Andromeda is based on unused material from Gene Roddenberry's archives, developed by Robert Hewitt Wolfe and produced by Roddenberry's widow Majel Barrett, with Tribune Entertainment beginning development in 1997.

The series is one of two shows (alongside Earth: Final Conflict) produced after Roddenberry's 1991 death based on concepts he created decades earlier; the name Dylan Hunt had already been used for the hero of two 1970s Roddenberry pilots, Genesis II and Planet Earth, which shared a similar post-apocalyptic premise.

Kevin Sorbo was recruited to star as Dylan Hunt in early 1999 while he was still starring in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

The season one theme music for Andromeda was composed by Alex Lifeson, guitarist of the Canadian progressive rock band Rush.

During filming of season two, series developer and executive producer Robert Hewitt Wolfe was released from the production and replaced by Robert Engels, reportedly because the network wanted the show to become more episodic and centered on Kevin Sorbo's character rather than following Wolfe's more arc-heavy approach.

After being let go, Robert Hewitt Wolfe later wrote and published a one-act play titled 'Coda' explaining his originally intended plans for the show without contradicting the episodes that actually aired.

The show's cancellation effectively came when Fireworks Entertainment, the primary production company, was closed in April 2004 by CanWest Global Communications, leading Fireworks to take Tribune to court to be released from producing and financing the series.

Andromeda was nominated for 39 awards between 2001 and 2006 across events including the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, the Chicago International Film Festival, the Gemini Awards, the Leo Awards, and WorldFest-Houston, winning 18 of those nominations.