 |
| All images: Jim Henson Company |
Farscape follows the adventures of a human astronaut, Commander John Crichton, who, while testing the space module he has created, gets shot through a wormhole to another galaxy. He ends up being captured by an alien ship, a living ship, that controlled by a small group of escaped prisoners from several different planets. The ship, named Moya, is a Leviathan, a sentient ship who has a biological bond with her Pilot, a multi-armed alien who aids Moya in her journeys. Officer Aeryn Sun is the most human of the aliens. She is a Sebacean
Peacekeeper, a military group bred for the sole purpose of maintaining
peace throughout the galaxy. Aeryn at first rebels against the crew of
Moya at every opportunity, but eventually learns to see them all as
family.Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan is a vegetative humanoid who is a priestess on her home planet of Delvia. She is generally a calming influence on the others and also acts as their healer. Ka D'Argo is a Luxan warrior, a giant with tentacle like dreads and a deep sense of honor. Although he is slow to warm up to the others, he eventually comes to value their friendship and will fight to the death to defend them. Dominar Rygel the XVI was an ornery little Hynerian who has been deposed by his cousin. He is conniving and tricky, but can be coerced into doing what is right, most of the time. Chiana joined the crew midway through the first season. She is a Nebari with some very interesting ethics. Chiana often gets into trouble but uses her wits and feminine wiles to escape the situation. They are chased across the galaxy by two villains, Captain Bialar Crais and the Sebacian-Scarran hybrid Scorpius. Both are Peacekeepers with private agendas that lead them to seek out John Crichton, either to destroy him, or to acquire the wormhole information buried in his brain.
The look of Farscape is amazing, with many different alien species and planets. Many of the aliens they encounter are Muppets created by Brian Henson and Jim Henson Productions. The Muppet creatures are fantastical and often, in characters such as Pilot, really large and detailed. The Muppets made it possible to have creatures that would not have been possible had they been actors in a costume.
If you haven't watched it before, Farscape is currently being re-aired on Pivot and is also available on DVD. The fifteenth anniversary edition of the entire series will be available on Blu-ray on November 5. I would definitely recommend watching it in its entirety, especially if you love Jim Henson productions.
