This is mostly for Peppercorn, but I guess there is a remote possibility that someone else may decide to watch the show -_- I'll probably do a shitty job of selling the show, because I generally try not to be a salesman.....
Opening SequencePremise:IASA Astronaut John Crichton is performing a test flight in an experimental space module when a wormhole sucks him in and deposits him on the far side of the galaxy in the middle of a battle. In a short space of time he finds himself on the run from the local law along with his new companions, a group of escaped prisoners from an assortment of planets. Cut off from everything and everyone he knows, Crichton must adapt to his circumstances while searching for a way back to Earth. Along the way, he makes a few friends and a lot of enemies, each with their own agendas.
DetailsWhat makes Farscape more interesting than most of its contemporary sci-fi shows is that the characters are believable, and the world is imperfect (as opposed to Star Trek's super-clean appearance). Crichtons character in particular acts the way you would expect a human being in his position to act. It took years (nearly 5-7 seasons) before Stargate loosened up enough to acknowledge other tv shows or pop cultural items in their show. Crichton is, from day one, a person who has grown up in our world and relates what he sees in space to what he knows back on Earth. He's not all-knowing or a geek, but he's seen the same movies, tv shows and cartoons that you have and he can roll with the punches because in at least some format he has already heard of the things he encounters. This is a far cry from sci-fi shows that laughably act as though their characters have never heard of time-travel or aliens before, and lends a lot of believability to his actions.
Farscape's appeal come from its ability to maintain a level of fun while propelling a story throughout. The writing has wit and the characters are well fleshed out. There are self-contained episodes where you do not need to know anything about the characters, but most of the time there is follow-through from previous stories. In a time of 24, Lost, Galactica etc this may not seem anything special, but when you compare Farscape to its contemporaries (Stargate, various Star Treks etc) where each episode was 'go to new planet, meet new species' it stood out.
Puppets?!?!Produced by the Jim Henson company, Farscape makes frequent use of puppetry and animatronics for its effects, including two regular cast members. The Henson company are the team that brought to life such films as The Dark Crystal, Return of the Jedi, the Muppets etc. Puppetry sounds quaint and ugly when you first hear about it, but their creations in these films and Farscape are surprisingly believable due to the level of articulation and detail. As always, it will vary.. main characters and frequent guests/visitors are perfect, while one-offs are not so great.
Special EffectsFarscape isn't a 'new' show.. it ran from 1999 - 2003, so newer sci-fi shows like Battlestar Galactica will have more bling in the form of superb CG, and more appeal to casual male viewers coz of naked Cylon chicks. What CG exists works best when used in small quantities, though Farscape is visually impressive for the period of its release, and still holds up well today.
Imperfections:Farscape is not perfect..nor would I ever try to present it as such. you will find some of the same shitty things in it that you find in other shows. For example, there's an episode where one of the characters goes out for 1 day, and comes back looking a hundred years older, but for no fucking reason whatsoever everyone acts as though 'you must have imagined it' or some shit. are you fucking kidding me? Crichton flies in a space shuttle with a helmet that doesn't even seal.. space goggles? for real? Bad guy soldiers who are supposed to be elite are just as much disposable morons as Storm Troopers were in star wars (and just as cool looking, at least). Season finales tend to go overboard with their cliffhangers...etc.
Some episodes have poor plots and writing compared to others, but overall even these episodes tend to work because of the characters so you end up being (slightly) forgiving to the bad aspects.
