Farscape: Rhapsody in Blue

My Farscape rewatch continues with "Rhapsody in Blue," one of those punnish titles the writers were ever so fond of.

Crichton dreams himself back on Earth, at an earlier time, lounging around the bedroom with his girlfriend, Alex. After exchanging pillow talk/banter, Alex informs Crichton that yes, she has accepted the position at Stanford, which will separate her and him, effectively ending their relationship. A heartbroken Crichton reaches down and pushed an engagement ring under the bed to hide it from her. A sudden starburst jars him awake, and reaching the bridge he learns Moya's detected a pregnant leviathan's distress call. Other crew members experienced dreams reuniting them with lost spouses. Upon reaching the location, however, they find no leviathan, only a planet with a small enclave of Delvians. The leader, Tahleen, apologizes for mental deception she used to draw them to the planet, but she needs to meet with Zhaan. Wary, Crichton, Aeryn, D'Argo and Zhaan descend to the planet, where they are greeted warmly. Many years before, Zhaan was an angry, violent anarchist, but used the mental disciplines she learned as a Delvian priestess to gain mastery over her impulses. Tahleen wants Zhaan to mind-meld and share this discipline with her, because this enclave of Delvians had unlocked great mental powers that are slowly driving them all insane. Without Zhaan's discipline, they are all doomed--which conveniently explains why they can't wait around and learn it themselves over a period of years/decades as Zhaan had.

Zhaan is suspicious and reluctant. She goes to Crichton for advice, and so that he truly understands what is at stake, has Tahleen project a mental image of Zhaan mind-melding (they call it "Unity" here, but who are we kidding?) with her lover, Bitaal, a high Delvian muckety-muck who participated in a coup on Delvia, ruining lives and imperiling their world. So Zhaan killed him with her mind during their unity. Cold. Crichton's not too happy, but Zhaan needed him to see what she had once been. Conflicted that Tahleen may use her powers to harm whilst also freeing Delvia, Zhaan waffles, but eventually agrees to help. Determined that the crew of Moya not interfere, Tahleen has her followers distract them with mental projections and false memories. Crichton suddenly finds himself with Alex, who was his co-pilot on the Farscape project. D'Argo chases after Peacekeepers who appear to have his son, Jothee. Rygel shrinks to a very tiny size. Aeryn's pulse rifle falls apart and she cannot reconstruct it. Tahleen and Zhaan complete unity, and while Tahleen is clearly stronger, the madness has also taken root in Zhaan. Tahleen is not satisfied, though, as she still doesn't have all the mental power she craves. She intends to mind-meld with Zhaan again to take every last bit of mental discipline, even if it kills Zhaan. Crichton argues with Alex about helping Zhaan, and Alex plays every sort of guilt trip card available. Finally, the the Delvian reveals herself and admits Alex was a construct, and says Crichton's devotion to Zhaan convinced her Tahleen's path is wrong. Crichton finds Zhaan, who is halfway into the deep end, and mind-melds with her to save her. Zhaan, obsessing over the darkness within, sees herself as Crichton sees her: Noble, gentle, caring, wise. This gives her anchor and she regains control. Tahleen attempts to destroy Crichton's mind, but Zhaan blocks her--the unity worked both ways, and Zhaan picked up some of Tahleen's mental abilities, rising to a 10th-level Pa'u in the process. They then return to Moya, but Zhaan leaves the vestments of a Pa'u behind, as she deems herself no longer worthy.

Commentary: This episode gives some much-welcome backstory on Delvian society, although the big reveal about the biological nature of their species still remains in the future. Curiously, some Delvians have hair. This is never explained. Considering the fact that Vinginia Hey departs the series, in part because of the need to remain bald for the role, I find this quite curious. It is obvious from the first moment Tahleen appears on the screen that this benevolent religious sect is anything but, but seeing the power-grab play out is interesting. As far as allegory goes, portraying the double-edged sword that is religion works pretty well, even if it is heavy-handed. And although Zhaan has been a Vulcan analog from Star Trek from the get-go (raging, dark emotions threaten to take control and lead to madness if discipline is not maintained, anyone?) the politics of their society along with their amplified mental abilities distinguish them and help stake out their own identity. Zhaan is progressively less of a Vulcan analog from here on out. Not anywhere close to being among my favorite episodes, but it's entertaining nonetheless.

Crichton Quote of the Episode:: "It's like Disney on acid! Ten years of really great sex all at the same moment!"

Now Playing: Wynton Marsalis Live at Blues Alley
Chicken Ranch Central

Farscape: Till the Blood Runs Clear

My Farscape rewatch continues with "Till the Blood Runs Clear," a reference to an earlier-revealed fact that when cut, Luxans must stimulate the wound to bleed otherwise they'd suffer a kind of septic shock. While D'Argo is indeed injured in this episode, and his wound is stimulated to make the blood run clear, that event is incidental to the plot, marking this as another of Farscape's throw-away episode titles.

While studying the formation of wormholes around a star that's throwing off massive solar flares, Crichton's Farscape module is damaged and he, along with Aeryn, are forced to land on an arid planet for repairs. The radiation-blasted planet looks suspiciously like the one Aeryn (ie Claudia Black) visited in the movie Pitch Black, but Vin Diesel doesn't turn up and Aeryn doesn't get dismembered. Yay! Crichton and Aeryn discover Mrs. Hoggett--apparently traumatized after the events of Babe: Pig in the City--working as a starship mechanic going by the name of Furlow. Furlow agrees to fix the ship, but there's something shifty about her. Aeryn and Crichton then discover a Peacekeeper beacon in the middle of the outpost broadcasting a wanted alert for Zhaan, D'Argo and Rygel, three escaped prisoners. Bounty hunters--the dog-life Vorcarian blood trackers--are already there, anticipating the fugitives' arrival. Crichton bluffs them into thinking he and Aeryn are bounty hunters as well, and the four agree to cooperate for the time being. Aeryn discovers a coded message for her in the Peacekeeper beacon--Crais promising her "retirement" with full rank restored if she helps turn over Moya and the escaped prisoners. Aeryn explains that Crais' "retirement" means execution. While this is going on, D'Argo lands in search of Crichton and Aeryn. The Vorcarians pick up his scent, ambush and capture him. Crichton discovers the Vorcarians torturing D'Argo. They've cut the Luxan, so Crichton punches and squeezes the wound on D'Argo's tentacle in the guise of torture so the blood will run clear and D'Argo won't die. More and more people are poking around the Farscape module, as word has apparently got out that it's been exposed to wormholes. Aeryn fights one, and is subsequently blinded by a solar flare. Crichton rescues D'Argo, but D'Argo, furious about the whole torture thing, fights Crichton. They do the macho thing until coming to a truce, and them promptly get into a firefight with the Vorcarians. Things get nasty, but Aeryn reprograms the Peacekeeper beacon to project Crais cancelling the bounty on the escapees. With no more bounty at stake, the Vorcarians disengage and let Crichton and D'Argo be on their way. Furlow does indeed complete the repairs to the Farscape module, but demands Crichton's accumulated wormhole research as payment, to which he reluctantly agrees.

Commentary: Not a terribly tight episode as far as plotting goes, this one is still a fun ride. The desert location and over-exposed scenes do a good job at conveying an alien world on a limited budget. Furlow is a simply repulsive character that has a certain charisma about her. The Vorcarians are incredibly stupid--they so easily and repeatedly duped by Crichton and Aeryn that it's a wonder how they don't starve to death as bounty hunters. Indeed, it's a wonder how they ever got off whatever world they evolved on. That's good for some cheap jokes, but doesn't make for a very logical episode. There's a minor subplot in the episode regarding the star's massive flares giving Zhaan "photogasms," which is the first hint in the series that Zhaan is a plant-based life form. Crichton's trading away his wormhole research will come back to bite him in the future, but the whole incident with Crais' offer to Aeryn pretty much closes the book on her long-running internal conflict over her break with the Peacekeepers. Not a great episode overall, but entertaining, in a silly way.

Crichton Quote of the Episode: "I’m Butch. This is Sundance. We're the Hole in the Sky gang."

Now Playing: Altan The Best of Altan
Chicken Ranch Central

Farscape: They've Got A Secret

I've really fallen behind with these, haven't I? I'm watching the episodes, but putting off writing my summaries. Must try to catch up in the coming weeks. My Farscape rewatch continues with "They've Got A Secret." And boy, do they. Pretty much everyone on Moya harbors deep secrets that will reverberate throughout the series, but this episode focuses on just two--D'Argo and Moya.

Aeryn is leading a concerted effort to remove every last remaining vestige of Peacekeeper technology from Moya, lest more booby-traps or homing beacons endanger the crew. D'Argo, crawling through an obscure shaft deep within Moya, comes across an odd installation obviously of Peacekeeper origin. Losing his temper, D'Argo kicks it, which releases a burst of fluid. D'Argo then falls down the shaft and is vented into space. Aeryn rescues him "half an arn" later, and although Luxans can survive in open space for brief periods, D'Argo's exceeded this limit. The crew manages to resuscitate D'Argo, but the big Luxan hallucinates, viewing the crew as people and family from his past. Meanwhile, Moya is suffering violent tremors, Pilot falls unconscious, the DRDs turn hostile and the life support systems shut down. The crew fears D'Argo unleashed a Peacekeeper virus designed to infect Leviathans, since analysis of the fluid shows it composed of identical particles. D'Argo, delirious, sees Rygel as his son, Jothee, Zhaan as his wife, Lo'Laan, and Crichton as his brother-in-law, Macton. In a moment of lucidity, D'Argo tells Crichton where the shaft with the Peacekeeper device is. D'Argo relapses, attacking Crichton as Macton before breaking down to mourn the death of his wife. Crichton escapes and attempts to reach the shaft, but DRDs block his attempts. Crichton confronts D'Argo, assuming the role of Macton to provoke his memory to return. In their back-and-forth, D'Argo reveals he and Lo'Laan fled their world with their son, Jothee, and destroyed their ship so they couldn't be traced. But Macton found them anyway and killed his sister for marrying D'Argo, a type of intergalactic "honor killing." Macton then arrested D'Argo when D'Argo found his wife's corpse... revealing that Macton was Peacekeeper, making Lo'Laan a Sebacian. D'Argo's was an interracial marriage, explaining why he sent his son, Jothee, away to protect him from those who would consider him an abomination. With his repressed hurt finally exposed, D'Argo recovers his memory. Unfortunately, the air on Moya is running thin, and by this point the crew has realized Moya is responsible for the DRD attacks and loss of life support. Desperate, Aeryn manages to deactivate all of the DRDs. The crew then decides that Aeryn will sever Moya's higher brain functions as a drastic, if desperate, attempt to regain control of the ship. Simultaneously, Crichton and D'Argo return to the shaft, now unguarded but sealed. They break through, and Crichton climbs down and finds a large side chamber filled with inactive DRDs and... something else. Crichton realized Moya is pregnant, that D'Argo and inadvertently release some sort of space sperm on his previous visit. Crichton stops Aeryn from performing her lobotomy on Moya just in time. Aeryn reactivates the DRDs, which move to attack Crichton but he's able to talk Moya down and a truce is established. Moya restores Pilot and life support, and the crew promises to help protect Moya's baby.

Commentary: Boy, a whole lot of backstory gets filled in this episode! D'Argo's "crime" was a setup, his punishment for violating the fascist Peacekeepers' obsession with racial purity. If it wasn't obvious before, the Nazi parallels are brought front and center. To be fair, the Peacekeepers aren't strictly a Nazi analog, but rather one of any totalitarian, militaristic society, seeing as how the Peacekeeper symbol is almost a direct copy of the bolshevik "Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge" symbol from the Russian civil war. With all this revelation, D'Argo moves significantly beyond the "violent Klingon analog" he first came across as in the early episodes of the series, and now is a character that is much more vulnerable and nuanced than originally perceived. Moya, too, has significant blanks filled in: Namely, what type of "experiments" those nasty Peacekeepers were performing on her back when she was still restrained by a control collar. The full extent and implications won't become apparent for a while yet, but it has a profound and lasting impact on the series from here on out. This is an intense episode, emotionally speaking, but is most significant in that it signals a shift from Farscape being primarily an episodic series to one with complex, interwoven story arcs. Rather than a bickering collection of escaped prisoners, the individuals on Moya (and Moya herself) are beginning to rely on, and trust one another (albeit unwillingly in some cases), thus showing signs of becoming not just a crew, but an actual team.

Crichton Quote of the Episode:: "Is there some kind of What to Expect When You're Expecting a Baby Leviathan book? Doctor Spock... Mister Spock..."

Now Playing: Pink Martini Hang On Little Tomato
Chicken Ranch Central

Farscape: DNA Mad Scientist

My Farscape rewatch continues with "DNA Mad Scientist." And holy crap cakes, is this an insane episode. I mean, "PK Tech Girl" was my first exposure to Farscape and that was pretty damn hallucinatory-trippy-bizarre. I can only imagine what someone would think if they happened upon this episode with no prior warning!

Moya's crew arrives at the laboratory of a famed scientist called NamTar, who has amassed the largest cross-referenced DNA database in the known universe. So large, in fact, that he can pinpoint the system of origin of any species in the galaxy if he has a sufficient DNA sample. Since the crew is lost in the Uncharted Territories with no idea how to get back to their respective homes, they jump at the chance to obtain star maps from NamTar--even though the DNA extraction process involves a horrific needle in the eye. Yikes! Aeryn is the only crewmember who refuses to participate, since she is a Peacekeeper and can never return "home" without being executed as a traitor. NamTar announces he's located the home systems for every crew member... except for Crichton, of course. Earth remains distant and unknown. But NamTar demands a steep price--an arm of Pilot, since that species is rare and valuable to the scientist. What's worse is that Zhaan, D'Argo and Rygel go behind Crichton's and Aeryn's backs and assault Pilot, with D'Argo slicing off Pilot's arm with his Qualta blade. This naturally sets off some serious conflict amongst the crew. Crichton, as desperate as he is to get home, takes the others to task for their ruthlessness. While the arguments rage, Aeryn returns to NamTar, asking the scientist to find her a Sebacean colony far from Peacekeeper space, so she might live out her life among her own species. Instead of taking a sample of her DNA, however, NamTar injects her with Pilot DNA, which spreads like a virus and begins to transform Aeryn into a grotesque chimera.

Crichton takes Aeryn back to NamTar hoping to force the scientist to cure her, but the mad scientist proves immune to blaster fire--he simply regenerates the damage--slaps Crichton around and claims Aeryn as a lab specimen. NamTar wants to graft Pilot's vast multitasking capabilities to his genome, but his efforts thus far have failed and so he is using Aeryn as a bridge. Crichton learns from Kornata--NamTar's much-abused lab assistant--that NamTar himself started out as a simple lab rat, that Kornata herself was the lead researcher at the lab. As her team experimented with various genetic techniques, NamTar gained intelligence and began "improving" himself, unknown to anyone else, until he was able to take over. The maps home NamTar provided Moya's crew in the form of a crystal is actually a double-cross, meant to erase Moya's memory once downloaded, leaving the Leviathan lost in space. Crichton destroys the crystal just in time, Kornata develops an antidote for Aeryn on Moya, and also a drug to strip the grafted DNA from NamTar's genome. Crichton then confronts NamTar, who shows him Aeryn, almost completely transformed. NamTar then delivers a soliloquy about all creatures striving toward perfection, comments which remind Crichton very much of Hitler, or maybe Josef Mengele. Kornata surprises NamTar, injecting him with the reversion drug, and Crichton injects Aeryn with the antidote to return her to normal. NamTar is reduced to a rat-like Muppet that looks suspiciously like Salacious Crumb from Return of the Jedi. The ordeal leaves everyone shaken, Aeryn most of all, and trust amongst Moya's crew is at the lowest point it's been since the pilot episode.

Commentary: This is a cold-hearted episode. Up until this point, the disparate, occasionally antagonistic crew had been growing closer and opening up to each other. In fact, Moya's crew was in danger of marching happily into a Kumbaya, everyone-loves-each-other dynamic until this episode, which pulls the rug out from underneath the viewer's expectations. Zhaan, the peaceful, meditative Mr. Spock analog, suddenly became a ruthless enabler when her interests were at stake, fallout from her "dark" reversion in the battle against Maldis the previous episode. This episode showed that events in Farscape had consequences and the crew carried a lot of baggage along with them. I appreciated that. One of my big beefs with Star Trek: Voyager was that there seemed to be no consequences, and that the Maquis and Starfleet officers, who were ferocious adversaries, quickly fell into a trusting, disciplined relationship with each other. It seemed like every other episode a shuttle craft got blown up, yet nobody worried about replacing it--by the next week they'd replicated another, ready to be blown up whenever the script called for false drama. For a small starship cut off from all support and succor, this rang very, very hollow for me. Farscape never fell into this trap. Hell, there are episodes where the crew is desperate and on the verge of starvation. I'd have liked to see that on Voyager.

Also, lest I forget, the NamTar design is over the top. Crazy. Wild. The head is insanely articulated, but what really sells the alienness to me is the backward-facing knees and the stilted way he walks. A straightforward, practical effect, sure, but one rarely seen on SF television. It was much appreciated by me.

Crichton Quote of the Episode:: "Well, gotta give me a clue here, Aeryn. Is this something new? Or is this just your usual PMS, Peacekeeper military sh--"

Now Playing: Various Artists Best of Bond... James Bond
Chicken Ranch Central

Farscape: That Old Black Magic

My Farscape rewatch continues with "That Old Black Magic." I could've sworn I already wrote this up and posted it, but I can't find it anywhere. Bizarre.

While visiting a commerce planet, Crichton is lured into a trap by a jester-looking fellow who knows Crichton is from Earth and promises to help him return home. D'Argo and Aeryn find Crichton's body crumpled and unconscious in an alley--In reality, the being is Maldis, a kind of psychic vampire who feeds off hatred, anger and conflict. Crichton's spirit has been transported to an extradimensional labyrinth ruled by Maldis. Meanwhile, across the Uncharted Territories, Commander Crais, the maddened Peacekeeper who is pursuing Crichton for the death of his brother, receives a communication from Peacekeeper High Command, ordering him to break off pursuit of the fugitives and return to Peacekeeper space. Crais discusses the orders with his second-in-command, then retires to contemplate them. At this point, Maldis transports Crais to the same labyrinth as Crichton, forcing the two into conflict. To stoke the anger, Maldis pulls painful memories from Crais' mind--the death of his brother, their conscription by Peacekeeper command--all to undermine Crichton's desperate attempts to reason with Crais.

Back in the physical world, Zhaan learns from a local priest figure, Liko, that Maldis arrived some time before, killed half the planet's population and enslaved the rest. Liko's spiritual powers are too weak to defeat Maldis, but Zhaan, being a Delvian priestess, might be able to with Liko's guidance. The trouble is, when they attack Zhaan has to do so with intent to harm, which seemingly goes against her nature. Zhaan reveals that she has a violent history, which she's spent years trying to subdue and suppress within her spirit--but to save Crichton she is willing to unleash it. Crichton figures out Maldis feeds on conflict, so avoids Crais entirely. Maldis, frustrated and running low on energy, makes Crichton an offer: If he kills Crais so Maldis can feed, he'll then return Crichton to his friends. Crichton, worn down by running, agrees. He fights Crais, but just as he's about to kill his nemesis, Maldis transports Crais back to his Peacekeeper warship. The goal, Maldis explains, was to re-ignite Crais' burning hatred of Crichton so much that he'd bring the Command Carrier to the commerce planet, whereupon Maldis could take it over and then roam throughout the galaxy, wreaking havoc and feeding off the results. Maldis then moves in to kill and consume Crichton, but is surprised by Zhaan, who abruptly enters Maldis' spiritual labyrinth. Zhaan tells Crichton she's used her abilities to make Maldis temporarily tangible. Crichton doesn't need to be told twice, punching Maldis and reducing him to dust. Afterwards, Aeryn attempts to thank Zhaan by telling her she is much more of a warrior than Aeryn ever thought. D'Argo quietly informs Aeryn that her comment is quite possibly the greatest insult she could've inflicted on a Delvian priestess devoted to peace. Zhaan confesses to Crichton that she doesn't think she can suppress her savage side again.

Back on the Command Carrier, Crais asks his second-in-command if there's been any further communications from Peacekeeper High Command. When she says no, he kills her. She was the only other person to know of his earlier orders, and with her dead, he is free to redouble his pursuit of Crichton without anyone in his crew questioning him.

Commentary: Crais is back. Having seen the entire series, and the big role Crais played throughout, it's more than a little surprising to realize this is the first time Crais has appeared since the pilot episode. This was a deliberate strategy by the show runners, who wanted to prevent Farscape from becoming The Fugitive in space. That's kind of funny, really, when you consider that the series title was originally Space Chase. Crais shows himself to be the heartless bastard we all know him to be. When Crichton explains beyond a reasonable doubt that the death of Crais' brother was an unintended accident, Crais simply responds, "I don't care." Obviously, the re-introduction of Crais prods the series back toward the over-arching season narrative.

The episode also does some heavy-lifting to differentiate the characters from their Star Trek analogs. D'Argo, the Luxan warrior, is naturally equated to a Klingon (and more specifically, Worf from TNG) and Zhaan, the Zen-like Delvian priestess, is easily equated with the logical Vulcan, Mr. Spock. The revelation of her savage background reenforces that comparison, as Spock constantly works to keep his emotions in check (and "Amok Time" shows his savage background), but from here on out, Zhaan proves to be more unpredictable, dangerous and selfish than Spock ever was. That's an interesting development that goes against the expected character trajectory.

Crichton Quote of the Episode:: "It's not Kansas, and you're way too homely to be Auntie Em. Come here, Toto."

Now Playing: Led Zeppelin Greatest Hits
Chicken Ranch Central

Farscape: PK Tech Girl

I'm going to attempt to squeeze in another Farscape rewatch right quick before heading off to Worldcon, so pay attention, because "PK Tech Girl" is an important one, for reasons which will soon become clear.

The crew of Moya finds a battle-damaged derelict Peacekeeper warship in orbit around a planet in the Uncharted Territories. This turns out to be the Zelbinion, the bad-ass Peacekeeper flagship or something, and pretty much the toughest ship in the Peacekeeper fleet. Coincidentally, Rygel had been held captive on the ship for an extended period before being transferred to Moya, during which time he was tortured by the sadistic Captain Durka. Chronically low on supplies as always, Moya docks and the crew search the Zelbinion for anything worth salvaging (and also to try and figure out what happened to the warship). The ship has already been effectively stripped by scavengers, but they discover a Peacekeeper technician, Gilina, hiding on the ship. She's from Crais' ship, and was left behind with a tech crew to investigate the derelict. Unfortunately, once Crais moved on in his hunt for Moya, a dumpy, lizard-like alien race called the Sheyang moved in and killed the tech crew. Did I mention the Sheyang can breathe fire? Well, they can, which is why they killed the techs so easily. But Gilinia--not the warrior type--hid, and subsequently survived. But the Sheyang return, and their weapons can destroy Moya before the Leviathan could undock and starbust away. So, in an attempt to buy time, Zhaan broadcasts a raging D’Argo tantrum, which makes the Sheyang back off. Nobody wants to fight Luxans. But D'Argo is uncomfortable carrying on the deception because it is not honorable. Meanwhile, Crichton and Gilina attempt to repair and install a damaged shield generator from the Zelbinion onto Moya. Crichton and Gilina get mighty cozy whilst doing so, and Aeryn gets jealous. They manage to activate the shield just as the Sheyang see through D'Argo's bluff. The Sheyang then launch fighters to attempt to penetrate the incomplete shield. One makes it through, and Aeryn battles the boarding party as Crichton and Gilina attempt to complete installation of the shield generator on Moya. Once the boarding party is killed, the Moya crew transmit a distress signal to Crais, at which point the remaining Sheyang flee. Moya then departs, leaving Gilina behind for retrieval by Crais. Oh, and Rygel confronted the dead corpse of Captain Durka, getting some closure there and overcoming his bad case of PTSD.

Commentary: This is it. This is what started my Farscape obsession. I first saw this episode in late 1999 or early 2000 on a visit to my parents. Flipping through the channels that Saturday afternoon, I came across this weird science fiction show on the SciFi Channel. It looked like nothing I'd ever seen before. It was weird with these bizarre, fire-breathing aliens and what looked like Muppets--sophisticated animatronic Muppets to be sure, but Muppets nonetheless. I was all like, "What the hell is this?" I couldn't make heads nor tails of it. I could tell there was complex interpersonal relationships going on, but I couldn't sort everything out beyond this apparent love triangle between the astronaut guy (Crichton) and the pixie blonde and amazon brunette. This show became something of an obsession. I absolutely did not understand it, and I had no idea whether I liked it or not. Do you have any idea how annoying that is? It's like an itch you can't scratch. I ended up catching the final three episodes of the season, and things clicked. Far from confused, I grokked the show and understood exactly where it was coming from, and what it was trying to do. I approved. I was hooked at that point.

So, what about the episode itself? Well, it carried on the fine Farscape tradition of using throwaway, placeholder titles for the aired episode. And it also introduced probably the single most disruptive element of the entire series in Gilina. Coming to this episode without any understanding of the Farscape universe, I picked up an instant chemistry between Ben Browder (Crichton) and Alyssa-Jane Cook (Gilina). This is problematic because up until this point in the series (which I have gone back and watched, after all) it's clear the showrunners intend for Crichton and Aeryn to become an item, but their relationship has been prickly and standoffish, without any substantive hints of romance. There've been glimpses of friendship, maybe, and grudging respect, but romance? Nope. Couple that with the fact that Crichton and Gilina's interactions are overtly sexually charged--apart from kissing each other, Gilina makes a sly reference to Crichton having an erection, the implication being that she's got a place she'd be happy for him to put it. This is good for the series, in that Gilina serves as a catalyst to jump-start the Crichton/Aeryn romance, but I'm convinced it worked too well. Instead of Gilina being a one-off plot device, she lives beyond the end of the episode. Her continued existence means Aeryn has a serious rival for Crichton's love--more than serious, as Gilina, being essentially an engineer/scientist has much more in common with the engineer/scientist/theoretical physicist Crichton than does the decidedly tech-unsavvy warrior woman Aeryn. How the writers handle this issue in the future is... awkward, to say the least.

Other than that, the episode is a lot of fun. The whole Sheyang thing is like some drug-induced SFnal trip, something that might've shown up in John Carpenter's Dark Star had Carpenter actually had a budget to work with. Rygel's PTSD is a small part of the episode, but pays off well in future episodes. And adding the shield generators to Moya also has payoff later in the series. In fact, this is the episode where Farscape stops thinking of itself in terms of standalone episodes and starts laying the groundwork for more complex story arcs. Oh, sure they had bits about Crais hunting them and bits about Peacekeepers having a presence in the Uncharted territories, but with this episode the writers channeled their inner Chekov and started hanging guns over the mantlepiece willy-nilly. There's a clear vision shift in this episode--albeit viewed in hindsight--and the series is set to soar because of it.

Crichton Quote of the Episode:: "They spit fire? How come nobody tells me this stuff? How come nobody tells me they spit fire?"

Now Playing: Billy Joel Piano Man
Chicken Ranch Central

Farscape: Thank God It's Friday, Again

My Farscape rewatch continues with "Thank God It's Friday, Again." To confess, I actually watched this episode (and quite a few others) months ago, but didn't get around to posting a writeup. So I'll be working my way through some of the backlog in the near future.

The episode begins with D'Argo experiencing "Luxan hyper-rage," a kind of testosterone-fueled meltdown which prompts him to want to kill Crichton. Crichton, sensibly enough, hides, so D'Argo takes one of Moya's shuttles and lands on a nearby planet. It makes more sense on the screen, trust me. Crichton, Aeryn, Zhaan and Rygel follow after allowing D'Argo several days to cool off. When they find him, though, the Luxan warrior is all "peace, love and happiness." He's joined up with the orange-skinned agrarian natives, a kind of hippie commune that digs weird root vegetables by day and parties well into the night, because "Tomorrow is a day of rest." Things get strange, quickly. The next day isn't a day of rest, but rather a repeat of the previous day, right down to the "Tomorrow is a day of rest" bit. Crichton is abducted and a parasitic worm forced into his gut. Zhaan falls under the "Peace, love and happiness" spell. Someone tries to kill Rygel with explosives, so Aeryn takes him back to Moya. Crichton tracks down his abductors and learns a drug from the plants harvested is put into the population's food to keep them docile and disrupt memory, so they effectively work as slave labor. The worm they forced into Crichton's gut metabolizes the drug, so Crichton won't fall under its influence. Aboard Moya, Aeryn (with some reluctance) runs tests and discovers nobody attempted to blow Rygel up--rather, his unique body chemistry reacted with the vegetable matter/drug and turned his bodily fluids explosive. Rygel and Aeryn return to the planet, meet up with Crichton and help overthrow the populace's ruler, in part, by having Rygel pee and them (which creates some pretty impressive fireworks). It turns out that the roots being harvested in the fields are regularly collected by Peacekeeper transports, then processed into fuel for the Peacekeepers' plasma-like weapons. The planet was once a lush paradise before the people were enslaved and their agriculture militarized. Moya's crew then departs, shaken by the realization that the Peacekeeper reach extends much farther into the Uncharted Territories than they'd realized.

Commentary: This is a standard, SFnal stand-alone episode common amongst many shows of this type. There is an element of Scooby-Doo mystery here, as they uncover the truth at the end. I almost expected the weird, albino ruler to shout "And I would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those meddling aliens!" Despite being a stand-alone episode, there were several references throughout that integrated it nicely with the ongoing season 1 story arc. It's certainly a worthwhile episode in that the writers begin to push the envelope some in regard to character behavior (Crichton wakes up to find Zhaan's hand firmly placed on his crotch and awkwardly extracts himself from the situation) as well as what I consider the single greatest dialogue exchange on the series, and the start of Aeryn's long-running struggle to master the "Engrish" language (see below).

Quote of the Episode:: Aeryn: "She gives me a woody. ... Woody. It's a human saying. I've heard you say it often. When you don't trust someone or they make you nervous, they give you..."
Crichton: "Willies. She gives you the willies."

Now Playing: Don Henley California Desperados
Chicken Ranch Central

Farscape: Back And Back And Back to the Future

My Farscape rewatch continues (after a bit of a break through December) with "Back And Back And Back to the Future." The fifth episode produced, this is the first one filmed in the "American style" as opposed to the "Australian style" for series, in that all the production effort focused on the single episode as opposed to the filming of two simultaneously. I'm not certain there is any difference apparent to the casual viewer, but to me,it seems as if character development takes a strong step up to the forefront of the show.

The episode opens, as they often do, with an alien space craft disintegrating amidst a strange green cloud. The crew of Moya rescue two survivors in a shuttle--Ilanics, a race that is a genetic offshoot of Luxans. D'Argo immediately feels kinship to them, and pledges to help the elderly male, Verell, and his female companion, Matala. Crichton, checking the shuttle for any other survivors, gets zapped by strange green glowing energy and begins to experience strange time-loops, like deja vu set to stutter. D'Argo is hot to trot for Matala, not having enjoyed female companionship for many years, and gets all esprit de corps when he learns the Ilanics and Luxans are at war with an invading race known as Scorvians. Crichton's flash-forwards grow progressively more disturbing, starting with Matala sexually assaulting him and culminating with her killing pretty much everyone on board Moya, Crichton included. His attempt to discuss the situation with D'Argo only generates hostility and jealousy from the Luxan, while Zhaan and Aeryn are skeptical. Aeryn, though, doesn't like Matala and invites her to a "friendly" martial arts sparring match. Aeryn essentially kicks Matala's butt, to the point Matala responds with a scorpion-like hand-strike that leaves Aeryn paralyzed in the workout room. When Aeryn recovers, she finds Crichton and Zhaan in conversation--one Crichton experiences over and over. Aeryn reveals Matala is a Scorvian in disguise, exposed by her distinctive hand-strike. Crichton finally convinces them of the accuracy of his future flashes by finishing their sentences before them and generally predicting everything that happens moments before it does. They uncover that Verell is a weapons expert, and has harnessed a singularity to use as a weapon against the Scorvians--and Matala is a Scorvian spy intent on stealing it.

Most future courses of action result in the deaths of Moya's crew, or even the destruction of Moya by the captive black hole weapon aboard the shuttle. As a Scorvian ship approaches to collect the weapon, Crichton has a flash-forward in which he overhears D'Argo telling Matala he has not revealed to his companions on Moya the true crime for what he was initially imprisoned by the Peacekeepers for. Once back in the present, Crichton confronts D'Argo with this information--which D'Argo has revealed to nobody at this point--proving his time-jump story. Reluctantly, D'Argo joins Crichton in confronting Matala, who stabs Verell and flees D'Argo and Crichton. She gets into the shuttle and flees to the approaching Scorvian ship, but Verell, in his last, dying act, remotely triggers the singularity which consumes both the shuttle and Scorvian ship. Moya escapes via starburst.

Commentary: This is an interesting episode in many ways. As I mentioned above, character takes center stage more than it has in previous episodes. D'Argo, apart from the arrogant bluster, is shown as vulnerable and isolated. His character deepens considerably, although his true crime is not revealed. The fact that he has a secret burden is fascinating. He also develops an unwilling bond with Crichton, since Crichton was astute enough not to "out" D'Argo's secret with any other crew around to witness, thus preserving a portion of D'Argo's private dignity. The appearance of the Ilanics further defines the broad universe of Farscape, laying out alliances and a sprawling interrelated universe of widely- and closely-related species. And while the Moya crew is just as dysfunctional as ever, the classic Jim Henson theme of "family is what you make it" shows up pretty overtly here for the first time. D'Argo is quick to abandon, or at least sideline, his crewmates on Moya for a race that is historically and genetically closely allied with his own. But this alliance of blood turns on him and leaves him vulnerable--it is the uneasy friendships he has forged on Moya (namely Crichton, but also Zhaan and Aeryn) who really have his back when the chips fall. Also, Crichton unambiguously takes command of the situation for the first time.

Quote of the Episode:: D'Argo: "Crichton, I am normally unaffected by females during a crisis... it is just... it has been so long..."
Crichton: "Now that, I understand. Man, do I understand."

Now Playing: Amy Winehouse Lioness: Hidden Treasures
Chicken Ranch Central

Farscape: Throne for a Loss

My Farscape rewatch continues with "Throne for a Loss." The fourth episode produced, there are several significant milestones reached here: 1) it's the first episode with a pun for a title, which will become a staple of the series; and B) the classic Farscape plot formula solidifies.

Moya's crew, broke and desperate for money to buy food and other things to sustain their flight from the Peacekeepers, decide to hire out Moya as a cargo transport.To increase their bargaining position, they make Rygel their frontman, as the greedy Hynerian Dominar knows how to negotiate and his regal heritage would give their business an air of legitimacy. Unfortunately, the Tavleks--whom they are negotiating with--are in actuality ruthless mercenaries who abduct Rygel to hold for ransom. During the skirmish, one of the younger Tavleks is knocked unconscious and taken prisoner by Moya's crew. They discover the Tavleks use a sophisticated gauntlet weapon that injects the wearer with an addictive drug that increases aggression as well as strength and stamina. Zhaan attempts to comfort the hostile young Tavlek as it goes through withdrawals while Crichton, Aeryn and D'Argo plot a rescue of Rygel from the planet below. Although most of the crew would happily abandon the pompous Rygel, the Hynerian covertly "borrowed" a crucial circuit crystal to decorate his royal scepter, rendering Moya's propulsion system inoperative. Simply put, they need to get it back.

In turn, D'Argo then Aeryn put on the gauntlet as they try to gather information and logistics necessary to free Rygel. In turn, each is left exhausted and nearly helpless once the gauntlet is removed and the drug leaves their system. Rygel, for his part, is nearly killed during an escape attempt by the occupant of the cell next to his--the octopoid Jotheb, next in line of succession in the Consortium of Trao--revives Rygel and announces his empire will pay Rygel's ransom in order to absorb the Hynerian Empire into his. Rygel mocks him, admitting he'd been deposed and no longer has any official standing on his homeworld. Finally, Crichton puts on the gauntlet and attacks the Tavleks, but in the middle of the firefight the gauntlet runs out of drug, leaving Crichton helpless. After a series of fanciful lies fail to sway the Tavleks, Crichton admits the crew of Moya has nothing of value and negotiates a straight-up swap of Rygel for the captured young Tavlek.

Commentary: "Throne for a Loss" is interesting for several reasons. First and foremost, it feels like a Farscape episode, whereas the previous episodes merely had flashes of that vibe. Part of this, I think, results from the fact this was the last episode filmed in the Australian style--that is, two episodes simultaneously. This approach (judging from commentary tracks) proved difficult with such a complex series, and the actors and directors had trouble keeping the plots straight during filming. They switched to the standard American one-episode-at-a-time schedule for all subsequent episodes. For the first time, D'Argo shows his Qualta blade can transform into a Qualta rifle. Also, when D'Argo is wounded, we learn that Luxan physiology is susceptible to deadly infection unless the wound is cleansed by the blood "running clear." As significant as those revelations are for the future of the series, Virginia Hey provides the episode's WOW! moment with full backal nudity, complete with elaborate blue body paint depicting her alien Delvian physiology. Just remember, Rebecca Romijm may have impressed audiences in 2000's X-Men movie by performing clad only in blue body paint, but Virginia Hey did the same thing a year earlier.

I also quite liked Jotheb, and felt the non-humanoid alien the best effort by Jim Henson's Creature Shop (excepting Pilot, of course) to this point. As the series progressed, I halfway hoped to see this race again, and maybe follow up on his grudge against Rygel. Alas, it was not to be.

Finally, the infamous "I have a plan" rears its head in all its glory. Previous episodes--including the premiere--had some low-key variation on this, but "Throne for a Loss" is special in that for the first time the grand plans fail spectacularly and disaster is averted only through urgent improvisation. Think of it like Scooby-Doo in space: Each week, an elaborate scheme is concocted to capture the ghost/monster (or in this case defeat the alien menace) which invariably fails at some crucial point. Mayhem ensues. Then the heroes somehow salvage victory from certain defeat. That is, in a nutshell, the Farscape formula. A lot more gets added to the mix as the series matures, but at the heart lies Crichton's failed plans. It's wildly entertaining stuff, and I can't wait to see more of it.

Crichton Quote of the Episode:: "That's your plan? Wile E. Coyote would come up with a better plan than that!"

Now Playing: Duke Ellington Ken Burns' Jazz
Chicken Ranch Central

Farscape: Exodus from Genesis

My Farscape rewatch continues with "Exodus from Genesis." The third episode produced, it's still very clear the series is awkwardly finding its way. At the same time, we see the emergence of some of the personality and world building that will come to define the series down the line.

The story is straightforward--Moya encounters a particulate cloud in orbit around a star, uses this cloud as a shield to hide from a Peacekeeper Marauder scout ship filled with a detachment of commandos. The cloud is actually a spacefaring species of insect, which spawns in hot environments. The swarm boards Moya and begins manipulating the ship's environmental controls to increase the heat. Crichton discovers one of the roach-like creatures in his quarters, and in a panic, squashes it. The swarm takes samples of the crew's DNA and uses that to construct automaton duplicates of Crichton, Zhaan, D'Argo and Aeryn in an effort to take over the ship. The increased heat inside Moya sends Aeryn into a state of fevered delirium. Turns out that Sebaceans (the Peacekeeper race) cannot tolerate excessive temperatures--that rules out Peacekeepers ever colonizing Texas--and will slip into a permanent coma if she can't cool down. Through Zhaan, the crew establishes contact with the swarm and realize the hostilities were a mis-understanding, that the alien "Drak" didn't realize Moya was a ship when they boarded and Crichton impulsively attacked the insect in his quarters out of fear. They establish a truce, with Moya's crew moving to an isolated part of the ship that will be kept relatively cooler while the Drak completes its spawning process. Unfortunately, the Marauder returns at this point and the Peacekeeper commandos attempt to storm Moya. They kill several of the automatons, and the Drak believes Moya's crew has broken the truce and begins raising the heat precipitously across the ship. Crichton negotiates a plan with the Drak--he, and a dozen of his automatons confront the now-delirious commandos. He subdues the commander, and then sends them packing with a warning to Crais not to continue pursuing Crichton or else he'll use his powers of duplication against Crais. The Drak finish spawning, the ship's temperature returns to normal, and Aeryn survives.

Commentary: The episode is a bit reminiscent of Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes, in that an alien life form invades the ship and conflict springs from misunderstanding. That's been done before. That said, scriptwriter Ro Hume threw the kitchen sink in here with Peacekeeper commandos, alien doppelgängers, spacefaring insect swarms and whatnot. There's a lot going on here, with alliances and broken alliances and general mass confusion for most of the episode, with pretty much every side in the dark as to what's going on for the majority of the episode. The most significant development is the introduction of Sebacean heat delirium, which will play a much more prominent role further on in the series. Whilst barely hanging on to her sanity, Aeryn demands that Crichton kill her if she slips into a coma, as permanent brain damage will take hold then and Peacekeepers consider that vegetative state a fate worse than death. At the end, Aeryn asks Crichton whether he'd have gone through with her request and he pointedly doesn't answer. Regardless, a bond--however tenuous--has been established between the Sebacean and human.

The most unfortunate aspect of the episode is the physical appearance of the Peacekeeper commandos. Each of them has very heavy eyeliner applied in a stylized fashion. Dear lord in heaven, who thought this was a good idea? I assume the intent was to project the impression of bad-ass warpaint used by a hard-core fighting unit. Instead, they looked like wannabe glam rockers pissed off because they couldn't get into the Gary Glitter show. It's just flat-out embarrassing.

Crichton Quote of the Episode: "We call 'em linebackers. Or serial killers. Depends on whether they're professional or amateur."

Now Playing: Pink Floyd More
Chicken Ranch Central

Farscape: I, E.T.

My Farscape re-watch continues with the second episode, "I, E.T." Although it is officially the second episode, it didn't originally air until after "Thank God It's Friday, Again." It really makes the viewer wonder why networks and/or cable channels insist on airing episodes out of order. I can't discern any valid purpose in doing so (in this instance at least).

A Peacekeeper beacon booby-trap hidden aboard Moya abruptly begins transmitting a homing signal, one certain to bring Crais and the Peacekeeper Command Carrier running right to Moya's location in the Uncharted Territories. Not to mention the piercing audio component causes Crichton to suffer uncontrolled facial tics. To muffle the signal while the crew devises a way to silence it for good, they attempt the risky move of actually landing Moya on a nearby watery planet. Leviathans live their entire lives in space, but legends of Leviathans touching a planet's surface and living to tell about it convince the reluctant Moya. They land, and Moya submerges into the mud of a swamp. Crichton, Aeryn and D'Argo leave the ship to look for a particular type of naturally-occurring anesthetic effective on Leviathans, while the diminutive Rygel squeezes into the space behind the bulkhead and begins the process of cutting the homing beacon out of Moya's neural net. Zhaan, the Delvian priestess, uses her abilities to absorb some of the intense pain away from Moya.

Before long, Crichton, D'Argo and Aeryn get separated when a search party of natives--generally human-looking with the exception of odd ears--attempt to capture them. Crichton hides in a barn adjacent to a radio telescope, and is subsequently knocked out by a young boy packing some sort of taser wand. The boy's mother--who initially called in the report of a UFO to the authorities--holds Crichton captive, but eventually comes to realize how lost and unthreatening he is. She lets him go, Crichton rescues D'Argo--who'd managed to get captured--and they escape back to Moya just in time to throw the numbing chemical on Rygel's surgery and effective an escape back into space.

Commentary: Weak episode, I'm sorry to say. As much as Farscape distinguished itself with originality, this plot comes off as a tired re-tread of a basic premise used for at least one episode of every Star Trek series, plus the original Battlestar Galactica and quite possibly Buck Rogers and Babylon 5, although I can't quite recall specific episodes. The military's interest in capturing the aliens is perfunctory, with no socio-political commentary developed to any real extent. The entire plot consists of a by-the-numbers series of events without depth. Huge hints are given out that the "anesthetic" Crichton and friends are out looking for is actually salt, which isn't really clever and has no payoff. In fact, the "quest for salt" has no real payoff as the surgery on Moya is completed without it (yes, the salt numbs her pain enough to launch off the planet, but come on, the whole wrap-up is entirely anti-climactic). The best thing to be said about the episode is that the slower pace of the plot allowed for some much-needed character development. D'Argo is still a one-note "Fight first, ask questions later" dope, but Rygel gets a little depth, showing that underneath his pompous self-importance lies a core that will come through when it counts the most. Aeryn remains angry about her circumstances and Zhaan is the compassionate caregiver. Pilot is still something of a mystery, but his uncertainty and far-from-omniscient knowledge of Moya are interesting touches that hint at interesting backstory to come. Also, we get to see commlink badges used by Moya's crew, which are never used again as far as I can recall. Farscape was great at introducing little bits of detail that were ultimately discarded as not worth the effort.

Crichton Quote of the Episode: "Kinda like Louisiana... or Dagobah. Dagobah. Where Yoda lives."

Now Playing: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble The Real Deal: Greatest Hits vol. 2
Chicken Ranch Central

Farscape: Premiere

A little over a year ago, I set for myself the goal of rewatching the entire Farscape series from beginning to end. I failed to watch a single episode in the ensuing 12 months. I had an excuse--that Chicken Ranch book utterly consumed my life. But since the book is now essentially finished (revisions pending) and Farscape remains to this day my favorite show ever (sorry Firefly), I've taken up the challenge and begun my long-delayed rewatch. And I've decided to share my impressions here with you (blogging more often is another something I'll do now that the Chicken Ranch book is no longer consuming my life).

The first episode of Farscape, titled "Premiere", throws a lot of plot at the viewer in a very small amount of time. Watching this episode, I'm amazed at how dizzying a pace they set, not really pausing to breathe. Here's the skinny: Astronaut John Chriton suffers from Great Man's Son syndrome, as his father (played by Kent McCord of Galactical 1980 infamy) was one of the last astronauts to walk on the moon. John Crichton is about to launch on the space shuttle to test a theory of his own devising, in a craft of his own design (looking remarkably similar to NASA's X-38 lifting body design) called the "Farscape Module." The experimental theory itself isn't outlined clearly, but it is apparently some variation on a gravitational slingshot, albeit one that minimizes atmospheric drag allowing the craft to pass much closer to the planet's surface, thereby accelerating faster without burning up. Typical Hollywood rubber science, but at least there's a grain of fact buried deep within.

Anyway, Crichton launches and begins the experiment. All is going well until a wormhole opens up in front of him (as wormholes are wont to do) catapulting him across the galaxy into the middle of a firefight between fighter ships piloted by human-like aliens known as Peacekeepers and a giant bio-mechanoid prison ship populated by political prisoners trying to escape. The Farscape Module collides with a fighter, sending the latter crashing into an asteroid and exploding impressively. The prisoners tractor beam Farscape aboard, hoping they can use the wormhole technology to escape. Chrichton proves useless. The prisoners manage to effect an escape on their own (the living ship, Moya, is able to starburst--a sort of short-range hyperspace jump) so they imprison Crichton with a captured Peacekeeper, Officer Aeryn Sun. Sun promptly beats Crichton up as a traitor to his species before gradually accepting that the human is an actual alien. The gloriously dysfunctional crew is introduced in short order--Dominar Rygel XVI, a pint-sized, greyish Muppet character who happens to be the self-important deposed ruler of the Hynerian Empire; Ka D'Argo, a towering Luxan warrior with non-prehensile tentacles growing from his head and a temper that leads the viewer to categorize him as a Klingon stand-in; Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan, a bald, blue-skinned Delvian priestess and anarchist, the spiritual center of the group; Pilot, an elaborate, four-armed animatronic alien surgically grafted to the living ship; and Moya, the living Leviathan ship itself that never actually speaks but communicates through Pilot. It's never quite clear just how intelligent or sentient Moya is, but instinct plays a great role in her behavior.

By cooperating, Crichton and Aeryn escape and flee to a nearby commerce planet, with the idea of joining back up with Aeryn's military detachment. Unfortunately, the pilot of the fighter that Crichton collided with was the brother of Commander Bialar Crais, who is bent on bloody revenge. When Aeryn makes a half-hearted attempt to defend Crichton, Crais condemns her on the spot. Facing certain death, Crichton and Aeryn escape (along with the captured D'Argo) and flee back to Moya. With Crais' Peacekeeper Command Carrier closing fast, Crichton uses his gravity/atmosphere/slingshot theory to accelerate the Leviathan away from danger... for the time being.

Commentary: Now's probably a good time to mention Farscape was the brainchild of the Jim Henson Company (to show off the talent and capabilities of the Creature Shop) as well as Rockne S. O'Bannon, creator of Alien Nation among other credits. Production values for the episode are top-notch. The aliens do indeed look otherworldly, as opposed to human actors with funny bumps glued on their noses. If you're watching this on DVD or Blu-Ray, be sure to turn on the commentary track after the first viewing, because there are a lot of amusing Easter Eggs hidden throughout the production. The entire episode rushes by at breakneck pace, and really feels like a pilot, in that it's setting all the chess pieces on the board for future stories. Characters are broad types--the greedy one, the figher, the mystic, etc.--and not given much room to grow. This is to be expected, being the pilot episode. However, a lot of the wit and clever writing that made Farscape such a fan favorite isn't yet on display. Even Crichton has little personality beyond being the confused and lost Earthman. A nice touch was the "translator microbes" injected into him early on, shades of the Babel Fish from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Also, the utter dysfunctional nature of the crew is a big change from most traditional SF television, and something that will play a much bigger role later on in the series. It's hard to say the pilot episode would win anyone over outright, but it certainly offers enough promise to bring viewers back for another episode or two, to see if this series is going anywhere worthwhile.

Crichton Quote of the Episode: "Boy, was Spielberg ever wrong. Close Encounters my ass."

Now Playing: Django Reinhardt Chronological vol. 1
Chicken Ranch Central