Ian Yerxa

**Ian Yerxa** is one of the recurring characters in the first season of *Another Life*. He is portrayed by Tyler Hoechlin.

He is an astronaut and the former commander of The Salvare space explorations ship, who loses the position to Niko Breckinridge.

### Season 1

The mission was supposed to take six months – three months to Pi Canis Majoris and three months back. Assuming all went according to plan. A month into the journey and Niko is awoken from Soma sleep. She's been awoken because the Salvare hasn't yet reached Pi Canis Majoris.

Apparently, the scientists on Earth got the incorrect coordinates for the system – it will now take around seven more months to get there. William, the holographic computer (AI), informs Niko of all this.

Ian Yerxa was the previous captain of the ship, so there's a bit of tension around the leadership now that Niko's been put in charge. Most of the rest of the crew have worked under Ian and are ‘feeling a little awkward’ with this new situation.

The argument about the ship's course upsets some of the crew, especially Michelle Vargas, who feels that Ian should challenge Niko more. The crew can't seem to get along with each other, forget with their new leader.

Unfortunately for Niko, the crew backs Ian's play – they stage a mutiny and put her into Soma sleep. Niko puts up one hell of a fight and it was only Ian's backhanded tactics that got the better of her.

Ian threatens William, the computer, into following his orders. In fact, Ian seems to have considerable sway over most of his crew. Zayn Petrossian, the ship psychologist, isn't given much choice in declaring whether Niko is unfit to command or not. Sasha Harrison, the government representative aboard the ship, is put on the spot to recognise Ian's leadership. It's all hasty and rash, and despite William's attempted rebellion, he must follow Ian's orders now.

William changes course towards Sirius A and Ian commands the engineer, August, to engage the shield. Though the shield works, the flares damage the FTL (faster-than-light) drive and the ship is basically unable to fly away from the star. While Niko is peacefully dreaming of being back home with Erik and her daughter Jana, the Salvare is being torn apart.

In a panic, August wakes Niko up and she immediately takes control of the situation. Banishing Ian from the bridge, Niko takes manual control of steering and slingshots off the star to safety.

Niko may have saved everyone, but the ship has sustained plenty of damage. All comms are down and the Soma system is offline. There are replacement crew members asleep, and they aren't affected, but no new chambers can be activated.

The episode ends with Niko and Ian attempting to fix the ship together. He insists that his actions were to ensure the safety of the people on Earth, including Jana, but Niko doesn't buy it. Still seething over having to eat humble pie, Ian makes another foolish decision – he tries to stab Niko in the back, but she's got quick reflexes and kicks him straight into a live electric conduit.

## Appearance

**Season One (2/10)**

* *Across the Universe*
* *Through the Valley of Shadows*

## Gallery

See also: Category:Images of Ian Yerxa
* Promotional
* Season 1 Screencaps

**"Episode #1.1"**

**"Episode #1.2"**