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John Fleming | |
Aliases: | Doctor Fleming |
Continuity: | A for Andromeda |
Notability: | Main character |
Type: | Scientist |
Gender: | Male |
Race: | Human |
Location: | Thorness, Scotland |
Status: | Alive |
First: | A for Andromeda: The Message |
Actor: | Peter Halliday Luigi Vannucchi Tom Hardy |
John Fleming was a scientist and leading character featured in the short-lived 1961 television series A for Andromea. Played by British actor Peter Halliday, Fleming appeared in all seven episodes of the original series. He also appeared as the main character in the 1962 sequel, The Andromeda Breakthrough. A version of the character was re-imagined in the 1972 Italian remake series A come Andromeda. The character was re-imagined a second time for the 2006 A for Andromeda TV movie, this time played by Tom Hardy.
Biography[]
John Fleming was a scientist who worked alongside Professor Ernest Reinhart under the auspices of the Ministry of Defence. In 1970, Fleming and his team developed a highly advanced radio telescope at Bouldershaw Fell in the Yorkshire Dales. Shortly before its official opening, Doctor Fleming picked up a string of intermittent signals, which he determined had originated from the distant Andromeda Galaxy. Examining the signal, Doctor Fleming realized that the signal was in fact a computer program. He brought his findings to his superiors who compelled him to secrecy. [1]
Fleming then went to the London Institute of Electronics and used their computer resources to decode the messages from Boulderhsaw Fell. There, he met a young research assistant named Christine. Working to translate the code, Fleming theorized that the signals were actually a mathematical set of instructions, which included designs for the construction of a larger, more complex computer system. The Ministry gave Fleming permission to begin construction on the supercomputer and they set up a military research center at Thorness in Scotland. [2]
At Thorness, Doctor Fleming met a biologist named Madeleine Dawnay. Working on the new computer system, they discovered that the Andromeda signals had outlined a program to artificially create living cell tissue. Fleming grew immediately wary over such a concept, but Dawnay continued to follow the program's instructions and succeeded in creating a primitive protoplasmic life form. Fleming became even more of an alarmist, stating that the entire project should be shut down. [3]
Reluctantly, he continued his work at Thorness. The team set up two terminals on either side of their supercomputer and Fleming noticed that the terminals began affecting the brainwaves of anyone who passed between them. One of the project's research assistants, Christine, fell with the sphere of influence of the computer and touched both terminals. She experienced a massive shock of electricity, which killed her. The computer analzyed her biological structure and essentially re-created a virtual clone of Christine, which came to become known as Andromeda. Fleming's initial concerns over the computer's motivations only intensified and he was convinced that it was now attempting to subjugate humanity. [4][5]
Fleming then began actively working against the project. He tried to get it shut down and attempted to destroy the computer. For his efforts, he was banned from the facility. Madeleine Dawnay, who had previously believed in the project's goals, now began to understand Fleming's concerns. To forestall the supercomputer's evolution, they attempted to upload a program into its system to convince it that Andromeda was dead. This tactic failed, and the computer retaliated by introducing a toxin into Dawnay's system, making her extremely ill. Fleming was able to determine the correct formula to counteract the effects of the enzyme and save his colleague's life. [6]
By this point, the Ministry of Defence took complete control of the project and began using Andromeda to serve its own ends. As Andromeda was essentially a slave to the supercomputer's programming, she was ordered to kill Doctor Fleming, despite the fact that the two had fallen in love. Fleming survived and came to realize that his suspicions about the computer were correct - it was attempting to take control of the world.
More determined than ever, John broke into the computer room and took an axe to the mainframe, destroying it. Andromeda was now free of her programming and Fleming and she fled the laboratory. [7]
They sought refuge on an island off the coast of Scotland, but now they faced even larger problems. For the destruction of government property, they were being pursued by both agents of the Ministry of Defence as well as the Intel Trading Consortium. [8]
Notes & Trivia[]
- John Fleming is also an alias used by the Wonder Twin character Zan in the Super Friends comic book series.
Appearances[]
A for Andromeda[]
Episode | Title | Airdate |
---|---|---|
1x1 | The Message | October 3rd, 1961 |
1x2 | The Machine | October 10th, 1961 |
1x3 | The Miracle | October 17th, 1961 |
1x4 | The Monster | October 24th, 1961 |
1x5 | The Murderer | October 31st, 1961 |
1x6 | The Face of the Tiger | November 7th, 1961 |
1x7 | The Last Mystery | November 14th, 1961 |
nn | A for Andromeda (2006) | March 27th, 2006 |
The Andromeda Breakthrough[]
Episode | Title | Airdate |
---|---|---|
1x1 | Cold Front | June 28th, 1962 |
1x2 | Gale Warning | July 5th, 1962 |
1x3 | Azaran Forecast | July 12th, 1962 |
1x4 | Storm Centres | July 19th, 1962 |
1x5 | Hurricane | July 26th, 1962 |
1x6 | The Roman Peace | August 2nd, 1962 |
A come Andromeda[]
Episode | Title | Airdate |
---|---|---|
1x1 | Episode One | January 18th, 1972 |
1x2 | Episode Two | January 18th, 1972 |
1x3 | Episode Three | January 18th, 1972 |
1x4 | Episode Four | January 25th, 1972 |
1x5 | Episode Five | February 1st, 1972 |
See also[]
References[]