LEXA DOIG:

http://www.lexaonline.com/

Ok, it's a science-fiction show, but there's more to Andromeda than spandex, unconvincing plots and nerd-packed tribute conventions. Its star, Lexa Doig, illustrates the wider appeal with one simple ancedote: "There was an episode in the first series where they had me in a studded leather biki-- top, disco pants and these little go-go boots inside a cage," she recalls. "I went to one of the show's executives and took issue. He said - and I quote - 'Lexa, you in leather, in a cage, equals ratings!'"

The straight-talking exec has a very good point. Lexa's array of outlandishly se- - space outfits are enough to get even non-geeks eagerly tuning in to the Sky One series. And the Canadian-born star didn't take long to embrace this aspect of the show's appeal."The pretty pictures are an extra reason to watch," she says. "If I wasn't aware of that I might just as well be doing radio." Which, frankly, would be a crying shame.

Lexa plays the android personification of the starship Andromeda. Not a role that immediately screams se- appeal. "I kinda let the costume department take care of that," she explains. "As long as my outfit is leather, very tight and with a plunging neckline I know I can relax." So how can a trained thespian prepare themselves to play a starship? "Well, I spent a month in the bowels of an aircraft carrier so I could know what it felt like to be a warship," she proclaims soberly before breaking into a wide grin and adding, "Actually, that's complete bollocks."

Despite an obvious love for her role, Lexa is pleasingly unwilling to exaggerate its demands. "She's a warship," she explains. "She can decimate a planet in less than three minutes so it's like, 'Don't pis- me off!' But at the same time, being a machine.