Captain's Quarters:
The Life and Times of Beka Valentine


Rebecca "Beka" Valentine is human, but unlike Harper, she's not from Earth. In fact, she's never lived on a planet, and can't understand why anyone would want to live anywhere but space. She hates weather of any kind, especially when it's wet and cold. Beka grew up on the Eureka Maru with her father, Ignatius, and her older brother, Rafe. Her father was a small-time cargo pilot and drug smuggler who went into debt while always looking for the big score. He was addicted to Flash, a legacy he passed on to his daughter. Rafe is a con man, but he has a soft spot for Beka. While he wasn't above using his sister to help the Restors (a group of eco-terrorists), he's not willing to kill her when they demand it. Rafe calls her "Rocket," and refers to her as "Valentine Smart" (while calling himself "Valentine Smarter"). Nothing has been revealed about her mother (though it would appear that Mrs. Valentine hasn't been a part of her daughter's life). Her 'extended family,' included her father's business partner, "Uncle Sid" Barry (aka Sam Profit), but their relationship took a turn for the worse when Beka discovered that Sid was a murderer, and he tried to kill her to cover it up.

Beka's whole life has been on the Maru. She opened Christmas presents in the airlocks as a child, and even suggests she lost her virginity in the Maru after the Salvage Guild's debutante ball. The Maru is her home, and she'll protect it with her life. She still keeps most of her personal effects on the Maru, even though she's living on the Andromeda.

She is fiercely loyal. She's protective of her crew, and never leaves anyone behind. She keeps her promises, no matter what the cost. Though she's been made cynical by her hard life, she really wants to believe the best of people. This can be her downfall, such as in the case of her brother Rafe, and her relationship with Leydon Bryce-Hawkins. She believes in Dylan, even though she can't entirely bring herself to believe his quest to rebuild the Commonwealth is possible. As time goes on, however, she begins to believe even more strongly in the new Commonwealth, and is willing to continue Dylan's quest, even if he weren't able to.

Beka's the best slipstream pilot on the Andromeda (and according to Dylan, probably the best pilot in the known universe). She's also great with weapons, and can hold her own in hand-to-hand combat. Many of her recent combat skills have come from 'sparring' with Tyr.

She has a unique sense of style and an affinity for the color black. With few exceptions, such as the first season's blue vest ("Banks of the Lethe"), black and gold shirt ("Forced Perspective"), and shiny blue shirt ("Star-Crossed"), most of her wardrobe is black. She also seems to prefer outfits without sleeves.