Recently I had the opportunity to catch the freshman seasons of a couple of Sci-fi shows that I had never seen before. A week or so ago I wrote about “Farscape” and was happy to report that I loved the show and was already having the D.T.s and needed a Season 2 fix. Following up that series, I settled in to watch “Andromeda” for the first time, not really knowing what to expect. Initially I figured I would have to compare the two, as it seemed they were so much alike. Now that I’ve actually seen both shows, it would be unfair to do so. Each stands on its own, with its own merits as well as faults. To say one is better than the other would be based only on one’s own preferences as opposed to any inherent qualities or lack thereof. If there are any comparisons to be made they are simply in the fact that both series dealt with lead characters that end up in places they shouldn’t be.

“Farscape” had John Crichton (Ben Browder) who was flung across the universe, while “Andromeda” has Dylan Hunt (Kevin Sorbo) who comes out of the event horizon of a black hole 300 years in the future. Then there’s the fact that the crews of both shows serve on ships that are sentient. They are, however portrayed much differently.

If the name Kevin Sorbo seems familiar to you, it’s because he spent many years playing that wacky muscle-bound guy in “Hercules, the Legendary Journeys.” Of course, his name became synonymous with the character and after leaving the series wanted to do something as different as possible to avoid typecasting. Knowing that the world of syndication was a lucrative one, he opted to stay in that area, but change genres. He contacted Majel Barrett Roddenberry and shopped around the idea of producing one of her late husband Gene’s earlier show ideas. When she agreed, Sorbo cut his ‘legendary’ locks and made the leap from Fantasy into Science Fiction as the captain of the “Andromeda.”

Already taking place in the distant future, Sorbo stars as Dylan Hunt. He is the commander of the Commonwealth warship Andromeda, whom we find battling some nasty villains known as the Nietzscheans. The Central Computer shows up in the form of a hologram (similar to the Doctor in “Star Trek: Voyager”), played by Lexa Doig, and it is through her that one communicates with the ship. When the Andromeda is drawn into a trap, Hunt orders all of his crew off the ship and finds refuge in the event horizon aforementioned black hole and is held there in suspended animation until it is pulled out by a salvage ship. The only problem is that 300 years have passed and his people have been totally wiped out.

Finding that he is still being hunted after all these years, he pulls gathers a crew of misfits whose purpose in life becomes the rebuilding of the Commonwealth (think Federation).

I had a few reservations initially about watching this series, not because of the fact that it came out of the imagination of the ‘Great Bird of the Galaxy’ himself, but more so because I wasn’t sure that Sorbo could pull it off. I enjoyed him as Hercules, but I knew this new series wasn’t going to require a tongue in cheek performance and audiences wouldn’t be that forgiving if he didn’t have the chops to play a more dramatic role.

In that I didn’t expect that much from “Andromeda”, I can say that I was quite surprised by it. I will admit that I wasn’t ‘hooked in’ by the first couple of episodes, but I was determined to watch the entire season so I could make an informed judgment. Those first few episodes weren’t that good, to be honest and could have easily killed the series if audiences didn’t stick with it. In the end I’m very glad they, as well as I, did. Certainly the series had a certain amount of cheesiness, but as the season moved forward it was obvious that the actors started becoming more comfortable with their roles, as well as each other. Even the writing, which was at first a bit stilted, began to be a bit more cohesive in terms of plotting. I also started to notice that the main storyline began to become very complex, yet the writers were still able to keep enough focus so that it did not become overtly convoluted.

The special effects for the series are to be noted as well. Though they didn’t always look perfect, most of the time they were quite impressive. I liked the overall design of the ship, weapons, etc…

What I was most impressed by however, was the amazing work that ADV did on the DVD releases. I understand the series was originally broadcast in full screen format, but here they did a Widescreen transfer that has to look better than it ever could have on TV. The image is extremely clean and sharp, and though they opted not to go with a 5.1 audio transfer, the stereo surround works well enough to make watching the series an enjoyable audio experience.

Once you’ve had time to make it through the 22 episodes that made up the first season, you can turn your attention to the plethora (I love that word) of special features that are scattered throughout all 10 discs. I didn’t keep track of how many hours it took me to go through them all, and I did spread it out over several days, but there seemed to be no end to the features. The two commentary tracks provided on “Under the Night” and Banks of Lethe” were far more entertaining than I expected. Kevin Sorbo is very well-spoken and the banter between him and executive producer Allan Eastman is often as funny as it is informative.

As you work your way through the discs you’ll find a bunch of character profiles with photos and mini interviews, as well as tons of photo images and alternate takes. Five of the discs include short blooper reels, which are always my favorite addition to any DVD release. I just love to see actors screw up. What is even more impressive is that the producers of the series prove that they aren’t just shooting from the hip when it comes to the storylines. There are numerous featurettes and timelines about the “Andromeda” universe, proving there is a much larger story at work here. And if you don’t understand some of the terminology the crew uses in the show, just turn to the various glossaries that fill you in on the meaning.

What’s really nice about all of these extra features is that they are not just thrown in anywhere. Each of the two discs that make up the five volumes are set up with all the features in a certain structured order, which makes finding them all the easier. And I mention volumes because ADV originally released “Andromeda” in two disc volumes, which were only recently available in one box set. They are numbered Volume 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc…and generally have four to five episodes each.

Both “Farscape” and “Andromeda” turned out to be very entertaining shows, though I will admit a preference to the former. However, “Andromeda” continued to improve over the first season, so much so as to warrant my desire to continue watching the following seasons as the opportunity arises.

Starring: Kevin Sorbo, Lexa Doig, Lisa Valentine, Keith Hamilton Cobb, Gordon Michael Woolvett, Brent Stait, Laura Bertram
Extras: Are You Ready?
Volume 1.1 - Disc 1:
Commentary on "Under The Night" by Kevin Sorbo and Executive Producer Allan Eastman, Character Profile: Dylan Hunt, Alternate Takes, Image Gallery: Creation of Andromeda,
All Systems University 101 - Fighting Ships of the High Guard, Glossary of the High Guard A-D, TV Teasers, TV Promos
Disc 2
Behind the Scenes - The Andromeda Idea, Character Profile: Andromeda, Alternate Takes, Bloopers, Timeline of the Commonwealth: The Imperial Era, Prop & Set Concepts, Production Biography: Robert Hewitt Wolfe, TV Promos

Volume 1.2 - Disc 1: Commentary on "Banks of the Lethe" by Kevin Sorbo and Executive Producer Allan Eastman, Character Profile: Beka Valentine, Alternate Takes, Image Gallery: The Eureka Maru, All Systems University 101 - Commonwealth Transportation, Glossary of the High Guard E-J, TV Promos
Disc 2:
Behind the Scenes - E! Celebrity Profile: Kevin Sorbo on a tour of the Andromeda set, Character Profile: Andromeda, Alternate Takes, Bloopers, Timeline of the Commonwealth: The Age of Reform, Prop & Set Concepts, Production Biography: Allan Eastman, TV Promos

Volume 1.3 - Disc 1:
Character Profile: Tyr Anasazi, Alternate Takes, Image Gallery: Cast Shots, All Systems University 101 - Life Forms, Glossary of the High Guard K-O, TV Promos
Disc 2:
Behind the Scenes: Visual Effects, Bloopers, Timeline of the Commonwealth: Growth & Peace, Image Gallery: Cast Shots, Production Biography: Majel Roddenberry, TV Promos

Volume 1.4 - Disc 1:
Character Profile: Rev Bem, Alternate Takes, Image Gallery: Costumes, All Systems University 101 - The Goverment of the Systems Commonwealth, Glossary of the High Guard P-R, TV Promos
Disc 2:
Behind the Scenes: Alien Make-up, Alternate Takes, Bloopers, Timeline of the Commonwealth: Conflict & Renewal, Prop & Set Concepts, Production Biography: Jay Firestone, TV Promos

Volume 1.5 - Disc 1:
Character Profile: Seamus Harpe, Alternate Takes, Image Gallery: Technology, All Systems University 101: Engineering, Science & Technology, Glossary of the High Guard: S-Z, TV Promos
Disc 2:
Behind The Scenes: On The Set Of Andromeda, Character Profile: Trance Gemini, Alternate Takes, Bloopers, Timeline of the Commonwealth: The Long Night - The Fall of the Commonwealth and its Aftermath, Prop & Set Concepts, Production Biography: Adam Haight, TV Promos

Specifications: Widescreen, Stereo Surround
Studio: A.D. Vision
Release Date: Available
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Andromeda: Season 1 a B.