Ancient do-gooder turns
futuristic peacemaker

Feature 1 of 2 • Lisa Ryder (Beka) talks here

In 1994, Kevin Sorbo became a familiar face around the world when he took on the title role in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. After five successful made-for-tv movies and six seasons, the actor decided it was time he turned in his sword. Sorbo lost twenty pounds of muscle, cut his hair short and signed up to play the heroic Captain Dylan Hunt on Gene Roddenberry’s ‘new’ syndicated Sci-Fi series Andromeda.

Dylan is an officer in the High Guard and a representative of the System’s Commonwealth, which once governed worlds in three galaxies. During a battle drill, Dylan and his starship, the Andromeda Ascendant, became trapped on the event horizon of a black hole. They are rescued 300 years later by the crew of a salvage ship, the Eureka Maru. With civilization in ruins, Dylan vows to restore the Commonwealth to its former glory, and Sorbo is happy to be along for the ride.

“I’m really enjoying myself,” enthuses the actor. “It’s amazing how fast the cast and crew all slid into their respective places on the show, and to tell you the truth, it’s just gotten better and better. There are some episodes in the second half of the season, such as The Mathematics of Tears, Harper 2.0 and the season’s finale, that are unbelievable. That’s when I think the writers really started to get a comfort level with what they were doing, as did the actors, myself included. If you look at the first year of any tv show, though, you’ll see ‘hiccups’ here and there. It takes time for people to find their footing and get used to their characters."

Day and Night

The actor was wrapping up work on the final season of Hercules when he began looking for another series. “One day, along came Andromeda from Majel Roddenberry and company,” he recalls. “I’m a big Star Trek fan, especially the original series, so I was definitely interested. Three months prior to the end of Hercules I began having extensive talks with all those involved [with Andromeda] about the show. I was sent copies of the notes Gene Roddenberry had made when he first came up with the idea for the series in 1970. Finally, I said, ‘OK, let’s do it!’ I was guaranteed 44 episodes and made an executive producer. They were willing to trust me and listen to what I had to say, which meant a lot. I actually signed the contracts for the show before Hercules had even ended.”

Even though Hercules and Dylan Hunt are both good guys, they are as different from each other as night and day. This is what Sorbo was hoping for. “If you think of Dylan in modern-day terms, he’s a Navy SEAL,” says the actor. “He’s a tough guy, a survivor, a leader, someone who’s strong-willed but also fair. Dylan’s a hero in every sense of the word, and I like those types of roles. Most of us want to see Good triumph over Evil; at least I hope that’s still true. I think that’s one of the things that made and continues to make Gene Roddenberry’s shows so successful. He painted a future that, while not perfect, is at least one of hope. That’s what’s so great about Sci-Fi. It’s a fun, fascinating and, at times, comforting place for the mind to go..."

Kevin on Dylan and Beka

“There’s always going to be a tug-of-war between Dylan and Beka,” says Sorbo. “She’s the captain of basically a Chinese junk, while Dylan commands a giant battleship. However, she still has her ego and pride that tells her, ‘I’m a captain, too’. She’s a damn good pilot and is turning out to be a fine first officer for Dylan. They like each other, but I wouldn’t want to see a romance develop between them. It would ruin things. Their relationship has to remain one of begrudging mutual admiration and respect."

Steven Eramo

Lisa Ryder talks about becoming Beka
in the second Andromeda feature from this issue

Kevin Sorbo talks more about the decision to leave Hercules, Dylan's mission, the Andromeda crew and the first season's highpoints in the full six-page feature in TV Zone #139

All images © Tribune Television
Feature © Visual Imagination 2001. Not for reproduction.