Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars

Having been a fan of this show since I first saw it on BBC 2 in 1999, I sat down to watch PKW with some nervousness, Farscape's characters are like a family in a way. A family who you visited every week, you shared their highs and lows, their loves and hates.

Would Peacekeeper Wars be faithful to the series? Or would it be a hodge podge of ideas and scenes with none of the old humanity?

Happily my fears were unjustified. PKW grabs you by the throat and does not let go.

The acting was, as usual, superb with believable characters, The bad guys do not resort to the cliché of being bad for the sake of it. Everyone has their reasons for doing what they do.

The effects were amazing and the story line is a roller coaster ride.

Admittedly, there are times when the compressed season 5 storyline jars. But this is forgivable.

The rumour at the time of filming was that the mini series used up all the available squibs in Australia. After seeing the battle scenes, you realize why!

All in all, a good ending to this part of the story while still leaving a way to make more.

Let's hope Moya keeps flying and we visit her crew in the future.

;-)

Just in case you are not familiar with the back story of this excellent little mini-series: Farscape PKWs is a continuation of a cancelled television series on the Scifi channel. Nothing special about that you say?

Well, what makes this unique is the fact that it never would have been made except for the legions of fans who caused such a ruckus after Scifi made the stupid mistake of canceling. THE FANS got the attention of financial backers who then invested in making this little gem. How amazing is that? In a world where we feel like people crap on us at will and it's us again the big corporations...the little man finally won a small but decisive battle.

As for the show, some die-hard fans, myself included, noticed a few differences in how the mini-series was shot and some character changes...though all the original actors were used. Still, I was almost in tears when I saw my favorite Hynerian in all his squat and toadlike splendor. Definitely not a disappointment to loyal fans and hopefully an eye catcher to those who are new to the series. The humor was there, the dangers were still lurking around the corners, and the chemistry was as sizzling as ever. I highly recommend that anyone who hasn't seen this glorious series go out and rent the first season. You'll never regret it!

Farscape:The Peacekeeper Wars was truly to the quote," the best is always last." Once again Series Creator Rockne S. O' Bannon and Executive Producer David Kemper, and Henson Productions had returned us to that portion of the Universe far exceeding the limits of our imagination. And also giving closure and finale to many story plots of the previous four year quest of Astronaut John Crichton and his beloved Flight Officer Aeryn Sun. Equally within this final piece the reappearance of other beloved and familiar characters showing solid and firm tapestry. Because in a series like Farscape it's not stand alone character show, but an intricate web of characters and situations that really kept the viewer on edge. Good television is a rare find and this series truly deserved a well resolution to that Cliffhanger of March 21st, 2003.

In all the Mini Series was delightfully entertaining, romance filled, comedic, surprising and, tear jerking in all a well written saga. Also this Mini Series gave hints that nothing really ends. Being if you watched it carefully, seeds for Second Mini Series or possibly a feature film had been planted. But for now I'm comfortable that poetic justice has been done for one of the best new concepts of television.....

I expected a lot of The Peacekeeper Wars, and I think these hopes were a little unrealistic for a mini-series trying to cover what was intended for a series.

Unfortunately, this very much a full series squeezed into three hours. Many fascinating stories could be discerned, but few had the air time they needed, and many were simply confusing. Characters exchanged meaningful looks, only to never be seen again. The editing process had taken its toll.

For a Farscape "episode" this was surprisingly conventional fare, and in places it did wander into the cliché. But full credit for the minds behind it, they were squeezing in a series (and from the content on display it seems obvious that their claims to having plans for the fifth series were far from insubstantial) and simply didn't have the time. Beyond all this, it was still Farscape. Brilliant acting, fine writing and the age old characters, all a little wiser as they were in series four.

I rather enjoyed the... unconventional end to series four, but it's obvious that many wanted closure, and while it doesn't entirely satisfy that demand, it was good to see the finest sci-fi ever made back on our screens, if only for a little while.

Be happy mine eyes!

At long last, Farscape, the series untimely canceled by the 'wisdom' of the SciFi Channel, has returned in a mini-series worthy of the original series.

In brief, this WAS Farscape! Unlike so many other mini-series which compromise the core qualities which made the series great and pandered to the lowest common denominator, Farscape:PKW has remained true to the magic and charm we so loved and we've so missed, picking up immediately after the cliffhanger at the end of the final season.

The only way this mini-series fell short of the original series was the nature of it being a mini-series. The creators had less time to focus on the interactions of the characters and supply more of the special moments which made Farscape as great as it was. However; surprisingly little was lost. My friends as I, gathered at my house to watch this together, all remarked how it was surprising how much story was told it so little time. The creators did a wonderful job making use of these four hours. Anyway, the only people to blame for only having four hours were the foolish execs who came up with the mistake of canceling Farscape the series in the first place.

Everyone I know is in unison in the fervent hope that Farscape will once again become a series. We've seen here that Farscape is still alive and well. If SciFi Channel is not wise enough to resume it, hopefully another network will. Such a network will earn my allegiance. Nonetheless, if Farscape does not come back, at least we have some sense of completion to our beloved story and characters which was sadly denied us upon the untimely cancellation of the series.

As Scorpy said.... "John Crichton... is alive!" Long live Farscape!