greygirlbeast | Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars

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Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars

Okay, so now I have a few minutes to put down some of my thoughts on the miniseries. Be warned: there are spoliers ahead, lots of them, which is why I'm using the cut (or the link, for the Blogger folks).

There is an obvious, inherent peril in waiting too long or working too hard for a thing: when you finally have it, expectation may make it difficult to appreciate the thing for what it is, and you may be disappointed, even though the thing you receive is precisely what you've waited on and worked for. After watching the first two hours of Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars on Sunday night, I have to admit that I was, in fact, disappointed. I'll get to the whys in a sec. However, on Monday night, I watched the first two hours over again and discovered that much of what I'd been unhappy about wasn't nearly as bad as I'd feared. It was just different from what I'd expected. And, anyway, the second two hours proved to be the delight that I'd hoped for all along.

I'm not trying to write a review here. I just wanted to put down a few thoughts. The story that began with the premiere episode of Farscape, way back in 1998, has finally been brought to a conclusion. In some ways, it's not the conclusion I'd have wished for, but that's neither here nor there. I wasn't the storyteller, so it wasn't for me to dictate the path the story took. What's important is that the story was allowed to finish. There may be more, of course, if the ratings are good and the fans continue to work at it and Henson decides to do another mini or a feature film or a spinoff series or whatever. Regardless, I now have the closure I was looking for. If Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars is the very end of the story, that's fine. It is a good and fitting end, and I'm pleased with it. Is it the ending we would have gotten had the Sci-Fi Channel not seen fit to cancel the series? No, clearly not. It's some alternate version of that conclusion, which would have come much more gradually and perhaps would have been significantly different. That's also neither here nor there.

The creators of Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars were faced with a very difficult task. In effect, they had to take the story that had already been mapped out for Season Five (and perhaps even parts of a sixth season), a minimum of 22 forty-five minute (or so) episodes and condense it into a four-hour mini-series. I can sympathize. When I was finishing up The Dreaming for DC/Vertigo, I was originally told that the book would run until issue #65, giving me nine issues to complete the story I'd begun with "Souvenirs." But, after I'd written out my plan for the final story arc, after I'd worked out many of the details and it had all been approved by my editors, minds were changed, and I was told the book would finish at #60, which meant I had only four issues in which to finish. I was forced to compact nine issues of story into four. The result was something that felt rushed and thin, something that I'll probably never be happy with.

In many ways, the first two hours of Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars felt to me a lot like the last four issues of The Dreaming. It was rushed. The writers were clearly trying to get through many episodes of plot in a very short time. For example, it's easy to imagine the return to Arnesska to find Jool and the temple (first seen in What Was Lost, Season Four) as a two or three part episode, with enough material to easily fill two or three hours, In the mini, it felt like it got about twenty minutes, at most.

Fortunately, the pacing for second two hours was allowed to slow down. The last two hours felt like two really good episodes of Farscape, instead of like fifteen episodes crammed into two hours. I don't blame the writers for the latter. I blame the SFC for cancelling the series in the first frelling place. The battle sequences on the water planet, D'argo's death, the birth of Aeryn's child, and the opening of the wormhole weapon were spectacular and surely rank among the series' finest moments. Looking back at the 88 eps that came before, measuring the mini against them, I'd give the first half of Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars a C+ and the second half a solid A (only just missing an A+). In particular, the showdown between John, the Scarrans, and Grayza was beautifully executed. The exchange between Scorpius and John just before John sets the wormhole weapon in motion may have been, for me, even more emotionally charged than D'argo's death ("Happy Birthday. Now get out of my sight."), and the SFX for the wormhole weapon are certainly among the most impressive ever to appear in any TV sf.

And I'm not sure how tense that climax was for others, but I was fairly convinced that, given all he'd been through and all he and those he loved would have had to endure if the Scarran/Peacekeeper conflict continued, John would have certainly let the wormhole weapon devour the galaxy. Very nicely done.

That said, there were a lot of things about Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars that was weird or, well, just plain frelled. It's easier if I do this as a list for this picky stuff:

1. Character design: Some of the characters looked a little different than the last time we saw them (Chi, Jool, and Rygel are good examples), which wasn't all that strange, since the appearances of Farscape characters has generally evolved from season to season. However, some characters were inexplicably rendered all but unrecognizable. Just what the hezamana was up with Sikozu? When I saw the publicity shots of her new look, I just assumed it was something that would be explained. After all, she didn't seem to be truly Kalish, but a biloid synthetic. I'd assumed she'd simply altered her appearance to better fit in with the Peacekeepers. But no explanation is ever offerred, and, worse still, no one in the mini ever questions her radically new look. And sure, Sikozu Mark II looked drad and all, but some sort of explanation was called for. Likewise with Jothee (always one of my least fave Farscape characters, but still...). What happened to Jothee the Luxon/Sebacean half-breed? As far as I could tell, this Jothee was just another Luxon. And what was up with the Scarrans? Perhaps I was particularly sensitized to this by having just watched Sesaon Four over again, but the make-up for both War Minister Acknar and Emperor Staleek was, literally, a pale shadow of its former glory, with much less detail and shading, and their skin having changed, mysteriously, from a gray-brown to a rather vivid blue-gray. This was especially pronounced with Staleek. I suspect a single explanation lies behind most of these questions: a tighter budget. The make-up for Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars was done by the same folks who did Season Four, Image Creative Partnership, so it's clearly not an issue of the artists involved being unfamiliar with the characters. Consider, however, the man-hours and money saved by the new Sikozku. Having gone through an extensive and time-consuming make-up myself five times now and knowing that the actors on set are touched up continually, we're talking a very significant financial gain from simplyfying just one character. Same with the Scarrans. Jothee's a different matter, though, and it's possible his half-Sebacean identity was discarded due to time constraints, to avoid having to explain that D'argo's wife had been Sebeacean.

2. If Sikozu was a Scarran spy, why then did she claim to be part of a Kalish underground working to overthrow the Scarrans, then destroy the crystherium matriarch and help Crichton and Co. blow up the Katratzi base at the end of "Hot to Katratzi"? It doesn't make sense. Maybe I missed something, but I don't think so.

3. Chiana tells Stark, when it's all over, that she's going to Hynerium, as she and D'argo had planned before his death. This isn't at all consistent with the character. What about Nerri and the Nebari Resistance?

4. What the frell was the deal with Grayza's pregnancy? Did I miss something else? Originally, I asssumed that she was pregnant by John (from the rape in "What Was Lost"), and that she would attempt to use the child to extract knowledge of wormholes (a precedent for such an odd bit of Lamarckian science was set in "Prayer," when the Scarrans decide to grab Aeryn's baby for this very purpose). However, hardly any mention of her pregancy is made, and in the end the matter is left unresolved. Was it a red herring that didn't quite come off? Will we ever know?

Again, these are quibbles. My overall impression of the mini-series is very favorable, and I suspect it will be even moreso upon further viewing as that annoying expectation effect dilutes. Comments?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Baby D'Argo and Grayza's baby will be teaming up to save the universe in Farscape: The Next Generation.

Or maybe not... ;)

Baby D'Argo and Grayza's baby will be teaming up to save the universe in Farscape: The Next Generation.

I definitely suspect D'argo Sun Crichton of being one of the characters that Henson's eyeing for a potential spinoff.

That would be very cool. I was also quite intrigued by the story the old Eidolon told Aeryn about the origins of the Peacekeepers. That in itself would make a cool something something.

That would be very cool. I was also quite intrigued by the story the old Eidolon told Aeryn about the origins of the Peacekeepers.

It was hamdled better than I thought it would be. I think the fact that the Eidolon was telling Aeryn about the origin of her race, instead of it being something John was hearing, helped a bit, adding a nice twist to an old idea.

I'd be interested in seeing a story which brings D'Argo Sun Crichton to Earth, after having grown up in space.

Agreed on most points. It felt rushed to me too but otherwise it was good. The changes in make up and appearances didn't bother me at all though. My biggest complaint was that the ending was TOO happy and too tidy for my taste. I realize we *might* have lost D'argo (that wasn't made all that clear or final - you never see him dead - just the rush of gunfire) but I kind of expected more casualties if this was the final big bang. Maybe I'm just a massochist. I was surprised there was nothing much of Scorpius's reaction after the wormhole weapon was fired. He just kind of stood there mouth agape. Certainly a peace was forced but Scorpius's grudge against the Scarrans is hardly resolved. One would think he'd still be plotting against them. John's coma and then sudden awakening felt really rushed. I never was worried that he wouldn't recover. They failed to put that fear into me- it felt weak.

As for point 2 - Sikozu told Scorpius that she had made a deal with the Scarrans - something about they were promising her peace or release of her people if she helped them...something like that. I get the impression that it was her mission all along, even before she met Scorpius. I'll have to go back and watch all her episodes again to see if there were any clues. It seems awfully random to throw that in unless it had been planned all along.

>4. What the frell was the deal with Grayza's pregnancy?

You got me. I was totally mystified on that one. Perhaps there had been further plans for that, perhaps they're leaving that hanging as a future plot line (John's baby?) but it almost seems as if it would have been less confusing to leave it out.

My favorite bits: 1812 "singing" his theme song and John and D'Argo "You tell them who their daddy is..."

and D'Argo "You tell them who their daddy is..."

That was superb.

As for point 2 - Sikozu told Scorpius that she had made a deal with the Scarrans - something about they were promising her peace or release of her people if she helped them...something like that.

Hmmmmm.

Maybe I'm just a massochist.

Perhaps.

See, I actually thought, there at the end, that they might leave John in comma. It would have been a bold move on Henson's part, replacing one cliffhanger with another.

I realize we *might* have lost D'argo (that wasn't made all that clear or final - you never see him dead - just the rush of gunfire)

Given Farscape's track record on ressurrections of one sort or another, yes, it's entirely possible that D'argo isn't dead. We didn't see him die, though the wormhole weapon played havoc with that planet, so he would have had to escape in the window of time between our last shot of him and the planet's destruction. I was shocked that Henson would off a major character when there's so much talk of more story. What will John be like if D'argo's really gone? Maybe Anthony Simcoe just wanted out. But what really threw me on this was a short story that Rockne S. O'Bannon wrote for the Farscape magazine, called "Horizons." The story is set many decades after the end of Season Four, and D'Argo is most definitely alive. So...

Certainly a peace was forced but Scorpius's grudge against the Scarrans is hardly resolved. One would think he'd still be plotting against them.

I would also have liked to see more of Scorpius' reaction, though I do think we saw a suitable horror at the realization of what he'd been trying to bring about. Will he still hate the Scarrans? Certainly.

simcoe was actually really against the move and upset about it, arguing to keep the character. He accepted it in the spirit of being good for the show, but was not happy or eager to leave.

simcoe was actually really against the move and upset about it, arguing to keep the character. He accepted it in the spirit of being good for the show, but was not happy or eager to leave.

I hadn't heard this (but, them, I don't hear lots of things). That's kind of awful.

On the frell me dead boards there was a chat transcript with him talking about this and his new projects. :(

The actress was pregnant, so I think leaving it out would have been impossible.

I thouroughly enjoyed the mini-series. It often felt rushed, but that's just a product of having to cram that much information into such a short time frame.

I share your sentiments about some of the weirdness, particularly Grayza's pregnancy, but that's just another thing that I attribute to the lack of time. Obviously if the series had not been cancelled, things would have been much different.

All things considered, I'm satisfied with the mini-series, which I sincerely hope is not a final ending. The Farscape universe is beautiful, and my thirst for it hasn't been satiated. There are so many directions that it can go, and a spin-off series would be photogasmic.

Since Rebecca Riggs was very much pregnant, perhaps they were forced to work the pregnancy in to the story too late to really coherently explain it?

Since Rebecca Riggs was very much pregnant, perhaps they were forced to work the pregnancy in to the story too late to really coherently explain it?

Ahhhhh. I wasn't aware she was actually pregnant, though Spooky and I both noticed that she'd gained weight (which actually made her look more realistically pregnant). Okay. Yes. That goes some ways towards explaining why she was pregnant, thought I still feel the writers just left it hanging.

I imagine you know this, but others might not: Rebecca Riggs (Grayza) actually was pregnant during filming - that's not a prosthetic stomach. So it might very well be that the writers themselves hadn't figured out what her baby "meant", if anything, since they probably wrote the scripts well before they knew that she was pregnant at all. It was probably something of a shock to find out how frelling big she'd be by the start of the shoot!

The sadly ironic thing is how SciFi is bragging about the ratings of the mini series now - how they slayed the competition! Boy oh boy. Too bad SciFi doesn't actually thank the people who got that thing back on the air instead of parading like a peacock.

I completely agree. If I wasn't such a frelling fan, I might not have made it past the first two hours. Also in agreement, I think this had nothing to do with the writers. Every sudden old-home-week appearance by a character (see: Jothee, Jool) would've, in a fifth season been stretched out over, at the least, a couple of episodes. The last two hours, however, were far better, and felt like the EVENT this was supposed to be.

Particularly the charge made by our heroes immediately following Baby D'argo's birth. Excellent, pulse pounding stuff.

I think those are all really valid points, and I actually share most of your feelings....except the disappointment. (I do think I know the disappointment you felt -- only I personally felt it over Babylon 5's last season.) I think I was partly just so happy to see the characters again, and especially some of the developments with Aeryn and John, that I was willing to forgive a lot. A whole lot. I agree that the first two hours are rushed and the second two hours felt like two really good eps -- it was packed. There were a lot of times I got lost, but that also strangely enough added to the exhilaration, sort of making it like a thrill-ride....see what I mean -- it was a definite drawback, but again I was just so happy to be seeing the damned thing I was willing to overlook a lot, which is unusual for me. But I do think the biggest and most valid criticism people have had so far is just the story crunch -- 22 eps got crammed into 4 hours. I could definitely almost see what plot points would have been whole episodes or special turning points (and that made me a little sad, really).

The battle sequences on the water planet, D'argo's death, the birth of Aeryn's child, and the opening of the wormhole weapon were spectacular and surely rank among the series' finest moments.

I think it was really how John was ready to blow everything to hell that really sold the final 2 hours for me -- that was a drastic, real risk-taking put up or shut up action, and because it was Farscape, the show which had killed off its leads (sometimes twice!), I believed it. I think that's a pretty good tribute to the makers of the show.

Butyeah, I had all kinds of questions as well. I had no idea what happened to Sikozu -- not just appearance-wise, but her personality was flattened. She does say to Scorpius that she was spying for the Scarrans in order to get her people freed (which I think goes back to her motivation in S4), but it was so rushed it was hard to make much sense of it. I think Sikozu wasn't really a spy -- that she was part of the underground, and that's why she helped destroy the wossname in S4. Or maybe she was a spy all along, a kind of triple agent....if I squint it can almost make sense, especially if Scorpius as juicy info source is a big part of why she hooked up with him in the first place. She did seem like the character done the biggest disservice.

What the frell was the deal with Grayza's pregnancy? Did I miss something else? Originally, I asssumed that she was pregnant by John (from the rape in "What Was Lost"), and that she would attempt to use the child to extract knowledge of wormholes (a precedent for such an odd bit of Lamarckian science was set in "Prayer," when the Scarrans decide to grab Aeryn's baby for this very purpose)

I've heard that there's 1 1/2-2 hrs of footage that will be on the DVD, so maybe that would be included, or it'd be in the spinoff. It seemed like such a real setup for just that -- especially if John's wormhole knowledge was gone, but his offspring's wasn't -- I think there just wasn't enough time for it. IIRC Grayza was supposed to be pregnant with John's child in S5, and RR really was pregnant -- even her fingers looked pregnant. They might have wanted to lose the pregnancy storyline for the miniseries, but they couldn't've done it without recasting the actress. Or having her sit behind a table.

My overall impression of the mini-series is very favorable, and I suspect it will be even moreso upon further viewing as that annoying expectation effect dilutes

We saw part 1, then parts 1-2 when aired, and then parts 1-2 together again from the videotape, and each time I keep seeing new things -- it's like Ben Browder said once in an interview, you could freeze nearly any shot and just be fascinated by all the details. My opinion of this is really pretty high, and keeps going up. I'm just glad the show didn't peter out the way XFiles did, or get hacked off like Angel. I was really worried I wouldn't like it, and it feels like the show got a fitting sendoff; a real end; and I'm just not making any sense here so I'll just quit. It wasn't just a "wow it didn't suck" reaction, but something else.

I think I was partly just so happy to see the characters again, and especially some of the developments with Aeryn and John, that I was willing to forgive a lot.

I think, for me, it's like this. First, I was genuinely disappointed in the first half. Secondly, I thought that it was important for me to be up front about this, since I've been such a total raving fangirl regarding Farscape. It's okay to love a thing, even if it gets you branded a dork, but it's also to point out flaws now and then (and, in this case, the flaws are largely the aftereffect of the SFC cancellation, making it that much more important to mention them).

There were a lot of times I got lost,

Had I not scene every episode at least three or four times (and some five or six), I'd have been lost, too. Whatever else the mini was, it was not new-viewer friendly. And, personally, I think if it had been, we'd have hated it.

I've heard that there's 1 1/2-2 hrs of footage that will be on the DVD, so maybe that would be included, or it'd be in the spinoff.

I noticed stuff from the trailers and pub stills that was missing. So I'd guessed (and hoped) we'd get an extended cut in the DVD. Hopefully, that'll help a bit with the rushed feeling.

Okay, all the typos in that last comment are ample evidence I've written way too much today.

I thought that it was important for me to be up front about this, since I've been such a total raving fangirl regarding Farscape. It's okay to love a thing, even if it gets you branded a dork, but it's also to point out flaws now and then (and, in this case, the flaws are largely the aftereffect of the SFC cancellation, making it that much more important to mention them).

Definitely, honest criticism is always the best....and I think that's an important point, too, that a lot of what people are picking up on -- the rushed quality, the plot bits (like the pregnancy) apparently left out, &c -- were sort of circumstancial problems, not born-of-the-story problems. If that makes sense.

Had I not scene every episode at least three or four times (and some five or six), I'd have been lost, too.

I'd actually watched a lot of the late S4 eps on the Sci Fi "marathon" they had right before the premiere, and I still missed a lot of the plot points. But at least it's a hook to possibly get people interested in repeat viewings!

Whatever else the mini was, it was not new-viewer friendly. And, personally, I think if it had been, we'd have hated it.

Heh, v probably not.

noticed stuff from the trailers and pub stills that was missing. So I'd guessed (and hoped) we'd get an extended cut in the DVD. Hopefully, that'll help a bit with the rushed feeling.

There were at least two really striking photos of Chiana whizzing around some energy vapor trail things that I kept waiting to see, and waited in vain for. I'm guessing there's a number of scenes like that.

I think those are all really valid points, and I actually share most of your feelings....except the disappointment. (I do think I know the disappointment you felt -- only I personally felt it over Babylon 5's last season.)

WOOOOO doggie, thank you for reminding me of that!! Compared to that, any disappointment I felt at PKW is pretty much washed away. With the exception of the Rebo and Zooty episode and some other choice moments ('Sleeping in Light' doesn't count as S5 ^_~) the 20-odd hours of B5-S5 was mostly a waste except for the vastly-improved SFX...MUCH less satisfying an ending than PKW was.

So I guess I'll be getting the DVDs AFTER all... >_>

(And I understand why both were so screwed up, and yeah, it was pretty much their channels' faults...B5 still gets me riled up after all this time tho-I mean, I always say that the ending can destroy the rest of a good movie/book/whatever if it sucks enough. Farscape (series) at least went out with a horribly-sadistic Scorpy-sneer; B5 just went out with a wishy-washy fizzle, DESPITE getting a new lease on life. *sigh* The life of television sci-fi. v_v

RE: Changing character designs.

Hell, I'm still waiting on someone to explain why the Klingons got all bumpy in the 15 years between "Star Trek" and "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."

(And, yes, I know all about the fanwank explanations."

Hell, I'm still waiting on someone to explain why the Klingons got all bumpy in the 15 years between "Star Trek" and "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."

I think Worf stated quite plainly like that's not something Klingons like to talk about.

But didn't the ridge-heads lose their ears sometime between the movies and TNG? How does Worf explain that?

As to Farscape . . . I was a Farscape virgin until I watched Peacekeeper Wars -- and I must say that I very nearly didn't watch part 2 on the basis of part 1. Very glad I did decide to watch Part 2 though. I didn't feel like I had any trouble following what was going on, though I did feel like I was missing A LOT of in-jokes, references and character background having not seen the series. The second half was some very good sf television, but on the whole the series didn't do much for me. If I have any friends who own the DVDs of the show, I may or may not go back and watch them.

But didn't the ridge-heads lose their ears sometime between the movies and TNG? How does Worf explain that?

I do not remember Klingons losing their ears. I think it's just that Worf had that goofy short Fed hair cut at the beginning of TNG.

My understanding is that the man who did the Klingon makeup copywrote his design and when they started up Star Trek again, his family refused to release the design until they got a slew of $$. Roddenberry said no, new makeup for Klingons.

But I could be wrong and I'm too lazy to google for the info right now.

Two notes from me. 1) Aeryn tells baby D that the stars are his and John notes that the one is Aeryn's. It was TalynJohn who named the stars for her. 2) Likewise, John now has a scar where TalynJohn did, on his temple.

Thoughts?

Oh, I love your icon...

Two notes from me. 1) Aeryn tells baby D that the stars are his and John notes that the one is Aeryn's. It was TalynJohn who named the stars for her. 2) Likewise, John now has a scar where TalynJohn did, on his temple.

Thoughts?

Yup. This is a) the collective unconscious at work and b) the universe ironing out wrinkles, respectively.

I caught the first bit here, the star, which I thought was a nice touch, but I failed to catch the significance of John's head wound until you brought it up (we don't actually see him get it, btw).

Didn't he get the wound when he was with Einstein? I will have to watch again, oh the torture...

Didn't he get the wound when he was with Einstein?

It seemed to have happened sometime between his second visit with Einstein and his return to Moya. But I'm pretty sure we didn't actually see it happen.

I just figured it was something that John was doing before he was split into two Johns. In fact, I think he's been doing it since he came to this part of the galaxy. I mean, he started crushing on Aeryn back in Season 1.

In my head I assumed that Sikozu had been captured, tortured, and had lost something of herself. While Scorpius does have his hatred of the Scarrans, I felt like his pre-emptive attack was in retaliation for something he wasn't willing to share with the peacekeepers. I felt like Sikozu's 'brainwashing' seemed to crack during her conversation with Aeryn. Sikozu was a recently turned spy and we just didn't get to see it happen, maybe.

In my head I assumed that Sikozu had been captured, tortured, and had lost something of herself.

Even so, you'd think someone would at least remark on the change.

John: Yo, Sputnik, when'd you go blonde...and white...and...Sebacean?

While Scorpius does have his hatred of the Scarrans, I felt like his pre-emptive attack was in retaliation for something he wasn't willing to share with the peacekeepers.

Yep. I was entirely willing to beilieve Scorpuis' pre-emptive attack.

Sikozu was a recently turned spy and we just didn't get to see it happen, maybe.

Perhaps this is something else that will be resolved in the extended version.

For the most part, I'm considered the local Farscape geek. Being as such, I find it difficult, at times, to be hyper-critical of the show. There may be episodes that aren't as strong as others, but you learn to appreciate them for the sum of their parts.

That being said, absolutely, I completely agree that part one was unusually paced. It felt a bit too flicker frame for me. This only causes me to appreciate Farscape for the serial it truly is. Had there been a few episodes to allow the story to unfold, I feel we would have been able to savour it more. Please dont' get me wrong, part one was still good. Seeing Rygel's display of aquatic dexterity was a real treat too. But I didn't quite understand how Rygel got pregnant from eating a crystallized embryo. I do have to claim complete ignorance on Hynerian anatomy. And speaking of pregnancy, I had assumed that Grayza's was a result of her coupling with John on Arnessk. Just the way the director of photography seemed to showcase her motherhood in every shot, including the sigil around her navel, made it as if she were carrying the baby Jesus. Appropriate for a wormhole god, no?

Part two was, by far, a very strong showing indeed. I recognized that feeling of this part being more "true" to Farscape's nature. A much better pace, more suspense than part one. And who couldn't love Action Chiana and Sikozu? Again, I feel that if this had been a full season, we would have been able to experience the effects of D'argo's death over a few episodes. Instead we got the Reader's Digest version, which leaves it feeling a little paltry. I still cried though. I'm assuming that it's very well possible that Grunchlk and Sikozu could have rescued the damaged D'argo and flown him off of the "water world" to use in future episodes/movies.

The DVD will be a must-have when it is released sometime in January. It would be fun to watch that at Dragon*Con with members of the cast.

And speaking of pregnancy, I had assumed that Grayza's was a result of her coupling with John on Arnessk. Just the way the director of photography seemed to showcase her motherhood in every shot, including the sigil around her navel, made it as if she were carrying the baby Jesus. Appropriate for a wormhole god, no?

My thoughts precisely, which is why I was annoyed nothing came of it. Then again, those four hours could hardly have withstood anymore story.

And who couldn't love Action Chiana and Sikozu?

That fight scene was great. I only wish it had been longer. One good thing the mini did was give Chiana back the acrobatic abilities suggested for the Nebari when she first came to the series (remember, I can't recall the ep title, when she sailed across a room to land in John's arms?), both in the fight scene and when she exits to transport to greet D'Argo right at the start of Part One.

I'm assuming that it's very well possible that Grunchlk and Sikozu could have rescued the damaged D'argo and flown him off of the "water world" to use in future episodes/movies.

That's a thought. At first, I'd assumed that Scorpius had killed Sikozu, until we saw her later, when Grunchlk called her a fool.

That being said, absolutely, I completely agree that part one was unusually paced.

I'm just glad that other people felt this way. I was afraid it would just be me.

expectation may make it difficult to appreciate the thing for what it is, and you may be disappointed,

I guess I was lucky in this regard (or perhaps this is an alarming sign of emotional detachment on my part) because I didn't feel the true weight of excited anticipation until the opening credits started to roll. Then I got all tingly and started feel, "Oh. Wow. Farscape. What a brilliant idea!" Everything felt very fast to me, too, but I was too busy going, "John! Aeryn! Black leather! Their pretty little arms sticking out to point their pistols! Aeryn’s hair!" I guess what I'm saying is that I wasn't disappointed because I'm a creep.

The exchange between Scorpius and John just before John sets the wormhole weapon in motion may have been, for me, even more emotionally charged than D'argo's death ("Happy Birthday. Now get out of my sight."),

It was for me, too. I think it was because D'argo's death scene was, inevitably, A Scene Where a Good Character Dramatically Dies, which is something we've all seen before. I'm not saying it didn't have impact--I love D'argo too and I thought the thing was decently put together. But the exchange between Scorpius and John is based on a more atypical, powerfully emotional relationship. It's one of those things that puts me off balance enough to somewhat waken the blank, childlike mind . . .

And I'm not sure how tense that climax was for others, but I was fairly convinced that, given all he'd been through and all he and those he loved would have had to endure if the Scarran/Peacekeeper conflict continued, John would have certainly let the wormhole weapon devour the galaxy.

I felt this was where the miniseries naturally needed to go, all along. I knew this from the way all the hero characters kept thinking the Eidolons were gonna be the best answer. No way was it gonna go, "John sees pretty Eidolon/John shows pretty Eidolon to Mama Scarran and Daddy Peacekeeper/Mama and Papa stop fighting." And with the idea set up towards the end of the 4th season that terrible, deadly violence was the only path to victory for the desperate, I had not only a pretty good idea they'd get to the climax they got to, I also hoped they would. Which is a really nice trick.

Now that I think about it, I suppose one of the things that make Crichton and Aeryn so fascinating as heroes is that in they're desperate and deadly state, they aren't as incredibly stupid as real life people in the same situation tend to be. They actually are heroes. Not because they're never tempted to lose nobility, but because they have it to lose. And the fact that they don't lose it is also nice.

This isn't at all consistent with the character. What about Nerri and the Nebari Resistance?

Agreed. Maybe on the way she'll come to her senses, say, "What the frell am I doing?" and turn around. Even if she wasn't doing the Resistance thing, why leave John, Aeryn, and Moya?

What the frell was the deal with Grayza's pregnancy?

One of my less useful talents is the ability to tell, almost always, whether someone on television is actually pregnant or just pretending to be. I could tell right away that she really was, so for me the whole time I was thinking the writers and director were priding themselves on vaguely emphasising--like it was their idea--the pregnancy they got stuck with.

Agreed. Maybe on the way she'll come to her senses, say, "What the frell am I doing?" and turn around. Even if she wasn't doing the Resistance thing, why leave John, Aeryn, and Moya?

Well, Spooky just said, "She needs to go somewhere to grieve." And I suppose that makes sense. Chiana's not the same person she was two seasons ago when she was so determined to find Nerri. But she'll be back...

Now that I think about it, I suppose one of the things that make Crichton and Aeryn so fascinating as heroes is that in they're desperate and deadly state, they aren't as incredibly stupid as real life people in the same situation tend to be. They actually are heroes. Not because they're never tempted to lose nobility, but because they have it to lose. And the fact that they don't lose it is also nice.

Well said.

I felt this was where the miniseries naturally needed to go, all along. I knew this from the way all the hero characters kept thinking the Eidolons were gonna be the best answer. No way was it gonna go, "John sees pretty Eidolon/John shows pretty Eidolon to Mama Scarran and Daddy Peacekeeper/Mama and Papa stop fighting." And with the idea set up towards the end of the 4th season that terrible, deadly violence was the only path to victory for the desperate, I had not only a pretty good idea they'd get to the climax they got to, I also hoped they would. Which is a really nice trick.

I thought so.

Spooky just said, "She needs to go somewhere to grieve." And I suppose that makes sense.

Yeah . . . especially as in a time of relative peace, it'd probably be easier to meet up with her friends again when she wants to.

Well said.

Thanks. I'm amazed I can say anything at that level of fatigue.

I'd been trying to catch up for the mini via the daytime episode marathon, which means I've seen a whole lotta Farscape in a very compact amount of time. Something that bothered me, the actress who played the Priestess on the mini, was she the same woman who played the doctor when Aeryn was held by the Scarrans? I kept expecting a revelation regarding the Priestess not really being Eidelon, and instead being a Scarran spy...but nothing ever came of that.

Did I miss a plot point that turned the Scarran doctor into an Eidelon? Or was it just a case of recasting and a fan scrutinizing the story too much?

Something that bothered me, the actress who played the Priestess on the mini, was she the same woman who played the doctor when Aeryn was held by the Scarrans?

Probably. She did seem very familiar to me, too. But Farscape has a long tradition of recasting actors. For example, Francesca Buller was cast as M'Lee in "Bone to be Wild," ro-Na in "Look at the Princess, and Raxil in Scratch and Sniff before showing up in a continuing role as the Scarran War Minister Akhna.

YES! I knew I'd seen her before! That was totally it. Thank you! That'd been bothering me since I first saw her!

I had seen only two episodes of "Farscape" before the mini, but I wrote to SFC back in 2002 even before seeing *any* of "Farscape" (and thus defended it sight unseen). I'm glad I did.

I'll throw my "thumbs up" into the mix here. I knew that there would be reams of things I wouldn't get, or completely understand, in the mini. I accepted it and went on, trusting that people like Nar'eth knew what they were talking about when expressing their love for the show. (Which you've been expressing well for a long time, Ms. Kiernan.) It was almost a druglike experience, and certainly an immersive one, watching the mini this way. The power of a well-done climax can still affect someone who doesn't know the full story, and the result for me was a roller coaster ride. I happily laughed out loud at key moments, amazed at the confident audacity of the mini -- most especially in, and I'm surprised no one else here has mentioned it, the "2001: A Space Odyssey" scene. Oh my gods. That warmed my Arthur Clarke-lovin' heart.

So thank you, Rock O'Bannon and Brian Henson for making "Farscape" happen in the first place, and the cast and crew for fleshing it out, and everyone here who has spoken out for the show. I know now I've got to catch up with What Came Before. I want to know more.

(Which you've been expressing well for a long time, Ms. Kiernan.)

Thank you. At this point, I think I can fairly claim to have 'scaped more people than just about anyone else out there, and that knowledge pleases me.

I happily laughed out loud at key moments, amazed at the confident audacity of the mini -- most especially in, and I'm surprised no one else here has mentioned it, the "2001: A Space Odyssey" scene. Oh my gods. That warmed my Arthur Clarke-lovin' heart.

Wow. That one totally slipped my mind. Yes, it was superb and beautifully executed (and fit perfectly with all that has come before).

Forgive me for dropping in, my girlfriend is a huge fan of your work and has recently introduced me to it (just finished Silk, Fantastic!) and I'm a huge fan of Farscape, so when she pointed me to your journal, I was thrilled to find you were a Farscape fan.

I was just rewatching The Peacekeeper Wars when a thought occurred to me about Sikozu:

It may be that somehow the Scarrans or her people contacted her with a deal. Give the Scarrans John Crichton and they'll free her people. That doesn't make her a triple spy so much, just willing to sell John down the river. And it's already been made pretty self-evident that she doesn't hold his life in much esteem. That way she is still working towards the freedom of her people and not risking anywhere near as much and it much more in character, imho.

As for your third point about Chi. Consider what she said to D'Argo about how she makes a decision and then decides she doesn't want to do it all. My guess is the going to Hynerium is another one of those impulse decisions and one that will quickly dissipitate when she actually sits down and thinks about it.

Forgive me for dropping in, my girlfriend is a huge fan of your work and has recently introduced me to it (just finished Silk, Fantastic!) and I'm a huge fan of Farscape, so when she pointed me to your journal, I was thrilled to find you were a Farscape fan.

No forgiveness necessary. Everyone's welcome. Well, everyone except John Phillpot.

It may be that somehow the Scarrans or her people contacted her with a deal. Give the Scarrans John Crichton and they'll free her people. That doesn't make her a triple spy so much, just willing to sell John down the river. And it's already been made pretty self-evident that she doesn't hold his life in much esteem. That way she is still working towards the freedom of her people and not risking anywhere near as much and it much more in character, imho.

Hmmmm. This works for me, but we still have no real evidence that it's what the writers intended.

As for your third point about Chi. Consider what she said to D'Argo about how she makes a decision and then decides she doesn't want to do it all. My guess is the going to Hynerium is another one of those impulse decisions and one that will quickly dissipitate when she actually sits down and thinks about it.

Good point. Personally, I think she'd be doing D'Argo's memory a much greater honour by fighting the Nebari Establishment than retreating to the sanctuary of Rygel's homeworld.

Hoi, I'm dropping in on your journal too-ironically, I found it while searching for Farscape communities here X D

I agree mostly with you; your assessment of the show helped illustrate for me what had been chewing on the back of my head about it. I will say tho that the second part, I felt, had some kinda sped-up parts to it too, such as the escape from the Scarran ship and the defense of the temple/what Jothee and Grandma were up to. The whole thing was just so incredibly busy-full of lots of characters, each struggling for their own development, plot, and actions that I felt like it became too garbled at times (Just look at Stark-he goes from normal Stark to UTTERLY bug-nutters to OK!!! over the course of the whole thing, and it's almost completely overshadowed. In a normal episode he would have gotten about 10 minutes total just for his craziac attacks! ; ) ) I loved the whole thing, don't get me wrong, but as a potential screenwriter, I could see the density and sometimes couldn't see past it. I understand WHY -it was based on a very densely-packed show-but I don't have to accept it (although yes, I do blame SFC, frellin' asshats.)

I LOVE your beautiful Nebari creation, BTW-terribly jealous of the pro makeup job! ^_^

LOVE your beautiful Nebari creation, BTW-terribly jealous of the pro makeup job!

Thank you. I shall pass your compliments on to Nar'eth. Feel free to stick around.

I watched it Thursday evening and I haven't had the time until now to write about it. And now that I have the time, I don't know that I have the words.

I can say that it got under my skin and into my brain. But I can't seem to find a way to express anything beyond that when I try to describe exactly how it affected me. So instead I'll just dump all the random things that have been swirling through my head.

Yes, the first part felt rushed, because it was. More so because it seems that rather than trying to spread 22 hours over four they squeezed 20 into two in order to let the last two be more normally paced. This unquestionably damaged the first half, but I think on whole it was the right decision.

To the writers' credit though, almost nothing felt forced or artificial or done in the name of expediency rather than as part of the plan that had existed all along. The two exceptions were making Sikozu a Scarran spy, which did feel like an insufficiently motivated plot convenience (I almost wonder if making Noranti the spy would have worked better) and the proximity of the Luxon ship (they said something to the effect that they were tracking the Emperor's ship, but was there any previous mention of hostilities between the Luxons and Scarrans?)

But the real problem with part one wasn't that it was packed full of plot to the bursting point, it was that there was almost no time for those wonderful little character moments that were so much a part of the show. Fortunately these were restored in part 2. Rygel's "Yes" to Chiana. The way John's voice cracks on "I'm going to miss you, man." Pilot's cool "so you plan to start with me, then?" I could go on because it's the bits like this that really stick with me.

The Armageddon sequence was perfect and exactly, *exactly* where the series has been building. And the 2001 sequence was sublime.

I had sort of been assuming that the region(s) of space in which the series takes place were in a different galaxy, but it seems that's not the case. I wonder if John knew that Earth would be one of the worlds consumed if the wormhole went galactic. I wonder, at that point, if it would have made any difference.

Some mention, however brief, of Zhaan would have been nice.

John's "it all starts with family" was nicely multi-layered, as the series does start with John's Dad and Crais' brother.

As for the very end... well, the problem is that I very definitely don't want children, and so endings centered on familial bliss don't really resonate with me the way they probably resonate with most people. I can intellectually appreciate what John and Aeryn are feeling, but I can't feel it myself. I would personally have preferred a group shot, something akin to the end of Through the Looking Glass.

Overall I'm satisfied. And I want more.

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Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars

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peacekeeper wars

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hmm

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Actor/Character Question

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