Laura Bertram & William B. Davis in "Pitiless as the Sun" (Part 2)

Excerpts from the Andromeda episode "Pitiless as the Sun", featuring Laura Bertram as Trance Gemini and William B. Davis as Prof. Logitch. This was the episode that made (purple) Trance one of my favourite ladies of sci-fi and Ms. Bertram one of my favourite actresses.
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[@russell5078084]

This show had soo much potential and they just squandered it.

[@David-cw7pd]

100% couldve been one of the all time greatest stories if they didnt force it to become a serialized adventure of the week

[@Rensune]

​@@David-cw7pdWould've required more writers, better producers and directors. I would've kept most of the cast, but expanded it every week.

[@suncore598]

Yeah it could have been one of the Sci-Fi greats, right up there with Babylon 5.

[@evag6370]

She just nailed it. Super creepy/powerful performances on both actors.

[@brookelyn7714]

Totally infatuated with the Trance Gemini character. She nailed that essence with excellent manner.

[@rogerlynch5279]

@@brookelyn7714 Thie elementary story is based on a real scientific test study by the US government past World War iI to figure if the Germans were crule and brutle by their education and the socio-cultural circumstances OR if that might had been a strain in the commen human nature. So an actor was closed in onto a fake construction and th unknowing test subject should give him questions and "practically torture him " not knowing that everything was a fake At the end the results done at several institutes in the USA were so shocking the stucy was stopped. Originally there were plans to repeat this experiment in WEST GERMANY but after the sobbering results came out nobody anymore had the nerve to go on with this field test.

[@Babidi111]

- Damn did I have a crush on her as a kid. She is such a darling little space pixie :)

[@frankdeleon4209]

Thought I was only one

[@rogerlynch5279]

That episode based on the well written script must have been extremly hard to play, shows what a fine actress Laura Bertram really is. In a way it was an exellent horror show.

[@chadkosch9938]

UUuggghhh!!! Knowing where Robert Hewitt Wolfe would've taken us makes this episode so, so goooooddd!! Not that it isn't without that knowledge but dude!!

[@trence5]

I thought Laura Bertram was so cute in this show.

[@holdenmcgroin4532]

I think we all did

[@rogerlynch5279]

Ir was interesting how she had changed this role after the " Time Change" - brilliant I say. Still I agree with LaMano - I loved the old Trance

[@thebumlifeferlife1278]

Personally I like her look a lot better in makeup. Granite cheese a very attractive woman not in makeup but with that purple skin, Rourrr!

[@Raison_d-etre]

Those eyes are unforgettable.

[@evag6370]

It's just amazing interplay and beats. I wish we had more of this.

[@alexwest2514]

Purple trance was so hot

[@hilifeswamper562]

This was 1 of the best shows by far i can't believe no one's made it a movie yet please someone make it happen

[@ML-yn9yu]

Eh, The show went extremely downhill after the 3rd season. They threw out this whole plotline after the 2nd season.

[@reedallen4613]

A PERFECT example of how GREAT writing actually SHOULD be done. Dylan had ALREADY suspected that Trance was MUCH more than she 'APPEARS' to be, but nonetheless Dylan STILL trusted Trance. A PERFECT example is Dylan's line: "but there are those rare few exceptions" that he says while looking DIRECTLY at Trance. And that brings up ANOTHER question that I've ALWAYS wondered about: COULD the Pyrians have ACTUALLY had a BETTER chance of stopping the Mgog Worldship? Keep in mind that because of the Pyrian's lifesupport needs, the Pyrians ALONE would NOT have to deal with Mgog boarding parties (simply due to the fact that even Mgog would NOT be able to survive in the atmosphere/pressure inside of ANY Pyrian ship.

[@Duragizer8775]

IIRC, the Pyrians were meant to be the creations of Trance's race, designed specifically to counter the Magog. Of course, that all went out the window after Robert Hewitt Wolfe's firing.

[@trololkhil9868]

They wouldn't be able to handle the magog worldship but they could have helped out in a fight against it. The magog could still use their nice op cannon or swarm ships to suicide them into the pyrian ships (to let the gases seep out of their hulls so they would suffocate) so a lone front would not have accomplished much without everyone else. The issue with the magog is they seemed to have almost endless numbers at their disposal whilst to me the pyrians always struck me as a slow but powerful fleet...one that would take ages to replenish ships and recover.

[@Algator314]

I liked purple Trance best.

[@ChildePC]

Best of the smoking man... He finally meets all the aliens in one.

[@michellemaher2010]

'The government called me back in.' Nice X Files allusion there ;)

[@Trek001]

And if you listen carefully, in another franchise, Picard is screaming at Q for what he did to this planet

[@soundlessowl3108]

I really still like Andromeda. Although the action was somehow slightly oldfashioned already when it was made, it is in a nice way: solid scripts, ideas worth thinking about, deeply humanitarian founded just as "Entreprise" was and good actors. well done and worth remembering.

[@alexanderk.3838]

6:14 Best moment. i loved.

[@evag6370]

I just wish the show had lasted longer so that we'd see more of them.

[@phoenixrivenus9270]

"Are you implying I'm some sort of devil?... You better hope not."

[@beardedcasual5120]

i love Trance :D

[@dwaugh2215]

They had no idea that her people were but a god-like race and would have NOTHING to stop them

[@lamario295]

They should've stuck to the original plot of her character

[@BlueCourtingBooks]

What was the original plot?

[@ML-yn9yu]

@@BlueCourtingBooks She was originally suppose to be a devil, instead of an avatar of the stars.

[@MasterUxi]

Well it was both. They were "Lucifers" aka Lightbringers who caused the destruction of the compact universe with the big bang. The Spirit of the Abyss was "Love" trying to bring it back together. She was also an avatar of a star... just not Vedra. It was an interesting idea, but a but too kludgy. Plus using the wrong tools. The Magog would definitely be more the style of a less accountable blue skin.

[@m.p.6039]

Man... this guy can really act.

[@Kobaneko2005]

Ah... waifu... doing her thing...

[@briandaleske5139]

I think it might be good if a new version of (ANDROMEDA) show series could get made someday.

[@Duragizer8775]

_Andromeda_ is one show that could definitely benefit from a reboot.

[@jackmeowmeowmeow2177]

Tyr was a class A villain in the end.

[@TheVeritas1]

@@Duragizer8775 On his channel, Rowan J. Coleman also argued Andromeda should be rebooted.

[@user-te5cy4ej1g]

​@@Duragizer8775 посмотрим, что из Вавилона 5 сделают. И стоит ли? А Андромеду только пару сезонов, а после, полностью сюжет переработать, чтобы к ужасу 5 сезона не прийти

[@Taospark]

"I am the way to get us out of this.... I am the avatar of a sun, a star. All things come from the same thing. All from me. You are elements of the sun. As I make you, I am able to destroy you. As I destroy you, I am able to create.... Awareness is where we travel. No path. I am all gravity, and it exists in all universes, between them. What destroys you in this universe will deliver you to the next. Are you ready to sacrifice everything? You will put your trust in me to destroy you? Then behold the expanding universe."

[@guytremblay1647]

the best sci fy show from the 90's

[@rogerlynch5279]

At least the plot line was muich more refreshing and original as the usual STAR TREK and STAR WARS like concets that were so often reused since the Sixties

[@guytremblay1647]

@@rogerlynch5279 I cannot agree more with your statement thats for sure . This story was one that deviated from any Rodenbury stories and set it appart from any other scifi series . Pretty much like Earth's Final Conflict which was also a good one untill they fucked it up at the end . Luckely Andromeda didn,t suffer the same kind of ending

[@dnf-dead]

Quantum leap is pretty good

[@guytremblay1647]

@@dnf-dead never liked it

[@Raison_d-etre]

Contrary to what she said, she could've explained herself to him. She could've told him she was the avatar of a star. He wouldn't really understand, but he would've understood a lot.

[@Duragizer8775]

Robert Hewitt Wolfe envisioned Trance's people as chaos-loving tricksters, and her characterization in this episode reflects that.

[@ML-yn9yu]

She was meant to be more inline with a devil.

[@Raison_d-etre]

The New Commonwealth Wiki: In Robert Hewitt Wolfe's original plan for Andromeda, Trance's people (still solar avatars) would have been the Lightbringers, or Lucifers, who fought a war in "Heaven" (the original state of the universe as a small perfect space with all matter and energy pressed tightly together) resulting in the Big Bang. The Spirit of the Abyss would have been an embodiment of Love (the twisted stalker kind of Love, or gravity) trying to crush the universe back in on itself. Rather than being the Vedran sun, Trance Gemini would have been, "a sun in the Gemini constellation dreaming it's a person", hence the name.

[@Dagune]

@@Raison_d-etre oh

[@Fafhrd42]

@@Raison_d-etre Huh. Sounds a lot like the Fire Lords and Dark Dwellers in A.A. Attanasio's Arthurian books.

[@ireallyreallyhategoogle]

I miss good scifi like Andromeda and Babylon 5.

[@HoobriBoobri]

alomost loved her....

[@evag6370]

#reviveandromeda

[@permeus2nd]

2:25 one person not even one of Trance’s race can start a civil war yes they can try to push you in a direction but there needs to be people willing to follow that path. 3:47 yes for you it was a defining moment but for him it was a Tuesday and a really slow one at that.

[@cartoonking461]

In the comic books of Superman we have a small impish trickster While not of a devil style. Same in star trek next gen, there is always a character that comes back over several episodes that either changes timelines or creates issues and problems for the main characters. In this case of Andromeda she is more of a good spirit even though she has a tail maybe because you can do a lot of mayhem that's good in life and you'll feel better than making things worse

[@kurtsnyder4752]

Cute tail.

[@woulfhound]

I haven't seen this episode but as far as I can tell it makes Trance look like the real villain in disguise this whole time. Take an already broken man who is trying to recover in what he thinks is the best way possible, listen to his sob story then proceed to downplay his tragedy, play mind games on him, make light of his situation and his people's plight and then bring him all the way down again by suggesting that you are the villain he suspects you to be. Then leave him just as psychologically broken as the day he learned his son died. If I were Dr. Logitch I would have taken extra precaution with her and either sent her back to where she came from early on or use her up completely as a test subject.

[@shayla106]

It wouldn’t have worked.

[@woulfhound]

@@shayla106 Why?

[@Phoenix-ug1ru]

@@woulfhound i mean she could just cause her avatar to go nova and consume the planet

[@woulfhound]

@@Phoenix-ug1ru You mean super nova?

[@phoenixrivenus9270]

You think I'm a demon?... You better hope not.

[@mikewright3029]

think Trance is a Star Touched Elf. lol. makes sense to me.

[@waynecampeau4566]

One of the best episodes :) Too bad the show went off the rails for the last season and a half :(

[@Duragizer8775]

Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz were pretty much the only reasons why the show didn't go completely off the rails immediately after Robert Hewitt Wolfe was fired. They were the only writers on-board interested in keeping his vision alive after he was gone. Once they left after Season 3, the show completely tanked.

[@rogerlynch5279]

@@Duragizer8775 Not only that, similar to the struggles of STAR TREK-TOS talk was going on long before the end of the series to shut it down. So in the " WAR BEHIND THE CURTAINS " the usual methods were used, minimizing the money put into the show, giving it worth time slots and demoralizing crew and actors with assorted mean rumors to the show´s future.

[@Ragitsu]

@@Duragizer8775 What the hell did they do to Tyr?

[@Duragizer8775]

@@Ragitsu Assassinated his character once Keith Hamilton Cobb saw the writing on the wall and decided against renewing his contract.

[@Ragitsu]

@@Duragizer8775 It's a shame. Man, I want a Tyr spinoff where he takes Rommie and Harper.

[@scottys1423]

Trance had very little to worry about. Logitch had no one to tell, and if he did, who would believe him?

[@shawnmccori]

at least the civil war had stopped the Magog from eating them there wasn't enough of them for the trip lol.

[@whitenuttergoku7310]

basically Nicholas Cage from the movie Next.

[@dirdib69]

Fun Fact: Trance Gemini's adopted sister is Michael Burnham, who taught her everything she knew.

[@ML-yn9yu]

Too bad, this whole plotline was dumped..

[@ericjustasinner5695]

That sucks

[@pitk.5880]

Meine Schwester und Liebe TranceGemini

[@alankohn6709]

There are some series I hope they never remake but this is one I'd like to see get another pass. Strangely I re-watched this not long ago along with Farscape which I think is a better show but Andromeda is very special and I do miss it action adventure a great cast of characters all of which I cared about most shows these days just can't seem to pull it off.

[@josearizmendi158]

I just watched Farscape last week now I’m going to be watching andromeda by second time

[@MasterUxi]

Yah I didn't like it at the time but has grown on me. I still like the Glorious Heritage design and Kevin Sorbo and the Nietzscheans. The Magog are terrifying, too.

[@phoenixrivenus9270]

Had they had a better actor than sorbo, it would have lasted longer.

[@alankohn6709]

@@phoenixrivenus9270 It wasn't Sorbo, the series lost it's way it was never really secure which seemed to make the writers push the story along at an unsustainable pace so the story telling suffered I love the series but its flaw was it often went from A to C and mentioned passing B this lead to inconstancies. The Andromeda herself was either the most powerful warship or wasn't from episode to episode for example.

[@JW-452]

@@alankohn6709 sorbo got greater creative control during season 3, and it goes down from there. it was the normal campy scifi for its time, but yea once he got more control the story started going crazy, and was not fun to watch.

[@MedalionDS9]

How do you intimidate the Cigarette Smoking Man... face off against a Purple Space Devil

[@KnightRaymund]

S1 of Andromeda was great. After that, much less so.

[@Duragizer8775]

I think Season 1's uneven. It's only after the introduction of the Magog Worldship that I feel the show started to find its footing and get real good. Then Sorbo and Tribune sabotaged the show and all that potential went up in flames.

[@user-lw8dr6xx8i]

He forgot his cigar.

[@williamschleyjr7761]

Which is a better show : Andromeda or the original Star Trek?

[@Duragizer8775]

_Star Trek_ , hands down.

[@andreww2098]

both by Gene Roddenberry, Adromeda was supposed to be a darker version of Star trek

[@mnomadvfx]

@@andreww2098 Somehow it ended up super campy though for a modern sci fi. Not at all well made vs ST Next Gen, even in the first few series they looked far better than this. Even Farscape looked better than this most of the time.

[@andreww2098]

@@mnomadvfx true it mostly got shafted by Kevin Sorbo, who should of been playing the Niezstchian as he's a right wing Qanon type, being the producer and making it the, "I am a God!" show

[@shainedge6651]

Andromeda, until we get to season 5.. we don't talk about season 5.

[@evag6370]

We never do find out who it is. :(

[@Freakarmy]

she's a solar avatar ;)

[@kleanthisxanthopoulos9670]

Actually we have found who Trance was. And I don't mean what ended being so at late season 4 and season 5 (the "Solar Avatar" Fuligin mentioned). Andromeda changed show-runners during its 5 year run and so Trance's origins changed (somewhat) as well. If you want to find out about what Trance was supposed to be, and hinting heavily at this episode (told to us on the face), read "Coda" by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, the show's original show-runner. Hint; the tail.

[@kurtsnyder4752]

Could play sister or cousin of Harley Quinn.

[@Duragizer8775]

Laura Bertram could've played Harley herself. Hell, probably still could. Old school Harley, preferably.

[@kurtsnyder4752]

@@Duragizer8775 Multiverse team up.

[@shawnmccori]

At least she isnt a hamburger for those people cause of the death on that planet.

[@pitk.5880]

Ich bitte den lieben Gott das du das überlebst

[@RalphJonesJr]

dead vid...

[@josephkasmarcik2895]

Not a fan of the character since she was a deus ex machina just hanging out.

[@Ragitsu]

Cute ex Machina.

[@josephkasmarcik2895]

@@Ragitsu I certainly liked her better before this revelation. If she had only been gifted with some kind of limited foresight it would have been better. Instead of being a god like being slumming with regular people. It cheapens the rest of the time the character had been on the show and makes it look more like an act during the peroids they had been in danger. Her specifically

[@shayla106]

This made her character better.

[@fturla]

Sorry, in the end I found the whole Andromeda series as pure garbage. So many dropped plotlines and too many religious innuendos. Like Game of Thrones and BattleStar Galactica, the series has terrible endings that left tons of viewers unsatisfied with a bitter taste.

[@Ragitsu]

What's wrong with religious innuendo in the context of fiction?

[@fturla]

@@Ragitsu There's absolutely nothing wrong in using religious concepts in any movie, and the entire movie can be religious based. The problem I see with a ton of videos with a hint of religious source material in the story is that the concepts are not properly addressed and the presentation leaves viewers of the story wondering if they missed hints toward that plot device or if the screenwriters simply got lazy and didn't develop background context to that perspective. I think Babylon 5 had better conceptual presentations on religion compared to movies or series where the religious aspect is left unanswered, hanging, or intentionally kept a mystery. Why do I think the shows don't present many plot points correctly? Bad writing and the hidden political and office drama behind the scenes of the production. Maybe there was budget cuts, or salary disputes, or the broadcast platform decided to cancel the show.

[@marksocha9113]

So naturally you decided to you tube some of the scenes

[@fturla2699]

@@marksocha9113 I have no idea what you are talking about. I made a comment that some shows were too lazy to properly address plot lines especially ones that add religion to the mix. What the hell does KZbin some of the scenes mean? At this point, your comment is just trolling and we'll let the internet community decide.

[@Duragizer8775]

Can't say I disagree too strongly. Robert Hewitt Wolfe's original vision for the series was solid, but it was spoiled by Tribune and Kevin Sorbo, who just wanted _Hercules in Space_ .

[@KenS1267]

The problem with the Trance character, and why it ruins the show, is the injection of unnecessary supernatural into a science fiction story. BSG makes this mistake as well. Tell science fiction stories without falling back on fantasy.

[@shawntipton5078]

Incorrect, the truth is that sci-fi media has always embraced the supernatural since it is very scientific, rational, logical and exists in the real world and is great for character building,, you have no evidence that the supernatural does not exist, the evidence is considered overwhelming that it does exist, in any case Trance is an avatar of a celestial object, not a devil.

[@random_an0n]

the later seasons was cringe,dylan got a new girl every ep and the writing suffered badly,was cringe af