Thursday, July 19, 2007

DVD Review: Andromeda

After Gene Roddenberry's death his wife, Majel, went through a bunch of his old papers and found a few television shows that he'd pitched years ago but were never developed. He'd created "Star Trek", "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was still on TV with outrageous ratings, and "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" was just starting. With his great record Majel was able to get studio heads to take a chance on his other ideas.

"Andromeda" is an under appreciated show. For some reason it just didn't pull the ratings that lesser shows like "Farscape" were able to pull off. After a couple of seasons the networks started bopping it all over the schedule. Weekend afternoons and late evenings mostly. The show was hard to find even if you were willing to watch it in those screwy hours. And so the ratings continued to fall. They tried cancelling it at the end of season 4 but brought it back for a wildly different season 5.

"Andromeda" could be pitched as what came after "Star Trek". Most space faring races have been brought together under the Systems Commonwealth. But when the Commonwealth brings in a race of vicious creatures known as Magog who reproduce by putting larva in other intelligent species there's a revolt. A branch of humanity that lives by the teachings of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche sees the Commonwealth as weak and a hindrance to their master race. In the first battle Captain Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda Ascendant is betrayed by his first officer and best friend who also happens to be a Nietzschen. With the Andromeda evacuated Dylan orders the ship to make a risky escape along the edge of a black hole. Time slows as he nears the event horizon. It slows much more than they expected. Dylan and his first officer engage in a battle that lasts for the next three hundred years.
While only minutes have passed on the Andromeda three hundred years have passed for the rest of the tri-galaxy area. The Commonwealth has fallen. The Magog went on a rampage slaughtering many world. The Nietzschen empire failed to gel so they've fractured into many warring families. They've enslaved much of the remaining populations.
Scavengers come to try to drag the Andromeda away from the black hole and sell off the weapons and parts piecemeal. They thought the crew was all evacuated or squished to a mono-molecular film by the extreme gravity. Once on board Dylan deals with the scavenger's leaders and recruits the rest on to his own crew.
Together they embark on a two season mission to restore the Commonwealth, spend a season working under the new Commonwealth, and then another season fighting corrupt factions within the Commonwealth. All this while fighting the most powerful Nietzschen families and trying to prepare for a devastating attack by the Magog worldship, a system of interconnected planets surrounding an artificial sun and run by a godlike being known as The Abyss that wants to destroy the three local galaxies.

Having wrapped up their storylines for the end of season 4 they had to figure out what to do with season 5. They find themselves trapped in an artificial star system without access to the rest of the galaxy. It starts off promising but falls into a mess of contradictions and uncertainty about how long the show would last.

Roddenberry was known for his hopeful storylines. Some say that was the secret to "Star Trek"'s success. Instead of a galaxy of warring races or one where humanity was the only race he claimed that humanity would overcome our lesser natures and go forth to unite a galaxy of hundreds of alien civilizations.
"Andromeda" once again shoots for the best and noblest aspects of mankind. Captain Hunt is a Superman type character who fights for truth and justice and a safer world for all without becoming a ruler himself.

Best of all, you can pick up a copy of the whole series for only $50. If I hadn't borrowed it from a co-worker I would have snatched it up.

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