Farscape – Nostalgia Central

1 9 9 9 – 2 0 0 3 (USA)
88 x 50 minute episodes
2 0 0 4 (USA)
3 x 60 minute episodes

American astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) is accidentally hurled across the universe through a wormhole while on an experimental space mission. He finds himself on a large sentient, bio-mechanical spaceship called Moya in the midst of an intergalactic conflict, trapped among alien creatures wielding deadly technology and hunted by a merciless military race (the “Peacekeepers”).

Moya had been a Peacekeeper vessel but had been taken over by the prisoners it was transporting – a motley group of escaped alien convicts. A Sebacean named Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black) – who is humanoid in appearance – was the only remaining Peacekeeper on board.

A romance between Aeryn and John became a core pillar of the series. Their relationship was marked by intense tragedy, including multiple deaths and resurrections, as well as a period where Aeryn fell in love with one of two “twinned” versions of John.

They eventually married and had a son, who they named D’Argo in honour of their fallen comrade, Ka D’Argo (Anthony Simcoe) – a feral warrior whose main weapons were his long, pointed tongue and his big sword.

Zhaan (Virginia Hey) was a blue-skinned, bald Delvian priestess. While she looked humanoid, she was, in fact, a hyper-evolved sentient plant with fibrous cartilage instead of bones.

Her blue skin contained chloroplasts. Zhaan was a voice of calm, though her peaceful exterior masked a deeply violent past and a constant struggle for inner balance.

Dominar Rygel XVI (an animatronic puppet from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, voiced by New Zealand actor Jonathan Hardy) was the deposed leader of the Hynerian Empire.

Looking like an elderly turtle (pictured at right), he farted helium when he was nervous.

Chiana (Gigi Edgley) – whom John nicknamed “Pip” – was a Nebari with grey skin and hair. She was extremely impulsive and frequently behaved like a playful and malicious 16-year-old.

Chiana had a long-term, passionate, but often volatile romantic relationship with Ka D’Argo.

Stark (Paul Goddard) joined the crew in the Season 1 finale. He was a Staleek (a race with unique abilities related to life, death, and energy) and a deeply traumatised spiritualist.

This ragtag group of misfits eventually succeeded in saving the galaxy

Hailed as one of sci-fi’s most acclaimed villains, Scorpius (Wayne Pygram, pictured below left) was a half-breed commander obsessed with Crichton’s subconscious knowledge of wormholes.

He eventually implanted a “neural clone” (nicknamed ‘Harvey’) in John’s mind to haunt him.

Captain Meeklo Braca (David Franklin) was his loyal right-hand man. Calm, efficient, and deeply pragmatic, he often managed the logistics of Scorpius’s grand plans.

Farscape was filmed in Australia, and a number of Australian actors appeared in the series, including Bruce Spence, Nick Tate, Tina Bursill, Hugh Keays-Byrne, June Salter, Rebecca Gibney, Ben Mendelsohn, Magda Szubanski, Claudia Karvan, Barry Otto, Ivar Kants, Jeremy Sims, Chris Haywood, Carmen Duncan, Alex Dimitriades, Susan Lyons, Julianne Newbould and Terry Serio.

Virginia Hey, who played Zhaan, was forced to leave the series in season 3 as the blue makeup used on her head and chest was toxic and caused her kidneys to bleed, leading to serious health issues.

Produced by The Jim Henson Company, the series ran for four seasons (88 episodes) before its abrupt cancellation by the Sci-Fi Channel, which left the show on a massive cliffhanger.

After an intense fan campaign, the story was concluded in 2004 with the three-hour miniseries Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars.

John Crichton
Ben Browder
Officer Aeryn Sun
Claudia Black
Ka D’Argo
Anthony Simcoe
Captain Bialar Crais/Pilot (voice)
Lani John Tupu
Dominar Rygel XVI (voice)/Kahaynu
Jonathan Hardy
Pa’u Zotoh Zhaan
Virginia Hey
Chiana
Gigi Edgley
Stark 
Paul Goddard
Scorpius
Wayne Pygram
Captain Meeklo Braca
David Franklin