Farscape

Not only John Crichton is lost in the distant part ot the Universe. Watching the movie you feel like you ware there, together. Everything, the living ship, the aliens are made to look so different, even beyond the imagination, but somehow they are also realistic and lovely. I have been grown up with StarWars and Blake's -7. I used to think I will never enjoy another sci-fi move so much again, but I was wrong. Farscape is much better than all I have seen before. If you decide to watch it, please, start from the beginning!

You will never find the "way home" if you miss the first wormhole...

This has got to be without a doubt, the best original science fiction show I've seen in a long time. I had rather high hopes for seaQuest (written by Rockne S. O'Bannon as well), and was disappointed. My first impressions of "Farscape" were "Voyager" / "Battlestar Galactica" clone, but that lasted about five minutes. I think my favorite characters are probably Pilot and Moya herself, although Aeryn is a close third. I do wonder that everyone frequently defers to John's leadership since he is brand new to the situation (not to mention that area of space) and seemingly does not understand even the basics of Leviathan tech.

I do love the occasional pop-culture reference, such as John's statement "This place looks like Dagobah." Upon being asked where "Dagobah" was, John smiled at his joke and replied that it was a place where great warriors were trained. I half expected the reply to be "Wars not make one great". It's a good, subtle blend that keeps us awake, but doesn't inspire wild "easter egg hunts" for other allusions.

I am very impressed with this show, and I hope the Sci-Fi channel will continue to produce this excellent series.

Saw it and liked it from the first episode on. The German translation is not recommendable but the original is really a great piece of work (art), a fact, which was unfortunately not noticed by the TV-channel SciFi. If you like creative, witty and funny entertainment you will love FARSCAPE! The Jim Henson company brought in all their resources and skills to create a completely strange, alien world on your TV-screen. The overall plot is somehow old-fashioned but the ingredients of this SciFi-opera are superb. Different styles and types of movie-making have been mixed to create a very addictive show. Characters and types of creatures are worked out very carefully. The plot is unforeseeable and very varied, so you never get bored.

I watched about ten minutes of each of a couple of series 1 Farscape episodes and hated it. Cliched plots, characters blatantly lifted from other shows, and *muppets*. Might as well watch the Phantom Menace.

However, after persistent nagging from a hooked friend, I gritted my teeth, sat down and actually watched a whole show. Oh wow. Oh WOW.

Farscape isn't a plot show, it's not a gadget show, it's not even an effects show. It's primarily a character show, and it's a great one, aimed squarely at adults. The characters are often space operatically heroic, but are also believably flawed. They are petty, affectionate, selfish and giving. They are also commendably consistent, and both bear grudges and remember debts.

I find the acting of *all* the main cast outstanding; expressive, genuine and naturalistic. They give it everything, and fully commit to every scene and every line. I understand that viewers in the USA might find this strange when compared to the mugging, grimacing and ostentatious emotionalism that passes for acting on domestic US shows. It's a matter of taste, and I find the reserved but expressive acting of Farscape far more palatable.

Possibly the biggest strength of Farscape is the chemistry between the cast. The amount of physical, emotional and sexual tension rivals that of gritty TV verite rather than fluff SF. Babylon 5 characters are as well written, but not (sorry Babfans) as well acted or as involving.

Farscape has justifiably been accused of having cliched plots and characters. This it does, but no more so than any Star Trek franchise, and even Babylon 5 occasionally lurched into genre hell. True, you'd be hard pressed to tell Andromeda and Farscape apart from a brief precis of the plot and characters, but this only illustrates that there are certain genre elements that are now classic rather than cliched. Farscape starts from a tried and trusted design and then implements it astonishingly well.

On the other hand, it *does* have muppets...

This show is one of the few out there that has layers upon layers for the viewers to enjoy. Well written and incredibly addictive this show takes you away and keeps you there. The characters draw you in from the begin episode, but also allow you to jump in at anytime. There is never a moment when they are not evolving into more complex beings. The challenge that many shows face is continuing the development of the show while not losing the initial concept. Farscape smashes this theory into pieces as it evolves and provides the viewer with challenging action, and sometimes even killing off well loved characters. This show should have never been canceled. It was a rare gem.