Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda Recommended Episodes

[PREDATOR490]

The only characters that came out reasonably well over the season was Rommie and Harper. The latter was your typical annoying asshole but he managed to end up being consistantly the same. Its not like Dylan who just got more and more wanked as time went on or Tyr who just went completely batshit insane. The Avatar concept they introduced around their ships was pretty interesting though and having Lexa Doig be your 'ship in the flesh' sold the show. If it hadnt been for that I would happily have abandoned the series after S2.

Incidentally, I found it hilarious they brought in the actor who played Prince in Lexx. The bizzare nose dive the series took reminded me so much of how that show went out of its way to be increasingly wierd after that actor came in.

[Thanas]

The only characters that came out reasonably well over the season was Rommie and Harper. The latter was your typical annoying asshole but he managed to end up being consistantly the same.

No, I do not quite think so. He lost his idealism and turned into the stereotypical mad scientist later on. In short, they stripped away his most endearing qualities.

Its not like Dylan who just got more and more wanked as time went on or Tyr who just went completely batshit insane. The Avatar concept they introduced around their ships was pretty interesting though and having Lexa Doig be your 'ship in the flesh' sold the show. If it hadnt been for that I would happily have abandoned the series after S2.

Agreed. She really pulled that one off, despite her size she was able to convey authority, seriousness and deadliness. Also, she seemed to have been the most talented actress of the bunch as well.

That said, even Rommie's character was hardly consistent over the latter seasons, especially after the first half of Season 3 (see: my rant above) she started to become more and more fluctuating in both character and capabilities.

Incidentally, I found it hilarious they brought in the actor who played Prince in Lexx. The bizzare nose dive the series took reminded me so much of how that show went out of its way to be increasingly wierd after that actor came in.

Haven't watched Lexx after Season 1 of it, can you enlighten me a bit?

[PREDATOR490]

This guy:

Nigel Bennett

Introduced to Lexx just as it went downhill in a similar manner to Andromeda, although Lexx was never really high in the first place or a bastion of consistancy.

If you look at IMDB you will see that this guy features in... the very first episode of S4 which for me pretty much telegraphed not to have much hope about Andromeda being good. Not a good sign when a show hires actors from Lexx I think, unless its Xev (The movie one hopefully).

[Crom]

Oh, that. Yeah, that might have turned out to be weird but I think depending on the execution, it might also have been pretty brilliant.

Spoiler

I had to go ahead and read "Coda," if I'm reading this correctly, it's sort of like Babylon 5, except in the Andromeda-verse, the Shadows are the good guys. That's kind of cool. I'm sorry that we never got to see the Pyreans play a bigger role.

Tyr Anasazi has really interested me. What would be a good reading list to research the influences on him? Clearly, Nietzsche and Ayn Rand, but anything else?

[Marcus Aurelius]

This guy:

Nigel Bennett

Introduced to Lexx just as it went downhill in a similar manner to Andromeda, although Lexx was never really high in the first place or a bastion of consistancy.

I don't want to hijack this thread and start a discussion about LEXX, but I have to say I don't think LEXX went that much downhill. It was always a deliberately anarchist show and to maintain that they had to do even more weird stuff in the later seasons. The basic idea did not quite carry the show all the way to the end, but it's still the best attempt to make a truly different space opera TV series. Flawed in many ways, yes, but I would still watch any season of LEXX over Andromeda S5 or even most of ST Voyager or Enterprise.

[Temujin]

I don't want to hijack this thread and start a discussion about LEXX, but I have to say I don't think LEXX went that much downhill. It was always a deliberately anarchist show and to maintain that they had to do even more weird stuff in the later seasons. The basic idea did not quite carry the show all the way to the end, but it's still the best attempt to make a truly different space opera TV series. Flawed in many ways, yes, but I would still watch any season of LEXX over Andromeda S5 or even most of ST Voyager or Enterprise.

While it did decline in quality, it was much less of a drop than Andromeda. The first two seasons of Lexx were good, seasons 3 and 4 are were the decline really occurred. But Lexx never seemed to take itself to seriously; as you say, it was quite anarchist in its approach. Very much the anti Star Trek. So in that sense its really hard to compare the two series.

And while Andromeda was never high art in a ST TOS or SW OT kind of way, it initially was a very good, very original, and very promising show despite its low budget.

[Temujin]

Tyr Anasazi has really interested me. What would be a good reading list to research the influences on him? Clearly, Nietzsche and Ayn Rand, but anything else?

This is difficult because the background material mentions Nietzsche, Rand, Darwin, and Dawkins as influences; which to me just says the writers didn't know what the fuck they were talking about, and just threw a bunch of shit together that they had a superficial understanding of.

Regarding certain elements, Darwin and Nietzsche yes, some Machiavelli even; but I never really saw anything but a superficial connection to Rand. And I wouldn't bother subjecting yourself to Rand unless you absolutely have to. As for Dawkins, I can only assume someone on the team was smoking crack.

The Nietzscheans seem to be of essentially two minds: Those that see themselves as enlightened warrior poets, who should work alongside humans (and other species) and help uplift them to become something greater, and those who feel that they are superior to everyone else and hence entitled to rule over everyone else. Kind of like the Daleks, but with less outright genocide; probably more like (This Is) Sparta in practice.

[PREDATOR490]

Well, in light of this thread I have went back to re-watching the series from start to finish.

I even went out and found this 'Coda' thing that was mentioned (Yeah, I never even knew it existed...)
Spoiler

Trance is lucifer, eh ?

Bit of a wierd story and I'm not sure I would liked the way it ended up assuming it carried out EXACTLY like intended.

Beka, God of the Universe ... yeah....

Mostly made it through S1 without skipping episodes. I skipped the one with Delancie and I imagine I will end up skipping the follow up druggie episode.

Interestingly enough, rewatching Andromeda has actually allowed me to see scenes I never saw before because they were cut from the TV. This was most prevalant in Double Helix. Some of the exchanges were removed... I guess it was too 'sexual' for TV... which I find hilarious since this show was only on at 3am in the morning.
Spoiler

In light of reading Coda, I'm confused in what the actual ending is though.
It seems RHW wrote Coda so that S3 - 5 are actually one of Trance's possible futures and we were along for the ride however just like the S3 episode that does a similar thing. However, Coda lacks an ending and leaves it 'open ended'

Thus, S3-5 is the ACTUAL future that Trance brings about ?
Is the actual future the one Coda depicts ?

[Thanas]

Well, in light of this thread I have went back to re-watching the series from start to finish.

I even went out and found this 'Coda' thing that was mentioned (Yeah, I never even knew it existed...)
Spoiler

Trance is lucifer, eh ?

Bit of a wierd story and I'm not sure I would liked the way it ended up assuming it carried out EXACTLY like intended.

Beka, God of the Universe ... yeah....

Remember that Trance has a tendency to embellish things and one might take the opinion that she is thinking more about general concepts here. She even says to Harper that she will break it down so that he can comprehend it.

I am quite sure that Beka would not have become a Spoiler

God in the judeo-christian sense of the word, more like a glorified leader of the Magog which, as the Spirit of the Abyss shows, is pretty weak for a "God" per se.

Mostly made it through S1 without skipping episodes. I skipped the one with Delancie and I imagine I will end up skipping the follow up druggie episode.

These are actually not that bad, IMO.
Spoiler

In light of reading Coda, I'm confused in what the actual ending is though.
It seems RHW wrote Coda so that S3 - 5 are actually one of Trance's possible futures and we were along for the ride however just like the S3 episode that does a similar thing. Spoiler

No. Not like that, because that episode left Trance with only a few opportunities to change it.

Spoiler

However, Coda lacks an ending and leaves it 'open ended'

Thus, S3-5 is the ACTUAL future that Trance brings about ?
Is the actual future the one Coda depicts ?

Spoiler

S3-5 are nothing but figments of her imaginations. Imagine a computer running through probability scenarios. She even says that it was a wierd (and unlikely) future.

However, the future Coda depicts will be the one Trance picks. For example, see the final conversation between her and Harper. Also, it is the best possible future and Trance will strive for that one. It has been her purpose from the start.