Farscape

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

Farscape
Series logo
Format	Science Fiction
Created by	Brian Henson Rockne S. O'Bannon
Starring	Ben Browder Claudia Black Virginia Hey Anthony Simcoe Gigi Edgley Paul Goddard Lani Tupu Wayne Pygram Jonathan Hardy
Country of origin	Australia
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	88 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Robert Halmi Jr. Brian Henson David Kemper Rockne S. O'Bannon
Running time	50 minutes (season 1) 44 minutes (seasons 2–4)
Production company(s)	The Jim Henson Company Nine Network (season 1) Hallmark Entertainment
Broadcast
Original channel	Nine Network (Australia) Sci-Fi Channel (US)
Original run	March 19, 1999 (1999-03-19) – March 21, 2003 (2003-03-21)
Chronology
Followed by	Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (miniseries)
External links
Website

Farscape is an Australian-American science fiction television series filmed in Australia and produced originally for the Nine Network. The series was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment.^[1] 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.

Although the series was under contract for five seasons, it was abruptly cancelled 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 three-hour miniseries to wrap up the cliffhanger, entitled Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, which Henson directed himself. New webisodes have been announced, but production has been repeatedly put on hold. A comic book miniseries was released in December 2008 that was in continuity with both the series and the hoped-for webisodes.^[2]

Overview

Farscape features a diverse ensemble of characters who are initially escaping from corrupt authorities called Peacekeepers. The protagonists live inside a giant space-dwelling creature named Moya, which serves as their ship. In the first episode, they are joined by the main character, John Crichton (Ben Browder), a modern-day American astronaut who accidentally flew into the entrance of a wormhole near Earth during an experimental test flight. On the same day, another stranger is picked up by Moya: a stranded Peacekeeper named Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black) who appears human. Despite his best intentions, John does make a few major enemies; the primary of these is known as Scorpius. There are a few stand-alone plots, but the show gradually unfolds progressive arcs beginning with their recapture by the Peacekeepers, followed by John's search to find another wormhole back to Earth, and an eventual arms race for wormhole technology. Secondary arcs explore the way in which the characters, especially John, change due to their influences and adventures together, especially his romance with Aeryn.

Production

Farscape first ran on Australian TV Channel Nine Network and the Canadian YTV channel, then in the US on the Sci-Fi Channel and on BBC2 in the United Kingdom. The series was originally conceived in the early 1990s by Rockne S. O'Bannon and Brian Henson under the title Space Chase. The series is told in a serialized format, with each episode involving a self-contained story while contributing to a larger storyline. Nearly the entire cast originates from Australia and New Zealand, with the exception of Ben Browder, who is an American actor.

Farscape's characters frequently make use of suggestive slang such as "frell" and "dren" as a substitute for English expletives. (See Profanity in science fiction.)

The series' original broadcast on Sci-Fi was noted for its erratic scheduling, with hiatuses lasting months often occurring mid-season. For example, the final four episodes of Season 1 aired beginning in January 2000, nearly four months after the broadcast of the preceding episode; the final four episodes of Season 3 were separated from the rest of the season/arc by a gap of more than six months.

Cast

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

Main article: List of Farscape characters

Main characters

• John Crichton (Ben Browder), an astronaut from present-day Earth. At the start of the series, a test flight involving an experimental spacecraft of his own design dubbed Farscape I 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 for spending too much time near a contaminated being. This decision is further backed later after protecting Crichton. Trained as a soldier since birth, she initially lacks any emotions or empathy. Her severance from the Peacekeepers allows Aeryn to discover 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 a Qualta Blade, a broadsword capable of transforming into a rifle.
• Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan (Virginia Hey), a bald, blue-skinned female who belongs to a plant-like species, named Delvians. Once a Priestess of her religious 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 other members of her species, Zhaan is an empath; she can share "unity" with other beings (two minds in one body, they can share thoughts, sensations...) and also, as a Pa'u, she is able to share pain with another being.
• Moya is a Leviathan, the fifth generation of these living ships. She was born in freedom, captured by Leviathan Hunters and sold to the Peacekeepers for them to use as a prison transport. She is a great and powerful ship, with no weapons. In communication with and taken care of by Pilot, the enormous living entity that is symbiotically fused to her, Moya has adjusted to her new inhabitants and has been able to trust them enough to become their home. Like Pilot, she is anxious to serve her crew, but not at the expense of her own agenda. Her natural instincts to protect all life, however, do override her personal fear of pain and suffering.
• Dominar Rygel XVI (voiced by Jonathan Hardy), a diminutive creature who was once ruler of the Hynerian Empire. He was deposed by his treacherous cousin and handed over to the Peacekeepers. Rygel is one of two puppet characters who regularly appear on Farscape. When nervous, Rygel expels helium—often causing his annoyed crew mates to complain in high-pitched voices.
• 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 candidate for reprogramming (euphemistically known as "cleansing").
• Pilot (voiced by Lani Tupu), a multi-limbed creature who acts as the ship's pilot. He is biologically connected to Moya's nervous system and also serves as her voice to the crew. Pilot is portrayed by an animatronic puppet.
• Stark (Paul Goddard), a Stykera, a specialized subrace of the Banik, who was first encountered by Crichton at the end of the first season. Stark wears a half-mask—strapped to his head by two separate buckles—of an unidentified metal, covering an incorporeal area that glows dark orange when uncovered, on the right side of his face that he only reveals when he is taking away someone's pain or "crossing over" a soul—aiding or comforting a person in the moments prior to their death. He is also mentally unbalanced, a trait that gets on the nerves of many on Moya.
• Bialar Crais (Lani Tupu), the initial antagonist of the series, a Peacekeeper Captain who relentlessly hunts Moya and its crew. He is driven by the death of his brother, a prowler pilot who accidentally collided with Crichton's ship when it exited the wormhole. At the end of the first season, Crais is usurped by Scorpius. Crais mentally bonds with Moya's offspring Talyn, and becomes something of an ally to the crew in later seasons.
• Scorpius (Wayne Pygram), a commander of the Peacekeeper forces. 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.

Recurring characters

As the series progressed, a revolving cast of characters joined the crew of Moya. Jool (Tammy MacIntosh) is an orange-haired academic who appears sporadically throughout seasons three and four. When frightened or enraged, her hair becomes red. 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, both the number two for Scorpius and Grayza.

In the third season, a new antagonist arrives in the form of Commandant 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 bioloid who joins the crew at the beginning of the fourth season. Hard-edged and dangerous, she gradually allies herself with Scorpius. In the peacekeeper wars she is discovered to be collaborating with the Scarrans.

In the Season 3 finale, "Dog with Two Bones", the crew encounters "Noranti" (Utu Noranti Pralatong), played by Melissa Jaffer, who suddenly appears among them as a mysterious and eccentric refugee that escaped to Moya along with an unidentified group of others as a Peacekeeper Command Carrier was being destroyed. The "Old Woman", as she is called, is a Traskan, and little is known of her past before she joined the crew. Initially appearing to Crichton and Chiana as a grateful cook, she later describes herself as a "doctor, instructor, and among many other diciplines . . . negotiator". She is basically portrayed as an accomplished herbalist. Although her skills are sometimes not quite as successful as she would like, she does manage to come to the crew's rescue with odd potions and powders on many occasions. At times, she seems to have her own agenda, although what that agenda may be is never quite made clear. At 293 years old, she sometimes appears to the others as being slightly senile, and is often referred to as "Grandma". She was featured throughout Season 4 of Farscape, as well as being in "The Peacekeeper Wars", where she realizes the existence of more Eidolons and convinces Crichton to seek to reawaken their powers to help end the war.

An alternate reality version of Noranti appeared in the Season 4 episode, "Unrealized Reality", and was portrayed by Gigi Edgley.

Plots

Main article: List of Farscape episodes

John Crichton is an IASA (International Aeronautics and Space Administration) astronaut working on an experimental project dubbed "Farscape One". During a test flight above Earth's orbit, a wormhole suddenly appears, hurling John to a distant part of the universe. Upon his exit, Crichton's space module clips another craft, a fighter, which then spins out of control and hits a nearby asteroid, killing the fighter's pilot. Crichton is set adrift, but is noticed--and rescued--by a large nearby ship, named Moya, which has been hijacked by escaped convicts of various alien species. 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 first 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. Moya, like all Leviathans, has a natural ability known as 'Starburst' which allow the ship and anything close to it such as Aeryn's fighter to travel great distances in a short amount of time. Starburst depletes a Leviathan's energy and thus cannot be used frequently. It has been said that during Starburst the ship is riding the seams between universes. After Aeryn is brought 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 confronts Moya's crew, 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 on 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. A Peacekeeper/Scarran hybrid, Scorpius must wear a protective coolant suit at all times to prevent himself from overheating. (This is due to the nature of his biological existence: his Scarran genetics generate great amounts of heat, while his Sebacian side has an overwhelming weakness to it, and can even die from it.) Upon discovering that Crichton's brain is implanted with the secrets of wormhole technology, Scorpius vainly tries to extract them, only to find that even Crichton cannot access them. 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 dilemma is uniquely dealt with in the third season, when an accident leaves Crichton "twinned" – 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 with Aeryn. This proves to be an unhappy development after Aeryn confesses her love to Crichton, only to watch him die keeping wormhole technology from the Scarrans. Though the remaining Crichton survives, the trauma of this event creates a rift between himself and Aeryn. However after a short while, the pair is unable to contain their love for each other, and John's agenda changes to protecting Aeryn and their unborn child at all costs. The two begin to think of marriage, however when their enemies capture Aeryn, Crichton will do all he can to get her back.

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.

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 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.^[3] However, the ratings were lower than those of most other SciFi Channel miniseries, and not a significant improvement.

Early fan speculation hoped that high Nielsen ratings for The Peacekeeper Wars miniseries would prove the viability of renewing the series, but since the ratings were unexceptional, continuation as a new weekly series has been ruled out. Brian Henson has stated on many occasions that he would like to bring the Farscape saga to the big screen, but there has been no development on that front for years. 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, but vanished from syndication after about two years.

Reception

Praise

Between 2000–2002, Farscape won two Saturn Awards for Best Syndicated/Cable TV Series and Best TV Actor (Browder). Additionally, in 1999, it received nominations for Best TV Actress (Claudia Black as former soldier Aeryn Sun) and Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television (Virginia Hey as the Delvian Priestess Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan). In 2002, it received nominations for Best TV Actress (Black), Best Supporting TV Actor (Anthony Simcoe as the Luxan warrior Ka D'Argo), and Best Supporting TV Actress (Gigi Edgley as the Nebari rogue Chiana).

On July 14, 2005, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars received an Emmy Nomination for "Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special." In 2004 and 2007, Farscape was ranked #4 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever.^[4][5]

Cancellation

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, just before the fourth season was to air. 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 third season.^[6] According to the DVD featurette "Save Farscape", Henson, Kemper, and Ben Browder announced the cancellation during an online chat with fans, and within hours fans began mounting a massive letter, phone, and e-mail campaign, hoping to restore the show or transfer it to another network.^[7] 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.^[6][8]

Cartoonist Bill Amend, creator of the syndicated comic strip FoxTrot, addressed the series' cancellation in an October 8, 2002 strip wherein the character Jason Fox petitioned to have the Sci-Fi 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."^[9]

The 2010 DVD release of the series on A&E Home Video includes footage of producer David Kemper addressing the cast on the final day of shooting, in which he read a draft of a column for TV Guide by critic Matt Roush, who wrote that, in his opinion, the premature cancellation of Farscape will be looked upon by future generations in the same light as science fiction fans look upon NBC's cancellation of the original Star Trek in 1969.^[10]

Farscape's cancellation received considerable notice by news media.^[11][12] 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 entitled Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars.

Stargate SG-1 parody/homage

Following the series' cancellation, Ben Browder and Claudia Black were both cast as series regulars on Stargate SG-1 during its final two seasons.^[13] In the 200th episode of the series, which was entitled "200", Black's character Vala Mal Doran, an alien who develops a skewed interest in Earth pop culture, pitches an idea for a movie to a producer, who immediately recognizes it as The Wizard of Oz. She then pitches a second idea the producer recognizes as Gilligan's Island. He advises her that if she is going to rip something off, it should be something more obscure. This leads into a parody of Farscape, with Black reprising her role of Aeryn Sun, and various SG-1 characters dressed as D'Argo, Stark, Chiana, and Rygel. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) stands in for John Crichton, an in-joke referencing the sexual tension between Vala and Daniel on SG-1 as well as the fact that Browder and Shanks look very similar, a joke made before in the series. Shanks was originally intended to play Stark, with Browder reprising the role of Crichton, but the parts were switched the day before filming at the behest of the actors.^[14] The scene also parodies the wide array of invented swear words used in the show. When the scene switches back to the real world, the producer replies that he has "no idea what that is", likely referring to Farscape's relative obscurity. Coincidentally, the announcement of Stargate SG-1's own cancellation was made shortly after this episode ran.^[15]

Multimedia

DVD releases

For Region 1 releases, AD Vision originally issued Farscape in a series of 2-disc volumes, five volumes per season, which were later collected into full season box sets. They later re-released the series in larger 4-disc volumes under the "Starburst Edition" moniker, three volumes per season with additional extras not available on the original volume sets. All of these sets are long out of print.

Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars was released to DVD in January 2005 by Lions Gate Entertainment and is still available as of mid-2010.

More recently, A&E Home Video has released a Farscape Complete Series Collection and individual season sets.^[16] This complete series box set includes a bonus two-disc collection of featurettes, most of which were recycled from ADV's old DVD sets but notably adding Farscape Undressed, a Farscape special that was created between the second and third seasons to catch up fans on the events that had happened up to that point. The Peacekeeper Wars is not included in the complete series set because Lions Gate still retains the rights to the mini series^[17] although upon its release, US retailer Best Buy had a limited number of complete series sets which did include The Peacekeeper Wars as a store exclusive. The two miniseries discs were identical to those of the normal Lions Gate release and were included in the last DVD case along with the two discs of bonus material that normally come with the complete series set.

The Region 2 and Region 4 box sets contain Seasons 1–4 as well as the Peacekeeper Wars television movie.

Blu-ray release

All four seasons were released on Blu-ray in North America on November 15, 2011. The four seasons were released as a boxed set as well as individual seasons. The original 35mm negatives and prints used to create the series are missing so New Video/A&E used the PAL videotape (which is at a higher resolution compared to NTSC videotape)as masters for the Blu-ray discs. As a result the show is not in 1080p but at 576i (interlace)and at 25 frames per second. Additionally, these have been upscaled for 1080p however there are some digital artifacts are in evidence in the transfer. Nevertheless, because the original 35mm negatives/prints no longer exist it isn't possible to do a complete restoration of the series for 1080p. Additionally the visual effects were created in standard definition and would require them to be redone.

The set does not include "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars" because the license holder for the mini-series is Lion's Gate for release.

As with the U.S. DVD reissue in 2009 there are 31 commentary tracks and all the special features were carried over from the DVD edition. The Blu-ray also has a HD featurette that wasn't on the original DVD set.

Other releases

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

The entire series is available for purchase, either in episodes or seasons, from Amazon as video on demand using Amazon's proprietary Unbox Video Player.

As of January 2011, seasons one through four are also available on the Netflix "Watch Instantly" service. The mini-series "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars", is also available from Netflix on DVD.

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.^[18][19][20] 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.^[19] Sci-Fi Wire reported that Brian Henson and Rockne O'Bannon would pen the episodes.^[21]

Several news sources have reported that the web series may lead to an on-air revival of the series,^[22] but Sci Fi general manager Dave Howe said that there were no plans to revive the show.^[23] Brian Henson has stated that he hopes the webisodes would lead to a TV sequel.^[19]

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 looked forward to reprising the role of astronaut John Crichton in the webisodes. The 2008 writers' strike put a damper on the plans, and Browder said that it was 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. 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.[24]

”

At Comic Con 2008, Rockne O'Bannon announced that the ongoing Farscape comic series would tie into the upcoming webisodes. The first comic was scheduled for release in November 2008. On December 4, 2008, O'Bannon told MTV "There's a new character that you'll meet in the very first comic book who ends up a significant player in the webisodes. Villain or hero? I'm not saying!"

On June 10, 2009, Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune announced via Twitter, "Farscape webisodes are 'still in play.' they're still being developed but not yet at script stage."^[25]

At the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, Brian Henson stated that the webisodes were "ready to go" but that they were still looking for financing on the project.

At the 10th Anniversary Farscape Convention in Los Angeles, 2009, Brian Henson again stated that they are still waiting for funding. Ben Browder was asked how the fans could help with funding, and said he wasn't sure what could be done^{[citation needed]}.

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 Ship of Ghosts by David Bischoff.

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.

The Creatures of Farscape: Inside Jim Henson's 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 scenes images; it includes exclusive contributions from the show's stars and make-up artists, and a foreword by executive producer Brian Henson.

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

Farscape: War Torn first issue

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. "Fourth 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.

Farscape returned to the comic form in 2008 through a partnership between The Jim Henson Company and BOOM! Studios in a series of mini-series that fit into established Farscape canon. BOOM! is publishing several four-issue mini-series that will expand and explore the Farscape universe, which will later be collected into trade paperbacks, under the direct supervision of series creator Rockne S. O'Bannon.^[26] The first two miniseries, The Beginning of the End of the Beginning (first issue on sale December 24, 2008) and Strange Detractors (first issue on sale March 2009) are written by O'Bannon and Keith R.A. DeCandido, author of the Farscape novel House of Cards. Art is by Tommy Patterson for the first miniseries, Will Sliney for the second. A new arc "Uncharted Tales" was created with the third miniseries, D'Argo's Lament (set during the events of Season 3), being published concurrently with Strange Detractors. Two further miniseries were announced: Gone And Back (which started in July 2009 and concludes the arc started with the first two miniseries) and D'Argo's Trial (which started in August 2009 and is the second installment of the "Uncharted Tales" arc). In November 2009, an ongoing Farscape series was launched; volumes published so far are "Tangled Roots", "Red Sky At Morning" and "Compulsions", with "War For The Uncharted Territories" coming up. The "Uncharted Tales" arc was rounded off with a third volume "D'Argo's Quest", and a new ongoing series entitled "Farscape: Scorpius" was also started, with volumes "Let Seeping Dogs Lie" and "Glorious Basterds". As well as the main titles, BOOM! are also publishing the scripts of these stories separately.

Games

Main articles: Farscape: The Game and Farscape (role-playing game)

A video game based on the television series was produced by Red Lemon Studios and released mid-2002 for Microsoft Windows. Set during the first season, the game featured voice acting by the original cast of the television series. Reviews of the game, however, were generally negative, with many reviewers citing poor gameplay mechanics.^[27]

A Farscape table-top role-playing game was released by Alderac Entertainment Group in 2002. It uses the d20 System and includes creatures not appearing in the established television universe. The game also features an original short story by Keith R. A. DeCandido set during the first season, after the episode "The Flax". The game was nominated for ENnie awards for Best Graphic Design and Layout and Best d20 Game in 2003.^[28]

See also

• List of races in Farscape
• Extraterrestrial life in culture
• Space opera
• List of space aliens in fiction
• Blake's 7

References

1. ^ Ryan, Maureen (2005-10-10). "Why the frenzy over 'Farscape'?". chicagotribune.com. http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2004/10/why_the_frenzy_.html. Retrieved 2008-11-06. 
2. ^ new Farscape comic by O'Bannon & KRAD – The Trek BBS
3. ^ Breaking News – SCI FI'S YEAR-END RATINGS WIN! | TheFutonCritic.com
4. ^ TV Guide's 25 Top Cult Shows - TannerWorld Junction TannerWorld Junction: May 26, 2004
5. ^ "TV Guide Names the Top Cult Shows Ever". TVGuide. http://www.tvguide.com/news/top-cult-shows/070629-01. Retrieved 2007-06-29. 
6. ^ ^{a b} "Farscape F.A.Q.". Sci Fi Wire. Archived from the original on June 1, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080601130430/http%3A//www.scifi.com/farscape/faq/. Retrieved 2008-09-22. 
7. ^ "Save Farscape" DVD featurette, Farscape: The Complete Fourth Season (also Farscape: The Complete Series box set), A&E Home Video, 2010. According to interviews on the featurette, the first "save Farscape" website was online within three hours of the chat's conclusion.
8. ^ "Farscape cult Web site, 08 January 2003 from article "Farscape cancellation facts"". http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/cult/2003/01/08/1693.shtml. 
9. ^ Sun, December 08, 2002 from article "Sci-Fi Network vs. the "Scapers"" By JULIO OJEDA-ZAPATA, Pioneer Press Newspaper
10. ^ "On the Last Day" DVD featurette, Farscape: the Complete Fourth Season (also in box set: Farscape: The Complete Series), A&E Home Video, 2010.
11. ^ "Web support for 'Farscape' out of this world". CNN. September 18, 2002. http://archives.cnn.com/2002/TECH/09/17/hln.wired.farscape/index.html. Retrieved 4 February 2007. 
12. ^ "Fans Rally as "Farscape" Flames Out". E!News. http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=afaa358d-3de0-4fb8-91a0-23554c3c93d3. Retrieved 4 February 2007. 
13. ^ "Black, Browder Talk New SG-1". Sci Fi Wire. 2006-05-05. http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/print.php?id=30979. Retrieved 2008-09-22. ^{[dead link]}
14. ^ Ryan, Maureen. 200 laughs in a memorable 'Stargate SG-1' episode. The Watcher. Chicago Tribune (August 16, 2006). Visited August 23, 2006.
15. ^ "SG-1 Ends Run; Atlantis Back". GateWorld. 2006-08-22. Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080609075443/http%3A//www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php%3Fcategory%3D2%26id%3D37607. Retrieved 2008-09-22. 
16. ^ "Farscape Comes to DVD from A&E Home Video". http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Farscape-Complete-Series-Coming/12228. 
17. ^ Farscape Comic Con Details
18. ^ "SciFi Channel Press Release". http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?date=07/15/07&id=20070715scifi02. 
19. ^ ^{a b c} "SciFi Channel Press Release". http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Tv-Guide-News/Exclusive-Farscape-Producer/800019251. 
20. ^ "Exclusive: Farscape Producer Talks About the Franchise's Future". http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Tv-Guide-News/Exclusive-Farscape-Producer/800019251. Retrieved 2008-11-25. 
21. ^ http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=42833^{[dead link]}
22. ^ Owen, Rob (July 17, 2007). "Tuned In: New NBC exec says he's landed dream job". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07198/802139-237.stm. 
23. ^ Hughes, Mike (July 16, 2007). "'Farscape' returns online, Sci Fi readies 'Galactica' TV movie". Gannett News Service. http://www.azcentral.com/ent/tv/articles/0716farscape0716.html. Retrieved 2009-06-06. 
24. ^ "Browder Eager For Web Farscape". Sci Fi Wire. 2006-03-14. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080619035206/http%3A//www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php%3Fcategory%3D1%26id%3D50330. Retrieved 2008-09-25. 
25. ^ http://twitter.com/moryan/status/2106282151
26. ^ CCI: Rockne O'Bannon on BOOM!'s "Farscape" Comics, Comic Book Resources, July 25, 2008
27. ^ "Farscape: The Game (pc: 2002): Reviews". metacritic.com. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/farscapethegame. Retrieved 2009-06-06. 
28. ^ "The ENnie Awards- 2003 ENnies Archive". Archived from the original on September 19, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070919121032/http%3A//ennieawards.com/2003.html. Retrieved 2007-09-04. 

External links

• Official website
• Farscape World
• Farscape at the Open Directory Project
• Farscape at the Internet Movie Database
• Farscape at TV.com