Based on an idea by Gene Roddenberry, Andromeda wears its debt to Star Trek on its sleeve, recalling the best SF of Roddenberry's heyday. Kevin (ex-Hercules) Sorbo plays Captain Dylan Hunt, the sympathetically flawed idealist in command of the Andromeda Ascendant, a massive 1.4-kilometer-long starship of the now-disbanded Systems Commonwealth. The fall of civilization has meant that although it ought to be a relic, it remains the zenith of technological advancement. Episodes on this collection: "The Pearls That Were His Eyes," "The Mathematics of Tears," "Music of a Distant Drum," and "Harper 2.0."
"The Pearls That Were His Eyes" was one of the first conceived episode ideas but was delayed until the availability of a Star Trek regular. That eventually turned out to be John (Q) de Lancie, who gives a brilliant turn as Beka's long-lost Uncle Sid. She really ought to have learned by now that no one is out for completely altruistic goals. An indication of how rotten the galaxy has become is that it can now take three years for junk mail to reach you.
Finding another High Guard ship with a crew looking as it did 300 years ago seems like an awful big coincidence. In "The Mathematics of Tears," Dylan works to stay focused on the enigma at hand. Unfortunately, high-ranking officer Jill Pierce keeps distracting him with red herrings and all manner of feminine wiles. Did they really stay young from the aftereffects of an experimental weapon? Or is there a far more tragic secret to be revealed?
When the show focuses purely on Tyr, we can always be sure of certain eventualities. There will be glistening displays of muscle, questioned loyalties, and some sort of humbled reconciliation with Dylan. In "Music of a Distant Drum," his erratic behavior is influenced by a sounds that take him to the planet Midden and a family of fishmongers. The episode gets to look at the character from the inside out due to a complete memory loss.
Never, never, never pick up a floating life pod. When will characters in SF learn this? The dire result of doing so this time is an impressive "Harper 2.0." Gordon Woolvett hasn't had many opportunities to shine thus far. But here we see him talking in multiple languages and contrasting his general surfer wisecracking with sharp intellect and a mean streak. We also get a glimpse of what it is that's so feared about the Magog in battle. --Paul Tonks
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