Condition Red

The computer in NORAD is made up from components of an actual IBM AN/FSQ-7 Combat Direction Central, built in 1954 to protect the US from Soviet bomber attack. Components of decommissioned systems were sold for scrap and bought by film and television production companies that wanted futuristic-looking computers, despite the fact they were built in the 1950s. Components used in this film were previously used in Time Tunnel (1966), Flammendes Inferno (1974) and WarGames: Kriegsspiele (1983), among many others, and later used in Fail Safe (2000).

In the opening scene, the various military alert levels are referred to as "ROUND HOUSE," "COCKED PISTOL," etc. These designations are only used during exercises, to ensure that there is no confusion as to whether an actual change in alert status is being ordered. However, in an actual crisis, such as the one depicted, the statuses would be referred to by their DEFCON (Defense Condition) numbers, from DEFCON 5 (for peacetime readiness) up to DEFCON 1 (for maximum readiness, i.e., war).

Featured in The 42nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1990)