A friend of mine in my writing group got me interested in this TV show that aired in 2000, and I decided to watch and review it as I go, especially as Orville is going to be done soon (review wise, it already aired its finale) so I’ll need another TV show to post about while we are in the hiatus til season 3. Still a Sci-fi/Fantasy show.
Episode Title: Under the Night
Original Airdate: October 2, 2000 (watched 2019 via Prime)
Grade: B
Notable Guest Stars/Directors:
Since this is the first episode, I’m going to include the main cast in the Notable section
Kevin Sorbo (Dylan Hunt)- I honestly have never really seen anything he is in except maybe an episode of Xena when I was younger, but I did know who he was before watching. His big claim to fame is playing Hercules on the show of the same name.
Lisa Ryder (Beka Valentine) – I am not as familar with Ms. Ryder’s work as other actors in this series. She appears as a regular character on the 1996 series Forever Knight, as well as a few other Canadian programs.
Keith Hamilton Cobb (Tyr Anasazi)- Mr. Cobb’s filmography is oddly short, with his last IMDB credit being in 2007. I knew him From the Young and The Restless (oddly enough, he had that role after his role on Andromeda)
Gordon Michael Woolvett (Seamus Harper) – He was on the recently canceled iZombie (a show on my list of things to watch). I don’t know much about the other items on his filmography
Brent Strait (Rev Bem) – He seems to appear on various shows I am familar with (no doubt with less makeup). However I don’t recognize him so I may have missed those episodes.
Lexa Doig (Andromeda/Rommie) – Lexa was the main draw to this series (along with it being a Gene Roddenberry show) as I had first seen her as Dr. Carolyn Lam on Stargate SG-1.
Steve Bacic (Gaheris Rhade) – He has appeared on several TV shows I watch, including as a Gaould on Stargate SG-1 and as the Dark Archer in Smallville. He plays a recurring character, but will appear as a regular (but different) character later in the series
Notable Quotes:
Seamus Harper: I’m telling you, the guy is huge. He’s like some kind of Greek god or something.
SPOILERS BELOW
So I started watching this show because a friend told me it was good, it had Lexa Doig, and Gene Roddenberry was involved. The show is based on a unused idea of his and produced by his wife Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. I realised shortly into the show that I needed to keep in mind this show is twenty years old (or almost anyway) and some CGI and other effects wouldn’t hold up as well. And to be fair it was rather minor issues in that regard.
But that theme song is horrible. Thankfully I am watching this via Amazon Prime and can skip the intro and avoid the music.
The premise of the show is that At the start there is this large governing body known as the Systems Commonwealth (I suppose its Andromeda’s version of the Federation). One subspecies of human known as the Nietzscheans has rebelled after they consider the commonwealth to be weak when it negotiates with the Magog (the show’s big bad I’m guessing).
Dylan gets stuck in a black hole’s event horizon in such a way he time lapses 300 years instead of becoming a pancake. When he mets the salvage team trying to take his ship he learns its been a long time and everything is worse (has a definite “And then the fire nation attacked vibe to it). He decides (after regaining his ship) to rebuild the commonwealth. His ship is empty other then him, the body of his ex-best friend Gaheris and the AI Andromeda. He convinces the salvage crew to join him on his crusade to bring light and justice back to the world.
This episode had a few problems, but I think like many pilots they will be fixed as the season goes on. The make-up and lighting were a little off, and the costumes didn’t quite fit as well as they should.
Pros:
- Not a bad start and provides plenty of story with both Dylan’s past and the 300 years between time periods
- Mixed crew with almost equal women and men
- no romances yet
Cons
- the opening music
- some elements of design (will no doubt be fixed)
Unsure:
- The Nietzsche element to all this.
Sokorra Lewis 