Dylan and Andromeda are imprisoned for a crime they didn’t commit. Fortunately, nobody has ever built a prison that can hold Kevin Sorbo more than three acts.
(First aired the week of November 27, 2000)
Written by Ethlie Ann Vare
Directed by David Warry-Smith
GUEST STARS
Jessa – Kimberly Warnat
Kae-Lee – Claudette Mink
Xax – Ron Robinson
Warden – Bill Croft
Councilor Min – John Juiliani
Secretary – Janyse Jaud
WHAT HAPPENED
Harper is playing with Dylan’s "fill-in-the-blanks" charter for the restored Commonwealth. He entices Trance into the game, but the enigmatic blonde super-alien refuses to fill in the blanks with her origin or species.
"I just don’t think you’d be able to pronounce it," she says. She jokes that her species name translates as Exalted Love Machines.
On the planet, Dylan and Andromeda are making their pitch to the Erasian High Council, which thinks Erasia is better off without the Commonwealth. After a three-second trial, they pronounce Dylan and Andromeda guilty of sedition and sentence them to life in prison. (spoilers)
ANALYSIS
There really should be a rule against doing prison episodes with handsome and obviously well-fed actors. A little dirt does not a convincing starving convict make.
As a result, it’s hard to take "A Rose in the Ashes" seriously. It’s mediocre light adventure, with no serious conflicts, not enough action, and a wimpy "bad prisons are bad" moral.
On the other hand, this is Andromeda’s first location shoot. Everything’s being done for the first time again, so it’s understandable that this is not an ambitious episode. Now that they’ve had a shakedown cruise, the next outdoor show should be more interesting.
This week, we’ll settle for some witty lines and some pretty girls to look at. Too bad Tyr didn’t take his shirt off -- that would have kicked the episode up from "eh" to "good."
How does she do it?
Trance’s powers are so convenient that it’s tempting to throw a brick at the screen and call them magic. However, there is a logical explanation for them that fits the Andromeda universe like a glove.
Trance is a quantum computer.
We’ve known from the start that this show is based on current science, including string theory and quantum mechanics. Observation effects are crucial to slipstream travel, and Harper’s teleporter is based on quantum entanglement.
Quantum computers are another tantalizing theory of quantum mechanics. They’re the ultimate form of parallel processing, literally flipping their bits between universes, solving complex problems by recording the interactions of particles and waves.
Trance’s special power is the ability to instantly and unerringly choose the correct option out of many possibilities. The easiest way for her to do this is by examining each possibility by projecting out its consequences along many alternate timelines.
Okay, that’s not easy. In fact, it’s bizarre, and it requires the ability to see the future. But the explanation is simple, and that counts for a lot in television.
Quantum computing also sets some important limitations on her powers. She isn’t omniscient. She can be surprised or wrong, and because there’s such a sticky relationship between observer and observed in quantum mechanics, she may depend on others to come up with the options she chooses from.
Give her 348 choices, though, and she’ll pick the right one every time. That’s not bad for an "exalted love machine."
WHAT WE LEARN
Terraforming technology exists on the Commonwealth. Expect many planets to look like the Canadian woods.
Dylan’s charter for the Commonwealth is conditional – it goes into effect when 50 planets join.
The old Commonwealth had 1,022,347 member worlds.
Dylan has an implanted subvocal mike for communicating with Andromeda.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
"The truest measure of a society is how it treats its elderly, its pets, and its prisoners."
-- Keeper of the Way Vision of Faith VII, C.Y. 9891
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
How will the Erasians react if the restored Commonwealth ever gets off the ground?
How to you reach up to your sister and say a heartfelt farewell when your neck is broken?
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK
It’s rerun time! Why pay eight bucks to see the Dungeons and Dragons movie when you can see an Umber Hulk in "Under the Night"? (Yes, the Andromeda writers are just as geeky as we are.)
Where's Jammer, you ask? He's been really busy with other projects (not least of which is
getting caught up with his first reviewing love, Star Trek), and so we've provided this review to give Andromeda fans something to do while he's digging out -- and to remind them that we still cover the show.
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