Rev Bem

This article is about the character Rev Bem. To view the article about the song, go here.

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I am the darkness become the light
I am the darkness become the truth
I am the darkness become the Way
Rev Bem

Rev Bem, also known as Reverend Behemial Far Traveller, is a fictional character in the television series Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, played by actor Brent Stait. The name "Bem" refers to "bug-eyed monster", a nickname for science fiction aliens. Brent Stait had to leave the role during the second season after developing an allergy to the prosthetics he wore.

Biography

Rev Bem is a devout member of the Wayist religion, but he is also a Magog, a savage bloodthirsty species feared throughout the universe. Wanting to distance himself from his barbaric kin, Rev has to control his baser instincts to kill other living beings for food, or forcibly infest them with Magog eggs for reproduction. His full Wayist name is Reverend Behemial Far Traveler, shortened to Rev Bem. His real name is a series of loud screeches in his native Magog tongue that more or less translates to "Red Plague."

Rev Bem is kind and understanding when most beings he encounters greet him with a shriek of terror and aim a weapon at him; indeed, Dylan once said that Rev was the closest thing to a savior he had ever met. He commonly served as the ship's physicist and psychiatrist during his time on the ship, providing someone for the crew to talk to about their problems and performing scientific analysis of recent discoveries. The only frustrating detail about his personality is his refusal to fire weapons or kill any beings despite the danger the crew face; when he was once forced to kill other Magog in self-defence when the Andromeda first encountered the Magog World Ship and the Spirit of the Abyss, he subsequently starved himself for several weeks in penance for his actions.

During a visit to the Hajira, a people with perfect genetic memory who were being taught the values of Wayism and faced threat from slavers, Rev Bem's genetic material was extracted by Tiama who infested herself with his larval offspring. Although he was an unwilling participant in the event, Rev nevertheless allowed the children to be born, hoping that the 'mother's' genetic memory would result in the creation of Magog with some degree of innocence. After the birth, this hope was proved to be correct; while the children were initially indiscriminately violent, they demonstrated a willingness to cooperate with humans shortly after birth that had never been seen in a Magog before outside of Rev himself.

Rev Bem's last appearance as a regular cast member was in the mid-second season episode "Ouroboros", where he departed to try and find himself, his faith tested after the confrontation with the Abyss. He guest starred in the third season episode "What Happens To A Rev Deferred?", in which he undergoes a final transformation that purges his Magog nature, and in the fourth season episode "Fear Burns Down to Ashes".

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