Ledes has compared the character of Dr. Ashton to Dr. Strangelove.
At the ending credits, a Delta Force soldier rides a Scud missile, alluding to Dr. Strangelove.
That was a play on words of the movie Dr. Strangelove, which was released in the middle years of Stuart's career.
Sometimes a specific brand is needed because of its prior associations; e.g. the Coca-Cola machine scene in Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove would not work with any other real or fictional brand (except possibly Pepsi).
The first about a singular and unlucky theft in a store, the second with high references, like Dr. Strangelove, the third entirely made of the cartoons by Davide Toffolo.
Third, diplomatic misunderstandings and/or opposing political ideologies may lead to escalating mutual perceptions of threat, and a subsequent arms race that elevates the risk of actual war—a scenario illustrated in the movies WarGames (1983) and Dr. Strangelove' (1964).
In his review for Publishers Weekly, Dan Fesperman revealed that the Finley character is "...a middle-aged filmmaker who, in the words of his estranged wife, is too serious about art but not serious enough about life" and compares Elster to "a sort of Bush-era Dr. Strangelove without the accent or the comic props".