Andromeda overview

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The Show

Andromeda was a scifi series that aired for three years in syndication, before being picked up by the SciFi Channel for its last two seasons. It centers around the adventures of the crew of the Andromeda Ascendet as they travel the universe, doing their best to create peace and not get killed. Andromeda is scifi tv at its best and worst, often both at the same time.


The Characters

	Dylan Hunt played by Hercules himself, Kevin Sorbo (seasons 1-5). Dylan Hunt was a member of the Commonwealth's High Guard and captain of the Andromeda Ascendant. He was happy and in love, then his first mate, Gaheris Rhade, betrayed him and started an intergalactic war. Dylan got pissy and killed the guy, then got himself and his ship frozen in the event horizon of a black hole. 300 years latter he was pulled out by a salvage crew looking for treasure, and discovered a universe where neither his beloved Commonwealth or the attacking Nietzschean Prides were in control. In fact, chaos had been the only ruler of the three galaxies since he'd last been awake. This made him mad, so he decided to take his big damn ship and set things straight again. He recruited the thieves and assassin who'd been sent in after him and headed into the black night to forge some peace. His dream of rebuilding the Commonwealth hasn't quite worked out the way he hoped it would. But he's not too worried about it, cause he's an all powerful douche bag Paradine. Any day now he'll figure out how to make things happen at the snap of his fingers.
	Rommie/Andromeda played by Lexa Doig (seasons 1-5). The Andromeda Ascendant used to be a flagship of the Commonwealth. Now she's the only Commonwealth ship that's not a salvage heap or batshit crazy. She's big, fast, powerful and good at blowing stuff up. She is run by an artificial intelligence, also called Andromeda, who manifests in both the form of a hologram and a 2D view screen image. Rommie is the third manifestation of the ship's AI, an android created by Harper in early season 1. She is capable of feeling the whole range of human sensations, including emotions. This creates some tension between her and her other selves, as they do not always share her willingness or ability to feel things, such as love and lust, for non-AI sentients. She is fiercely loyal and protective of both her captain and crew.
	Beka Valentine played by Lisa Ryder (seasons 1-5). Beka is a space pirate with a heart of gold (well, sometimes). She's lived her life in space aboard her family's ship, the Maru, and is the best damn slip pilot in three galaxies (she credits being born in the 'stream for this). Her father was a drug dealer, her mother left them when she was a kid* and her brother is an even bigger scoundrel than she is. When she first joins Dylan and the Andromeda she doesn't really buy into his Big Mission Of Peace, but over the years she catches some of his crazy and starts believing in what the Commonwealth could be. Even though she tries to play things straight edged, she's a bit of an addictive personality - her two biggest vices being bad boys in leather and flash (a mind altering drug that enhances your senses. Her father was one of the original creators and peddlers of the junk). Apparently, she's the mother of all Nietzscheans (yeah, I don't know either). *Check out The Broken Places for an interesting look at both Beka and her mom (and retcon of "In Heaven Now Are Three" and "Exalted Reason, Resplendent Daughter").
	Seamus Harper played by Gordon Michael Woolvett (seasons 1-5). He's a scrappy kid who grew up on an Earth ravaged by both the Magog and Nietzscheans. He's whip smart, sarcastic as all get out and kinda cute. He worked with Beka as the Maru's mechanic, not to mention an accomplice in her many schemes and heists. When he and the rest of the Maru's crew joined up with Dylan he became Andromeda's chief engineer. He was infected with Magog larvae and spent a few good months walking around while the things gestated in his gut before future!Trance removed them through the use of a machine he built and at the sacrifice of other's lives.
	Trance Gemini played by Laura Bertram (seasons 1-5). Trance is something of an enigma. When we first meet her, she is a young, bubbly, purple alien with a tail. Beka calls her a good luck charm, and she often seems to know more about what's going on than anyone else. During "Ouroboros" a future, golden, version of her travels back in time with an older Beka and switches with her younger self. Gold!Trance is much calmer and quieter than her younger counterpart. She rarely hides her manipulation of the world around her and often achieves her goals through the use of supernatural powers. She's down right scary at points. It's hinted at (and maybe even confirmed at some point? I'm not totally up on the canon of the last two seasons) that she's the avatar of a sun, and therefore a mighty powerful being. She and Dylan supposedly share some kind of cosmic bond and destiny that involves stopping the Abyss once and for all. During the season 4 finale she... explodes, saving the day and trapping her friends and herself in the doomed Seefra system. Once there, she, or rather the present version of her, gets amnesia and loses many of her powers.
	Rev Bem played by Brent Stait (seasons 1-2). Rev is Magog. The Magog are a race of scary, furry beast-things that go 'round raping and pillaging and eating things that're still alive. They also enjoy impregnating their prey with little baby Magog that eat their way out of their hosts' chest cavities when they're born. The Magog are controlled by the Abyss which is the show's One True Big Bad. Rev (as Red Plague) used to be into all that, but then he found The Way. Now he's a peace loving teddy bear with scary ass claws. He goes back pretty far with Beka and the Maru. He's the show's Wise and Mystical Negro. Makeup allergies caused a lot of random costume changes during the first two seasons and his inevitable disappearance in season three.
	Tyr Anasazi played by Keith Hamilton Cobb (seasons 1-3). Tyr is Nietzschean. Nietzscheans are a genetically superior race of humans (homo sapiens invictus) - they are pompous, arrogant, violent and very much with the sexy. Tyr is the last of his people, the Kodiak Pride. His main goal in life is surviving, followed closely by finding a good, strong Nietzschean chick to have babies with and killing the crap out of the Pride that destroyed his own. Tyr joins Dylan only because he wants to be close by the next time an opportunity to take the Andromeda from Dylan arises. But, over time, he begins to grow close to everyone on board and his priorities for staying there shift (a bit). The fact that Dylan is effectively holding the bones of Drago Museveni, the Nietzschean progenitor, on board certainly doesn't hurt. Especially since Tyr's son is Drago's genetic reincarnation and the Nietzschean messiah (or something). 'Course, he does eventually betray Dylan. And destroy the Commonwealth. Not that either of those things were all that hard to do.
	Telemachus Rhade played by Steve Bacic (seasons 4-5). Rhade is also Nietzschean. Not to mention the genetic reincarnation of Gaheris Rhade, Dylan's traitorous first mate from way back when. Dylan and crew first meet him in season 2's "Home Fires," when they find the hidden planet Tarazed. Tarazed is an outpost of the original Commonwealth that was created by Dylan's fiance some 300 years ago in an attempt to hook him up with help in the future. It's not until season 4, after Tyr has left, that Rhade joins the Andromeda's crew. Rhade's quite tame for a Nietzschean and tends to walk around like he has tons of man!pain. When he finds himself stranded in the Seefra sector in season 5 he turns to liquor and becomes a sexy, but boring as hell woobie for the rest of the series. He doesn't react too well to the news that Beka is his great-great-great-etc. grandmother.
	Doyle played by Brandy Ledford (season 5). Doyle is an android, just like Rommie. In fact, she is Rommie. I have no idea how, just that Harper built her to take over (at least some of) Rommie's functions after the big bang in the season 4 finale. Doyle looks kinda like if someone had made a lifesized Barbie sexbot back in the 70's. Going into season 5, most of fandom was convinced that the appearance of Doyle would bring on some mighty shark jumping (as if that hadn't already happened ages before). Surprisingly enough she turned out to be one of the few bright spots of the whole season (at least when she wasn't playing the angst game). She brought back a lot of the snark the show had lost over the previous few seasons.

The PairingsThough at first glance it seems like a select few pairings dominate, Andromeda is actually a pretty open minded fandom and a lot of smaller, less obvious pairings get their fair share of play. 'Course, it sure doesn't hurt that the cast is hot like burning and has mucho chemistry. And there's a surprising amount of canon to back up a lot of the ships (unless we're talking slash - then it's all down to subtext. and femslash, well, there's some good canon but no one actually writes it). This list covers most all of the pairings that are written with some level of frequency.Het

	Dylan/Rommie He's her captain, she's his ship. There are weird ownership and consent issues. Canon in the sense that the UST is acknowledged by many people throughout the series, and they both have a one sided attraction for each other at different times. Probably the largest het pairing.
	Dylan/Beka He's an uptight megalomaniac, she's a space pirate. They have no chemistry unless one of them is possessed. Canon in that they had a date type dinner together in season 1. And pod!Beka hit on him in "The Tunnel At The End Of The Light." 'Course, pod!Beka hit on anything that moved. Another large het pairing.
	Beka/Tyr He's a bad boy who wears leather, she's a strong non-Nietzschean (or so Tyr thinks. Wonder what he'd have to say about her being the mother of his race?). The danger is appealing. Canon in that their possessed selves made out in "The Tunnel At The End Of The Light." And Beka used sex as a weapon in a failed attempt to manipulate Tyr to Dylan's benefit in "The World Turns All About Her". Probably the second biggest het pairing.
	Beka/T Rhade She's his long lost relative, he's moody and wears leather. Sound familiar? Not really canon at all (Beka/G Rhade is actually canon in "The Unconquerable Man"). Smaller than the other Beka het pairings, but still pretty good sized.
	Beka/Harper She's his boss, he's her mechanic. They act like siblings... who have sex every once in a while. Not canon at all, except that they have some of the best chemistry on the show, sexual or otherwise. Pretty big, though a lot of the fic rides that murky line between friendship and ship.
	Harper/Rommie He built her to be his sexbot, she's kinda in love with her captain. They snark a lot. Harper's attraction to Rommie is canon like woah. So's her amused tolerance of it. Has a small, devoted following.
	Harper/Trance They're both short and cute. Until she comes back from the future - then she's scary and he's avoid-y. Their love for each other is canon, though it tends to be more of a sibling thing (without the casual sex part). So is Harper's tendency toward avoiding her post "Ouroboros," though most everyone on ship picks up that habit. Pretty good sized pairing.
	Tyr/Trance He's a big warrior, she's a little pixie. He humors her until she can kick his ass. Then he respectfully stays the hell away. Not canon at all. And yet, yummy. Tiny following, but some great fic.

Slash

	Dylan/G Rhade Rhade was supposed to be Dylan's Best Man. Instead, he shot him in the back. They have man pain together. Not written very much, but accepted as canon by most everyone.
	Dylan/T Rhade Rhade blames Dylan for most all his problems, Dylan blames him for not being Gaheris. They drink together. More written than Dylan/G Rhade, but only just.
	Dylan/Tyr Tyr wants to take over Dylan's ship. Dylan isn't above using Tyr's heritage and destiny for his own political gain. Their basketball games should come with a NC-17 rating. One of the three big slash pairings.
	Dylan/Harper Dylan's a tall High Guard Heavy Worlder, Harper's a short Earther runt. They share a thing for an android. And snark. The second big slash pairing.
	Harper/Tyr Tyr's Nietzschean. Harper hates Nietzscheans. They faced the Magog together. It's a love born in hell. The third big slash pairing.

Femslash

	Beka/Trance Trance was Beka's good luck charm. They had fun and looked out for each other. Then things went bad, everyone else died and Trance changed (all off screen). They hopped through time and met up with their past selves. Future!Trance switched with her purple self, who went off to parts unknown with future!half-android!Beka. Present!Beka and future!Trance flirted a lot until Trance showed her scary, exploded, stranded them in the Seefra system and got amnesia. They are OTP. This pairing has all sorts of canon. They have an alternate timeline all to themselves for frell's sake.
	Beka/Rommie Rommie turns to Beka when she has questions about humanity and being a chick (think a cracked out Susan/Delenn). Beka has a thing for powerful people in leather. Not so much with the canon. Oh so much with the hot.

The Resources

General

- andromedatv.com, the official site.
- a list of general show and character related sites.
- Why Andromeda? - indepth episode reviews by viridian5.

Media

- andromeda-web.com - the Andromeda screencap archive.

Fic

- The Command Deck - a general archive.
- Starry Night - home to the 2004 Andromeda Secret Santa Project.
- Andromeda Uncovered - a R-NC17 archive.
- Andromeda at ff.net.

livejournal

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