n the wake of the epic battle at the end of season three, the crew of the Andromeda finds itself in a remote area of space with no word from the Commonwealth homeworld of Tarazed. As they consider their options, and the possible destruction of the Commonwealth, a courier ship appears carrying a message for Capt. Hunt. After destroying a fleet of Ogami ships in pursuit of the courier, the captain orders the dying pilot to be brought on board.
The message is from a man named Paru, who tells them that the Commonwealth has been destroyed and he has kidnapped a member of the Triumvirate. He warns them to stay away, but Dylan is not deterred. The crew is skeptical about returning to the fray, but eventually decide to stand with Dylan and assist in the rescue attempt.
The Andromeda returns to the site of the last battle, and the crew discovers that some Commonwealth ships have survived. They also find the ship taken by the traitorous Tyr in the season finale, but he is long gone. Rommie traces Paru to a place called the "all forces nullification point," a theoretical location in space where all forces are nullified and everything falls apart. There, Dylan and Beka encounter Paru, who has gone insane and struck a deadly bargain with the mysterious entity known as the abyss. As the terrain around them crumbles, they must find a way to overcome Paru, rescue the Triumvir and keep the fragile Commonwealth from disolving.
Setting the stage for new adventures
The season three finale of Andromeda left the audience with a lot of questions about the future of the show's universe. Some of those questions are answered in this episode, but even more are raised. We learn who was behind the plot to destroy the Commonwealth, but not what has become of the traitorous Tyr (former regular cast member Keith Hamilton Cobb). In the midst of a plot as thin as the finale's was dense, intriguing seeds are planted for storylines that will hopefully materialize throughout season four.
Unfortunately, the departure of Hamilton Cobb has left the crew feeling a little shorthanded. That gap may be filled later in the season by incoming cast member Steve Bacic—last seen in the pilot as Dylan's traitorous best friend—but the character has yet to be introduced. At least Sorbo and the remaining cast members seem to have settled comfortably into their characters, despite the often awkward and stilted dialogue ("Every politician, of which I am one, would be confused by these events"). Continuing in the series' tradition of genre-favorite guest stars, Nigel Bennet delivers a standout performance as the madman Paru.
While Andromeda has consistently been a top performer in the ratings, the show has struggled to find itself in its four years on the air. With constant changes in cast and writing staff, it's been difficult for the show to establish a definitive tone. Yet there is a sense here that the creators have finally found the right balance among action, humor and character development, with no one element outweighing the rest.
