Farscape

For the Klaus Schulze/Lisa Gerrard 2008 electronic music, see Farscape (album).

Farscape
Series logo.
Created by	Rockne S. O'Bannon
Starring	Ben Browder Claudia Black Virginia Hey Anthony Simcoe Gigi Edgley Paul Goddard Lani Tupu Wayne Pygram
Country of origin	Australia United States
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	88 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	50 minutes (Season 1) 44 minutes (Seasons 2–4)
Original release
Network	Sci Fi Channel
Release	March 19, 1999 – March 21, 2003

Farscape is an American science fiction television series filmed in Australia and produced for the Sci-Fi Channel. The series was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon, and produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment. The Jim Henson Company was largely responsible for the various alien makeup and prosthetics, and two regular characters — the animatronic puppets Rygel and Pilot — are entirely Creature Shop creations. The narrative follows John Crichton, an astronaut from Earth who enters a wormhole and finds himself at the opposite end of the galaxy, where he meets a bevy of strange creatures. In 2007, over four years after its completion, Farscape was named as #4 on TV Guide's list of "The 30 Top Cult Shows Ever".

Although the series was under contract for five seasons, it was abruptly canceled after production had ended on its fourth season, effectively ending the series on a cliffhanger. Co-producer Brian Henson later secured the rights to Farscape, paving the way for a four-hour miniseries entitled Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, which Henson himself directed. New webisodes are being produced by SCI FI, and are expected to debut in 2009. A new comic book miniseries is due for release in November 2008 that will be in the continuity of both the series and the upcoming webisodes.

Premise

Farscape first ran on the Canadian YTV channel, then in the U.S. on the Sci-Fi Channel. Originally conceived in the early 1990s by Rockne S. O'Bannon and Brian Henson under the title Space Chase, the series was initially titled "Far Horizon" when it aired in Australia. The series is told in a serialized format, with each episode involving a self-contained story while contributing to a larger storyline.

Farscape's characters frequently make use of Bowdlerized slang such as "frell" and "dren" as a substitute for English expletives. This language is reminiscent of the word "Frak", a term popularized by Battlestar Galactica.

Cast

From left to right: Bialar Crais, Rygel (front), Chiana, Zhaan, Aeryn Sun, John Crichton, D'Argo.

Main article: List of Farscape characters

Main characters

• John Crichton (Ben Browder), an astronaut from present-day Earth. A test flight involving an experimental spacecraft goes awry, propelling Crichton through a wormhole to a distant part of the universe. He quickly runs afoul of the Peacekeepers and is recovered by the crew of Moya, a living ship which is the main setting for Farscape.

• Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black), a renegade Peacekeeper officer. At the start of the series, she is stripped of her rank and marked for death after protecting Crichton. Trained as a soldier since birth, she initially lacks any emotions or empathy. Her severance from the Peacekeepers allows Aeryn to rediscover her compassionate nature.

• Ka D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe), an ill-tempered Luxan warrior of impressive stature. He was imprisoned by the Peacekeepers for killing his wife, a crime for which he was falsely convicted. He carries a weapon called the Qualta Blade, a heavy broadsword which also transforms into a rifle.

• Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan (Virginia Hey), a blue-skinned female who belongs to a plant-like species. Once a Priestess of the relgious order, Zhaan murdered her lover after discovering he was a Peacekeeper collaborator. Regarded as an anarchist by her captors, she was jailed along with D'Argo and Rygel. Like others members of her species, Zhaan is a telepath.

• Dominar Rygel XVI (voiced by Jonathan Hardy), a diminutive creature who was once ruler of the Hynerian Empire. He was deposed by his teacherous cousin and handed over to the Peacekeepers. Despite his size, he is quite arrogant and provides a source of comic relief. Rygel is of two puppet characters who regularly appear on Farscape.

• Chiana (Gigi Edgley), a mercurial thief and con artist. She is a Nebari, a grey-skinned species whose society is heavily-regimented by a governmental body called "The Establishment". Chiana's rebellious nature made her a leading target for reprogramming (euphemistically known as "cleansing").

• Pilot (voiced by Lani Tupu), a multi-limbed creature who acts as the ship's pilot. He is directly connected to Moya's nervous system and also serves as its voice to the crew. Like Rygel, Pilot is portrayed by an animatronic puppet, and is voiced by Lani Tupu (who also plays Bialar Crais).

Recurring characters

The initial antagonist of the series is Bialar Crais (Lani Tupu), a Peacekeeper Captain who relentlessly hunts Moya and its crew. He is driven by the death of his brother, a pilot who accidentally collided into Crichton's ship when it exited the wormhole. At the end of the first season, Crais is usurped by Scorpius (Wayne Pygram), a rival commander of the Peacekeeper force. Scorpius is a hybrid created from the DNA of a human-like Sebacean and a reptilian Scarran. He is obsessed with extracting the secret of wormhole technology from Crichton.

As the series progressed, a revolving cast of characters joined the crew of Moya. During the first season, the crew is joined by Stark (Paul Goddard), a member of the faceplate-wearing Banik species. Stark has the power to ease the pain and suffering of others, traits which make him a highly-sought test subject for the Peacekeepers. Jool (Tammy MacIntosh) is an orange-haired academic who appears sporadically throughout seasons three and four. When frightened or enraged, her hair blazes red and her screams can melt metal. Noranti (Melissa Jaffer) is an elderly, three-eyed alien and a skilled herbalist. At 293 years old, she occasionally appears to be senile and falls asleep at inconvenient times. Captain Meeklo Braca (David Franklin) usually serves as a subordinate to most of the series' villains, feigning obedience as he steadily rises up the ranks.

In the third season, a new antagonist arrives in the form of Commadant Grayza (Rebecca Riggs), a manipulative Peacekeeper who aims to put an end to Scorpius' wormhole research. Ruthless and ambitious, she has a gland implanted in her chest that secretes a substance which bends men to her will. Sikozu (Raelee Hill) is a brilliant Kalish woman who joins the crew at the beginning of the fourth season. Hard-edged and dangerous, she gradually allies herself with Scorpius.

Plots

Main article: List of Farscape episodes

John Crichton is an IASA astronaut working on an experimental project dubbed "Farscape". During a test flight above Earth's orbit, a wormhole suddenly appears, hurling John to a distant part of the universe; Upon his entry, Crichton's space module is clipped by a small craft, which then spins out of control and hits an asteroid, killing the pilot. Crichton is rescued and brought aboard a large ship, named Moya, which has been hijacked by escaped convicts. Early on, the crew must contend with a belligerent regime known as the Peacekeepers. Originally set up as a law enforcement agency, by the start of the series they have degenerated into a mercenary force.

In the premiere episode, they are pursued by Officer Aeryn Sun, a Peacekeeper commando sent to recapture Moya. During the chase, Aeryn's ship is caught up in the wake of Moya's propulsion system and she is taken captive. After Aeryn is bought aboard, it is discovered that the pilot who hit Crichton's ship was Tauvo Crais, brother of the Peacekeeper Captain Bialar Crais. Shortly thereafter, the vengeful Bialar boards Moya, promising to catch and dissect his brother's killer. When Aeryn comes to Crichton's defense, Crais deems her "irreversibly contaminated" from her contact with alien species. Stripped of her rank and guaranteed the death penalty upon her return, Aeryn is forced to flee along with the rest of the prisoners, providing the basis for a long-running story arc.

The first season episode "Nerve" marks the introduction of Scorpius, a ruthless Peacekeeper commander. The sole survivor of a breeding program to produce a human/reptilian hybrid, Scorpius must wear a protective coolant suit at all times to prevent himself from overheating. Upon discovering that Crichton's brain is implanted with secrets of wormhole technology, Scorpius vainly tries to extract it, only to find that even Crichton cannot access it. Scorpius later usurps the position of Bialar Crais, becoming the main antagonist for the remainder of the series.

The love-hate relationship between Crichton and Aeryn features prominently throughout each season. Aeryn, who was once considered an exemplary soldier, has difficulty dealing with any emotions, regarding them as "weakness". For his part, Crichton is torn between his bond with Aeryn and his steadfast desire to return to Earth. This dilemna is uniquely dealt with in the third season, when an accident leaves Crichton "twinned" — split into two clones. Crichton is effectively split into two identical beings; neither can be definitively called a copy, and are both equally John Crichton. When the crew is forced to split up in order to mislead a Peacekeeper battalion, one Crichton resumes his task of getting home, leaving the other Crichton stranded on Moya with Aeryn. This proves to be an unhappy development after Aeryn confesses her love to Crichton, only to watch him die at the hands of the Scarrans. Though the remaining Crichton survives, the trauma of this event creates a rift between himself and Aeryn.

Reception

Praise

Between 2000-2002, Farscape won two Saturn Awards for Best Syndicated/Cable TV Series and Best TV Actor (Browder). Additionally, in 2002, it received nominations for Best TV Actress (Claudia Black as former soldier Aeryn Sun) and Best Supporting TV Actor (Anthony Simcoe as the Luxan warrior Ka D'Argo) and Best Supporting TV Actress (Gigi Edgley as the pixieish rogue Chiana). The other main actors are Virginia Hey (playing Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) and Wayne Pygram (playing Scorpius). All these actors are from Australia and New Zealand, with the exception of Ben Browder, who is from the USA.

On July 14, 2005, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars received an Emmy Nomination for "Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special."

Cancellation

File:Foxtrotfarscape.jpg

A FoxTrot character reacts to Farscape's cancellation. Art by Bill Amend.

In September 2002, the Sci-Fi Channel (then-owned by Vivendi Universal) unexpectedly opted to withdraw its funding of the fifth season, canceling the show. While there was much fan criticism of this decision, the Sci-Fi Channel concluded that the series was too expensive to renew, as ratings had declined during the fourth season. Fans mounted a massive letter, phone, and e-mail campaign, hoping to restore the show or transfer it to another network. Early plans to scrap the sets after production were postponed after news of the cancellation broke, partly as a result of the fan campaign. The sets were instead put in storage pending a possible future revival of the show.

Cartoonist Bill Amend, creator of the syndicated comic strip FoxTrot comic strip, addressed the series' cancellation in an October 8, 2002 strip wherein the character Jason Fox petitioned to have the SciFi channel renew Farscape. Soon after the strip ran, Amend remarked that it "generated more e-mails from readers than anything else I've done in the past. I had no idea that so many people owned computers, even. I shudder to think what the mail boxes at the Sci-Fi Channel must be like these days."

Farscape's cancellation received considerable notice by news media. Thanks to the attention generated by the fan campaign, various financial backers in Europe offered their support to Brian Henson, and in 2004, The Jim Henson Company produced a four-hour mini-series to wrap up the series storyline. Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars aired on the Sci-Fi Channel in October 2004; the ending left open the possibility of future installments.

Stargate SG-1 parody

Following the series' cancellation, Ben Browder and Claudia Black were both cast as series regulars on Stargate SG-1 during its final seasons. In August 2006, Farscape was parodied during the 200th episode of SG-1, with Black reprising her role of Aeryn Sun, and various SG-1 characters dressed up as D'Argo, Stark, Chiana, and Rygel. Daniel Jackson stands in for Crichton, an in-joke referencing the sexual tension between Jackson and Vala Mal Doran (played by Michael Shanks and Claudia Black, respectively). The dream sequence is one of several movie pitches made by Vala after earlier attempts — thinly-veined homages to Gilligan's Island and the Wizard of Oz — are rejected for being too easily recognizable. Once the fantasy ends, Willie Garson's character admits, "Ok. You got me. I have no idea what that is". Coincidentally, the announcement of Stargate SG-1s' own cancellation was made immediately after this episode ran.

Multimedia

Miniseries

Main article: Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars

Production of a four-hour miniseries began in December 2003, written by creator Rockne S. O'Bannon and Executive Producer David Kemper and directed by Brian Henson.

In May 2004, the Sci-Fi Channel, now owned by NBC Universal, announced that it would run a two-episode conclusion titled Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars that was intended to wrap up the Season Four cliffhanger and additionally tie up some general elements of the series. The miniseries first aired on Sunday October 17, 2004.

Interestingly, Henson refers to the four hours as episodes 4.23-4.26, though the New South Wales Film Office refers to the production as a '2 x 2 hour telemovie.' Production of the miniseries ended in March 2004 and, in addition to the announced airing on the Sci-Fi Channel in the U.S., was also scheduled to be broadcast in the UK on Sky1 on January 16 and 23, 2005, and by Five on March 8. The miniseries was not shown on BBC Two, as the BBC decided the acquisition cost would be too high. The Peacekeeper Wars earned a 1.7 household Nielsen rating, drawing 1.96 million viewers and making the Sci Fi channel the #1 non-sports cable network for people aged 25-54 and 18-49 for the time period over the two nights.[1]

Early fan speculation hoped that high Nielsen Ratings for The Peacekeeper Wars miniseries would prove the viability of renewing the series, however the continuation as a new weekly series seemed unlikely, though miniseries are possible, as are feature films. Brian Henson has stated on many occasions that he would like to bring the Farscape saga to the big screen. Fan efforts are now pointed in that direction. In October 2005, Farscape entered syndication in the U.S., airing on Superstation WGN and on a variety of local, cable, satellite and broadcast affiliates.

The miniseries has been released on DVD in the U.S. by Lions Gate Films and in the UK by Contender, as well as in Australia, and is available in many retail outlets and online. The U.S. version features both parts on one disc which are edited together to make it a three-hour movie while the UK version is a two-disc set with one episode per disc. Both versions contain a making-of documentary, and only the UK version has deleted scenes. The Australian version has one disc with no extra features at all.

Webisodes

On July 15, 2007 it was announced that Farscape would return in ten webisode installments. The episodes are expected to be a few minutes long each and may eventually be broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel. The webisodes were to have been launched as early as fall 2007.

In an interview with TV Guide, Brian Henson stated that the webisodes will be 3-6 minutes long and may feature D'Argo Sun-Crichton. TV Guide also reported that Ben Browder is in talks to appear in the webisodes. Sci-Fi Wire reported that Brian Henson and Rockne O'Bannon will pen the episodes.

Several news sources have reported that the web series may lead to an on-air revival of the series, but Sci Fi general manager Dave Howe says that there are currently no plans to revive the show. Brian Henson has stated that he hopes the webisodes will lead to a TV sequel.

At the Burbank 2007 Farscape Convention in November 2007, Rockne S. O'Bannon stated that the webisodes would likely be released in 2008.

Farscape star Ben Browder told SCI FI Wire that he looks forward to reprising the role of astronaut John Crichton in the webisodes.

"At the moment, that's Rockne and Brian's job, and I'm aware that they're figuring out what they're going to do with it, but I don't know how far along in the process they are," Browder said.

The recently settled writers' strike put a damper on the plans, and Browder said that it's too early to figure out to what extent he would be involved. Browder said that he had a brief discussion with Henson about the Web series at last year's Comic-Con International in San Diego.

"They haven't come to me with any specifics yet, and I don't read anything into that," Browder said. "But at Comic-Con, Brian discussed it and said, 'Yeah, we're still figuring it out.' The writers' strike happened immediately after that, ... and a lot of things went on hold, and it will take a little while before a number of things get going again." Browder was heavily involved in the creation and writing of Farscape early on. "I had the freedom on Farscape, [and] I was in the writing room on a regular basis, virtually all the time when I wasn't on set," Browder said. "And so I had ... as much [input] as I could."

At Comic Con 2008, Rockne O'Bannon announced, "the stories in the ongoing comic series will completely tie into the upcoming Farscape webisodes." The first comic will be released in November 2008.

In January 2008, seasons 1 and 2 were made available for download through Apple's iTunes Store. Season 3 was added in March 2008, with Season 4 following in May. The episodes can be purchased individually or as entire seasons.

Literature

Boxtree in the UK and Tor Books in the U.S. published three Farscape novels: House of Cards by Keith R.A. DeCandido, Dark Side of the Sun by Andrew Dymond, and Ghost Ship by David Bischoff. DeCandido was in talks to do a fourth novel, to be published by Tor, but negotiations between Henson and Tor broke down, and then the show was cancelled.

Scott Andrews' Uncharted Territory: An Unauthorised and Unofficial Guide To Farscape (Virgin Publishing 2002, ISBN 0-7535-0704-8) covered Farscape's first three seasons exhaustively. Paul Simpson wrote The Illustrated Farscape Companion series for Titan Books, one book per season (Book 1 with David Hughes; Books 2 and 3 with photographer Ruth Thomas) with exclusive official content.

Jes Battis, author of Blood Relations: Chosen Families in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel[2], is publishing the first book of critical essays on Farscape: Investigating Farscape (2007) through UK publisher Taurus Press. The book examines Farscape from a post-colonial, Marxist, gender studies, and queer theory perspective.

"The Creatures of Farscape: inside Jim Hensons Creature Shop" released in 2004 offered a colorful look inside the famous creature shop that created the stunning array of creatures and make up effects. Previously unseen and behind the sceen images; it includes exclusive contributions from the show's stars and make-up artists, and a foreword by executive producer Brian Henson.

There is an "Illustrated Companion" for each season 1-4, a total of four, by Paul Simpson.

"Farscape Forever!: Sex, Drugs and Killer Muppets" released September 28, 2005; in which Science fiction and fantasy authors analyze every aspect of the innovative, action-packed, and always surprising science fiction tv series in this innovative - irreverent essay collection. Contributors include Martha Wells on characters Crichton and D'Argo's buddy relationship, P. N. Elrod on the villains she loves to hate, and Justina Robson on sex, pleasure, and feminism. Topics range from a look at how Moya was designed and an examination of vulgarity and bodily functions to a tourist's budget guide to the Farscape universe. Included is an "expert's" advice to the Peacekeepers who, despite their viciousness, yet never quite seem to pull it off.

Shortly after season 3 began airing, Titan Magazines released a Farscape magazine. Available bi-monthly, the magazine ran from its April/May 2001 issue through to its 12th issue, April/May 2003. The magazine had a lot of in-depth material, including interviews with the cast and crew, behind the scenes information on many episodes, original fiction (by O'Bannon, DeCandido, Greg Cox, John Kenneth Muir, and others), and a regular column by David Kemper. There were two versions of the magazine produced each issue, with the only difference being the front cover, and the magazine also had two special issues - a season 3 special (issue 7), and the final issue (issue 12) containing an episode guide for the four seasons to date, as well as sketches for ideas and the Horizons fiction.

"Horizons" fiction

In the final issue of its run, the Farscape magazine published a piece of fiction written by series creator Rockne S. O'Bannon. Set a long time after the end of the fourth season, this details some of the adventures the Moya crew has had since and what has happened to them all. Since "Horizons" was written before the Peacekeeper Wars miniseries, there are some plot inconsistencies between the two, which could be resolved at some later stage.

Comics

During 2002, Wildstorm Productions produced a two-part Farscape comic entitled "War Torn", with the first part available in April and the second in May. The comics featured two stories, each spanning both issues. "War Torn", the main story, featured the Moya crew becoming ensnared in a war between two planets over a third, and took up roughly three quarters of the comic. "The Forth Horseman - featuring Chiana" was a Chiana-only story as she came across old friends and foes on the run from the Nebari. Both stories seem to have been set during Season 2. The second issue also included a double-page spread of some of the preliminary sketches.

At the New York Comic-Con 2008 it was announced that Farscape would return to the comic form through a partnership between The Jim Henson Company and Boom! Studios. Boom! is set to publish a series of four-issue mini-series that will expand and explore the Farscape universe, which will later be collected into trade paperbacks. At Comic-Con International 2008 in San Diego it was announced that Rockne S. O'Bannon will be co-writing the series and that the first issue would be released in November 2008. Collaborating with O'Bannon are Keith R.A. DeCandido, author of the Farscape novel House of Cards, who is providing the script, and Tommy Patterson doing the artwork.

In November 2008, BOOM! Studios will be releasing the first of a four-issue monthly Farscape comic book miniseries. Plotted by series creator Rockne S. O'Bannon, the miniseries will pick up from the end of The Peacekeeper Wars and will be consistent with the upcoming SciFi.com webisodes.

Games

See also: Farscape: The Game and Farscape (role-playing game)

A PC game based on the television series was produced by Red Lemon Studios, released mid-2002. The plot of the game is set during the first season. A Farscape role-playing game was released by Alderac Entertainment Group. It uses the d20 System and is set after Season 2.

AEG released The Farscape Role Playing Game which included creatures not appearing in the established television universe.

Availability

Free Legal Streaming on [Fancast.com] http://www.fancast.com/tv/Farscape/2000/777544194/Back-and-Back-and-Back-to-the-Future/videos

Region 1 (North America) by ADV Films

Original Farscape DVDs

AD Vision issued Farscape in volumes that they later combined in box sets. These are known as ADV's Original Farscape DVDs. Currently seasons 1 to 4 were available in this format, but season one was discontinued due to lost rights, and is now difficult to find and extremely expensive. The rights were ceded to Sony, who have chosen not to re-release. This means the entire series is not currently available in Region 1, and the rights are divided.

Starburst

This release is split up into 12 volumes, three four-disc sets per season. The covers all share a distinctive yellow "Starburst Edition" bar on the bottom of the front cover.

Region 2 (European Union) by Contender Entertainment Group

All seasons of Farscape plus Peacekeeper Wars are available in individual volumes and box sets. A "Complete Series" box set is available which contains Seasons 1–4, including the Peacekeeper Wars.

Region 4 (Australia and New Zealand) by Universal

• All four seasons of Farscape.
• Farscape: Peacekeeper War by Magna Pacific

See also

• Extraterrestrial life in culture
• Space opera
• List of space aliens in fiction

External links

• Henson Official Farscape Site
• Sci-Fi's Official Farscape site
• Watchfarscape.com - Official Fan Campaign to revive the show.
• What is Farscape?
• Farscape Wikia
• The Nitty Gritty on How Farscape Got Cancelled
• Farscape World