Sci-Fi/Fantasy - Farscape Appreciation #18: Infinite Possibilities

Skippy Doo · 07-24-2003, 08:04 AM

Quote:

"Look up and see the wonders I have seen."

Winner of three Saturn awards for Best Cable Program. Hailed by TV Guide as "...the most irreverent, unpredictable, sexy, intelligent and exciting sci fi show on TV ... incredible chemistry ... some of the most vivid and compelling fantasy creatures ever created ... a joy to watch ..."
Are you watching Farscape? You should be.

Please visit the following links to learn more about the campaign to get Farscape back.
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Save Farscape Campaign: State of the Campaign

Quote:

Greetings, fans of Farscape . I recently spent a wonderful weekend in
San Diego meeting so many of you at Comic Con. I am constantly
astounded by the diversity and energy of Farscape fans. What a
magnificent group of people to meet and what tremendous passion you all
have. This community continues to amaze me, humble me, and make me
grateful that I�m able to be even a small part of it.

To everyone I met in San Diego, it was my greatest pleasure to speak
with you � thank you for coming by the table, and for taking the time
to listen to us. To those of you who weren�t able to get to the
convention, you were not forgotten. It was the spirit and drive of
Scapers everywhere that spread the Farscape name, filled the Farscape
panel, kept us busy, and attracted all the new fans we met. Thank you
all.

We are little more than a month away from the anniversary of Farscape
�s cancellation. With all the excitement surrounding Comic Con, the
huge Farscape panel there, and the Henson family regaining control of
the Jim Henson Company, we thought it would be a good time to catch
everyone up on where we stand with this campaign.

For the past eleven months, thousands of Farscape fans across the world
have put their time, money and hearts into the show and the campaign.
At times it�s been frustrating, and infuriating - on more than one
occasion hope seemed to fade. However, Farscape fans have many
strengths and vast reserves of hope. Your greatest strength seems to
be persistence. The dedication to story and the absolute refusal to
give up even when things look bleakest; this has been the key to our
success. We are closer to our goal today than we have been at any point
since September. Farscape will return, and it will be due to the
strength, dedication, and passion of the fanbase.

Those of you who felt your hope dwindle along the way, who were certain
the story was gone, never to be revived: I think it�s safe to hope
again. It�s safe to give your heart back to the story. Farscape isn�t
done yet � not by a long shot. The tellers of the tale haven�t finished
and they�re determined to finish their story; they have made this very
clear. It�s our job to see that they get the chance. They didn�t ask it
of us, but we took on the responsibility, and we have taken it
seriously.

Since September 6, 2002 Farscape �s fans have done more than anyone
ever had a right or reason to expect. The SCI FI Channel expected us to
go away after a few days, but eleven months later not only are we still
here, we�re continuing to grow every day. Farscape supporters have done
amazing things and this continues, without question. Because of the
efforts of _every single Farscape fan_, it is now a question of "when"
and not "if" Farscape will return. When I say every fan, I mean every
fan: our presence, spirit, strength, and community are all made up of
individuals contributing in the best way they can. Every contribution,
large or small, has been vital to our cause. This is not the campaign
of a single website or a single group of individuals, this is a
campaign for every person who loves Farscape .

Farscape has a lot of things going for it right now � committed owners,
determined storytellers, interested suit-types � but the most important
thing at this moment is that Farscape boasts a strong and, despite the
claims of a certain TV network, growing fanbase. Our job isn�t done
yet, in fact, I think it�s just beginning. Eleven long months of hard
campaigning and the absolute dogged insistence that Farscape would not
end on "to be continued" - things may be finally turning in our favor.
Now is the time to make as much noise as possible, and to show our
numbers and strength. We are fans of a TV show, but we are also
consumers, we hold the money and we are demanding a specific product.
Our voices are being heard.

We have big plans, ambitious plans, but we need your help to see those
plans through. We need your ideas, your skills, your fire, and your
hands. We haven�t received all the attention that we have by being meek
or hesitant, we�ve received it because we have done things nobody has
ever done before. We�ve done it by reaching farther than was expected,
by believing that any project (no matter how "crazy") infused with
determination and enthusiasm could get us one step closer to more
Farscape , and bring new viewers to our wonderful show.

Today our goal is within our reach, but victory is by no means assured.
The hard work and dedication needs to be maintained, must be
maintained, for us to be successful. It�s time to focus and remember
our goal, while reminding ourselves of just how far we�ve come.
Throughout this campaign, the fans have broken precedents. It�s time to
break some more.

Do what you can; there's no such thing as too much or too little. Keep
coming up with the great ideas that have been the heart and soul of the
campaign from day one. Consider supporting the projects that we are
currently undertaking; the Library Project, the Military Project, the
National TV Advertising Project, and the Cookbooks. Keep writing
letters, and make some noise. Then make some more noise. Our efforts
are not being ignored, of that you can be sure. However, to continue to
be successful, we need to continue to work together as a community, and
strive to achieve campaign goals that many considered impossible. While
it may have once been true that such lofty ambitions were indeed
impossible, there is one important fact to remember: that was before
Scapers were on the scene.

In the words of one lost astronaut - "Where the hell�s my riot?"

[ 07-24-2003: Message edited Skippy Doo ]

[ 07-31-2003: Message edited Skippy Doo ]

Frelling Tralk · 07-24-2003, 03:13 PM

I was wondering what everyone's order of favourite seasons was and why? Mine:

Season 3: I loved nearly every episode, I loved the arc, everything about it.

Season 2: In some wyas the arc was even better. I loved crazy John. There were some stand-out episodes too, including my all time favourite WGFA. But overall it was too uneven, there were some downright appalling episodes as well, especially in the beginning.

Season 4: Well I liked it anyway [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] I got into why in the last thread.

Season 1: I liked it okay, but generally it wasn't anything special IMO, until the last four episodes with Scorpy's arrival.

What are other peoples list of favourites?

Raonaild · 07-24-2003, 04:05 PM

I'd rank the seasons more like S3, S1, S2, S4.

S3 I loved in retrospect. I thought the twin Johns was a big sci-fi cliche at first, but then when I saw where they went with it ... the separate stories alternating between the two crews, the impossible situation it put John and Aeryn in, the real danger of knowing the one character you're absolutely certain won't be killed off, John, could actually die at any moment ... I thought it was brilliant.

S1 had the problems every show has in its first season ... developing a new mythology, getting a handle on the character dynamics. But I loved Crichton's innocence in the first season, and how he managed to come up with reasonable suggestions despite being hopelessly out of his depth. The crew were still such strangers at that point too, and it was interesting to watch them slowly come together as a family.

S2 was definitely more uneven, although it had some great eps.

S4 ... well, I feel about it kind of the way I feel about Buffy in S6. There are moments of brilliance, but seeing John so tired and jaded most of the time, while realistic after all he'd been through, was not so much fun to watch. Sikosu, Noranti and Grayza did nothing for me either.

[ 07-24-2003: Message edited Raonaild ]

enigma777 · 07-24-2003, 06:03 PM

S3, S2, S1, S4

enigma777 · 07-24-2003, 06:03 PM

S3, S2, S1, S4

Frelling Tralk · 07-24-2003, 06:38 PM

I wasn't too keen on season 3 at first. When the crews were being seperated, and there were two John's it seemed to have the potential to be very lame. But watching the whole of season 3 in retrospect made me love it as the best tv in years [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

And regarding season 4 characters, I never cared for Graza all that much. She never made a strong impression like Scorpy did, she was just kind of there. And her boob juice was just ewww, not sexy at all. Like cover yourself up woman! I hated Naranti and thought she stunk the place up (apparently literally lol). But from the start I adored Sikozu, she became one of my favourite characters. I'm in kind of a list mood tonight so here's my list of most favourite characters:

John
Aeryn
Pilot
Sikozu
Scorpuis

My least favourite is definately Zhann, I could never stand her. Her smug self-righteous voice grated on me soooo bad. And I have to say D'Argo never did much for me either. I found him dull, rather than irritating though.

[ 07-24-2003: Message edited Frelling Tralk ]

Frelling Tralk · 07-24-2003, 06:38 PM

I wasn't too keen on season 3 at first. When the crews were being seperated, and there were two John's it seemed to have the potential to be very lame. But watching the whole of season 3 in retrospect made me love it as the best tv in years [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

And regarding season 4 characters, I never cared for Graza all that much. She never made a strong impression like Scorpy did, she was just kind of there. And her boob juice was just ewww, not sexy at all. Like cover yourself up woman! I hated Naranti and thought she stunk the place up (apparently literally lol). But from the start I adored Sikozu, she became one of my favourite characters. I'm in kind of a list mood tonight so here's my list of most favourite characters:

John
Aeryn
Pilot
Sikozu
Scorpuis

My least favourite is definately Zhann, I could never stand her. Her smug self-righteous voice grated on me soooo bad. And I have to say D'Argo never did much for me either. I found him dull, rather than irritating though.

[ 07-24-2003: Message edited Frelling Tralk ]

Spook · 07-25-2003, 01:44 AM

For me, it�s S3, S1, S2, S4. Although it was a hard choice between S2 and S4� because some of my favourite episodes of the entire show were in S4.

S3 took classic Sci Fi clich�s and twisted them in the Farscape way to make them unexpected and incredibly addictive! I liked how S1 took you on a journey with John Crichton, learning with him and not having him be an immediate super-hero that understands all and is comfortable with everything. S2 had some great episodes, and some not so great episodes. I think it fell down the rankings because I had a hard time with JC going crazy. I loved him being crazy, but also wanted him to be his normal self [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] S4 suffers, I think, because it was written as a two-season arc and we don�t know how it ends yet� But I loved the Earth episodes. Well, Terra Firma and the documentary ep that followed on later (and who�s name temporarily escapes me!)

Btw, does everyone know that the 2004 Farscape calendar is out and available to buy? [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

Spook · 07-25-2003, 01:44 AM

For me, it�s S3, S1, S2, S4. Although it was a hard choice between S2 and S4� because some of my favourite episodes of the entire show were in S4.

S3 took classic Sci Fi clich�s and twisted them in the Farscape way to make them unexpected and incredibly addictive! I liked how S1 took you on a journey with John Crichton, learning with him and not having him be an immediate super-hero that understands all and is comfortable with everything. S2 had some great episodes, and some not so great episodes. I think it fell down the rankings because I had a hard time with JC going crazy. I loved him being crazy, but also wanted him to be his normal self [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] S4 suffers, I think, because it was written as a two-season arc and we don�t know how it ends yet� But I loved the Earth episodes. Well, Terra Firma and the documentary ep that followed on later (and who�s name temporarily escapes me!)

Btw, does everyone know that the 2004 Farscape calendar is out and available to buy? [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

Cryostar · 07-25-2003, 04:19 AM

Following in fine list tradition...here's my top 5 characters:

Scorpius
John
Chiana
Aeryn
Dargo

Someone's got to root for the obsessively minded villian [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Spook · 07-25-2003, 07:11 AM

My top 5 characters:

Crichton
Scorpius
Chiana
Aeryn
D'Argo

Spook · 07-25-2003, 07:11 AM

My top 5 characters:

Crichton
Scorpius
Chiana
Aeryn
D'Argo

enigma777 · 07-25-2003, 07:14 AM

Yikes! I was composing a reply at home to Frelling Tralk's comments about Zhaan and I forgot to post it. Guess I will have to wait until tonight since I'm too lazy to redo it. In short, I agree completely about Grayza, agree mostly about Zhaan, and disagree about D'Argo. I didn't/don't find him boring. I was, however, very disappointed with the resolution of the D'Argo/Macton storyline. "Mental As Anything" sucked.

Some may disagree with me, but, especially when it comes to sagas, Farscape had one of the best first seasons I've ever seen. Yes, it did have weak episodes, but we got action and character/relationship development in the perfect quantities. (In contrast, the first season of Babylon 5 was weak.) We got to see a crew of aliens who practically hated each other and being forced to working together become a family of sorts, whose members were willing to risk their own lives to save the life of one of the others. A lot of people don't like Jeremiah Crichton, but I always felt that episode was a huge turning point for John and D'Argo's relationship. D'Argo, even more than Aeryn, was determined to keep searching to find/rescue John. And it was the lowly human who gave them something in common, served as the glue that held them together, and taught them a very important lesson--that of hope.

how he managed to come up with reasonable suggestions despite being hopelessly out of his depth.

I think that by being so uneducated, John was able to see the forest through the trees and find the simple solution (like going underwater in "I, E.T.") which, according to Occam's razor, usually work best. Of course, the slingshot maneuver isn't exactly a simple solution, and it's one of the things that very slowly got the others to respect him. Of course, the others (and John himself) were sometimes very surprised that John's plans would work, because some of them sounded like he was pulling them out of his butt. Like in "Out of Their Minds" when John, in Rygel's body, said "nope" (he didn't know if it would work,) and then "yep" (he thought it could easily get them all killed.) [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

ETA my list:

1. Aeryn
2. Crichton
3. Rygel
4. D'Argo
5. Pilot
6. Scorpius
7. Chiana
8. Moya/DRDs
9. Zhaan
10. Crais
11. Braca
12. Jool

These can be in almost any order, except Sikozu and Grayza are my least favorite.

13. Noranti
14. Stark
15. Talyn
16. Sikozu
17. Grayza

[ 07-25-2003: Message edited enigma777 ]

enigma777 · 07-25-2003, 07:14 AM

Yikes! I was composing a reply at home to Frelling Tralk's comments about Zhaan and I forgot to post it. Guess I will have to wait until tonight since I'm too lazy to redo it. In short, I agree completely about Grayza, agree mostly about Zhaan, and disagree about D'Argo. I didn't/don't find him boring. I was, however, very disappointed with the resolution of the D'Argo/Macton storyline. "Mental As Anything" sucked.

Some may disagree with me, but, especially when it comes to sagas, Farscape had one of the best first seasons I've ever seen. Yes, it did have weak episodes, but we got action and character/relationship development in the perfect quantities. (In contrast, the first season of Babylon 5 was weak.) We got to see a crew of aliens who practically hated each other and being forced to working together become a family of sorts, whose members were willing to risk their own lives to save the life of one of the others. A lot of people don't like Jeremiah Crichton, but I always felt that episode was a huge turning point for John and D'Argo's relationship. D'Argo, even more than Aeryn, was determined to keep searching to find/rescue John. And it was the lowly human who gave them something in common, served as the glue that held them together, and taught them a very important lesson--that of hope.

how he managed to come up with reasonable suggestions despite being hopelessly out of his depth.

I think that by being so uneducated, John was able to see the forest through the trees and find the simple solution (like going underwater in "I, E.T.") which, according to Occam's razor, usually work best. Of course, the slingshot maneuver isn't exactly a simple solution, and it's one of the things that very slowly got the others to respect him. Of course, the others (and John himself) were sometimes very surprised that John's plans would work, because some of them sounded like he was pulling them out of his butt. Like in "Out of Their Minds" when John, in Rygel's body, said "nope" (he didn't know if it would work,) and then "yep" (he thought it could easily get them all killed.) [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

ETA my list:

1. Aeryn
2. Crichton
3. Rygel
4. D'Argo
5. Pilot
6. Scorpius
7. Chiana
8. Moya/DRDs
9. Zhaan
10. Crais
11. Braca
12. Jool

These can be in almost any order, except Sikozu and Grayza are my least favorite.

13. Noranti
14. Stark
15. Talyn
16. Sikozu
17. Grayza

[ 07-25-2003: Message edited enigma777 ]

Skippy Doo · 07-25-2003, 09:11 AM

Have I ever mentioned my deep and abiding love for lists?

Seasons:
S3
S1
S2
S4

The Season of Death was really rivoting for me. The risks they took with John, Ben's writing in GEM, John and Aeryn finally coming together, Furlow's return, Rygel and Stark, Stark and Crais, and The Choice.

I rank Season One much higher than most. I am currently watching S1 with my converts and I am loving it. I think that it is extremely hard for a show to find its voice in the first season. None of the Star Trek have ever been any good in season one and E7 pointed out B5's not so great start. I would say that even for mainstream shows it is hard. The only two shows that I can think of off the top of my head that were good (acting, writing, plot) from the very first episode are X-Files and Farscape. The Premiere is really good. The chemistry and the writing are there. And the elements that set Farscape up as being the best show I ever watched are still to come. Compared to S3 the first season is certainly not as good, but S3 wouldn't have been as rich and wonderful as it was if S1 hadn't laid out a complex story. One of the things that makes Farscape better than X-Files, for me, is that the original storyline is intriguing (like TXF) but broad enough in setting and plot to allow flexibility/growth. Where TXF just sort of stagnated after a while, Farscape became more.

S2 and S4 both had some really great episodes and trilogies, but overall the coarse of the season wasn't as enthralling for me as S3 and S1.

I've listed favorite characters before, but right now I just can't bring myself to do it. Right now, watching S1 I love innocent John and Zhann.

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