The second posthumous effort from Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, Andromeda was salvaged from notes he left behind by his widow, Majel Barrett Roddenberry, now an executive producer on the show. As a new addition to the sci-fi genre, Andromeda more than managed to hold its own, winning over a large audience in the US and steadily building up a UK fanbase. The name Gene Roddenberry was always going to be a big draw of course, although loyal Star Trek fans would have high expectations of Roddenberry's work - expectations which needed to be met with this new series. And, despite some early criticisms, Andromeda appears to have succeeded.
Working in its favour early on was the fact that there was a gap in the market for this type of show - something to ultimately replace Star Trek at the end of Voyager's run. And the Andromeda producers certainly used this to their advantage - putting out a show that resembled Roddenberry's previous work, but was essentially Trek-lite - a space-set saga whose main aim was to entertain. Meanwhile, they also reaped the rewards of casting a well-known genre star, in this case Kevin Sorbo, in the series leading role, that of Commonwealth High Guard Captain, Dylan Hunt. This brought with it the added bonus of a higher profile for the series, while Sorbo himself brought his own army of fans from previous show Hercules with him to Andromeda, thereby boosting early audience numbers.
As expected of a Roddenberry creation, Andromeda has presented viewers with a colourful spectrum of characters, from a number of different backgrounds and races - most notably shown in the diversity of the crew of the Andromeda Ascendant. This ensemble cast has contributed to the show's success though, as every fan has their favourite member of the crew. And, as well as becoming essential viewing, Andromeda has left genre fans wondering just what else Gene Roddenberry has left behind...
The Cast
Captain Dylan Hunt...................................Kevin Sorbo
Beka Valentine...........................................Lisa Ryder
Tyr Anasazi.................................Keith Hamilton Cobb
Trance Gemini.......................................Laura Bertram
Seamus Harper.......................Gordon Michael Woolvett
Andromeda..................................................Lexa Doig
Rev Bem.....................................................Brent Stait
