| Download Full TV Shows! Get thousands of episodes from your favorite TV series, only 59.85 |
FarscapeFirst Aired in 1999 Farscape is an Australian produced science fiction television series operated by the Jim Henson Company and Hallmark Entertainment. It first ran on the U.S. Sci Fi Channel, which also financed the series. Ironically, despite being filmed in Australia, the series was rarely seen there during its first run. Originally conceived in the early 1990s by Rockne S. O'Bannon, Brian Henson and writer/executive producer David Kemper under the title Space Chase, the show's main character is present day American astronaut John Crichton (played by American actor Ben Browder). Crichton accidentally travels through a wormhole to a distant part of the galaxy, where he is caught in the middle of conflicts between planets, empires, and the incompatible personalities of the escaped prisoners with whom he has taken refuge. Farscape is one of a new generation of popular science fiction television shows in which the main concerns are surviving in a hostile, chaotic universe and dealing with interpersonal conflicts, instead of exploration, warfare or law enforcement. Henson has traditionally specialized in puppetry (see Muppets), and Farscape is no exception. Two of the main characters are animatronic puppets: the miniature deposed Dominar Rygel XVI of Hyneria (voiced by Jonathan Hardy) and the ship's Pilot (voiced by Lani Tupu), a multi-armed elephant-size creature physically and mentally bonded to the living Leviathan ship, Moya. In 2000 and 2001, Farscape won two Saturn Awards for Best Syndicated/Cable TV Series and Best TV Actor (Browder). In 2002, Farscape won two Awards for Best Syndicated/Cable TV Series and Best TV Actor (Browder), as well as receiving nominations for Best TV Actress (Claudia Black as former-soldier Aeryn Sun) and Best Supporting TV Actress (Gigi Edgley as the pixieish rogue Chiana). Farscape had already completed production of its fourth season, with a fifth season contracted, when it was abruptly cancelled, effectively ending the series on a cliffhanger. Season one John Crichton is an IASA astronaut working on the experimental Farscape project. During the Farscape-1 test flight, a wormhole appeared, shooting John into the far side of the galaxy. Finding himself in the middle of a skirmish, he is captured and brought aboard the Leviathan Moya, a living ship. Onboard are Ka D'Argo, Dominar Rygel XVI, and Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan, three prisoners who have taken control of Moya and are in the middle of an escape. Eventually, the prisoners manage to remove Moya's Control collar and Starburst away from the battle. Officer Aeryn Sun's Prowler is caught up in the Starburst and taken aboard soon after Crichton's arrival. As a result of her contact with the prisoners, Aeryn's commanding officer Captain Crais declares her "irreversibly contaminated". Having nowhere else to go, both she and John join the unlikely band of allies. Captain Crais' brother is killed in a collision with Crichton's Farscape module immediately after it arrives through the wormhole. Seeking to revenge his brother's death, Crais pursues Moya through the Uncharted Territories. The crew soon encounter the fugitive Chiana, who becomes the newest member of their crew. Also, as a result of D'Argo breaking a contraceptive shield set up by the Peace Keepers, Moya becomes pregnant. John Crichton comes into contact with a mysterious race known as the Ancients. They implant the equations and a sort of "sixth-sense" for wormhole travel in his subconscious mind. Not knowing of the existence of this knowledge, Crichton attempts to embrace his new life aboard Moya, but is captured by the Sebacean-Scarran hybrid Scorpius. Scorpius discovers the wormhole knowledge, and implants a neurochip to attempt to unlock it for use in his wormhole weapons project. With the assistance of Chiana, Moya gives birth to Talyn, a prototype Leviathan Hybrid Gunship. The crew helps Crichton and fellow prisoner Stark escape from Scorpius' clutches, and after Crais' command is overthrown, the ex-captain joins them, only to leave soon after with Talyn. Season two Not only trying to survive in the Uncharted Territories, the crew of Moya must now concern themselves with eluding Scorpius, discovering the truth about the Ancients, and tracking down the renegade Crais and Talyn. As their journeys continue, D'Argo and Chiana grow closer and soon fall in love, while at the same time, Crichton and Aeryn battle their own complicated attraction towards each other. The crew comes into contact for the first time with the ruthless Scarrans, a cruel and power-hungry race, who soon learn of Scorpius' interest in Crichton. D'Argo discoveres that his son Jothee is a slave, and the crew is divided. Do they go in search of Talyn? Do they try to rescue Jothee? Do they turn tail and try to get as far away from Scorpius as they can? Stark returns to Moya with a plan to rescue D'Argo's son, as well as a substantial number of his own people from slavery. The crew will raid a shadow depository. The plan goes awry, resulting in Crichton trading himself to Scorpius for Jothee's release, and the crew's stolen riches turning into ship-eating 'spiders'. As a final resort, the crew must start a fire inside Moya to destroy them. After another narrow escape, Crichton realises that Scorpius' chip has been the cause of various and frequent hallucinations he has been experiencing. Seeking out a Diagnosan to remove it, the crew land on an ice planet where living subjects, frozen near death are held in stasis to be used as organ donors. The neural clone possesses Crichton, and kills Aeryn. After Aeryn's funeral, Scorpius reclaims the chip and then leaves Crichton alive, the speech centers of his brain destroyed, condemned to suffer mutely as payback for all the trouble he has caused. Season three The appropriately titled season opener told fans everything they needed to know about what was to come in Farscape's successful third season: Season Of Death. Crichton is healed by the Diagnosan who miraculously survived Scorpius' attack, but all is not well. Zhaan uses her spiritual energies to bring Aeryn back from the edge of death - the former Peacekeeper having been frozen in stasis before her time. This revival leaves Zhaan incredibly weak and dying. In her grief, Chiana begins an affair with Jothee behind D'Argo's back and after an attack on the medical facility, the crew escape aboard Moya, with several frozen 'donors' in tow. The crew tries desperately to find a planet where Zhaan can heal and replenish her energies but they are too late, and an accident involving a wormhole and Moya's Starburst render the living ship fused with another. Zhaan sacrifices her own life to save Moya and her crew from the wormhole that would have torn them apart. Joolushko Tunai Fenta Hovalis, known to her friends by her full name, and nick-named 'Jool' by the crew, awakes from stasis and joins the crew after Zhaan's death. Chiana's and Jothee's actions sever all relationships betweens themselves and D'Argo. Jothee flees. Then, during an encounter with a dying Leviathan, Crichton is twinned, cloned — split into two completely identical Crichtons. Crais and Talyn reappear, being pursued by Peacekeepers and results in the crew having to split up; Crais, Aeryn, Rygel, Stark and one of the Crichtons escape aboard Talyn, leaving D'Argo, Chiana, Jool, and the remaining Crichton aboard Moya. Missing Aeryn, Moya's Crichton plunges into the wormhole studies that could get him home. Meanwhile, Aeryn and the other Crichton begin a trusting, passionate relationship aboard Talyn. Her heart is broken when he gives his life to keep wormhole technology out of the claws of the Scarrans. Reuniting, the crew's relationships are stressed, but they find a semblance of unity in a new goal: aiding Crichton to end Scorpius' wormhole research. Scorpius grants them safe passage aboard his Command Carrier while Crichton continues his research. Crais and Talyn sacrifice their lives to blow up the ship, destroying both the wormhole technology research and Scorpius' career. After Moya carries Talyn's remains to a Sacred Leviathan Burial Space, the crew splinters, pulled apart by the currents of their differing goals. Crichton, alone without Aeryn and drifting in his Farscape Module, witnesses the others' departures from Moya. Thanks to the efforts of a mysterious old woman, Noranti, a former prisoner on the Command Carrier who has stayed on Moya to repay her "debt" to Crichton for saving her, Crichton learns that not only are his dreams of a quiet existence back on Earth with Aeryn as his wife are untenable, but also that Aeryn is pregnant. He has lost his home, he has lost his friends, and now he has lost Aeryn. An unexpected, random wormhole opens up and swallows Moya whole, leaving Crichton stranded and alone. Season four Alone on a dying Leviathan, Crichton is working on unlocking the knowledge in his head and the mystery of the wormhole when his peace is interrupted by the Kalish girl Sikozu. Together, and soon joined by Chiana and Rygel, they find themselves fighting for their lives and soon arrive on Arnessk to be greeted by D'Argo and Jool. Reunited, but with the absence of Aeryn, Jool decides to stay behind. The monks that awaken on the planet after hundreds of years of sleep need her talents more than her friends do and so she says goodbye. Aeryn returns, and along with Sikozu, Noranti and Scorpius, their adventures continued. Crichton's knowledge is desired by both the Peacekeepers and the Scarrans, and both sides are growing impatient. The crew quickly realises that neither side could ever possess the knowledge in Crichton's brain. If it fell into the wrong hands it would mean death and destruction. Crichton's work opens up a wormhole to Earth, and his new friends, are introduced to an unsuspecting planet. On Earth the 'aliens' are met with skepticism and fear. A Peacekeeper spy has followed them to Earth, and after a failed assassination attempt on Crichton, the crew leave Earth to deal with the impending Peacekeeper-Scarran war. Crichton makes the decision to return with Moya and the others. Once back on the other side of the galaxy, Aeryn is kidnapped by the Scarrans who hope to get the wormhole knowledge from Crichton as a ransom. Once the Scarrans learn that Aeryn is pregnant with Crichton's child, they proceed to take her to a secret Scarran base in order to extract the worm hole knowledge from the child's DNA. After a daring rescue, the crew of Moya decide to end this conflict once and for all by crashing in on The Peacekeeper-Scarran peace talks. They arrive on the rouse of selling the wormhole technology to the highest bidder, but are really there to sabotage the wormhole efforts of both sides. Only with that goal accomplished can Crichton and the crew of Moya live out their lives peacefully. Once the Scarran threat appears gone, Scorpius and Sikozu leave together to return to the Peacekeepers. The rest of the crew retire for a much deserved vacation. Taking refuge on a water planet, Moya and her inhabitants can rest. Alone on a boat, Aeryn accepts John's marriage proposal, but their happiness is cut short when they are crystallised by unknown split-faced beings. Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (miniseries) Peacekeeper Wars, UK DVD releaseProduction 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 h. 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 Sky One on January 16 and 23, 2005 and by a (currently unnamed) terrestrial broadcaster after that. The miniseries was not shown on BBC Two, as the BBC decided the acquisition cost would be too high. On July 14, 2005, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars received an Emmy Nomination for "Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special." Early fan speculation hoped that high Nielsen Ratings for The Peacekeeper Wars miniseries would prove the viability of renewing the series. Any continuation as a new weekly series seems 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 US, airing on Superstation WGN and on a variety of local, cable, satellite and broadcast affiliates. DVD release The miniseries has been released on DVD in the US by Lions Gate Films and in the UK by Contender, and is available in many retail outlets and online. The US version features both parts on one disc, 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. Show Stars: Ben Browder - John Crichton, Claudia Black - Officer Aeryn Sun, Virginia Hey - Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan (1999-2001), Anthony Simcoe - Ka D'Argo, Gigi Edgley - Chiana (2000-2003), Paul Goddard - Stark (2001-2002), Lani John Tupu - Voice of Pilot (1999-2003)/Captain Bialar Crais (2001-2002) (as Lani Tupu), Wayne Pygram - Scorpius/Harvey (2001-2003), Jonathan Hardy - Dominar Rygel XVI (voice) If you see any mistakes on this page or if you have more infomation about this show, please submit a comment |