Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda

So a long time ago, in the early 2000's there was a TV show called Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, or more simply referred to as Andromeda. Now, you're probably thinking to yourself, "But Kalpar! Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, died in 1991! Did the Canadians use dark magic to summon the ghost of Gene Roddenberry?" That's...that's oddly astute of you dear reader. Well, basically the TV show was based on two ideas that Gene Roddenberry had before he died: the idea of a living ship and the idea of a man somehow being transported beyond his time to a world he doesn't know. With the help of Roddenberry's wife, Majel Roddenberry, writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe managed to create the first season of Andromeda.

Now you're probably wondering what Andromeda is all about. To begin, in the distant future humanity is part of an intergalactic government known as the Systems Commonwealth. Recently the Systems Commonwealth has come under assault from a race called the Magog, which...basically eats everything and moves on. Pretty scary stuff. The Commonwealth has managed to sign a treaty with the Magog, but not everyone is happy with this arrangement, most notably the Nietzscheans, a group of genetically altered humans. The Nietzscheans secretly plan a rebellion and manage to topple the Commonwealth.

In the middle of this is Captain Dylan Hunt, officer in the High Guard (the Commonwealth's military) and commander of the heavy cruiser Andromeda Ascendant. Betrayed by his Nietzschean First Officer, Gaheris Rhade, Dylan Hunt and the Andromeda are trapped on the event horizon of a black hole and enter a state of suspended animation. Dylan and the Andromeda are finally rescued by a salvage team....three hundred years later. The Systems Commonwealth is a distant memory, the Nietzscheans and Magog have ravaged known space, and technology has started to regress. Faced with this nightmarish future, Captain Hunt decides to reforge the Systems Commonwealth and bring back the light of civilization.

Now, I watched Andromeda when it first came out in the early 2000's but only had a vague memory of the earlier seasons so I decided to go back and re-watch the first three seasons. (Right now I'm working on season three, but I have a friend who got further so I'll be relying on some of his advice for this.) The first season introduces us to Dylan and the Andromeda, and we follow Dylan as he discovers the world he knew perished three hundred years ago. The first few episodes show Dylan discovering how the universe has changed and coming to terms with the Fall of the Commonwealth. Captain Hunt eventually begins his quest to reestablish the Commonwealth and wins over the members of the salvage crew that rescued him. The second season of Andromeda is where things start to get weird. Robert Hewitt Wolfe, the leading mind and chief writer for Andromeda had creative differences with the other members of the team. Eventually Wolfe left the show mid-season two which heralded several shifts in the show's direction. At the end of season two, Captain Hunt manages to get fifty planets to sign the new Commonwealth Charter which forms a new Commonwealth government. This is where things start getting weird. From what I've seen so far of season three, the Commonwealth, the government that Dylan helped established, suddenly has become obsessed with being a thorn in Dylan's side. The Andromeda gets a crew of redshirts...which disappear at times, leaving the command crew to solve problems. And then suddenly reappear. To quote Wikipedia, an ostensibly neutral source, "Also in Season 3 the characters often react in ways which are contrary to their established personalities. Many of the plots and story structures appear strained and inconsistent." I have a better memory of season four and five since they're more recent, but I don't feel the need to go re-watch those seasons. To summarize, things get weird, Dylan becomes Space Jesus or something, and the series ends.

To be honest, if you're going to watch Andromeda at all I'd stick with the first two seasons. There are plenty of interesting ideas, a unique universe, and a compelling plot. The third season is just....frustrating and the last two seasons are practically a different show. There probably were people who liked the later seasons, but I'm not one of them.

Finally, before I bring this rambling post to an end, I'm going to introduce you to the crew of the Andromeda. I'm going to stick with the crew of the first season and a half. (Rev Bem left the show mid-season two because the actor developed an allergy to the make-up.) I'll go through the characters from left to right on the picture to the left.

• Trance Gemini : Initially we know very little about Trance, just that she's purple, she loves plants, and there's more to her than meets the eye. Despite her cheerful and bubbly personality, Trance can be tough when the bullets fly. Oh, and don't pull her tail. 
• Seamus Zelazny Harper : A genius engineer from the slums of Earth, Harper is in love with Andromeda, in more ways than one. (It makes sense, trust me.) Although small because of his upbringing on Earth, Seamus is a veritable magician with machines and is pretty scrappy in a fight. 
• Captain Beka Valentine : Captain of the salvage and freighter ship the Eureka Maru, Beka is probably the greatest pilot in the known worlds. She's also had an unconventional upbringing, growing up with her smuggler father on the Maru. Although initially driven by her desire to make a profit, Beka eventually becomes the biggest supporter of the Commonwealth after Dylan himself. 
• Captain Dylan Hunt: A High Guard captain and commander of the Andromeda Ascendant, Dylan is literally a man out of time. Faced with a universe that's gone to the dogs, Dylan could easily become a dictator with his ship, but instead he decides to rebuild the democracy that once encompassed three galaxies and always remain true to the ideals of the Systems Commonwealth.
• Tyr Anasazi : The last survivor of the extinct Kodiak Pride of the Nietzscheans, Tyr is interested in what benefits Tyr. Well, and revenge against the Nietzscheans who betrayed his pride. That'd be nice too. As ruthless as he is, Tyr is a really cool character, constantly trying to outwit Dylan and take his ship which leads to some really great episodes. 
• Rommie : Rommie is a unique character because she actually is the ship. Remember how I said one of Roddenberry's ideas was a living ship? Well the Andromeda Ascendant has an Artificial Intelligence, called Andromeda, which is a character in her own right. Well, more like three characters. There's the ship's central AI, called Andromeda and appears on the various monitors throughout the ship, and hologram Andromeda who mediates between the central AI and the android. Finally there's the android, commonly referred to as Rommie, who has the ship's AI within her, but develops as a unique character throughout the series. An interesting theme as the series progresses is how Rommie the android has developed beyond the personality of the ship's central AI.
• Rev Bem : A magog who has sworn to not take another sentient being's life, Reverend Bem is a priest of the Way, a mixture of ideas from all the major religions on Earth and has spread after the Fall of the Commonwealth. Despite his fierce appearance, Bem is a gentle soul who serves as a counselor for the other crew members. 

Hopefully I haven't bored you to death with my little talk about Andromeda, and if you can find it I encourage watching the first two seasons. I wouldn't recommend past that, but there are some who might like it. Hopefully see you next Thursday.