Tag: SyFy / Sci-Fi Channel

Chiana discovers an old recording that reveals the fate of Moya’s previous Pilot – he was killed by a squad of Peacekeepers under Crais’ command, a squad that included Aeryn. The discovery forces both Aeryn and Pilot to re-examine how they first came to Moya as part of Crais’ project to breed a Leviathan warship. Aeryn, stuck on guard duty while pursuing assignment as a fighter pilot, became involved with Velorek, the Peacekeeper Leviathan expert in charge of the project. Pilot, eager to be bonded with a ship, allowed the Peacekepers to mechanically bind him to Moya when she did not immediately accept him. In the present, overcome by guilt, Pilot demands that Aeryn leave the ship and detaches himself from Moya.

written by Naren Shankar
directed by Tony Tilse
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Alex Dimitriades (Velorek), Lani John Tupu (Capt. Crais)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Low on supplies, the crew follows Chiana to a mining colony harvesting the remains of a Budong. Their situation is becoming extreme; a starving Zhaan has started to sprout as a defense mechanism, and the resulting pollen threatens to overwhelm everyone, including Moya. Although Chiana knows the colonists, she left on good terms with only a few – and one of those is quickly killed by a predator called a Keedva. The colony’s leader, B’Sogg, is not inclined to offer Chiana any favors. As Zhaan worsens, the crew pursue their own methods to mine enough crystals to buy some food, but the Keedva and its owner have very different plans.

written by Gabrielle Stanton & Harry Werksman, Jr.
directed by Rowan Woods
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: John Brumpton (B’Sogg), Justine Saunders (Altana), Rob Carlton (Vija), Hunter Perske (Temmon), Gavin Robins (Keedva)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Zhaan tells Crichton about the time she, Chiana, and Rygel spent searching for him, D’Argo and Aeryn after their destruction of the Gammak Base. Desperate to find her friends, Zhaan found herself increasingly giving in to despair. Matters became even more dire when they searched on the planet Litigara, a society in which only ten percent of the population – a derided minority called Utilities – were not lawyers. Moya was becoming increasingly hard to control, as she sought to find her missing offspring. Zhaan, however, soon found herself imprisoned on a trumped-up jaywalking charge, then lured into an alley by the promise of escape, and ultimately framed for murder. Unable to find any Litigaran willing to defend her, Zhaan could only turn to Rygel and Chiana for help. And since the Litigaran legal code forbids lying, it was no surprise that the case started badly. Soon, Zhaan had withdrawn far into her own mind, overcome by hallucinations of her missing friends.

written by Steven Rae
directed by Ian Watson
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Steve Jacobs (Ja Rhumann), Sandy Gore (Judge), Simone Kessell (Finzzi), Marin Mimica (Dersch), Peter Kowitz (Tarr)

Notes: Originally titled Re: Union, this story was intended as the second season premiere. When the producers chose not to delay revealing Crichton, D’Argo and Aeryn’s fate, new framing footage was filmed and the episode was moved down the schedule.

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

The crew’s usual sense of timing prevails when Moya’s defense screen goes down for repairs just as a Halosian ship attacks. The resulting energy surge bounces everyone but Zhaan’s consciousness out of their own bodies and into another. For Crichton, this presents an interesting opportunity to be much, much closer to Aeryn’s body than he could have expected, while Aeryn gets the shorter end of the stick inside Rygel’s body and Rygel takes up residence in Crichton’s. Less amusing is Pilot’s predicament; he’s not handling being inside Chiana’s body very well, and D’Argo’s mind struggles to keep up with the demands of Pilot’s body. Zhaan travels to the Halosian ship to try and settle the dispute, but Tak, the ship’s commander, is determined to destroy Moya, claiming that Talyn attacked his ship unprovoked. Zhaan arranges for the commander to inspect Moya to prove its peaceful status. The tour is less than successful, as Tak takes ill; worse, his vomit is corrosive, and begins to eat away at Moya. Perhaps worst of all, Tak’s second in command Yoz tells Zhaan that it was Tak who initiated hostilities with Talyn, and he’s determined to earn glory for himself by destroying Moya. Upon his return, Tak launches another attack, causing another round of body switching, leaving it up to Zhaan to find a way to vercome the Halosians and return her friends to their rightful bodies.

written by Michael Cassutt
directed by Ian Watson
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Lani John Tupu (Capt. Crais), Dominique Sweeney (Tak), Thomas Holesgrove (Yoz)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

An energy penetrates Moya and envelops Crichton. When Aeryn fires on it, the sphere embeds itself into the ship and spits Crichton out. Then it spits out another Crichton, or at least a primitive Neanderthalesque version thereof . . . and then yet another, this time a cranially enhanced, “highly evolved” edition. While Chiana attends to the past Crichton, the present and future versions figure out the sphere’s purpose – it collects and tests specimens of life forms from this dimension, and it wants to collect data on humans. The only problem is that the trip back to the sphere’s home dimension is likely fatal – and if one of the Crichtons doesn’t volunteer, the sphere will just bring Moya and all its crew. To save everyone, one Crichton must sacrifice himself . . . but who’s willing to volunteer, and will the rest of the crew agree with his decision?

story by Gabrielle Stanton & Harry Werksman, Jr.
teleplay by Grant McAloon
directed by Catherine Millar
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: none

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Aeryn and Crichton find themselves getting closer while working in cramped surroundings, but Aeryn quickly derails the romantic encounter before it can get started. Soon after, the crew encounters one of the Breakaway Colonies, worlds settled by Sebaceans that are independent of the Peacekeepers and neutral in their conflict with the Scarrans. Relaxing in a nightclub, they observe one of the planet’s courtship rituals – a man and woman place a drop of liquid on their tongues and then kiss; the resultant taste reveals the two’s genetic compatibility or lack thereof. One of the club’s patrons, Katralla, is particularly urgent in her search. She is heir to the planet’s throne, but unless she can find a mate in the next two days, she will lose her status and the throne will pass to her younger brother Clavor. What Katralla doesn’t know is that Clavor has sabotaged her DNA, mutating it to be incompatible with any Sebacean. But what Clavor doesn’t know is that the mutations make her compatible with humans. So when Katralla performs the ritual with Crichton, there is much rejoicing – on everyone’s part but Crichton, who’s less than eager to enter an arranged marriage. The planet’s matriarch has one more ace up her sleeve – Scorpius has arrived, and Crichton has just two options: marry the princess, or be turned over to the Peacekeeper.

written by David Kemper
directed by Andrew Prowse and Tony Tilse
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Felicity Price (Princess Katralla), Bianca Chiminello (Jenavian Charto), Matt Day (Counsellor Elka Tyno), Tina Bursill (Empress Novia), Felix Williamson (Prince Clavor), Aaron Cash (Dregon), Gavin Robins (Cargn), Francesca Buller (ro-NA), Jonathan Hardy (Kahaynu)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Having Starbursted away from the Royal Planet in a futile effort to draw Scorpius away, Moya has encountered one of the Builders, the Leviathans’ creators and gods. The meeting is bittersweet; upon learning of Moya’s parenting of Talyn, the Builder determines that she must be decommissioned. Over Zhaan’s pleas, Moya begins to shut herself down. Crichton doesn’t fare much better, as he’s now a target not only of Scorpius, but of Clavor and the Scarran agents who want to ensure that Clavor takes the throne. Attempts to ensure his safety only lead to betrayals and desperate escapes, until the time of the wedding finally arrives. To avoid being at the ceremony, Aeryn accepts a would-be suitor’s invitation to go rock-climbing, an expedition that leaves both of them injured. The rest of the crew watches as Crichton and Katralla are wed – and then, as is the planet’s custom, transformed into living statues, to spend the next eighty cycles learning the ways of the court.

written by David Kemper
directed by Andrew Prowse
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Felicity Price (Princess Katralla), Bianca Chiminello (Jenavian Charto), Matt Day (Counsellor Elka Tyno), Tina Bursill (Empress Novia), Felix Williamson (Prince Clavor), Aaron Cash (Dregon), Gavin Robins (Cargn), Francesca Buller (ro-NA), Jonathan Hardy (Kahaynu)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

The statue-fied Crichton is an easy target for Clavor’s saboteurs, although fortunately statues are also much harder to kill. After being returned to the flesh by a Peacekeeper secret agent working against Clavor, Crichton goes into hiding, prompting a planet-wide search and potential unpleasant consequences for Chiana, Rygel and D’Argo. Zhaan continues her efforts to persuade the Builders to spare Moya while the Scarrans, Scorpius, the Empress’ troops and D’Argo all search for Crichton. And even if Crichton survives the hunt, he has to decide what to do about those marriage vows.

written by David Kemper
directed by Andrew Prowse
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Bianca Chiminello (Jenavian), Matt Day (Tyno), Tina Bursill (Empress Novia), Felix Williamson (Prince Clavor), Aaron Cash (Dregon), Gavin Robins (Cargn), Jonathan Hardy (Kahaynu), Felicity Price (Princess Katralla)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Chiana brings a small creature called a Vorc aboard Moya; the traders who sold it to her convinced her that the Vorc will rid the Leviathan of parasites. The others are skeptical that there even are any parasites, and even if there are, the Vorc appears too feeble to do anything about them. Shortly thereafter, Crichton seems to confirm at least part of Chiana’s story – he claims to have seen a beast of some kind trying to damage Moya. Since Crichton also claims to be seeing visions of Scorpius, however, his judgement is not wholly trusted at the moment. Then D’Argo encounters the beast, and in their altercation D’Argo is poisoned. Zhaan tells the crew to use the Vorc to find the creature so she can concoct an antidote; to their surprise, they see the small creature transform into the larger beast. But when they bring it to Zhaan, she can find no trace of the poison in its system. There is another predator on the ship – but what is its relation to the Vorc and to the others aboard ship?

written by Naren Shankar
directed by Tony Tilse
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Martin O’Leary (Ravorc)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Crichton wakes up in a hospital with his father by his side, telling him that the Farscape One mission was aborted when the energy wave hit the module and Crichton crash-landed before blacking out. Convinced that the wormhole aliens have placed him into another illusion, Crichton rebels, trying to catch them once again in a misplaced detail. He has no luck, and he soon encounters his crewmates from Moya, with their usual alien appearance, claiming to be regular humans; Aeryn is a nurse, Rygel an administrator, D’Argo another astronaut, Zhaan a therapist, Crais a cop, and Scorpius the members of a bar band. The situations in which Crichton meets these doppelgangers become increasingly surreal, as Crichton begins to wonder how anyone thinks he’ll be fooled by any of it. Another Scorpius shows up to explain that fooling him is not the goal; Crichton has been captured by Scarrans, who are trying to drive him mad as an interrogation technique. What the Scarrans and Crichton didn’t know is that Scorpius has implanted a neural clone of himself in Crichton’s brain, to discover the wormhole secrets that the aliens placed there. But first, the Scorpius clone has to get Crichton out of danger, or both of them will perish.

written by Richard Manning
directed by Rowan Woods
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Kent McCord (Jack Crichton), Carmen Duncan (Leslie Crichton), Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Lani John Tupu (Crais), Murray Bartlett (DK), Thomas Holesgrove (Grath)

Notes: The Farscape One mission is how Crichton got blasted to the Uncharted Territories in Premiere. The wormhole aliens fooled Crichton into thinking he had returned home in A Human Reaction. Scorpius placed the neural clone in Crichton while interrogating him in the Nerve/Hidden Memory two-parter.

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Aeryn disappears while investigating a strange mist that surrounds Moya. When she returns shortly after, she has aged into an old woman. She tells the crew that she has spent the last 160 cycles on the planet below while Moya has been trapped in stasis. She has only come back to Moya to warn them to escape during one of the brief windows they have available; she herself intends to return to the planet where her granddaughter waits for her. Crichton chases after her, but upon meeting her granddaugher Ennixx, he agrees to leave. He’s too late – before he can get back to Moya, the window closes and the Leviathan disappears, leaving him no choice but to return to the planet and wait decades for the next opportunity. On Moya, Zhaan and Stark realize Aeryn was right, and Moya is stuck outside of time. The elderly Crichton and Aeryn return to Moya as Aeryn passes away. There is one hope remaining – if Moya is in fact outside of time, perhaps it can re-enter the timestream before any of this actually happens.

written by Justin Monjo
directed by Ian Watson
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Paul Goddard (Stark), Allyson Standen (Ennixx)

Notes: Stark last appeared in season 1’s The Hidden Memory, where he was Crichton’s cellmate.

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Crais invites Crichton, Aeryn, D’Argo, Zhaan, and Stark aboard Talyn with a proposal to disarm the young warship and provide it with safer, non-lethal defenses. This will help the fugitive captain maintain a lower profile, so he has arranged to buy a Dampening Net from Plokavian traders. When the trading ship arrives, however, Talyn’s weapons open fire and destroys it. Crais puts the others into their transport pod and Starbursts away, but before they can reach Moya, another group of Plokavians captures them and places them on trial. Each is interrogated separately, and each tells a somewhat different story. What is the truth? Why are they hiding it? And who will pay the ultimate price to keep the secret?

written by Gabrielle Stanton & Harry Werksman, Jr.
directed by Tony Tilse
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Paul Goddard (Stark), Lani John Tupu (Crais), Peter Carroll (Gahv), Linda Cropper (Fento)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Aeryn and Rygel return to Moya from a trading trip, accompanied by two Nebari warriors. Varla and Merak are after Chiana, but perform a temporary battlefield mind-cleansing on everyone on board and use a restraining collar to prevent Moya from Starbursting. The Scorpius neural clone guards its territory jealousy, however, and decides that only it will be messing around with Crichton’s cranium, thank you very much. Crichton feigns going along with the Nebaris’ plan while he tries to get Chiana to tell him what’s going on. She’s not very sure; the Nebari keep referring to her brother Nerri, but as far as she knows, he’s dead. She does know that the Nebari used her and her brother to spread a virus among other races that would make them more susceptible to Nebari reprogramming; that was when she and Nerri split up and he left to join the resistance. The point will become moot if the Nebari can get Moya to one of their outposts for permanent reprogramming, but an unexpected ally within the resistance may be able to save everyone’s skin.

written by Lily Taylor
directed by Rowan Woods
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Lani John Tupu (Crais), Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Malcolm Kennard (Melak), Skye Wansey (Varla), Simon Bossell (Nerri)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer