“Never knew a body had so much blood in it.”

Peter Jackson’s stomach ulcer has saved him from the Andromeda Strain. His home remedy of aspirin, methanol, and alcohol kept his blood from clotting. The condition that causes Jackson pain every day has ultimately saved his life. The irony is compounded by his comment that he “never knew a body had so much blood in it” (114). Jackson is completely unaware of his unique type of blood and how it has saved him from certain death.

“It doesn’t like you.”

Leavitt jokes with Stone that the green organism does not appreciate being cut apart with tiny scalpels. The joke reveals his character, suggesting that he can introduce whimsy and humor into the most trying and difficult moments. The comment is also darkly ironic. The organism has already killed dozens of people, compelling the audience to ask whether the organism liked those it has already killed. For the first time, the scientists seem to be actively striking back against this life-form that murdered many humans.

“Manchek felt himself slowing down. A kind of sleepiness came over him.”

Even though Manchek is not in the lab, he is affected by the situation like everyone else, and it has a degrading effect on his body. The anxiety, the stress, and the long hours add up to a physical exhaustion that hampers people’s thoughts. Manchek feels this sleepiness and struggles to comprehend a simple telephone call. This instance of exhaustion is seemingly innocuous, but it illustrates the continuous stress caused by the crisis. The men are not just battling against the alien contamination, they are battling against their own exhausted bodies.

“Nobody had a definition for life.” 

Leavitt’s theories on the way life are impossible to define and do not just apply to the Andromeda Strain. The different lives and lifestyles of the scientists are also relevant. The men are very different in terms of personality and character. However, they are all equally as qualified and equally as important to the mission. There is no single definition for life, nor a single definition for the way humans live their lives. These differences provide a variety of insights and perspectives that help propel their investigation of the organism. The undefinable quality of life is an essential part of humanity.

“Stone glanced at the others and saw they were tired; no one, including himself, was getting enough sleep.” 

Stone has assumed the mantle of leader of the scientists. He recognizes that his team is overworked and overtired, so he recommends that they get as much sleep as possible. The same diagnosis is applied to himself, revealing that he acknowledges his own hypocrisy. He understands the team because he is motivated by the same desires and the same failings. All the men want to solve the problem, and they are all working themselves to death to find it. Stone’s leadership is as empathetic as it is intellectual.

“In short, you devise an organism to carry your message.” 

Messenger Theory suggests that the Andromeda Strain may be an attempt by an alien species to announce their existence to the rest of the universe. The theory alters the scientists’ conception of the organism, as it suggests that the deadly plague that swept through Piedmont was created by extraterrestrial life. The theory suggests that humanity is not alone in the universe. However, the alien species’ benevolent attempt to communicate is misjudged. The announcement is deadly to humans. What could be a message of peace actually causes death on arrival. This incredible discovery could just as easily be a declaration of biological warfare. Messenger Theory complicates an already complicated situation.

“He was tired: he would have to remember to keep his big mouth shut.” 

Manchek is so tired that he nearly reveals the existence of a top-secret project to a random technician. The vast fortune and the huge amount of effort dedicated to keeping the Wildfire Project secret is nearly undermined because of a throwaway comment by a tired general in the midst of a crisis. Manchek is typically a close adherent to the rules, so his moment of weakness reveals the immense strain that the crisis has forced on all the characters. In many small ways, they are nearing their breaking points as they struggle to deal with the Andromeda Strain.

“Dr. Leavitt will get a repeat EEG when he has the chance.” 

Leavitt has been suffering from blackouts for some time. The stress of dealing with the Andromeda Strain has made the issue much worse. He neglects to tell the team because he is completely dedicated to the project. Leavitt’s refusal to go for further tests endangers the Wildfire Project, but Stone helps his colleague dodge the issue. Stone is the leader, so he sticks up for Leavitt, but in doing so, he contributes to the cascade of problems endangering the project. Leavitt makes a mistake by not telling the others about his blackouts. This problem is exacerbated by his refusal to get more tests. The problem is made even worse when Stone defends Leavitt. Each small issue evolves into a much more dangerous problem.

“Hall felt sorry for Smithson, but not very sorry.” 

Hall tests the limits of his authority as part of the Wildfire Project. He requests the temporary detainment of a doctor who has been useful, if slightly rude and uncooperative. Hall is a junior member of the team who is not wholly respected by the other scientists. However, his quick thinking stops the doctor from spreading rumors and ensures the scientists have access to as much information as possible. Hall takes a little pleasure in exercising his authority, just as he takes pleasure in showing his worth to the rest of the team. He detains the rude doctor, helps the mission, and uncovers important information while his colleagues are elsewhere, thinking about how they would rather replace Hall with someone else.

“Leavitt was crying, through his clenched teeth, like an animal.” 

Leavitt resents his epilepsy because the condition steals from him. He loses time and dignity to his seizures, as well as the respect of his colleagues. Leavitt is dedicated to his work above all else. If he cannot work on the cutting edge of science, then he feels useless. The seizure reduces Leavitt to a useless state, leaving him “like an animal” (165). The situation hurts Leavitt more in an emotional sense than a physical sense. He wants to be useful, he wants to help, and he wants to resolve the crisis at hand. His epilepsy robs him of his ability to be useful, and he if cannot be useful, Leavitt sees himself as little more than one of the lab rats killed for experiments.

“In going to see him, Hall knew that he was trying to forget the other, more immediate problems.” 

Hall is on the cusp of a revelation about the Andromeda Strain, but his exhausted mind cannot assemble the idea properly. He is tired and anxious, so he returns to what he knows best: performing a physical examination of a patient. The routine nature of the exam provides him with a familiar routine during a crisis of the unknown. Hall seeks out the comfort of his day job to distract himself from the Andromeda crisis. The examination provides a moment of escape in an incredibly difficult situation.

“He’s only alive because Andromeda changed.” 

Hall and Stone realize that their efforts to understand and control the alien organism have been utterly futile. They spent days trying to analyze and diagnose the Andromeda Strain, but their work is riddled with errors. Burton survives not due to their efforts but because the strain no longer targets humans. Burton’s survival is a matter of chance. The true weakness of the scientists and the futility of the situation is revealed. For all the scientists’ research and hard work, they are still at the mercy of an alien organism they do not understand.

“Hall slid to the floor, heavy, exhausted, and watched as the blackness closed in around him.” 

Hall averts the detonation and then collapses, due to the exhausting circumstances as well as the sedatives and poisonous gas forced into his system. Hall’s collapse reflects the Wildfire Project’s broader defeat. In the end, all he can do is allow himself to be overwhelmed by the circumstances. There is nothing Hall can do to stop the blackness closing in on him, just as there is nothing the team can do to stop the Andromeda Strain. Hall’s victory is preventing humanity from destroying itself, not gaining any real understanding of the alien organism.