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Close Encounters of the Third Kind (movie)

Sci-Team

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Sci-Team

Jorge Candeias, 16 May 2007

André Coutanche, 16 May 2007

I saw (again) the old Spielberg's movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". Throughout the film there are three flags hoisted prominently in several places, including the spot where the extraterestrials are landing - US flag (the spot is somewhewre in Wyoming, IIRC), French flag (the leader of the scientific team is French) and in between the two a white flag with a whide triangle in the middle. This is supposedly the flag of the sci-team, but it is never seen very well to se details in the triangle (maybe a white globe and some inscription).
Željko Heimer, 6 April 1999

The flag for the UN science team is for their project: Mayflower. Its a triangle with a dark blue field with an eight pointed star and the word "MAYFLOWER" below.
Martin Connors, 26 august 2006

In a couple of scenes there's a small display of flags, the american and french ones and a third flag, a large black triangle centered on a white field. The triangle also shows up in folders that are distributed to the technical staff in a meeting, but unlike these, the triangle in the flag seems to be unadorned.
Jorge Candeias, 16 May 2007

I also noted the flag and have done some 'research' (i.e. googling) and I can add more to what Jorge sent and can offer an improved image. The organisation is called Mayflower, and its symbol is shown here. However, this symbol isn't fully correct, as you can see from the still I captured. This shows the symbol as it appeared on a folder of briefing information being circulated at a meeting of the organisation, and it shows clearly that there is no curved line underneath the name. Nor am I convinced by the asymmetrical rays on the star at the weirdload site. Another still, also shows that the triangle isn't as flat as shown on the website, and it also shows that Jorge is mistaken in thinking that the triangle on the flag is unadorned.

The flag shown in the still is fringed, as it is being displayed indoors, but it also appears towards the end of the film flying outdoors, at the secret base where the mothership lands, and it is unfringed.

I don't think there's any evidence (I don't recall anything from the film) that Mayflower is a *U.N.* project, is there? That report we have says that the triangle is dark blue, though it looks pretty black to me, and it says that the start is eight-pointed. I don't think we can say that from the film as I saw it on tv, though if someone has the DVD it may be clearer. Strictly speaking, Željko's report is wrong when he says "there are three flags hoisted prominently in several places, including the spot where the extraterestrials are landing". At the landing site, only the Mayflower flag is seen.
André Coutanche, 16 May 2007