Farscape

Thanks to Sci-fi and the Henson Company for this wonderful contribution to the TV science fiction canon.

Farscape is one of the most visually compelling shows ever to grace the medium, and its gorgeous sets , effects and cast are all matched by the show's completely original blend of humor, camp, perspective, action and drama. The Henson Company's creative genius really shines through and makes this the truly great series it is. And the Gross/Subvision soundtrack is also worth owning.

Ben Browder plays John Crichton, an American astronaut and genius who has - quite by accident - created a wormhole by conducting an experiment involving the slingshot effect. Sucked into the wormhole, John is whisked away to ... where? His craft collides with a small war ship which then spins off and crashes into a meteor, killing its pilot. John, head spinning, is then rescued (seemingly) by a large ship which is under attack from ships like the one which crashed into his. Aboard the large ship, he almost immediately meets the lovely humanoid Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black), who introduces herself by beating him up and demanding his name, rank and serial number. Aeryn, who will become both the love of his life, and the most difficult relationship of his life, is just the beginning... Soon, John will learn that he is aboard a Peacekeeper Leviathan (Moya) - a living ship - which has been taken over by the prisoners it was being used to transport. Aeryn is the prisoners' only surviving peacekeeper prisoner, and, since John looks exactly like a Peacekeeper, Moya's new crew is not inclined to trust him.

The relationships between John and his new-found friends that develop over the succeeding four years of Farscape provide a great context for the many adventures they share. Through death, betrayal, birth and rather massive cultural dissonance, Moya and her crew see and do it all as they flee the pursuing Peacekeepers in more ways than one. Each character has his or her own arc and backstory, and even in the most plot-heavy and action packed episodes of the series, it is the characters that give the show its structural integrity.

The acting is - across the board - spot-on. Browder and Black are superb and have great chemistry. Anthony Simcoe, Gigi Edgley, Virginia Hey, Lani Tupu, Rae Lee Hill and Paul Goddard were all excellent. I am going to single out Wayne Pygram, however, for his amazing interpretation of one of the most ambiguous and memorable villains (?) in the history of sci fi entertainment - Scorpius - a tortured hybrid between two warring species (Scarrans and Peacekeepers) who, apparently, hates everybody and has an insatiable lust for power. Scorpius is a complex, contradictory, brilliant, and utterly unpredictable character, and along with many of the other obstacles the crew encounters will keep you guessing to the very end.

Farscape also features some of the best TV scripting and directing I have seen in recent years. Be forewarned, however, that the dialog and plots generally move along very very quickly and require undistracted attention. This is especially so from the latter half of season two to the end of the show's regular run. The first season is excellent episode-based sci fi, but in the second season, the writers began exploring complex, layered, multiple-episode story arcs. The story arcs were generally very good, but their complexity requires a serious commitment, and in general, the show is not recommended for non-consecutive viewing.

So hooked was I that I have saved searches for Claudia Black, Wayne Pygram, Ben Browder, Lani Tupu and Gigi Edgley on TVTome.

If you want to dive right in, get the boxed sets. They are loaded with special features, deleted scenes and interview which are all worth watching if you like the show. In fact, there are almost as many special features as there is show time in the boxed sets.

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...

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...

I am a die hard science fiction fan. I mean really, i read it i watch it i even listen to the theme songs. The Farscape series and the finishing mini series is the absolutely best science fiction show i have ever seen. The show only aired very shortly on cable TV here in Denmark, so i bought all of the episodes on DVD.

Pay homage to this show, it does almost everything to a degree of perfection. Ben Browder and Claudia Black are a great set of actors with very impressing chemistry. Farscape beats everything, Star Trek, Star Wars... The only other show that is keeping me occupied right now is Battlestar Galactica, which is also good, but not nearly as much.

If you have not wathced this show yet, do it. For me... it never gets old.

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.