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Aftermath battle

Human ships preparing to engage. (C: Aftermath)

The Intergalactic War (Andromedan War) was a major conflict between the Terran Federation and the Andromedan aliens from the Galaxy M31. The war culminating in the destruction of Star One.

Prologue[]

Thirty years before the series, the Federation central computer known as “Control” - the massive computer banks that controlled deep space computer flight coordination, global climate control on Federation worlds, and communications relays - was relocated to a planet orbiting an uncharted white dwarf star, where it would not be easily found. (B: Pressure Point)

The empty “Control” complex was left on Earth to serve as a target decoy for resistance groups. The new control centre, named Star One, was protected in a number of ways. It was placed in the outer edge of the Milky Way Galaxy, where the star density was low so that it could not be found accidentally. Servalan had knowledge of its location purged from the Federation ranks shortly before the beginning of the series.

A small crew elected to stay on Star One to devote their lives to maintaining the machines. They were rigorously conditioned against betrayal.

Orac speculated that at some point, a scout ship from the nearby Andromeda galaxy had appeared. To protect the galaxy, an Antimatter minefield was slowly placed between Star One and Andromeda, as well as at other strategic points in the Galaxy. The logic of this precaution is debatable; having travelled two million light years, an invasion force could simply have gone around and approached the planet by the same path as Liberator - unless some unavoidable limitation of Andromedan-made intergalactic FTL drives made any bypass physically impossible for them. (B: Star One)

The quest to find Star One comprised a large part of the second series, with Roj Blake traveling all over the Galaxy to find the location and deliver a decisive crippling blow to the corrupt Terran Federation. It also served, according to script editor Chris Boucher, as a way to edge Blake into a more fanatical direction, willing to perhaps kill thousands in his quest to end the Federation's rule.

Travis's Betrayal[]

When the Liberator crew arrived at Star One, they found that the Federation crew in charge had been almost completely replaced by jellyfish-like aliens who were using morphing techniques to look human. It turned out that when the treacherous Space Commander Travis had discovered the location of Star One, he revealed this information to an alien invasion fleet from the nearby Andromeda galaxy. They had sabotaged Star One, disrupting the entire Federation, and massed a massive invasion fleet just outside the defence zone. Vengeful and possibly insane, Travis returned to deactivate the defence zone personally, a “final act” against a humanity he now hated, feeling betrayed by his race after losing his military career (B: Trial).

The aliens used Star One to create chaos throughout the Federation. Spaceships would crash into each other and severe weather conditions on many planets led to death and destruction. Supreme Commander Servalan took advantage of this, in order to depose the President and seize power.

Jenna Stannis and Blake independently decided to fight alongside the Federation against the external threat. Jenna had Orac alert the Terran Federation Space Command’s strategy computers to the danger in Blake’s name, passing along coordinates to Star One. When Servalan received Jenna’s message, she believed it and ordered a “Red One Mobilization”, sending every ship in the vast Federation fleet to Star One, from across the Galaxy.

Blake, Cally, and Kerr Avon fought off the Andromedans and killed Travis, but not before one defence zone was deactivated. Blake ordered his crew to stop the sabotage of Star One, so that humanity would have it to fight with. But a bomb went off, killing the last of the human crew and damaging part of the station.

Wounded by Travis, Blake asked Avon to fight against the Andromedan fleet until the Federation navy arrived. Avon agreed, and the Liberator stood alone against a fleet of six hundred ships sailing through the hole in the defence zones, with the nearest Federation units roughly an hour away at maximum speed. The battle cruiser Newton was the first Federation ship to engage the aliens. (B: Star One)

The War[]

The history of the Intergalactic War is uncertain. No canonical narrative was ever given. Only highlights were shown in the third series premiere episode “Aftermath” and hints of the battle were given by characters throughout the third season. What is known, principally from the episode “Aftermath” is that:

  • Battles
    • A large battle took place near Sarran. (“Aftermath”)
    • At least three major battles took place near the planet Obsidian. (“Volcano”)
  • Destroyed
    • 80% of the Federation fleet. (“Aftermath”)
    • Megiddo, a dwarf planet with a rogue orbit, crashed into the Andromedan Fleet and destroyed it. The shock wave severely damaged the Liberator, Servalan's flagship, and Escort Group 9. ("Warship")
    • Most of the Fifth Legion. The survivors landed on Sardos. (“Moloch”)
    • Servalan’s flagship and Escort Group 9. ("Warship", “Aftermath”)
    • Star One was destroyed by the Andromedans and reported by Battle Commander Squadron 6. ("Warship", “Aftermath”)
    • The Andromedan fleet of around 600 ships. ("Warship", “Aftermath”)
    • The Federation flagship. ("Warship", “Aftermath”)
    • The majority of the Federation’s heavy cruisers.
  • Other information
    • At least 1 Andromeda alien ship was captured. (“Children of Auron”, “Moloch”)
    • Ionic beams and ionic reefs were created that wreaked havoc with a ship’s electrical systems. (“Children of Auron”)
    • The Andromedans, at one point, used biological weapons against humanity, an act that would imply a protracted conflict. According to Ginka, the aliens engaged in pathogen warfare at one stage in the conflict. (“Children of Auron”)
    • The genetic engineering experiments on Bucol-2 were developed further during the War, but abandoned before the war ended. The scientists, except Justin, were shot down by an enemy gunship as they were leaving the planet. (“Animals”)
    • The Liberator was severely damaged by alien mines and had to be abandoned late in the fighting. ("Warship", “Aftermath”)
    • The remaining 20% of the Federation fleet was scattered halfway across the galaxy. (“Aftermath”)
    • There were at least two major revolts on Earth. (“Rumours of Death”)
    • There were several mutinies by renegade military units. (“Volcano”, “Children of Auron”, “Moloch”)
    • The series did make clear that the Federation prevailed, but at staggering cost in ships and men. A Federation officer stated that the only reason they won at all was because they outnumbered the Andromedans. However, even this is untrue, because the crew of the Liberator ran an old smugglers trick, forcing the Andromedans into Megiddo's path and destroying them all. (“Warship", “Aftermath”)
    • The survivors faced other dangers, such as hostile natives and an organ bank stocking up its reserves from the survivors. (“Aftermath”, “Powerplay”).
    • The war lasted long enough for many independent ships, such as Del Tarrant’s, to get involved in the fighting. (“Powerplay”)

Aftermath[]

As a result of the War, the Federation's galactic influence was severely diminished, and Roj Blake's command of the Liberator ended. The ship, now controlled by Kerr Avon, was ruthlessly pursued by President Servalan as part of her mission to rebuild the lost fleet. Several planets, such as Obsidian and Auron, became deliberately isolationist to avoid being affected by the conflict or in order to break free from the Federation's dwindling grip. Other Federation worlds like Bucol II and Sardos, which were left without any major overseer, became rogue. (C: Volcano)

Most notably, the resistance launched a full-on coup at the President's palace on Earth in an effort to disband the Federation entirely. However, this effort failed. (C: Rumours of Death)

Despite the Federation's woes, it still remained a major galactic power, enough for Servalan to be invited as a neutral judge for the Teal-Vandor conflict. (C: Death-Watch)

After being deposed, Servalan reinvented herself as Commissioner Sleer and introduced a new pacification programme using a modified version of the drug Pylene-50, which allowed for near-instanteous brainwashing. This proved to be a major asset for the Federation and let them quickly rebuild their power base to essentially the same state as it was before the War. (D: Traitor)

Behind the scenes[]

  • After 2 seasons of focused attacks against the Terran Federation, the pyrrhic victory at Star One shifted the tone of the series. It became more focused on stand-alone science-fiction adventures, with Servalan and the Federation reduced to recurring black-and-white villains with less political overtones. Toward the end of the fourth series, this trend was reversed to allow for Avon's emergence as a freedom fighter.
  • The War also saw the largest turnover in the cast, with Blake, Jenna and Travis departing the show, Dayna Mellanby and Del Tarrant joining and Avon taking over the lead role, a point emphasised by his being the primary character in “Aftermath”.
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