Brought to you by the Sci Fi Channel, Farscape is an Australian-American television series following the exploits of astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder), who opens a wormhole by accident and finds himself propelled in a distant part of the galaxy.  With his experimental space mission gone awry, he has no choice but to wander among the alien creatures in a completely different universe.  What's worse is that he's trapped in a deadly battle between extra-terrestrial beings wielding technology he was never prepared for. 

As John is hunted down by foes around him, he tries his best to formulate a plan that would take him back home.  He encounters numerous misfortunes, but he is eventually rescued and brought aboard a ship named Moya (voiced by Lani Tupu).  He later meets the members of the crew, who are being pursued by a cantankerous regime known as the Peacekeepers.

Joining John Crichton in action is Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black), a former Peacekeeper officer who was stripped of her rank and sentenced to death for protecting John.  Now on the run, she has to utilize the skills she developed growing up as a soldier to stay alive.  Also on board is Ka D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe), a short-tempered Luxan warrior who was imprisoned by the Peacekeepers for a crime he didn't commit.

Aside from the two, John is accompanied by Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan (Virginia Hey), a bald and blue-skinned former Priestess who belongs to a plant-like species.  As a telepath, she discovered that her lover was a Peacekeeper collaborator and murdered him, causing her incarceration.  Another creature on the crew is the arrogant but humorous Dominar Rygel VI (Jonathan Hardy), who was ruler of the Hynerian Empire before he was deposed.  The rebellious con artist Chiana (Gigi Edgley) is also part of the team, as well as being a candidate for a process known as “reprogramming.” 

Farscape was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon, known for his work on the movie Alien Nation and series like seaQuest DSV and The Triangle.  The Jim Henson Company worked with Hallmark Entertainment to produce Farscape, and is credited for the various alien makeup and prosthetics for the show.  Premiering on March 19, 1999, Farscape had a four-season run and was followed by a miniseries known as Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars.


-Maria Gonzalez, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Sci Fi Channel
(Image Courtesy of Sci Fi Channel)