by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor

So – you’re testing out an experimental ship in outer space, and the next thing you know, you’re on the other side of the universe surrounded by strange creatures. All you want to do is get back home. Your name is John Crichton, and you are the only human being to have ever traveled this far from Earth. Welcome to the premise of the Sci-Fi Channel Original Series: Farscape. Now that the hit series is in the hands of our friends at Shout! Studios, you can relive all of your favorite moments with John, D’Argo, Zhaan, Rygel, and Aeryn in this impressive 25th Anniversary Edition. 

The creative team behind Farscape were determined to create something new, original, and memorable…and they succeeded. The journey of John Crichton was filled with epic writing, vivid backdrops, original creatures, and multi-dimensional character development, pushing the genre beyond all expectations. Starring Ben Browder and Claudia Black (who both went on to star in Stargate SG-1), Farscape explored the furthest reaches of the universe through the eyes of a normal guy, thrust into crazy and alien situations. Fans marveled as John attempted to find ways to understand and rationalize his situation, often comparing his new life to recognizable moments in pop culture. Browder’s portrayal of John, the “everyday man” forced to cope, gave fans a strong connection to his reality. Black’s Aeryn Sun was the perfect foil for Crichton, as he attempted to find a new place in the universe. John finds a new best friend in Ka D’Argo (Anthony Simcoe), who portrayed a misunderstood warrior, brimming with passion and honor. The bond that developed between these two men was enjoyable to watch as John attempted to explain the various pop-culture references to his alien friend. Wayne Pygram, who later joined the series as Scorpius, provided John with an intellectual threat that kept the series moving forward at a fantastic pace. Pygram’s portrayal of Scorpius as a combination of Mr. Spock and Professor Moriarty is one that will be noted by critics for years to come as one of the most creative villains that we have seen on television in the last decade. Science Fiction, as a genre, traditionally has very two dimensional threats for main characters to face; but in the case of Farscape, Scorpius was given significant depth and intellect, making him a menace to be reckoned with.

Episode Highlights:

“Premiere”- When Astronaut John Crichton is sucked through a wormhole, he finds that not only does life exist out in the universe, but a majority of it wants him dead! John’s arrival in this new area of space is filled with many questions, new faces, and new threats. Here we are introduced to Moya, a living ship, and her new crew of escaped prisoners. John quickly learns that sticking with this rag-tag group of  aliens is his only chance for survival against the race of human-like beings known as “Peacekeepers”. The pilot episode introduced fans to D’argo (Luxan Warrior), Rygel (deposed ruler), Zhaan (a Delvian humanoid plant), Aeryn Sun (former Peacekeeper), and Bialar Crais  (the Commander of the Peacekeeper Armada).

“A Human Reaction”- John finds a wormhole back to Earth! Things are starting to look up for our hero, but he soon finds that returning to Earth isn’t exactly how he imagined. Rigel and D’Argo come through the wormhole in search of their friend and are given less than ideal treatment by the humans. Can John save his new friends before they are dissected? This episode introduced us to the “ancient” alien race that plays a key role in John’s quest to return to Earth, and his journey to understanding how the wormholes work, and also provides us with a look at how humans might view aliens, should they ever actually stumble onto our planet.

“Family Ties”- In one of the pivotal moments of the series, viewers learn that Crais has been kicked out of the Peacekeepers. Events unfold that bring Crais to Moya, where he learns of her offspring “Talyn”. Crais informs Aeryn that there had been several attempts at breeding a warship version of a Leviathan, all of which had failed. Crais manages to form a bond with Talyn, much to the disapproval of Moya and her crew. Can Aeryn find a way to convince Talyn to separate himself from Crais before the neural bond is complete? And what will Crais do with Talyn now that he has control of a living weapon of destruction?

“Die Me, Dichotomy”/”Season of Death”- In an attempt to remove the chip that Scoripus had implanted in his head, John and the crew of Moya head for an ice planet where an alien known as a “Diagnosian” is known to live. As usual, Scorpius isn’t far behind our heroes, and continues to make John’s life that much harder when his neural clone takes control of John’s body! So now the crew must find a way to save John, but we soon learn that any action has a cost as one of the crew sacrifices themselves to save another.

“Eat Me”- One of the most interesting concepts of Season Three was the introduction of a second John Crichton to the cast. When you have two people who are identical in every detail, it can make things very challenging. Viewers expected to have one of the Johns not make it through an entire episode together, but no one would have guessed that they would both continue on for a majority of a season! “Eat Me” includes one of my favorite moments of the series, which features John playing Rock-Paper-Scissors with himself to determine which one is the real Crichton.

“Into the Lion’s Den”/”Dog With Two Bones”- John and the crew have devised a plan to stop the threat of Scorpius once and for all: give him what he wants! John makes a surprising agreement to work with Scorpius to find a way to control wormholes. The threats from Scorpius become much more immediate when he reveals that he has located Earth, and can make the trip in less than sixty years; with or without wormholes. John and the gang must race against the clock to stop Scorpius and find a way to blow up the Command Carrier, along with all of the wormhole research that it contains! The plan seems to go perfectly, that is until a wormhole opens up directly in front of Moya, causing the living ship to disappear before Crichton’s eyes. Now stranded and alone, John must find a way to carry on.

“Crichton Kicks”- Months have passed since Moya was sucked into a wormhole, and John has been living on a decaying Leviathan, attempting to solve the riddle of wormholes. John has had a lot of time to himself, and has only had one of the DRD’s (which he has named “1492”) to interact with, aside from the pilot of Elack (the aged ship). Suddenly, a ship crashes onboard the Leviathan, and we are introduced to a woman named Sikozu (a character that I personally found extremely annoying), who is trying to escape from her employers. It turns out that she was an expert on the living ships and was attempting to harvest toubray tissue from the dying creature. John must help Sikozu stop these attackers before they kill everyone on the ship. Meanwhile, John has a vision of Aeryn and learns that she is pregnant! But the more important question is…Who is the father?

“Kansas”- Having mastered wormholes, John finally makes his way back to Earth. But things are never as easy as they seem, as John learns that he has traveled back in time to 1986…and the timeline has been altered. Now, John must find a way to prevent his father from piloting the ill-fated Challenger mission and restore the timeline, and also find a way BACK…TO THE FUTURE!

Special Features:
Farscape: The Complete Series (25th Anniversary Edition) comes loaded with hours of bonus features:

• NEW “A Look Back At Farscape” With Executive Producer Brian Henson And Series Creator/Writer Rockne O’Bannon, Hosted By Adam Savage
• 30 Audio Commentaries
• “Memories Of Moya” Retrospective Documentary
• “In The Beginning: A Look Back With Brian Henson”
• “Making Of A Space Opera”
• “Farscape Undressed”
• Composer Guy Gross Discusses The Season Three Theme
• Season 3: A Look Back
• “Zhaan Forever” With Virginia Hey
• “Farscape: The Story So Far”
• Three “Inside Farscape” Featurettes: “Villains,” “Visual Effects,” And “Save Farscape”
• Twelve “Listening In With Composer Guy Gross” Featurettes: “The Way We Weren’t,” “My Three Crichtons,” “The Locket,” “Die Me, Dichotomy,” “Eat Me,” “Revenging Angel,” “The Choice,” “Into The Lion’s Den, Part II: Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing,” “Crichton Kicks,” “John Quixote,” “Terra Firma,” And “Bad Timing.”
• Deleted Scenes, Director’s Cut Scenes, And An Alternate Version Of The Season Two Premiere
• Behind-The-Scenes Interviews With The Characters, Cast, And Creative Team Of Farscape: Jonathan Hardy, Lani John Topu, David Franklin, Claudia Black, Anthony Simcoe, Ben Browder, Wayne Pygram, Gigi Edgley, Rebecca Riggs, Paul Goddard
• Video Profiles: Creator/Executive Producer Rockne O’Bannon And Executive Producer/Writer David Kemper
• Season 2 Bloopers
• Original TV Promos

Overall:
In a genre filled with continuous, stale, been-there-done-that ideas, Farscape was an absolute breath of fresh air when it first premiered. Even today it is downright refreshing. Born of originality and well-written plots and deeply complex characters, this series manages to keep your interest from beginning to end. The quality of this edition far surpasses previous Farscape DVD and Blu-ray releases. The Shout! Studios team shared that they used the master files provided by The Henson Company to create this version, and audio and video quality are the best they’ve ever been. Additionally, the inclusion of The Peacekeeper Wars miniseries (omitted in previous collected editions from other publishers) makes this a truly definitive and complete series set. Prepare to become invested all over again in the plight of lost astronaut John Crichton and his alien misfit crew!

Lastly, you should check out the Shout! Studios website as they are currently offering special bundles for this release that include additional special offerings.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives Farscape: The Complete Series (25th Anniversary Edition) – 5 out of 5 starbursts.

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