Tag: SyFy / Sci-Fi Channel

Stark re-corporealizes slightly worse for wear in the sanity department, but being a little unbalanced has helped him hatch a fairly cunning plan – Moya’s crew will rob a Shadow Depository, a vault for illicit wealth, and use the proceeds to purchase a lot of slaves that includes a thousand of Stark’s fellow Baniks – and D’Argo’s son Jothee. D’Argo is, needless to say, enthusiastic about the plan, while the others urge patience while they try to think of a slightly less suicidal option. For D’Argo, however, there is no time like the present, and he takes a Transport Pod to the Despository – where he is quickly captured. Moya follows him, and the crew learn that Stark planned for his capture – it gives him the opportunity to access the Depository’s new codes. Frustrated at their manipulation, the crew goes along with Stark to save D’Argo; Zhaan poses as a criminal and opens an account at the Depository, claiming that D’Argo was sent ahead to test security. Their deposit includes a smuggled Rygel, who arranges for the contents of another vault to be sent to Moya. As Crichton’s luck would have it, that vault belongs to Scorpius, and when he arrives to check in on his holdings, trouble can’t help but ensue.

written by Grant McAloon
directed by Rowan Woods
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Paul Goddard (Stark), Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Claudia Karvan (Natira), Nicholas Hope (Akkor), Matt Newton (Jothee), David Franklin (Lt. Braca), Adrian Brown (Gan), Jennifer Fisher (PK Nurse)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

When Moya arrives at the slave auction, D’Argo discovers to his horror that Scorpius has gotten there first and purchased the slaves – which he is perfectly willing to exchange for Crichton. Crichton’s alternate plan is to use the money which would have purchased Jothee to hire some of the less savory characters they’ve encountered in the Uncharted Territories for a breakout. But when most of the crew heads out on a recruitment drive, Zhaan and Chiana discover that they are victims of a double cross. Natira, head of the Shadow Depository, had replaced the actual ingots with creatures that had begun to eat Moya. Only intense heat – enough to injure Moya – will eliminate the parasites. When the others return to a damaged Moya to discover they no longer have the wealth to finance the operation, Crichton decides it might be time to put himself out of his misery for everyone’s benefit.

written by Naren Shankar
directed by Catherine Millar
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Paul Goddard (Stark), Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Claudia Karvan (Natira), Nicholas Hope (Akkor), Matt Newton (Jothee), David Franklin (Lt. Braca), John Adam (Bekhesh), Jeremy Sims (Rorf), Jo Kerrigan (Rorg), David Wheeler (Durka), Lionel Haft (Zelkin), David Bowers (Kurz), Thomas Holesgrove (Teurac)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Aeryn and the mercenaries decide to revise the initial plan; they’ll break into the Shadow Depository, loot the place, and rescue Crichton. Everyone still gets rich, nobody stays in Scorpius’ clutches, everybody’s happy. Within the Depository, Scorpius makes contact with the neural clone and prepares to remove the chip from Crichton’s brain. The break-in distracts Scorpius enough for Crichton to persuade Natira to help him escape; after all, her odds of survival when all this is over are pretty nil unless Moya can help get her away as well. Even as the two try to escape, the team is suffering losses – and the neural clone is getting more and more assertive, demanding that Crichton just give up and go back to Scorpius.

written by Justin Monjo
directed by Tony Tilse
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Paul Goddard (Stark), Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Lani John Tupu (Crais), Claudia Karvan (Natira) Nicholas Hope (Akkor), Matt Newton (Jothee), John Adam (Bekhesh), Jeremy Sims (Rorf), Lionel Haft (Zelkin), David Bowers (Kurz), Thomas Holesgrove (Teurac)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

The crew visits a commerce station to spend some of their profits from the Shadow Depository heist when a sudden storm hits, sending wreckage flying throughout the bar and trapping Moya in a mess of mooring cables. Aeryn raises the possibility of a physical relationship with John while Chiana and Jothee try to keep their own intimate encounters a secret from D’Argo. The crew discover that there are children trapped in another part of the station; Aeryn and Crichton set off to rescue them while Zhaan tends to the injured barkeeper. One of the cryogenic chambers from the ice planet opens; while Jothee is trying to figure out if the occupant overheard any of his most recent dalliance, said occupant has a sudden seizure and dies. He may not be the only one; another storm is heading their way, and it looks like someone on the station has a death wish – the storm is being summoned by a signal from inside.

written by Justin Monjo
directed by Andrew Prowse
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Matt Newton (Jothee), Leanna Walsmann (Borlik), Thomas Holesgrove (Moordil), Jessica Fallico (Alien Girl), David Lucas (Cryoman)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Moya is searching for a planet on which Zhaan can heal when Pilot informs Crichton that they’ve detected a wormhole. While he knows the urgency of Zhaan’s condition, Crichton figures a quick survey of the wormhole to gather data can’t hurt. Unfortunately, that’s when another craft comes spinning out of the wormhole, crashing through and merging with Moya. The fused craft is bouncing through a series of wormholes, and Moya’s systems seem to be shutting down as a result. The crew also begin to see visions of a flying serpent-like creature. The commander of the other ship, Neeyala, reports that the only way to disentangle the ships and escape the wormhole is to have the ships push off against each other, with the result being that one ship will be sucked into the wormhole and destroyed. Moya’s deterioration makes her appear to be the logical candidate, to everyone’s grief, particularly Zhaan. As the crew prepares for the detachment, they accidentally open another of the cryopods – but this time, the occupant survives. As Crichton scans through the data collected from the wormhole loop, he sees a familiar transmission – an old television broadcast. A sign of home.

written by David Kemper
directed by Tony Tilse
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Tammy MacIntosh (Jool), Victoria Longley (Neeyala), Nicholas Hope (Kreetago), Dwayne Fernandez (Cresto), Kerith Atkinson (Shreena), Brian Carbee (Lastren)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Before the crew leave Moya for the separation attempt, they discover that their ship’s deterioration is not a natural phenomenon at all – the occupants of the other ship have been using a device to render themselves invisible and sabotaging the Leviathan, in order to ensure the crew’s cooperation in keeping the other ship intact. The crew decides to try and save Moya, but they must act quickly – as they spend more time within the wormhole, the serpent becomes more tangible. The two crews battle each other for the upper hand, and eventually Moya and company prevail. The moment of separation is at hand – but one person must stay behind on the other ship to operate the critical controls. Crichton and Aeryn argue over who will stay behind, until Zhaan steps in and reminds them that she is the logical choice – her life is already near its end. As the rest of the crew watches, Zhaan withdraws the other ship from Moya; as Moya re-enters normal space, Zhaan and her ship are destroyed.

written by David Kemper
directed by Tony Tilse
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Tammy MacIntosh (Jool), Victoria Longley (Neeyala), Nicholas Hope (Kreetago), Dwayne Fernandez (Cresto), Kerith Atkinson (Shreena), Brian Carbee (Lastren)

Notes: This was Virginia Hey’s final episode as a regular cast member; she left the show because of adverse reactions to the makeup and prosthetics required for the role.

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

The crew visits a memorial to a moment of history where the Peacekeepers lived up to their names, arranging a truce that spared the lives of a group of nurses inside a besieged monastery. Stark’s powers interact strangely with the memorial, opening a crack in time that pulls the crew back to the siege. Upon their arrival, they learn that reality doesn’t quite match up with the legends Aeryn learned in her training; between that and the distortions they created with their very arrival, history soon experiences substantial revision. As Stark tries to find a way to recreate the tear so they can go home, Crichton keeps looking for ways to repair the damage – but this may be one of those occasions that proves the old saying about good intentions.

written by Steve Worland
directed by Peter Andrikidis
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Tammy MacIntosh (Jool), Lucy Bell (Nurse Kelsa), Basia A’hern (Cyntrina), Marshall Napier (General Grynes), Dan Spielman (Sub-Officer Dacon), Terry Serio (Colonel Lennok), Alan Cinis (Officer Tarn)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Aboard a Transport Pod in need of refueling and repair, Crichton, Chiana, D’Argo and Jool encounter an older, diseased Leviathan named Rovhu. Moya has missed their scheduled rendezvous to pursue a distress call from Talyn – and eventually finds the warship badly damaged warship and her captain in a coma. All the four on the Pod know is that they need to dock sooner rather than later, so they decide to board Rovhu. They soon discover the ship has been overrun by scavengers that use the ship, its Pilot, and even themselves as food sources. A greater threat is Kaarvok, a fellow with an appetite for brains who appears to kill both Chiana and D’Argo. In truth, Kaarvok has the capability to “twin” people, creating identical genetic copies. Over time, the process causes degradation, explaining the primitive states of the other scavengers. But for now, that means there’s still a living Chiana and D’Argo, and the four Moyans need no persuading to find a way off this Leviathan from hell.

written by Matt Ford
directed by Ian Watson
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Tammy MacIntosh (Jool), Shane Briant (Kaarvok), Lisa Griffiths (Belima)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

The twinned Crichtons continue to argue over which is the original while the crew tries to purchase material needed for Talyn’s repairs. Their request is quickly caught up in family and planetary politics, as rival heirs Sarova and Pralanoth argue over whether to help them. Crais recovers enough to give Aeryn a memento of her mother Xhalax Sun – and then inform her that Xhalax leads the retrieval squad hunting Talyn. The Crichtons manage to bluff the ruling family into delivering the Chromextin, although Sarova warns one that she thinks Pralanoth will try to interfere. A bomb critically injures both of them, although the other Crichton is able to put off any suspicion that John Crichton was involved by showing up on the planet uninjured. But someone continues to sabotage the repair efforts, and that retrieval squad gets closer by the minute.

written by Clayvon C. Harris
directed by Ian Harris
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Tammy MacIntosh (Jool), Rebecca Gibney (Sarova), Robert Brunning (Pralanoth), Sandy Winton (Tolven), Linda Cropper (Xhalax Sun), Julianne Newbould (Felor), Hunter Perske (Bloy)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Stark, Rygel, Aeryn and one of the Crichtons are now passengers on Talyn, on the run from the retrieval squad. Crichton seems to be having particular trouble getting used to his new surroundings, and accuses Crais of using his control over Talyn to harass him. The argument is interrupted by the appearance of a Budong, which invites Talyn inside for lunch. Crichton and Aeryn manage to temporarily anchor the ship to the beast’s insides, but that’s a temporary solution at best. When Rygel and Stark attempt to rendezvous with Talyn in their transport pod, the sight of the Budong sends Stark into a panic. The sight of Aeryn and Crais consummating their relationship, which Crichton finds on a surveillance log, sends Crichton into a very different state, especially when Aeryn decides to accept a neural interface with Talyn. Stark eventually calms down enough to help hatch an escape plan. But for it to work will require Talyn’s cooperation, and Crichton soon learns that Crais is not as in control of the warship as he appears.

written by Ben Browder
directed by Tony Tilse
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: none

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Scorpius continues his wormhole research with mixed results and a growing sense of urgency; he tells Braca that the Scarrans’ fears that the Peacekeepers have wormhole weaponry is the only thing preventing an invasion. On Moya, the other Crichton remains equally interested in wormholes, to the annoyance of Jool, Chiana and D’Argo. When Moya passes through an electromagnetic cluster, he quickly gets other priorities – shortly after he sees a strange light creature, he discovers large amounts of his own blood on the floor, with nary a wound to account for them. At first his crewmates consider this merely more evidence that he’s going mad, but with the help of a DRD they soon realize that something aboard is knocking everyone unconscious for lengthy periods and subjecting them to some kind of violent examination. When they go to Pilot looking for answers, they find that he’s not quite himself; an energy rider has possessed him, searching for the smaller rider that Crichton saw before his first blackout. He tells them that the diseased rider has possessed one of them, and he’s not leaving until he finds out which one.

written by Justin Monjo
directed by Catherine Millar
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Tammy Macintosh (Jool), David Franklin (Lt. Braca), Jo Kerrigan (Linfer), Danny Adcock (Co-Kura Strappa), Ian Bliss (PK Scientist Drillic), Tux Akindoyeni (PK Pilot Rinon)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Talyn lands on a planet with heavy gravity and vegetation with highly restorative powers in order to speed his recovery. His deep stasis condition makes him vulnerable when the retrieval squad led by Xhalax Sun lands nearby, so Crais, Aeryn and Crichton set out to divert their attention. They are successful, and during the ensuing firefight Aeryn is separated from Crais and Crichton. Aeryn manages to capture Xhalax, while the mercenaries pursue the others. Aeryn decides to bring Xhalax back to Talyn as leverage, but the senior Peacekeeper is able to escape and overcome her captors. She critically wounds Rygel and begins severing Talyn’s higher neural functions in order to bring him back under Peacekeeper control. She also reveals that the Peacekeepers punished her for revealing herself to Aeryn before – by making her kill her lover, Aeryn’s father Talyn. With the help of the Scorpius neural clone, Crichton realizes that the squad isn’t just after Talyn the ship – Crais, now injured, is himself a target, and has been manipulating the situation in order to enlist Moya’s crew as allies. Crichton also realizes that circumstances dictate they continue working together to overcome the mercenaries, but he’s perfectly willing to let Crais sweat that out a little. When Stark’s efforts to revive Rygel prove successful, Aeryn has a chance to force another confrontation with her mother – but can she do what’s necessary to ensure their safety? And can Crichton let her?

written by Rockne S. O’Bannon
directed by Peter Andrikidis
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Linda Cropper (Xhalax Sun), Thomas Holesgrove (Vek), Dominique Sweeney (Thek and Kek)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Tensions rise aboard Moya as Crichton continues to pursue his wormhole research and the others get a serious case of cabin fever. Meanwhile, turnabout is fair play for Scorpius; when his wormhole scientists realize that some of the wormhole information left by the Ancients is encrypted, he has the neural chip implanted into his own brain. Now a neural clone of Crichton exists in his mind, and he attempts to convince the clone to unlock the equations for him. When the Crichton-clone asks why he should help, Scorpius tries to convince him that the Scarrans are an even greater threat not only to Sebaceans but to all races, using his own history as evidence. His formative years were spent under Scarran control, where the Scarrans tormented him in the name of making him strong enough to overcome his half-Sebacean heritage. Realizing that the Scarrans were lying to him about the circumstances of his birth, the young Scorpius managed to escape, and eventually learned the truth: he was born as a result of a Scarran scheme to rape Sebacean women to produce hybrids that would give the Scarrans a better understanding of their enemy. Determined for revenge, Scorpius joined the Peacekeepers and began his pursuit of wormhole technology. When one of his scientists defects shortly after claiming to have unlocked the secrets of safe wormhole travel, it adds another level of urgency to his discussions with the Crichton clone. When that scientist shows up on Moya offering Moya and Pilot a chance at a new life of exploration and Crichton her knowledge, everyone must decide if they’re really prepared to stay together.

written by Richard Manning
directed by Ian Watson
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Tammy MacIntosh (Jool), David Franklin (Lt. Braca), Amy Salas (Tauza), Evan Sheaves (Child Scorpius), Stephanie Jacobsen (Nurse Froy), Paul Shedlowich (Plint), Jo Kerrigan (Linfer), Danny Adcock (Co-Kura Strappa), Thomas Holesgrove (Wolesh), Sam Healy (Rylani Jeema Dellos), Nicholas Bishop (Ghebb Dellos), William Zappa (Captain Molayne)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer