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The Honey Offering
Thehoneyoffering
Production
Episode

1.19

Production #

121

Original air date

April 23, 2001

Written by

Joe Reinkemeyer and Matt Kiene

Directed by

Brad Turner

Developed by

Robert Hewitt Wolfe

Producer

Sherry Gorval

Executive Producer

Allan Eastman
Majel Roddenberry
Robert Hewitt Wolfe
Josanne B. Lovick
Jay Firestone
Adam Haight

Production Designer

Ken Rabehl

Cast
Guest stars

Kimberly Huie as Elssbett Mossadim
Adrian Hughes as Fleet Marshall Cuchulain Nez Pierce
Charles Zuckermann as Perseid Dockmaster
Kenan Raven as Nietzschean Spy

Chronology
Preceded by

The Devil Take the Hindmost

Followed by

Star-Crossed


"The enemy of my enemy
is still my enemy."
Drago Museveni
C.Y. 8427

"The Honey Offering" is episode 19 of Season 1.

Season1Cast

The Regular Cast of Andromeda Season 1

Synopsis[]

Things start out with a woman arming herself with numerous weapons.

Tyr Anasazi has an opportunity for Dylan Hunt and his Commonwealth: The Sabra Pride and Jaguar Prides, who have been at war for 200 years, are arranging a marriage and treaty between them, and they need someone to transport the bride from the Sabra homeworld to the Jaguar homeworld. Dylan wonders how this works to Tyr's advantage. Tyr says that a united Sabra-Jaguar Pride will be strong enough to fight the Drago-Kazov Pride, his enemies.

Rev advises Dylan to be cautious. The large Prides are dangerous, and they had enough problems dealing with the smaller Orca Pride. Dylan says that the Sabra and Jaguar Prides are important political players, and worth the risk.

Dylan strikes a deal with the Nietzscheans: He will transport the bride in exchange for the freedom of 2 star systems that they have been fighting over, Enkindu and Schopenhauer's World, and allowing these worlds the opportunity to join the Commonwealth. He does not expect that the Sabra-Jaguar Pride, a power in their own right, would be interested in the Commonwealth at this point.

Elssbett Mossadim-Bolivar, the Sabra first daughter, boards the Andromeda. She assumes that Tyr is in charge, and that the others are his slaves. Trance Gemini presents her with a bouquet of flowers, which she discards, referring to Trance as a "pet" and a "purple monkey". Tyr is merely amused.

Elssbett continues ordering people around. She finds the guest quarters to be inadequate, so she appropriates the Observation Deck for herself.

Dylan protests this attitude to Tyr, but Tyr tells Dylan that Elssbett was raised that way, and he should not expect her to act any differently. He does agree to discuss it with her.

Tyr talks to Elssbett, flattering her. He expresses a low opinion of her prospective husband, Charlemagne Bolivar. He reminds her that the Jaguar Pride has been in decline for 300 years, but he encourages her to marry anyway, because then she will hold the power and the control of the combined Sabra-Jaguar Pride. He tells her to remember him when she is in that position. In response, she asks what pride Tyr belongs to. When he tells her he is a Kodiak, she states that the Kodiak are inferior, allowing yourself to be betrayed is a sign of weakness. Tyr cryptically states that if she knew him better, she might revise that opinion.

The crew is reacting poorly to Elssbett, except for Seamus Harper, but especially Trance. Trance sneaks into Elssbett's quarters, and starts looking through her luggage, but Elssbett catches her. Trance runs to Dylan, but before he can do any more than apologize on her behalf, the Andromeda is attacked by a large group of Nietzschean fighters. Dylan has Andromeda secure Elssbett in her quarters and heads for Command.

Dylan is hailed by Fleet Marshall Cuchulain Nez Pierce, the leader of the Drago-Kazov forces. Tyr states Pierce commanded the campaign against the Than-Thre-Kull colonies in the Orion Arm. Beka adds the he has doubled the size of the Drago fleet in under 2 years. Tyr quickly excuses himself from the Command Deck, so he will not be seen and recognized. Cuchulain demands that Dylan hand Elssbett over to him, and offers him some time to consider it.

Tyr suggests that perhaps Elssbett is more trouble than she is worth. When Dylan goes to talk to her, he finds that she has forced her way out of the Obs Deck. He quickly tracks her down. She is afraid that he is going to hand her over to the Dragans, but he says he has a better plan. He and Elssbett board the Eureka Maru, and he turns command of the Andromeda over to Beka.

Beka hails Cuchulain from Command, claiming that Elssbett has taken over the ship, and asking for his help. In the background, Harper yells that she is breaking into Command, and fires his gun. They break communications and turn to run, and Cuchulain follows. In the confusion, the Maru launches.

Elssbett is impressed by the maneuver, but Dylan takes advantage of the situation to check out the contents of her luggage, as Trance had earlier. He finds it packed with poisons, weapons, and bombs. Elssbett is an assassin, and was planning to end the Sabra/Jaguar war on her wedding day by killing all of the ruling Jaguar families.

Dylan says he is going to take her back to the Sabra homeworld to prevent this, but Elssbett tells him that she has been trained for this mission since she was three years old. She catches Dylan offguard, and attacks him. They fight, and Elssbett is surprised to find that Dylan can stand up to her. Dylan tells her that he is partly genetically engineered as his mother was a Heavy Worlder. Elssbett pulls out a Monomolecular lash. Dylan knocks it out of her hand, and it cuts a hole in the hull. They both immediately forget their fight and work to fix the hole, but when Dylan has the hole fixed, Elssbett takes advantage of the situation to put Inertial Restraints on him.

The Andromeda is being surrounded. Cuchulain sends a message, still addressing Elssbett, informing her that they are pushing her towards the orbital defense stations, weaponry that will overwhelm the Andromeda.

Elssbett forces Dylan to take the Maru to Skeevara X for repairs. She takes an assumed name, bribes the Perseid customs agent to falsify the records, and claims that Dylan is her slave. A Nietzschean observes the entire transaction. She checks them into the most expensive room, which Dylan suggests is not very inconspicuous.

Dylan tries to talk Elssbett into going through with the marriage, but Elssbett claims the Jaguars were just buying time for a military buildup. The war is a 200 year old blood feud, and she is going to end it, saving lives in the long run. Dylan points out that she will still be dead.

The Andromeda is 15 minutes from the defense stations. Cuchulain again calls for Elssbett's surrender.

Dylan continues to try to talk Elssbett out of killing everyone, including herself, with a Neutron bomb. Elssbett says that it is what she was trained for, and it will bring her fame. Her ova have been removed, to be fertilized and carried by other Nietzschean females. In fact, she does not understand why Dylan even cares about her, after what she has done to him. She releases Dylan, telling him to go back to the Andromeda, and she will continue on her own, because she feels that that is what she has to do. She then seduces Dylan.

Cuchulain sends more messages to the Andromeda. Trance says he is an "evil parrot" and Harper comments on the "red blips" of death. Beka performs an noise/time analysis on the messages that have been sent, and realizes that they were all pre-recorded, and broadcast on a timer. The "Nietzschean fleet" that is chasing them is, in fact, comprised of drones with Footprint Magnification Systems. Harper is amazed at being "suckered". They turn the Andromeda around and fly back through the drones, but they wonder where Cuchulain is.

Cuchulain is at the drift where Elssbett and Dylan are staying. He is baffled at Elssbett's use of honeymoon suite and sees her choice as a "joke". He storms into their suite but Elssbett and Dylan manage to escape when Elssbett cuts a hole in the wall with her Monomolecular lash.

Cuchulain's fleet chases the Maru as they head for the Jaguar homeworld. Dylan quotes Friedrich Nietzsche's "God is Dead" phrase. When Cuchulain catches up, the Andromeda appears. Dylan tells Beka to leave, because it is too dangerous, but Beka stays and harries the Nietzschean fleet.

Dylan calls for help from the Jaguars, but Cuchulain says that they can handle the Jaguars. Dylan realizes that if the Sabras were going to attack the Jaguar homeworld in a blitzkrieg, they must have a fleet ready in the system, likely hidden by the gas giant. He tells Elssbett to call to them for help, and she orders the Golden Light Battalion to intercept. The Drago-Kazov fleet is caught between the Jaguars, the Sabras, and the Andromeda, and driven back.

Dylan leaves the choice to Elssbett: She can go through with her original plan, and lose the war with the Drago-Kazov, or join forces with the Jaguars and have a chance. Elssbett accepts Dylan's suggestion.

Some time later, Dylan receives a message from Elssbett. She says that being married to Charlemagne Bolivar is not such a bad situation, after all. She congratulates him on his political maneuvering, and says that he is someone they respect, and can do business with. As requested, she grants independence to Enkindu and Schopenhauer.

Trivia[]

  • As a Friedrich Nietzsche connection, Chapter 61 of ”Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None” is entitled ”The Honey Sacrifice”.
    • ”--In mine own cave sitteth he, the higher man! But why do I wonder! Have not I myself allured him to me by honey-offerings and artful lure-calls of my happiness?”
  • Tyr quotes ”Macbeth”: ”If this which he avouches does appear, There is nor flying hence nor tarrying here”.
  • There is, of course, also the image of the "honey trap", the sexual entanglement of a target by an agent, said target then being manipulated or blackmailed into service.
  • There is also the saying: "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar". The "honey" offer was that marriage would end the warfare.
  • This story's premise of transporting a difficult passenger to an arranged marriage bears similarity to the "Star Trek: The Original Series" episode, ”Elaan of Troyius”. However, there is a significant divergence between the execution of this premise, enough that "The Honey Offering" could perhaps be regarded as a deconstruction of its 33 year old predecessor rather than an unambiguous remake.
  • The Drago Museveni quote is similar to Raymond Reddington's quote in this promo for "The Blacklist", The Enemy of My Enemy - The Blacklist.
    • “Sometimes the enemy of enemy is my friend. Sometimes it is another enemy. The trick is knowing the difference.”
  • Dylan Hunt references Friedrich Nietzche's statement, ”God is dead.” Years later, Kevin Sorbo would play a character who quoted the same thing in the religious drama, "God's Not Dead".
  • In this episode, Dylan delivers a line that goes something like this: "Have you seen my force lance?" The writers decided to use it because it's Sorbo's favorite on-set ad lib. He's become so associated with the line that he had it printed on the custom-made boxer shorts he gave as Christmas gifts to cast and crew. A pair sold at a charity auction for 3,800 dollars.

Memorable quotes[]

Dylan: Well, you've had the benefit of a more diverse exposure. Maybe you could share your experiences with her that non-Nietzscheans aren't inferior?
Tyr: You'd like me to lie to her?
Dylan: Just ask her to tone it down a little. We inferiors are sensitive.

Trance: She doesn't like flowers. What kind of person doesn't like flowers?

Tyr: Believe me, boy, Elssbett holds you in utter contempt.
Harper: I know. She's hot, and she's a good judge of character. So what if she holds me in utter contempt? At least she's thinking of me.

Dylan: Don't surrender anything while I'm gone, OK?
Beka: If you say so.

Trance: "Surrender!" "Surrender!" All his messages are the same. He sounds like an evil parrot.

Harper: What if they're not decoys?
Beka: Then when we get to the Pearly Gates, make sure everyone lines up behind Rev. (to Rev) You've got spin control.
Rev: I'll see what I can do.

Dylan: What was it Nietzche said? 'God is dead'?
Elssbett: Sometimes even atheists get their prayers answered.

Elssbett: You're starting a war.
Dylan: No, you are starting a war. I'm just re-arranging the sides.

DVD Release[]

The Honey Offering was released on DVD in a variety of formats. For more information see:

DVD Release
Andromeda: Season 1 Volume Releases
Andromeda: Complete Season 1
Andromeda: Series 1 Volume Releases
Andromeda: Complete Series 1
Andromeda: The Slipstream Collection
Andromeda: The Complete Boxset
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