STRADA

STRADA, or Strategic Research and Development Administration, was a scientific and military base housed in a cave in the desert southwest 80 miles past nowhere. The complex consisted of five levels around an inner core with 100,000 square feet of laboratory space on each level. At its heart was Sandi, a fifth-generation computer just a blink away from true artificial intelligence. Sandi and the elaborate security system were designed by Dr. Jill Ludlum, who had absolute faith in the reliability of machines over humans, and the facility was commanded by Colonel Scott Woodward who believed absolutely in going by the book.

STRADA was brand new, not even opened yet, and top-top-secret. Before it could become operational, however, it required certification from the Phoenix Foundation, and MacGyver was brought in to test the security system by breaking in during a test simulation. The security system boasted guards, dogs, alarms, electronics, gas, and maybe nuclear bombs, and MacGyver had to rely on his human intuition to outwit technology. He successfully evaded the pressure-sensitive floor, video surveillance, state-of-the-art palm reader, radiation scanner, and laser drones to break into the facility, however a response error in Sandi's programming caused her to treat the simulation as if it were a genuine threat. MacGyver and Dr. Ludlum were trapped inside while Thornton, Woodward, and Dr. Ludlum's assistant, Steven Lee, worked from the outside to deactivate Sandi's security system before the oxygen was withdrawn from the facility.

Although it was necessary to destroy Sandi, Dr. Ludlum intended to continue her research and to refine the program in order to get STRADA up and running once again.

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

Episode Reference: The Human Factor