Andromeda (TV series)

Not to be confused with A for Andromeda.

Andromeda
Genre	Science fiction
Created by	Gene Roddenberry
Developed by	Robert Hewitt Wolfe
Starring	Kevin Sorbo Lisa Ryder Keith Hamilton Cobb Lexa Doig Laura Bertram Gordon Michael Woolvett Brent Stait Steve Bacic Brandy Ledford
Composers	Alex Lifeson Matthew McCauley
Country of origin	Canada United States
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	110 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	45 minutes
Production companies	Tribune Entertainment MBR Productions, Inc. Fireworks Entertainment
Original release
Network	Global First-run syndication Sci-Fi Channel
Release	October 2, 2000 (2000-10-02) – May 13, 2005 (2005-05-13)

Andromeda (formally titled Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda) is a Canadian/American science fiction television series, based on unused material by Gene Roddenberry, developed by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and produced by Roddenberry's widow, Majel Barrett. It starred Kevin Sorbo as High Guard Captain Dylan Hunt. The series premiered on October 2, 2000, and ended on May 13, 2005.

Andromeda was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and produced by Tribune Entertainment and Fireworks Entertainment. It was distributed by Global TV (Fireworks' parent company) in Canada and syndicated in the United States on WGN and other channels. It was picked up by the Sci-Fi Channel in the U.S. halfway through season four. Andromeda is one of two TV series (to date) based upon concepts Roddenberry had created as early as the 1960s and 1970s. The name Dylan Hunt had also been used for the hero of three TV movie pilots Roddenberry had produced in the mid-1970s, Genesis II, Strange New World, and Planet Earth, both of which had a similar premise.

Plot and production

Main article: List of Andromeda episodes

The series is set thousands of years in the future, and revolves around the Systems Commonwealth, a constitutional monarchy based in a distant star system called Tarn-Vedra. Humankind is a part of The Commonwealth, having been discovered by its members thousands of years before. The Commonwealth spreads across three galaxies: the The Milky Way, Triangulum, and Andromeda, with Tarn-Vedra near its core. Ships travel from one end of the Commonwealth to the other through slipstreams, following pre-guided roller coaster-like pathways through the cosmos to and from their destination.

The Commonwealth claims to be a utopian society, but it is actually in a state of war with the Magog, a predatory humanoid species with bat-like faces that are dedicated to war. A few years earlier, to show good faith as a result of peace talks, the Commonwealth ceded to the Magog a key home world. This home world is a key planet of one of the Commonwealth's member species, the genetically engineered Nietzscheans. The Nietzscheans, displeased with this peace agreement with the Magog, secretly attempt to usurp control of the Commonwealth. This is also the embodiment of their basic beliefs, as they see themselves as the race described as the "Übermensch" by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

The Commonwealth is defended by the High Guard, an armada of many ships. The protagonist of the series, Dylan Hunt, is the captain of a Commonwealth ship, the Andromeda Ascendant. The ship's computer, a powerful artificial intelligence, is a key character in the series, often referred to as simply "Andromeda" or affectionately as "Rommie."

The entire High Guard, including Captain Hunt, is caught by surprise in the first engagement of the Nietzschean uprising. He is forced to evacuate his crew, but Andromeda gets caught on the edge of an event horizon of a black hole, freezing him in time.

303 years later, in CY 10087 (approx 5167 AD), the crew of the salvage ship Eureka Maru locates Hunt's ship. The Systems Commonwealth and the High Guard have fallen in the centuries since he was frozen in time, beginning an era known as The Long Night. Hunt recruits the salvage crew to join him in an attempt to restore the Systems Commonwealth and "rekindle the light of civilization."

The salvage crew comprises its leader, Beka Valentine, a con-artist and expert pilot; a super-genius engineer named Seamus Harper (rescued from Nietzschean-enslaved Earth by Beka) who can plug his mind directly into computer systems; Trance Gemini, a mysterious alien of unknown origin whose innocent demeanor hides a surprisingly old soul; and Rev Bem, a Magog who has adopted a non-violent, Taoist-like religion called The Way ("Rev" being short for "Reverend"). The salvage crew's beneficiary also brought along an insurance policy in the form of a Nietzschean mercenary named Tyr Anasazi. Tyr is the leader of a group of mercenaries, of which he is the only one to be left on board after the opening episodes. Tyr's propensity for self-preservation leads him to also join Dylan's crew until better opportunities arise. As for Dylan, he is determined with his new crew to bring unity to the galaxies by restoring the Systems Commonwealth. The program's preamble summizes the series: 'On the starship Andromeda, hope lives again'.

Cast

Season One cast

Main article: List of Andromeda characters

• Dylan Hunt, played by Kevin Sorbo. Captain of the Andromeda Ascendant.
• Beka Valentine, played by Lisa Ryder. Captain of the Eureka Maru and First Officer on Andromeda.
• Tyr Anasazi (seasons 1–4), played by Keith Hamilton Cobb. Weapons Officer (seasons 1-3).
• Seamus Zelazny Harper, played by Gordon Michael Woolvett. Chief Engineer.
• Trance Gemini, played by Laura Bertram. Doctor, Life Support Officer.
• Rev Bem (Reverend "Red Plague" Behemiel Far Traveler) (seasons 1–2), played by Brent Stait. Science Officer.
• Andromeda Ascendant (Rommie), played by Lexa Doig. Ship AI.
• Telemachus Rhade (seasons 4-5), played by Steve Bacic. Weapons Officer.
• Doyle (season 5), played by Brandy Ledford. AI's second avatar.

Andromeda universe

Slipstream

Slipstream is the primary mode of travel for ships in the Andromeda universe, and the only known method of traveling faster than the speed of light. The Vedran discovery of the Slipstream was instrumental in the formation of their intergalactic empire, which became the precursor of the Systems Commonwealth.

Curiously, slipstream cannot be navigated by AIs (they have a 50% chance of choosing the correct path). Only organic pilots can "sense" a way to their destination (they have a 99% chance to choose the correct path), and although AIs are fitted on all large ships, they always require an organic pilot for interstellar travel. It is thought to be the process of choosing a path that makes the chosen path the correct one.

A function of slipstream is that apparent objective velocities are extremely variable, as it enables travel across millions of lightyears seemingly as swiftly as traveling between neighboring stars only tens of lightyears apart. Further, slipstream is a non-linear method of travel; the best and swiftest way to get from Point A to Point B (though they might be in the same galaxy) may very well involve hopping to another galaxy entirely. Also, the more frequently used routes are often easier, faster and more predictable.

Systems Commonwealth

Main article: Systems Commonwealth

The Systems Commonwealth was a huge utopian civilization, spanning three major galaxies of the Local Group. It was founded by Vedrans, the first race to discover slipstream, who initially used it to conquer the Andromeda Galaxy. After a long and bitter war of attrition with the major powers of the Triangulum Galaxy, the Vedran Empire was reorganized to the democratic Systems Commonwealth. The Commonwealth served as a peaceful intergalactic government for almost 10,000 years until the Nietzschean revolt.

Dylan eventually managed to restore the Commonwealth (though not to its former glory; initially it had only 50 members while the Old Commonwealth had included more than a million worlds). However, the New Commonwealth soon fell victim to internal corruption masterminded by the group known as the Collectors, allied with the Abyss.

Major star systems

• Arkology, a huge space station with pacifist population and the site of the Andromeda's final confrontation with Magog Worldship. The Andromeda lost and the Arkology was destroyed, but Trance still managed to cripple the Worldship with her powers.
• Earth was ravaged by Nietzschean occupation and Magog assaults during the Long Night. Harper was born and acquired his notable survival skills there.
• Hephaistos, a system with significant Nietzschean population devastated by a rogue black hole in the pilot episode and the place of Dylan's frozen imprisonment in time for 300 years. It turned out in season five that the Andromeda still somehow retained a connection to this black hole.
• Mobius, a barren world with underground cities. Mobius was ruled by ruthless dictators for many centuries but joined the New Commonwealth when its leader, the "Great Compass" Venetri resigned.
• San-Ska-Re, a Than homeworld and a major power in post-Fall Known Worlds. Did not actually appear on screen.
• Seefra, a mysterious artificial system of nine planets and two suns where Dylan and his crew were transported after the Battle of Arkology. Seefra-One is revealed to actually be Tarn-Vedra.
• Tarazed, a world with significant human and loyalist Nietzschean populations which survived the Long Night largely unscathed. It became the first capital of the New Commonwealth. Birthplace of Telemachus Rhade. Tarazed was described in the series as being located in another galaxy and therefore is not intended to be equivalent to Tarazed, a non-fictional star of the same name.
• Tarn-Vedra, the capital of the Old Systems Commonwealth and Vedran homeworld. All slipstream routes to Tarn-Vedra vanished soon after the Nietzschean rebellion, contributing to the ensuing chaos. Dylan was born on Tarn-Vedra. One of his motivations for restoring the Commonwealth is the search for his own lost home.

Major races

Main article: List of Andromeda races

• Avatars of the Suns, humanoid forms of stars with great powers. They are immortal and can travel through time and space, affecting events and people as they wish.
• Humans make up about 70% of the Known Worlds population. Subspecies with minor genetic enhancements (like the Inari) are common.
• Kalderans, a xenophobic reptilian race which once rivaled the Vedrans. They managed to reverse engineer their own Slipstream drive.
• Magog, a race of savage semi-intelligent alien killers, feared throughout the Known Worlds. The Magog have to kill and eat fresh meat to sustain themselves and to lay eggs into sentient beings to procreate. Magog Worldship is a structure of 20 planets and an artificial sun, home to trillions of Magog and a grave threat to the Known Worlds.
• Nietzscheans, a group of superior humans who believed in self-improvement via genetic engineering and intense competition. They left the planet Earth thousands of years ago and evolved into a separate subspecies (Homo sapiens invictus) which colonized many worlds throughout the galaxies. Nietzscheans are responsible for the Fall of the Systems Commonwealth; however, they failed to replace it with the Nietzschean Empire (as they had originally planned) because of constant betrayals and conflicts between different Nietzschean Prides.
• Nightsiders, rat-like humanoids with poor vision, but highly developed hearing. Their reproductive cycle is very damaging to the environment, as their early larval stage is an aquatic creature which eats anything it comes across.
• Paradine, a highly evolved form of the Vedrans, which looks like ordinary humans. The Paradine apparently had a special role in dealing with the Avatars of the Suns and the Route of Ages, but they are all but extinct now. Dylan Hunt is the last.
• Perseids, a highly intelligent race of alien scientists and bureaucrats.
• Pyrian, a grotesque, tentacled orb like species who are one of the most powerful enemies of the Commonwealth.
• Than-Thre-Kull (Than), a tough and highly intelligent and civilized insectoid race divided into various function-specific castes.
• Vedrans, the first intelligent race to discover slipstream that connects the entire universe. The Vedrans went on to conquer the Known Worlds, building the Vedran Empire. The Empire was plagued by internal conflicts and eventually was peacefully transformed into the Systems Commonwealth.

Other races

• Bokor, dangerous parasites that possess other species in order to survive, spreading through physical contact. Inside their shells, the Bokor are practically invulnerable to any type of weapon, ranging to energy, melee or bullets. However, they are vulnerable to electricity. Their existence in the Known Worlds is abhorred by the Than who attack any vessel carrying them. For normal humanoids, it takes a while for the Bokor to destroy their neural functions and take over. But for Trance Gemini, it just took a few seconds.
• Ogami, a race of brutish pirates and mercenaries.

Organizations

• Collectors, The Commonwealth's keepers of secret history. The collectors who took over power of the new Commonwealth are agents of the Abyss, but the true collectors remain hidden and are on the side of the light.
• Genites, a high-tech, numerous and well-organized intergalactic group whose aim is to rid the Universe of genetically engineered beings, especially the Nietzschean Prides, who brought about the downfall of humanity.
• High Guard, Main military force of the Systems Commonwealth.
• Tech Police, The brutish anti-tech enforcement on Seefra-1.
• Templar, a group of men and women who sought to restore order after the Fall. They were founded by High Guard Admiral Constanza Stark.

Home media

Main article: List of Andromeda home video releases

ADV Films released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 between 2003-2006. On October 3, 2006, they released a complete series DVD box set known as Andromeda: The Slipstream Collection.

Alliance Home Entertainment has released all five seasons on DVD in Canada only.

In Region 2, Revelation Films has released the first four seasons on DVD in the UK. The fifth and final season will be released on November 24, 2014.

On January 26, 2015, Revelation Films will release a complete series set on DVD in the UK.

In Region 4, Beyond Home Entertainment has released all 5 seasons on DVD in Australia. In 2007/2008 they re-released all 5 seasons in new collector's editions that featured new packaging and all episodes were digitally re-mastered in wide screen format.

A region B blu-ray release of season one will be released on June 24, 2013 in the UK, with the next two seasons following by the end of the year.

The region B blu-ray release of the complete box set of all 5 seasons will be available on September 19, 2016.

Awards

Andromeda was nominated for awards five organizational events spanning the years 2001 to 2006. It was nominated for six Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA awards, five Chicago International Film Festival awards, eight Gemini Awards, fifteen Leo Awards, and five WorldFest Houston awards. The show won 18 awards, of the total 39 nominations.

Awards

Year	Awards	Category	Nominee	Episode	Result
2001	Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA	Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series	Andromeda	—	Nominated
2001	Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA	Best Actor on Television	Kevin Sorbo	—	Nominated
2001	Gemini Awards	Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series	Lisa Ryder	—	Nominated
2001	Gemini Awards	Best Visual Effects	Bruce MacDougall, James Kawano, Geoff Anderson, Tom Tennisco, Joe Farrell, Jim Finn, Darren Marcoux, Roberto Biagi	—	Nominated
2001	Leo Awards	Best Musical Score of a Dramatic Series	Matthew McCauley	Music Of A Distant Drum	Won
2001	Leo Awards	Best Visual Effects in a Dramatic Series	Todd Liddiard	—	Won
2001	Leo Awards	Best Visual Effects of Dramatic Series	Jim Finn, Roberto Biagi, Tom Tennisco, Geoff Anderson, Jamie Kawano, Paul Cox, Joe Farrell, Peter Mastalyr, Bruce MacDougall, Mladen Miholjcic, Noel Wright, Jean-Paul Ledoux	Mathematics of Tears	Won
2001	Leo Awards	Best Picture Editing of Dramatic Series	Gordon Rempel	Angel Dark, Demon Bright	Nominated
2001	Leo Awards	Editing, Dramatic Series	Eric Hill	Music of a Distant Drum	Won
2001	WorldFest Houston	Television and Cable Production - Directing - Television	David Winning	Attempting Screed	Won
2002	Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA	Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series	Andromeda	—	Nominated
2002	Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA	Best Actress on Television	Lexa Doig	—	Nominated
2002	Gemini Awards	Best Achievement in Make-Up	Ryan Nicholson, Francesca von Zimmermann	—	Won
2002	Gemini Awards	Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series	Kristin Lehman	—	Nominated
2002	Gemini Awards	Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series	Gordon Verheul	—	Nominated
2002	Gemini Awards	Best Visual Effects	Geoff Anderson, Jim Finn, Roberto Biagi, Tom Tennisco	—	Nominated
2002	Leo Awards	Dramatic Series: Best Visual Effects	Jim Finn	It's Hour Come Round At Last	Nominated
2002	WorldFest Houston	Television and Cable Production - Directing - Television	David Winning	Double or Nothingness	Won
2002	WorldFest Houston	Television and Cable Production - Directing - Television	David Winning	Machinery of The Mind	Won
2003	Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA	Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series	Andromeda	—	Nominated
2003	Chicago International Film Festival awards	Special Achievement in Direction	David Winning	A Heart for Falsehood Framed	Won
2003	Gemini Awards	Best Achievement in Make-Up	Ryan Nicholson, Francesca von Zimmermann	—	Nominated
2003	Leo Awards	Dramatic Series: Best Visual Effects	Jim Finn, Paul Cox, Todd Liddiard, Peter Mastalyr, Robert Appleby	The Tunnel at the End of the Light	Won
2003	Leo Awards	Dramatic Series: Best Supporting Performance - Female	Laura Bertram	The Dark Backward	Nominated
2004	Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA	Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series	Andromeda	—	Nominated
2004	Chicago International Film Festival awards	Best Dramatic Series	David Winning	Double or Nothingness	Won
2004	Chicago International Film Festival awards	Best Dramatic Series	David Winning	Machinery of The Mind	Won
2004	Chicago International Film Festival awards	Special Achievement in Direction	David Winning	Double or Nothingness	Won
2004	Gemini Awards	Best Visual Effects	Bruce Turner, Peter Hunt, Simon Lacey, Grant Lindsay	A Symmetry of Imperfection	Won
2004	WorldFest Houston	Television and Cable Production - TV Series-Dramatic	David Winning	A Heart For Falsehood Frame	Won
2005	Chicago International Film Festival awards	Special Achievement in Direction	David Winning	Double or Nothingness	Won
2005	Leo Awards	Dramatic Series: Best Make-Up	Francesca von Zimmermann	Moonlight Becomes You	Nominated
2005	Leo Awards	Dramatic Series: Best Overall Sound	Jeff Jackman, Michael Thomas, Roger Morris, Gordon Anderson	Dissonant Interval	Nominated
2005	Leo Awards	Dramatic Series: Best Sound Editing	Jeff Jackman, Chester Biolowas, Roger Morris	Dissonant Interval	Nominated
2005	Leo Awards	Dramatic Series: Best Visual Effects	Bruce Turner, Simon Lacey, Lindsay Grant, Ben Funk, Nick Michaeleski	Dissonant Interval	Nominated
2005	Leo Awards	Dramatic Series: Best Visual Effects	Bruce Turner, Simon Lacey, Lindsay Grant, Ben Funk, Nick Michaeleski	Through a Glass Darkly	Nominated
2005	WorldFest Houston	Television and Cable Production - TV Series-Dramatic	David Winning	The Banks of The Lethe	Won
2006	Leo Awards	Best Sound Editing in a Dramatic Series	Jeff Jackman, Chester Biolowas, Rick Senechal, Ian Mackie, Don Harrison	—	Won
2006	Leo Awards	Best Overall Sound in a Dramatic Series	Paul Michael Thomas, Ken Biehl, Jeff Jackman, Gordon Anderson	—	Nominated

External links

• Andromeda at AllMovie
• Andromeda at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show
• "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda". Official site (Sci Fi Channel). Archived from the original on July 7, 2004. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; June 7, 2004 suggested (help) Includes detailed episode guide.

{{Andromeda}} may refer to:

• {{Andromeda (TV series)}} - Andromeda (TV series)
• {{Andromeda (constellation)}} - Andromeda (constellation)
• {{Andromeda Galaxy}} - Andromeda Galaxy
• {{Andromeda-class attack cargo ship}} - Andromeda-class attack cargo ship