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Time Out of Mind
TOOM
Production
Episode

4.20

Production #

420

Original air date

May 3, 2004

Written by

Lu Abbott and Stacey Berman-Woodward

Directed by

Allan Harmon

Developed by

Robert Hewitt Wolfe

Producer

Sherry Gorval

Executive Producer

Allan Eastman
Majel Roddenberry
Josanne B. Lovick
Jay Firestone
Adam Haight
Kevin Sorbo
Bob Engels

Production Designer

Richard B. Lewis

Cast
Guest stars

Chris Kalhoon as Ignatius Valentine

Missy Peregrym as Lisset
Aaron Douglas as Henry Theocrattus Wezlow
Jianna Ballard as Young Beka
Stefanie von Pfetten as Nema
Erica Durance as Amira

Chronology
Preceded by

Symmetry of Imperfection

Followed by

The Dissonant Interval (Part 1)

"On the plains of Galiolith,
Crystalline chimes herald a new beginning
For all who wish to hear them."
Ghillie Clethrad, "Flumerian Hymns"
CY 6104

"Time Out of Mind" is episode 20 of Season 4.

Synopsis[]

The Eureka Maru is taking on passengers from another transport, a trio of Wayist monks. One of the monks is snooping around a bit, and he is confronted by the other two, who seem to be looking for something. These two are both wearing necklaces with small, black, cubical pendants, which the first monk refers to as "abysmal necklaces". The confrontation escalates, and the one of the two monks shoots the first one. Beka Valentine and Dylan Hunt come to investigate, and one squeezes his pendant, creating a piercing noise that temporarily throws Beka and Dylan off. The monks flee, intentionally leaving the ship out the airlock, into space, killing themselves.

Beka returns to the monk that was shot. He is still alive, but mortally wounded. He recognizes Beka, and, before he dies, tells her: "Your presents, don't let them find your past." After he dies, Beka notices a Collector tattoo on his wrist.

Andromeda's analysis of the monks who jumped ship reveals that they were not human, but artificial constructs, including Radical Isotopes in their construction, revealing them to be agents of the Abyss. Rhade has found that the Collector had been living with the Wayists for 25 years, and his name was Theocrattus. Beka says that she knew a Henry Theocrattus Wezlow who, with his wife, Nema, worked for her father on the Maru when she was young, and she is surprised that she did not recognize him. Dylan observes that Wezlow was a "real" Collector, not an ally of Pish Tryan, and he came to find Beka.

The crew reviews Wezlow's last words, and Trance finds a flexi sewn into Wezlow's robes. It is a holographic map of a planet, Daedalus V, which is known to have been destroyed 300 years ago. As it is their only clue, they go to its location, and find the planet still intact. Rhade notes that the moons of the planet do not match with the map, and adjusts them, which highlights a location on the planet, revealing an underground archival gallery. They decide to investigate.

Dylan, Beka, and Harper go to the gallery, which is a huge grid of chambers. They meet a woman, Amira, who is a Collector, and recognizes Dylan. She admits that the Collectors had led people to believe that the planet had been destroyed in order to protect the archive.

Andromeda is unable to upload the archive in order to search it, so Amira asks what they are looking for. They tell her about Wezlow. She is shocked to hear of his death, but agrees to help.

On Andromeda, Telemachus Rhade, Rommie, and Trance Gemini detect a plasma based mass moving through the archives, towards Dylan and the others. They contact him to warn him about it.

Amira explains the "tri-keys", triangular devices used to provide access to the archives, which contain not only history and science, but fiction, including trashy Nietzschean romances and something called "Andromeda Unleashed". She says that they are not just read, they are experienced in a form of virtual reality. She locates the tri-keys referenced in Wezlow's records, and demonstrates how to use the chambers to experience the archives. She warns that the archives cannot be exited before they have properly completed without causing brain damage in the viewer, and that things that happen in the archive may actually affect the viewer physically. She gives Beka the tri-key related to the archive that Wezlow last updated: a record related to six months he spent on the Eureka Maru.

Another woman is prowling through the archive, wearing a black square pendant like that worn by the Abyss' monks.

Rhade and Rommie visit the archive, in order to investigate the plasma mass. They are unable to affect it, and it hurls them down the corridor. Rommie notes that, in the process, it read her programs. They deduce that it is a "data net", reading and erasing the archive.

Harper has located 15 different archives which reference both Wezlow and Beka. Amira retrieves the associated tri-keys, and places them in a bowl. She explains that each visitor to an archival record may take the point of view of one of the characters, or that of an observer. They can pause the record, to return to themselves, or say "eject" to leave. She assigns Beka the role of her younger self in the archival record.

Inside the archive, Beka finds herself revisiting the events of her childhood. She (as a child) is snooping around the Maru, when she should be in bed, looking for her birthday presents. Wezlow finds her, and, when she explains what she is doing, asks her what she wants for her birthday, but her answer, in the archive, is garbled. Beka's father walks by, and (present-day) Beka is clearly affected.

Harper goes into another chamber to check another archive.

Andromeda contacts Dylan and tells him that she has determined that the data net is being controlled from the surface, and it is being sent towards Dylan. She estimates that he has 36 minutes before it arrives at his location.

Beka comes out of the archive, and asks about the garbled section. Amira finds this odd, as damaged archives should not be able to function properly. Dylan warns Amira about the data net, and while Beka goes back into the archive, Dylan and Amira check out another one, with Dylan as Wezlow, and Amira as Nema, his wife.

While everyone is in the archive chambers, the woman who was sneaking around comes into the area, and takes the tri-key from Dylan's chamber. Harper comes out of his archive, and she hides.

Andromeda observes that the data net is getting close to Dylan's location, but she is unable to contact him. Rhade and Trance go to the surface in a Lancer Drop Pod.

Beka is enjoying the nostalgia of her childhood memories. Young Beka wants a doll for her birthday.

Harper grabs another tri-key and goes back into the archives, but the key he has selected is for "Andromeda Unleashed", which turns out to be a trashy novel. Rommie speaks with a German accent and has dominatrix tendencies. Dylan has a bad Australian accent and a chest covered in medals. Beka is something of a bimbo. Harper himself is an overweight slob, stating meaningless technobabble.

The mystery woman is grabbing tri-keys when Rhade interrupts. She identifies herself as Lisset, and claims to be a Collector, but Rhade is suspicious. Her eyes glow red, and a fight ensues, during which the bowl of tri-keys is spilled on the floor. Rhade uses one of them as a ninja throwing star, and cuts Lisset's arm, but she overpowers him and takes advantage of the time to duck into the chamber with Dylan and Amira.

In "Andromeda Unleashed", Telemachus Rhade is a trigger happy security officer. Trance Gemini is a very accurate oracle. Harper finds himself unable to pause or eject, as Lisset has removed his tri-key.

Trance finds Rhade trying to get at Lisset, but he is locked out. With 20 minutes until the data net arrives, they realize that the tri-key is missing from Harper's chamber, and, without it, they cannot safely get him out. They deduce that it must be among those on the floor, and begin searching.

Lisset pauses Dylan's program, and demands the "Voice of Darkness", but Dylan does not know what this is. A fight ensues, with Lisset taking the part of a Nietzschean invading the Maru. Nema uses a small silver bell, with mechanical wings, which creates an ultrasonic sound that causes pain to Lisset (as the Nietzschean). The Nietzschean kills Nema. Wezlow tells the Nietzschean that the bell will bring down the Abyss, then, returning to themselves, Dylan takes Lisset's black square pendant and crushes it with his feet. Dylan and Amira leave the archive, but leave Lisset, still unconscious, inside.

Everyone is searching for Harper's key, and Dylan tells Beka about the bell, but she does not know anything about it. Dylan and Beka return to the first archive, as observers, and when it comes to the garbled part, Beka says that she wanted a Clarinthian angel doll for her birthday. This proves to be a password, and unlocks a hidden part of the archive, showing Beka, with her angel doll, talking to Wezlow as he leaves the Maru. He tells her to look after the doll, no matter what, and she notices that the doll makes the sound of a bell when it moves. She concludes that this bell must be hidden inside the doll, which is still on the Maru.

Trance finds the key for Harper's program, embedded in the wall (it is the one that Rhade threw).

Beka and Dylan cannot end the program, because of the damage the data net has caused, but Dylan remembers the tactic he used in Shig and Lipp-Sett's "game", and he and Beka deliberately jump through a wall, allowing them to exit the program.

Dylan goes into the "Andromeda Unleashed" program, and helps Harper exit.

Beka retrieves her doll from the Maru and finds the bell. Dylan tries to use it to stop the data net, but to no effect. Beka takes it, and it works for her, stopping the data net.

Back on the Andromeda, Amira thanks Dylan for his help, and promises the support of the Collectors.

Beka reminisces about the influence of people who have believed in her, like Wezlow, her father, and Dylan.

Trivia[]

  • The title refers to the phrase: "out of sight, out of mind".
  • Wezlow refers to "Battlestar Galactica".
  • Aaron Douglas had previously played CPO Galen Tyrol in the 2003 Miniseries Battlestar Galactica. This line is likely a reference to that part. The actress Grace Park, who played Tyrol's love interest, also appeared in a previous episode of Andromeda.

Memorable Quotes[]

Wezlow (recorded): Don't let them find your past
Harper: And in the future, leave better messages!

Rhade: Some actually value wealth of knowledge over material wealth, Harper.
Harper: And some already have all the knowledge we need. We value silence over stupid questions.
Rhade: So, why are you still talking?

Wezlow: ...and I beat Beka at Battlestar 3 times!

Gallery[]

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