A Sci-Fi hunk with attitude - Tyr Anasazi, as portrayed by Keith Hamilton Cobb in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. Photo copyright of Tribune Entertainment.
In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, Keith Hamilton Cobb talks about his genetically engineered superhuman character of Tyr Anasazi in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda.
“Tyr belongs to a race of humanoids called Nietzscheans [pronounced Nee-chee-ans],” says the actor. “He and his people have been bred to be superior survivors. They are stronger and faster than ordinary humans and have heightened senses that allow them to do, among other things, eat a variety of unusual foods and breathe chlorine gas. The most important thing to them is personal survival. If you can survive you can procreate and if you procreate you need to do so with a mate that is your equal or stronger so that you can produce better babies. It’s rabid social Darwinism, which means they don’t tend to get along with each other most of the time.
“However, what I’ve come to learn is that the operative word in genetically engineered superhuman is ‘human.’ At the base of it, Nietzscheans are human beings with a few changes that make them extremely fierce, single-minded, blunt and quite dangerous because they are constantly watching out for their own self-interests. They don’t have a great sense of morality or code of ethics. For them it’s, ‘ Whatever it takes to get me to tomorrow.’ Having said that, there are human emotions lying just beneath the surface of Tyr’s personality. Human needs, wants, desires, all of which everyone around him is able to express much more freely than he is. In later episodes, though, we begin to explore Tyr’s inner self and you see glimpses of his ‘human side.’
“I think this plays an important part in Tyr’s relationship with Dylan Hunt [portrayed by former Hercules: The Legendary Journeys star Kevin Sorbo],” continues Cobb. “Dylan has an age-old distrust of Nietzscheans but he’s made the bold choice to keep Tyr around because he’s the ship’s secret weapon. No one else onboard can do the things he can. What’s interesting is that over time Dylan tries to key into the similarities between him and Tyr. Many of the qualities he sees in Tyr are also in him, so he’s constantly working to make the Nietzschean aware of his humanity.
“Not to give too much away, but there’s an episode we recently filmed in which Dylan is talking about taking care of a group of people. Tyr basically asks, ‘What makes you think I care about any one?’ Dylan tells him, ‘Well, I know you do. Look, it’s only you and me here and I’ve been around too long for you to fool me. We’re too much alike. You’re more human than you’d like to admit.’ I think this little tug-of-war between the characters will be ongoing. In the process, both men are going to learn a great many things about each other. This kind of discovery process makes Tyr all the more fascinating to play.”
Steve Eramo
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