Andromeda Complete Series 1-5

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

I write relatively few reviews but this show deserves one.

Background on me: I’m a long-time science fiction fan, starting with TOS Star Trek reruns in the 80’s. I am ok with a bit of action but I’m more interested in the way science fiction provides a framework for investigating humanity from the outside. I’m more into an intellectual thriller than an action blow-em-up, and I’m interested in the occasional drama if it is thought provoking. So… if you don’t align with that general perspective then my review may not be of much value to you.

I was very pleasantly surprised with Andromeda. The first few episodes got off to a bit of a rocky start, as is common as new actors and crews start working together. Kevin Sorbo does a great job as the lead role, and I honestly didn’t think I’d feel that way. I did enjoy the Hercules series, which is how I best know Kevin, but most people would not argue that the series was a bit campy, too much for some. As Andromeda got started there was a little bit of that, even an offhand joke about how Captain Hunt was “huge, like some kind of a greek god or something” — an obvious reference to Kevin’s prior acting gig. But as the characters and stories started to flow through the end of the first season and the second season got underway that campiness gave way to a more thoughtful and interesting production, at times very star-trek-esque. One thing I always thought star trek did excellently was to carry some sort of moral, but not necessarily by providing all the answers. Just by asking some of the right questions star trek invited us to think hard about who We really are. Andromeda fell into a similar rhythm.

There are several interesting character aspects that are unique to this series. Tyr Anasazi is a stoic and selfish genetically altered bounty hunter, who at the beginning of the show seems to sign on only because he thinks he might gain advantage. The actor did a great job of personifying a distinctly unique television personality, and effectively portrayed a transitioning duality as the selfishness seemed to melt away as Dylan won him over, yet early on you learned that Tyr has issues and ambitions that are all his own and are likely to linger.

Then there is Trance, who is a ‘whatever’ complete with tail (until it is damaged). She seems innocent but strangely mysterious. As the series progresses we learn that her innocence may not be as it seems. Is it feigned? Is it honest but complicated? It’s hard to tell. And when she “grows up” due to some temporal weirdness that I’ll leave unexplained, the actor was able to deepen the character even further, adding a bit less innocence and a bit more uncertainty.

There was an alien “magog” who was some sort of furry monkish creature that would normally be hell bent on killing everyone (or more accurately using everyone as a vessel for growing young) except that he has had some sort of vision about peace and “the way”. It’s not clear exactly how that all came about, and the magog in general are not portrayed as being particularly cerebral. Apparently the actor developed allergies to the costume equipment and had to have a rather unexplained exit from the show, with the character going off on some kind of personal quest. A fitting departure. The magog remain as a major antagonist in the main plot arc.

Then there’s Romy, or Andromeda, who is many things, including the ship itself, an artificial life form and AI as an android, and an avatar representing the ship’s UI. They did a nice job of making her a complex character, in fact, her AI seems to be segmented and often does not get along with itself, particular the android portion which is both connected and separate from the core ship AI. She is not the cold “data” of star trek, as she seems to be doomed to experience all the emotions without really comprehending them. In many ways she has the same struggles but with a different slant, since the AI of the future has apparently incorporated emotional capabilities.

The setting for the series is far in the future of our real earth existence, and the two human crew members are a bit of a quirky and accessibly representation of early millennial folks in their late 20’s or early 30’s. Seamus Harper is a rather irreverent “genius” hacker boy, who while sometimes annoying and irritatingly anachronistic does add a light and human element. He’s basically a halfway decent guy at heart, and I do stress halfway, who is nonetheless weak in most ways. His story often involves pushing his egomania to the limits where he has to break down and actually be a decent human being. And Beka is an independent woman who really would rather be her own captain, although she does often admit it is not as much fun as it sounds when you actually have to shoulder the burdens of leadership.

The role of Dylan Hunt, played by Kevin Sorbo is one of a lone survivor of an ancient war, trapped in a time dilation near the event horizon of a black hole for 300 years. Sorbo does a great job in his role, making Dylan seem to be a very likable and pragmatically idealistic captain, if you can forgive me describing the character using near antonyms. He’s an idealist at heart that has to bow to pragmatism to survive. His pure heart basically wins over the other characters, and he truly becomes their leader. As I mentioned, going into it I was not sure I was going to like series, nor the Dylan character. The first episode of Season 1 really made me wonder, the way it started felt very dated and essentially trite to me. As if it was another Deep Space 9 (nothing against DS9, but we don’t need another). But that quickly wore away, almost by the end of the first episode. The utility of that initial setting was just to give some background to the Dylan that would go on to live an entirely different existence, 300 years in the future, and in retrospect it was a decent way to start. I still hold that most new shows lack a certain cohesion as they go into launch, as the actors and the crew get comfortable with the “new worlds” they are creating, and this show was no exception.

The series was a bit more modern and gritty as compared with 90’s trek – not in a bad way. And they did a fairly nice job of buttoning things up when the show came to an end. I have a MAJOR pet peeve over series that are cancelled and absolutely not resolved. I have gone so far as to refuse watching new series for fear that they will be cancelled. After they are DONE and I know they were not then I pick them up on disc or streaming. If that’s how they want to treat me, then that is how I’ll treat them. Not a good situation but they started it.

This series is very underrated, unknown, and unappreciated material in my opinion, and is really an excellent part of the Barrett/Roddenberry legacy.

As for the DVD set, it is fine. No special features, no subtitles, just the episodes. The encoding is good and the sound is fine. I listen with wireless headphones most of the time so I can hear every detail. It may not be quite as good “over the air” of a normal TV speaker system, but it definitely is clean and clear audio. Subtitles are missed but it isn’t a big deal. The lack of any extras at all was a minor bummer. I would have liked to dig in more about Majel’s role in the production and to hear more from the cast about the experience, but the set is still great without those things.

– user111

The only sci-fi series that I have Loved more than this was the various Star Trek incarnations. I cried when we watched the last show but I am so glad that we purchased the whole set even though it is pretty expensive as far as series go, ye Gods, it is absolutely worth it, and now we can watch it again anytime we like. I would recommend that you watch the episodes that are available on Amazon prime if you have that, or try to catch some episodes and I think you will know by your reaction to those if you are undecided. But, in all honesty, if you are a Star Trek fan it is my opinion you will LOVE these just as much as I do. Just like in Star Trek, you don’t just watch these, you become a part of the crew.

– Marsha Rice

From a technical point of view this set isn’t too bad. Many episodes look very nice on a large screen HD TV but some had scanning lines momentarily. Two discs in the set either didn’t play at all or only played one of the episodes. Oddly, both were the last of a season which means there were only two episodes on the discs. Somewhat annoying, but I had another source which allowed me to at least watch the unplayable episodes at a lower quality. The show itself is fun and it has many good episodes. I enjoyed the characters as cast. Brent Stait was remarkably appealing as the really ugly Rev Bem. I like what he did with his voice for that part. Over all, this is not profound science fiction but it is very good entertainment. Worth watching several times. Kevin Sorbo as usual provided good clean entertainment in his part as lead character and producer. Kevin Sorbo and Keith Hamilton Cobb were the only non-Canadians in the cast. Cobb did a great job playing the part of “Tyr Anasazi out of Victoria by Barbarossa.” Lexa Doig had many memorable moments in the triple part of Andromeda on screen, Andromeda as android avatar, and Andromeda hologram. I enjoy her work a lot. Lisa Ryder was a blast as Beka. Laura Bertram was also very good in her part as Trance Gemini. Her part grew during the run of the show. Last but not least I very much enjoyed Gordon Michael Woolvett as the spunky engineering genius Seamus Harper. I’m glad they found a way to bring Steve Bacic back after the first episode. All in all I think some of the highest quality science fiction television shows are currently produced in Canada. They have NO lack of skilled actors and technical support crew.

-Michael Malloy

DVD Wholesale Main Features:

Actors: Kevin Sorbo, Lisa Ryder, Laura Bertram, Gordon Michael Woolvett, Lexa Doig
Writers: Gene Roddenberry, Robert Hewitt Wolfe
Producers: Emily Skopov, Ethlie Ann Vare, Keri Young, Robert Simmonds
Format: Color, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Unknown)
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 30
Rated: NR Not Rated
Studio: A.D.V. Films