Andromeda Episode 43: Immaculate Perception

Tyr must save his wife and son from the Knights of Genetic Purity.

Episode Summary

In this continuation of Double Helix, Tyr learns that Nietzscheans of various, smaller prides are being slaughtered by the Knights of Genetic Purity AKA Genites (or Space Nazis if you want to be literal). These guys consider all impure, genetically modified humans to be unnatural abominations that must be destroyed.

And they’re not just after Nietzscheans, either. People like Harper, with a neckport implant, and Hunt, whose mother was genetically modified to survive on high gravity worlds, are targets as well.

Tyr beckons Hunt to help defend these Nietzscheans, causing members of the rest of the crew – namely Beka – to raise an eyebrow at Tyr’s sudden altruism. “I don’t know if it’s an act,” says Hunt, “There’s something eating at Tyr. He’s treating this whole situation like it’s personal.”

And personal it is.

Rescue Operation

While Andromeda fights the Genites, Tyr takes off on his own in a Slipfighter. Destination: an asteroid base belonging to the Nietzschean Orca Pride. Here, Tyr plans to rescue his wife Freya, but she reveals they have a son together named Tamerlane, and that he is the fabled genetic reincarnation of Drago Museveni (progenitor of all Nietzscheans). That’s a lot to take in!

The Genites start attacking the asteroid and Freya is killed; Tyr escapes in the Slipfighter and returns to Andromeda five days later. He claims Tamerlane was also killed in the attack, but in actuality, the baby’s safe and sound on a planet somewhere under the care of Olma, surviving matriarch of the Orca Pride.

In the last scene, Tyr runs a DNA test on a lock of Tamerlane’s hair. Yep, he’s the 2nd coming of Drago Museveni all right.

Thoughts

As with The Knight, Death, and the Devil before it, Immaculate Perception is one of the stronger entries of the back half of season 2, if only because it revisits and develops the story of a previous episode. It’s still not a work of art, though, that much is certain. There’s still the usual Andromeda flaws, that drab cave set they always use, and some lousy acting from a couple guest stars.

But Tyr was definitely the high point, and his self-serving scheming and machinations provided the only thing resembling depth in this episode.

The Genites make their first appearance here and prove to be a worthy enemy, despite the fact that they look like Stormtrooper knock offs. Like most promising aspects of Andromeda, they won’t be utilized to their full potential, only showing up a couple more times before disappearing – like what happened with the Restorians in season 1.