scifi_rewatch | "Farscape" (1999-2004), recapped by chavalah

I’ve been a fan of this show since the very beginning. I remember, one autumn night in 1999, turning on the tv to see what The Sci Fi Channel was airing (cos that’s just the kind of person I was in high school. :P) It was the night of “Premiere” and I was hooked. Farscape’s beginning chronicles astronaut John Cricthon (Ben Browder) getting “shot out” of a wormhole during a routine mission and coming face-to-face with a complex, multi-species alien society that is as bewildered by his existence as he is by theirs.

I distinctly remember getting swept into the sense of extreme discomfort as John accidentally kills a pilot during a space battle he stumbles in on, and then his module is brought aboard the vast, living ship Moya, who will become his home throughout the rest of the series. Partly due to the makeup jobs and partly due to incredible acting by D’argo (Anthony Simcoe) and Zhaan (Virginia Hey) and their angry bearing-down on hapless John, this world was just scary. I never had any problem accepting the “puppets” (more like animatronics) Rygel and Pilot either; to me, in the beginning, this made them even more alien and appropriately inaccessible. But the biggest feat was perhaps between John and Officer Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black,) because though she looked human she was not, and she pulled off the amazing feat of appearing alien as well (largely by kicking John’s ass. :P)

And finally, a huge shoutout to Ben Browder, our human protagonist, who made this world believable through his hapless reactions and famed “Crictonisms,” American cultural sayings that helped bind him to his new reality.

In all honesty, I probably didn’t get hooked on Farscape until second season. Those of you familiar with the show might recognize that Chiana (Gigi Edgley, first introduced in Episode 1.15 “Durka Returns”) is my favorite character. :P For me and several other fans, she was the missing piece that made the Moya crew feel whole. But I watched diligently from the start and was rewarded with an incredible journey, a journey of adventures, growth, nasty villains and surprising friends, love and family. I hope, as John Crichton says in the title sequence, you will use these recaps to “share the wonders I’ve seen.”

…this recap was inspired in large part by the ScapeCast’s new weekly segment, Scaper Chronicles. Check them out in coming weeks as they bring together veteran and newbie fans to discuss the series! For the J/A shippers out there, check out screen caps from all episodes on