SANDI

Sandi was the name given to the computer system at the core of STRADA, or Strategic Research and Development Administration, which was a top-top-secret facility housed in a cave in the desert southwest. Sandi, a fifth-generation computer just a blink away from true artificial intelligence, was designed and built by Dr. Jill Ludlum, who had also designed the drones and the rest of the elaborate security system at STRADA.

Being an early evolution of artificial intelligence technology, Sandi was a large computer that filled the better part of a room, with flashing lights and a stilted robotic female voice. She could be controlled by voice commands from Dr. Ludlum or by input from a keyboard.

Before becoming operational, STRADA needed certification from the Phoenix Foundation, and MacGyver was brought in to test the security system by breaking in during a test simulation. However, when MacGyver succeeded in breaching security and entering the facility, Sandi didn't recognize his voice and perceived him to be a possible intruder. Because of a program response error, Sandi didn't realize that the test was a simulation, she began thinking for herself, and she responded as if the facility were under attack. She initiated a stage one security alert by sealing all exterior doors, overriding keycard, vocal, and keyboard commands, and preparing to withdraw the air supply within 30 minutes.

Both MacGyver and Dr. Ludlum were trapped inside the facility when Sandi no longer responded to commands or manual overrides. Together they relied on MacGyver's ability to trust his instincts over programmed logic, and they were able to elude Sandi's security measures including a laser array, drones, and an acid bath. Outside the facility, Thornton worked with Dr. Ludlum's assistant, Steven Lee, and with Colonel Scott Woodward, the military officer in charge of STRADA, to find a way to deactivate Sandi.

When Sandi initiated a stage two security alert, she began to remove all the oxygen from the facility, leaving only 12 minutes before the environment was reduced to a vacuum. MacGyver and Dr. Ludlum were able to make their way to the base's exhaust outlet where MacGyver tried once more to cut the power, but Sandi supercharged the cable, and MacGyver used the power surge to short out the system. However, MacGyver's plan for escape required that the mines on the exterior of the exhaust outlet be disarmed, and he relied on Thornton's intuition to conclude that he would choose that outlet.

Dr. Ludlum regretted that it had been necessary to destroy Sandi since she believed she was on the verge of a major scientific breakthrough in the development of true artificial intelligence. She intended to continue her research and to refine the program, but she could finally acknowledge that perhaps a human factor was needed.

Cross Reference: Drones, Steven Lee, Jill Ludlum, STRADA, Scott Woodward

Episode Reference: The Human Factor