The Andromeda Strain was a mid-20th century science fiction movie from Earth. It was about a team of scientists investigating an extraterrestrial disease.
In 2154, Trip Tucker and Hoshi Sato were confined to decon, infected with a silicon-based virus. The situation reminded Tucker of the movie The Andromeda Strain.
Unaware of the film's premise, the semi-delirious Sato thought the movie was about a "Doctor Andromeda" who builds a monster that eventually kills him. Upon learning the movie's premise, she concluded that all of Tucker's movies were very similar, and that she had difficulty trying to keep the stories straight. (ENT: "Observer Effect")
The Andromeda Strain was released in 1971 and was directed by Robert Wise, who later directed Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and photographed by Richard H. Kline, who was also director of photography on the first Star Trek film. In addition, Douglas Trumbull worked on the film's visual effects. It was based on a novel by author Michael Crichton. Five Trek veterans – Kermit Murdock, Garry Walberg, Bart La Rue, Michael Pataki, and Walker Edmiston – appeared in the movie.