Telemachus Rhade

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Telemachus Rhade
Statistics
Race	Nietzschean
Gender	Male
Affiliation	New Systems Commonwealth Andromeda Ascendant
Seasons	2,4-5

Telemachus Rhade is a fictional character in the television series Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. He is played by Steve Bacic.

Rhade is a Nietzschean Lieutenant Commander of the Systems Commonwealth serving aboard the Andromeda Ascendant under Captain Dylan Hunt. He is also a direct descendant of Gaheris Rhade (also played by Bacic as a recurring role in several episodes, mostly as flashbacks), a former executive officer of the Andromeda who betrayed Captain Hunt and the Commonwealth 300 years prior, contributing heavily to the fall of the Commonwealth. Telemachus is also the genetic reincarnation of his ancestor, which means that he possesses exactly the same DNA sequence as Gaheris- they are genetically identical (and consequently visually identical, naturally, which is why the two men are played by the same actor).

Captain Hunt first encountered Rhade while he was an Admiral of the home defense fleet and the leader of the isolationist movement on Terazed, a planet which had maintained the traditions of the Commonwealth ever since the fall 300 years prior. Terazed eventually joined the Commonwealth and at some later point, Rhade was demoted to Lt. Commander. Rhade joined the crew of the Andromeda after he assisted the crew in tracking down former crew member Tyr Anasazi, who had escaped custody in an attempt to acquire the map to the Route of Ages.

[edit] Name origins:

Telemachus (also transliterated as Telemachos or Telémakhos; literally, "far-away fighter") is a figure in Greek mythology, the son of Odysseus and Penelope. His part in the saga was described by Homer in the epic poem the Odyssey, in which his part of the story is often portrayed as a passage into manhood from childhood. In particular, the first four books of the Odyssey are sometimes referred to as the Telemachy.