Andromeda Episode 19: The Honey Offering

Captain Hunt must deliver a princess to her wedding to end hostilities between two adversarial Nietzschean prides.

Episode Summary

Tyr brings news to Captain Hunt that two warring Nietzschean prides, the Sabra and the Jaguar, are finally going to tie the knot; they’re going to cease two centuries of hostilities with a treaty and a cross-pride marriage.

The united Sabra-Jaguar Pride will be on equal footing with the strong, hostile Drago-Kazov Pride (from the “Tyr has amnesia” episode), and Hunt positioning himself as an ally of the Sabra-Jaguar would be incredibly useful in his efforts to restore the Commonwealth.

VIP Passenger

Captain Hunt contacts the Nietzscheans and agrees to help them by transporting the Sabra bride to the Jaguars in exchange for the freedom of a couple worlds they’re occupying. The bride, Elssbett Mossadim-Boliver (what a name!), arrives on Andromeda and immediately shows herself as pompous and overbearing.

Andromeda is soon attacked by Drago-Kazov forces, led by Fleet Marshall Cuchulain, who orders that Elssbett be handed over to him. Hunt and Elssbett sneak off the ship in the Eureka Maru, while the rest of the Andromeda crew pretend they’re still on board to stall Cuchulain.

Elssbett’s Plan

On the Maru, Hunt discovers a stockpile of weapons and poison in Elssbett’s luggage – she was planning to use them all on the Jaguars at her wedding. Hunt spends the rest of the episode trying to convince her to go through with the original plan of getting married without killing anyone.

Cuchulain’s forces catch up to the Maru as it nears the Jaguar homeworld, but the combined fleet of Jaguar ships, Andromeda, and a battalion of hidden Sabra ships (called in by Elssbett) is able to drive the Drago-Kazov away. Elssbett finally decides to have a bloodless wedding because without the help of the Jaguars, the Sabra won’t stand a chance against the Drago-Kazov.

Thoughts

As soon as Elssbett was introduced, I figured this episode would be a copy of Star Trek’s Elaan of Troyius, but it turned into something different. There were a few good scenes (especially the end with Hunt uniting the fleet of ships against the Dragans), but overall I just wasn’t that entertained. Some of the action and dialogue felt like retreads of what had come before, and it all seemed forgettable.

The unification of the Sabra and Jaguar Prides and their alliance with Captain Hunt feels like an important event and keeps this episode from being a total waste.