Summary
Andromeda, created by Gene Roddenberry, shares connections with Star Trek, including executive producer Majel Barrett, but the two series never crossed over.
Andromeda was initially conceived by Roddenberry many years prior to its release, serving as a continuation of his posthumous endeavor, Earth: Final Conflict.
Despite their variations in setting, time period, and societal structure, Andromeda and Star Trek share intriguing similarities, particularly in the inclusion of space travel brought forth by the Vulcan and Verdran species.
Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda has several connections to the Star Trek franchise, in addition to being created by the same person. The series, starring Kevin Sorbo from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, aired from 2000 to 2005 in Canada on the Global Television Network and in the US through broadcast syndication. Although Andromeda and Star Trek: Enterprise aired at the same time, they never had a crossover episode because Andromeda was not originally intended to be a part of the Star Trek universe. Surprisingly, before his death in 1991, Roddenberry had already conceived the concept for Andromeda, as evident in his previous failed TV pilots from the mid-1970s where he used the character name High Guard Captain Dylan Hunt. Furthermore, Andromeda followed another successful posthumous Roddenberry project called Earth: Final Conflict, which inspired the adaptation of another unmade concept from Roddenberry's archives.
How Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda Connects To Star Trek
The connections between Andromeda and Star Trek are primarily behind-the-scenes. Majel Barrett, who was a executive producer on Andromeda, had a significant role in Star Trek. She was the voice of the Star Trek computers, as well as portraying characters such as Lwaxanna Troi, Number One, and Nurse Chapel in Star Trek: The Original Series. While Barrett did appear in 11 episodes of Earth: Final Conflict, she did not have a role in any of Andromeda's five seasons.
During the development of Andromeda, Barrett enlisted the help of Robert Hewitt Wolfe, who had extensive experience working with the Star Trek franchise. Wolfe's involvement with Star Trek began when he sold a spec script, "A Fistful of Datas," to Star Trek: The Next Generation. This led to him being associated with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, where he wrote or co-wrote over 30 episodes. Wolfe's contributions to the series ranged from comedic episodes like his TNG script to more intense and dramatic episodes such as "The Wire" and "Hard Time" in DS9.
Roddenberry’s Andromeda’s Differences From Star Trek
Andromeda was once speculated to have originated as a Star Trek spinoff set in the distant future. While the original Star Trek took place in the 22nd and 23rd centuries, Andromeda primarily unfolded in the year CY 10087, equivalent to the 52nd century. In contrast to Star Trek's warp drive technology, Andromeda relied on slipstream for space travel and featured a distinct array of alien races and planets. However, there were intriguing parallels between the Vulcan species in Star Trek and the Verdran species in Andromeda, as both played pivotal roles in introducing humanity to the wonders of space.
Unlike the egalitarian Federation founded on socialism in the Star Trek universe, Andromeda, envisioned by Gene Roddenberry, portrayed a constitutional monarchy known as the Systems Commonwealth. After awakening 300 years into the future, the protagonist Dylan Hunt, portrayed by Kevin Sorbo, endeavored to revive this utopian and democratic monarchy with the help of his resourceful salvage crew. Interestingly, in the third season of Star Trek: Discovery, which premiered 20 years after Andromeda, the plot involved Captain Michael Burnham and the USS Discovery crew rebuilding Starfleet and the Federation in their own far future. This suggests that Star Trek: Discovery may have depicted the potential outcome of Gene Roddenberry's original concept for Andromeda, had it indeed started as a dystopian spinoff.
