- 6 Talk
-
Farscape
Added by TomH| First aired | March 19, 1999 |
| Last aired | March 21, 2003 |
| Network | Sci-Fi Channel |
| Seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 88 |
Farscape is a science fiction television series that was produced for the Sci Fi channel from 1999 to 2003. The series was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment. The Jim Henson Company was largely responsible for the various alien makeup and prosthetics, and two regular characters (the animatronic puppets Rygel and Pilot) are entirely Jim Henson's Creature Shop creations. The narrative follows John Crichton, an astronaut from Earth who accidentally opens a wormhole and finds himself at the opposite end of the galaxy.
Although the series was under contract for five seasons, it was abruptly canceled after production had ended on its fourth season, effectively ending the series on a cliffhanger. Co-producer Brian Henson later secured the rights to Farscape, paving the way for a four-hour miniseries entitled Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, which Henson himself directed. A new comic book miniseries began in November 2008 that is in the continuity of both the series and the proposed webisodes.
Contents |
Plot Description
Edit
John Crichton, an astronaut from Earth, enters a wormhole and finds himself thrown to the other end of the galaxy where he meets a bevy of strange creatures -- and, possibly, the love of his life, in the form of a soldier named Aeryn Sun. Caught in the middle of an intergalactic war, John desperately tries to find a way home, while being pursued by armies on both sides of the conflict, who want to learn what secrets he knows about wormholes.
The series is the brainchild of Rockne S. O'Bannon, whose other credits include Alien Nation and Seaquest DSV. The Jim Henson Company was largely responsible for the various alien makeup and prosthetics, and two regular characters - Rygel and Pilot - are entirely Creature Shop creations.
The show originally ended on a cliffhanger, as the series' cancellation occurred too late in production for producers to significantly change anything. However, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, a four-hour miniseries, aired on Oct. 17 and 18, 2004, wrapping up most of the loose ends of the series.
CastEdit
- Commander John Crichton: Ben Browder
- Officer Aeryn Sun : Claudia Black
- Ka D'Argo: Anthony Simcoe
- Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan: Virginia Hey (Seasons 1 thru 3)
- Rygel XVI: operated by John Eccleston, Dave Collins, Sean Masterson, Graeme Haddon and Tim Mieville, and voiced by Jonathan Hardy
- Pilot: operated by John Eccleston, Dave Collins, Sean Masterson, Graeme Haddon and Tim Mieville, and voiced by Lani John Tupu
- Scorpius: Wayne Pygram
- Chiana: Gigi Edgley
- Captain Bialar Crais: Lani John Tupu
- Stark: Paul Goddard
Regular GuestsEdit
- Captain Meelko Braca: David Franklin
- Joolushko "Jool" Tunay Fento Hovalis: Tammy McIntosh (Season 3-4)
- Sikozu Svala Shanti Sugaysi Shanu: Raelee Hill (Season 4)
- Utu-Noranti Pralatong: Melissa Jaffer (Season 3-4)
- Grayza: Rebecca Riggs (Season 3-4)
- Jack Crichton (and numerous impersonations): Kent McCord
OriginsEdit
- An early working title for the show was Space Chase.
- Notes for the pilot show can be found on Stephen Gallagher's website.
- There's more information on the pilot on Gallagher's news page.
Muppet referencesEdit
The fourth season episode "Kansas", which sees the crew visiting Earth in 1986, includes several direct reference to Jim Henson's Muppet creations. At one point, Aeryn is seen watching Sesame Street on TV, including footage of Kermit the Frog. She learns the character's name and, later in the episode, pretends that Rygel is a Kermit toy. The episode also includes dialogue references to Cookie Monster.
The series also included occasional pop culture references to Yoda.
