Farscape (1999) Retrospective/Review

[@TheSimcoes]

Wow! Anth Simcoe here. (D’Argo) Thank you for making this. Truly wonderful. I am reliving so much of that time after watching this….I absolutely loved this job and the wonderful people I worked with

[@fish-d6488]

woah !!! really cool to see you here. your work as d'argo stands out so firmly in my mind as one of the defining performances of my childhood -- thank you for all the work you (& the rest of the cast and crew!) put into the show !

[@Christianos_Theophile]

Farscape is one of the greatest frelling shows ever made! Should have gotten 10 seasons

[@toddwestfall5457]

Watching this incredible series for the first time, finished "scratch and sniff" last night. Your boogie face made me laugh my ass off.

[@miked9466]

Love your work, thank you for bringing such a great character to life .

[@БранимирПетров]

Thank you for commenting! "D'Argo, tell him who is daddy! "

[@fhetty]

This show was hands down one of the greatest sci-fi gems ever created. I absolutely loved this series as a kid, I literally couldn't get enough.

[@brazil-y2y]

Yep only one show is better. B5.

[@julez5876]

​@@brazil-y2y you're god damn right

[@CondosNkarens]

@@brazil-y2yI love b5 but couldn’t get into Farscape. Can’t make it past the first half of season one. Should I stick with it?

[@BradMG1986]

@@CondosNkarenslast bit of season 1 and the finale is where the show really starts to hit its stride

[@lanarkorras4411]

​@@CondosNkarens I'd give it a go. I know Farscape can be difficult at times, and it doesn't necessarily have a great start, but once things start coming together more and more... While I can't promise you will, you might very well come to love it still.

[@VerityFraser]

"They had other options, girls who were more attractive..." - Claudia Black, the childhood inspiration for my entire look to this day in 2024.

[@mardus_ee]

Claudia Black was just right for the show: a strong woman with agency and a mighty will.

[@FerreusDeus]

My one and only celebrity crush since forever ago.

[@JimboDoomface]

She's utterly gorgeous, but she's not the aesthetic of the time, I don't think. I'm assuming that's what she means. She's got very strong features.

[@Steven141]

Between her being in this and Stargate, she was definitely a top celeb crush

[@joshuaroberts1287]

​@@mardus_ee that's a great choice of words to describe both actress and character: 'strong woman with agency and mighty will". The show had had strong but fallible, believable characters and developed their pertains and relationships well.

[@Blisterdude123]

I'd totally missed the exact details of Virginia Hey's departure. Honestly, the fact she knew privately so early in the show her health was at risk and she stuck around so long anyway is both sad and moving.

[@Krista2882]

Yeah, I had no idea it started near the beginning of season 1. I assumed it started sometime during s2.

[@shingshongshamalama]

Imagine simping so hard for your own character that you literally risk your life to play her. Virginia truly was ahead of the curve.

[@Tao_Tology]

​@@shingshongshamalama That's not "simping"

[@biguy617]

I still think Einstein sent the Serpent

[@travisshrey6720]

I can't believe they couldn't come up with another non-toxic way of making her blue.

[@IanSenkel]

I just loved the cameo-esk attitude to when the actors met again on stargate. "Do i know you? You look familiar"

[@IanSenkel]

@biancabonet it was when Vala Mal Doran and Cameron Mitchel meet for the "first" time in season 9. She comes strutting out of the gate like she owns the place, as she does, and Cameron is there to great her and she stops, points to him. "You look familiar"

[@William-the-Guy]

I always felt Farscape had the most ALIEN aliens. In Star Trek, the aliens are all obviously metaphors for different human cultures. The Star Trek aliens aren't really aliens, they're humans with a bump added to their nose, the audience is trusted to use a little imagination, to allow the story to happen. But in Farscape they really were trying to imagine the strangest, most different creatures that their budget and storyline could possibly allow. I liked that a lot.

[@memnarch129]

The only REALLY alien aliens in Star Trek are one off appearances or background lore races, Tholians/Dividians.

[@danteellerbe3427]

This is exactly the words I use. "Farscape had the most "alien" aliens in any show or movie I've seen"

[@Cheesusful]

I always felt SGU should have attempted to try something similar with the aliens to farscape. They really suffered from having pure cg aliens

[@andromidius]

Star Wars did okay on the truly alien aliens too - at least in appearance. They mostly acted the same as everyone else, however. Farscape aliens had completely different moral codes. Even the Peacekeepers, who look human, have a really different view of the universe.

[@Ziplock9000]

Only if you cherry pick

[@uss_04]

From a cultural perspective John Crichton was Starlord before starload. An Earther among aliens wisecracking pop culture references in an attempt to maintain his sanity

[@itzcoatldefuego]

Si, pero solo en la pantalla, Starlord en los cómics es la inspiración para Jhon Crichton

[@kristjanpeil]

Solid perspective, m8! It must've been the new one being so bad that I didn't make the connection. Probably the comic book was OK, though...

[@robwalsh9843]

True, but all of these brash rogue characters in space operas are more or less derived from Buck Rogers

[@kristjanpeil]

@@robwalsh9843 originally Odysseus, though. Check out Ian Doescher's "Shakespeare's Star Wars" author's postface (can't remember which one, so get them all!) Anyway, the guy speaks of how he was studying english literature, and at some point realized that every single action hero ever is basically a retcon of one of Homeros' heroes... Excellent pespective, methinks, resonates reeal well with everybody's favourite - Ecclesiastes 1:9, somewhat with meta-Hegel and memetics

[@kristjanpeil]

MMAAAAN, think of what Browder could've done with a Star Lord role...

[@wesleywyndam-pryce4081]

Loved how the main 2 actors joined stargate for its final 2 seasons they fit perfectly and when stargate SG1 ended it felt like the end of an era for Sci fi

[@craigjohndavies6013]

Exactly ...

[@jamesdye4603]

Totally agree.

[@digitaldemigod]

I couldn't even get into Stargate. Farscape pretty much ruined all other sci fi for me. I couldn't go back to the formulaic Star Trek shows or anything else. Plus I decided to keep boycotting SyFy, which turned out to be well deserved as they turned into the Ghost Hunters channel not long after.

[@greva2904]

@@digitaldemigodYeah, Stargate always seemed pretty much just run of the mill tv sci-fi compared to Farscape. Farscape had way more imagination

[@noonoolink6822]

​@digitaldemigod syfy really shot themselves in the foot. I used to love syfy until like you said it was just ghost hunting. My favorite show was face off.

[@Nszewczak]

Well crap now I'm rewatching my favorite TV show.

[@Ltulrich]

Aye. Myself also.

[@vlerherg69]

Alas, I as well.

[@ClayMann]

Its one of those I love to go back to and it really gets transformed when you can watch it as one super giant movie back to back. So much more you see connecting the parts just hours apart rather than years apart in some cases.

[@n.d.m.515]

I rewatched it this summer and though I still liked it, there were issues I didn't notice my first viewing. Part of the problems are what was mentioned in the video about lack of episodic structure. Invested as I was in the story arch the first time, it didn't allow a casual second. Dramatic anticipation was replaced with tragic realizations. I could see more openly how often the writers put the story in a corner they had to force themselves out of, losing some organic developments. I still love the show as one of my favorites. Despite that, I can now see why it will never be more than a cult classic.

[@CortexNewsService]

Yup. Again. Not mad about it.

[@nobodyaskedyou4320]

Wayne Pygram is a severely underused and underappreciated actor.

[@ThisisDD]

One of the greatest shows ever created. A true gem!

[@brazil-y2y]

Yeah a great show, IMHO only Babylon 5 is better

[@ThisisDD]

@@brazil-y2y I prefer Farscape but also love B5!!

[@Shutterbug5269]

The other Chrighton's death scene was unrelentingly gut wrenching. I still can't bring myself to watch it again. Claudia and Ben knocked that out of the park.

[@hiraldosternflyer7112]

I still can't watch that again. It's just too gut wrenching.

[@jfoldger1184]

@@hiraldosternflyer7112 Also the fact that it might have been the original and not the clone makes it hit even harder tbh

[@moonasha]

I still think about that episode years after seeing it. He never got to see his father again, see earth again, anything. He died in some crappy part of the universe in a horrible way. It's brutal

[@mardus_ee]

@@jfoldger1184 If anyone's noticed, Crichton originally kept wearing white clothes and uniform, and after the doubling, Moya-Crichton continued having white and light wear made of plant-based fabrics, while Talyn-Christon wore black and leather. After Talyn-Crichton passed away, the usually light-wearing Moya-Crichton, after having learned of his brother's death, turned to wearing black.

[@cool2314]

@@mardus_ee lol, oh yeah thats right he did change his clothes after talyn crichton's death and even his personality changes quit a bit afterwards which makes me think maybe moya crichton is the original

[@stijnvantongerloo9122]

Rowan, delightful eccentric choice to launch a Farscape retrospective on Christmas eve, worthy of the quirky madness of the show 😆Let's honor the gravitas it could reach too: "D'Argo: Fear accompanies the possibility of death. Calm shepherds its certainty" (one of my favourite lines!) Let's make sure Farscape is never forgotten, this show deserves all the love it can get ❤

[@brazil-y2y]

I love the show but don't recall that quote.

[@TomatoFettuccini]

@@brazil-y2y It was in the S1 finale when D'Argo and Crichton were just about to space themselves to blow up Scorpius' Gammek base. It was D'Argo's response to Crichton's question about why he felt so calm in the moment, but was terrified leading up to it.

[@Bloodynine606]

Crichton's reaction to this comment is always hilarious too

[@waynehanley72]

Well, Merry Frellin Christmas!

[@Ellis_Hugh]

Whatever else this show was, it gave us the greatest romance ever portrayed in this genre and one of the best romances in television history period.

[@eneyavorodecky]

I am a bit sad that there was not a lot of information about Claudia Black and how much shit she endured, bc it does matter.

[@Ellis_Hugh]

@@eneyavorodecky Shit she endured when?

[@eneyavorodecky]

@@Ellis_Hugh she has spoken some about it but she was mistreated while working as an actress something terrible and some of it was linked with Far scape but I couldn't find the article to link here right now. Edited. I tried to find it to link It. Sadly, the whole place is no longer online. I am sorry.

[@TomatoFettuccini]

Yayyy! Farscape! One of the best sci-fantasy series ever. It broke every trope and defied expectations in every episode. Absolutely groundbreaking, and is criminally over-looked. Farscape: One man's journey into insanity - and back again.

[@KristineMaitland]

I actually had the pleasure of meeting Virginia Hey twice. The first time was at Toronto Trek con many years ago where I was present as a freelance journalist. My research on Hey told me that she was very spiritual/new age so when met her I greeted her with a 🙏 which she took delight in. I complimented her on her performance in The Living Daylights (where she deftly intimated that Timothy Dalton, Bond, was a schmuck - it's amazing what one can say when one does not say anything- while John Rhys Davies was a delight to work with). Anyway Hey was lady and a joy. My second meeting with her was surprising. I was on her website and noted that there was a bug in the system so I fired off an email to the web person to let them know. Seconds later I got an email back saying thanks - from Virginia herself! I confirmed that yes she designed and managed her site and she remembered who I was! Many many years later I now looked into Virginia only to be horrified to discover that she has stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma with which she has been diagnosed back in 2022. She has been in remission twice but from what I can tell it does not look good. Please think good thoughts for her.❤

[@SilverHawk214]

How sweet she seems. Too bad about her health. Wishing her the best.

[@TheRamoach]

I looked her up earlier, since I was concerned about the health effects she had due to her makeup on farscape. I was sad to see that she was diagnosed with cancer. I hope the makeup didn't have anything to do with it. Wishing her all the best.

[@karimsonsafehold9233]

She will be incarnated back on new earth

[@bernadmanny]

The title music gets me everytime. Ben and Claudia had so much chemistry it was a site to behold, it made it funnier when Ben's wife was playing yet another new character, she played four characters I think. My favourite show.

[@Shutterbug5269]

That even after all this time Ben and Claudia can still turn that chemistry right back on again every time they're in the same room shows how absolutely well cast they were.

[@Aczie042]

My first experience with Farscape was almost ten years ago, when I saw the show's thumbnail on Netflix, I had no idea what this show was. I just thought it looked so corny judging by the thumbnail that I decided to watch it to make fun of it. But, then I watched the first episode and was instantly hooked. I've never seen, watched, or played a piece sci-fi like this before or since. It's just that compelling and unique. I never would have thought that some obscure show, with a goofy thumbnail on Netflix, would end up being my favorite TV show of all time. But here it is, in all its glory. Thank you, for this retrospective, Rowan. This show deserves more love and acknowledgment, by the wider sci-fi community, or not. I don't mind if it stays obscure. That way someone doesn't get any grand ideas on remaking or rebooting this series.

[@TheSuperappelflap]

Oh yeah, this, and Battlestar Galactica are arguably the best sci fi shows ever made. Fringe was also pretty good. And Firefly of course, but it got canceled after one season. I fear we may never experience anything like that era of sci fi again, but maybe there is hope.

[@robc9662]

Maybe in a another generation or two - current pop culture politics would not allow it

[@tonyb7615]

A show I watched that did end up being like this was called Lexx. It played into the camp and comedy, and was not any good. But it was hard to look away. You watched it for the train wreck it was, not like farscape where it was genuinely good. And it was a free streaming app so it coulda been worse.

[@lucumamagazine]

Star Trek had beige spaceships with carpets, Farscape had a living organic spaceship with its own mind.

[@mardus_ee]

TNG had only one episode dedicated to an organic ship ("Tin Man"); in _DS9,_ all Breen ships were organic; and then Species 8472 in Star Trek: Voyager also had ships made of organic material. "Tin Man" came closest to what Moya was like.

[@DreFromMaine8472]

@@mardus_ee Good ol' Gomtuu!

[@redfog42]

Not comparable. They are just too different. Star Trek OS is the best of its kind.

[@superkoopatrooper4879]

Ya, idk if you ever played Mass Effect but they were heavily inspired by this tv show. The living ships called Leviathans, the blue aliens who mind meld etc. Guardians of the galaxy was also heavily inspired by this show. The creators of each will tell you too. I loved it so much.

[@makasete30]

And both were fantastic with their ascetics in their own way.

[@scottwells8064]

I don't think Scorpius was giving an approving nod at peace. I think he was giving a self-serving nod and smile that two people he hated - Grayza and the Scarran Emperor - had to swallow their pride and accept terms they weren't happy with.

[@marocat4749]

Yep, while i think he wanted to stop that war and the scarrans, yeah he was ok with peace because he could see the people he hated hating doing it.

[@DC-FGC]

Every time I'm reminded of this show, I find myself wishing we were in an alternate universe in which Virginia Hey wasn't *literally poisoned* by her makeup and we got to see how the story would have played out had she stayed, including a full and proper season 5. They introduced a couple other characters to fill a similar niche(at least intellectually) later on, but they never quite felt right. At this point, even a comic book retelling that diverges at the point where Zhaan died onward would be extremely welcome.

[@solomonkane8136]

This was my most favorite show. The only show I ever wrote letters of outrage when it was cancelled. A great show from a better time.

[@dansonthunderbolt3503]

Absolutely loved Farscape. So criminal that it was cancelled too soon. One of my all time favourite TV shows. Superb cast, music, effects and stories.

[@goodbyesheesha]

It remains so wild to me that Farscape aired on a children's network here in Canada, because it is SO HORNY. I love that about it; just such a distinctive show. I've had a lot of success specifically introducing non-scifi fans to it.

[@jasonblalock4429]

In the US, it aired back-to-back with Lexx for a couple years. So Farscpe came off as almost tame by comparison, haha.

[@ryan.noakes]

Agreed. How YTV picked it up I'll never understand.

[@hevi2866]

Let's not talk about Lexx then...

[@ryan.noakes]

@@hevi2866 no, let's, it was a gloriously bonkers, über horny show!

[@anotherkenlon]

It's mostly a weirdly wholesome horny, though. Which is kinda nice to see.

[@TheCrazyPlayer]

To this day, every time I see Ben Browder or Claudia Black, I have to remind myself they are not, in fact, married; their chemistry is that good. I somehow want both a reboot of this show (so that there is even more of it) and for it to be perfectly preserved for all time just as it is, because it is both deeply flawed and absolute perfection, all at the same time.

[@werewolfjedi38]

only when you take everything with it's flaws do you see the perfection of it's whole design.

[@michaelmullenfiddler]

I kind if feel the same. If they do a reboot, they will "fix" it, and that would be a tragedy

[@starlabradshaw2969]

I could not agree more. 💯

[@anotherkenlon]

I don't want a Farscape reboot - I want a show that does the things Farscape did. Not in terms of plot, but in terms of character development, emotional resonance, and sheer goddamn chutzpah.

[@ekscalybur]

Why does ANYBODY think a reboot would be something to wish for after seeing the past decade of reboots that have been utter tripe?

[@emperorofhistory8724]

I own the box set, and haven't seen it in several years. This just inspired me for a rewatch of one of my favorite sci-fi shows from my childhood.

[@evilvet]

I can't believe it's been 25 years. I thought the scifi channel was about to be the best channel on earth. They were on the verge of being that incredible.

[@mardus_ee]

And then they cancelled Farscape, and then they cancelled Stargate Universe.

[@evilvet]

😢

[@Tao_Tology]

​@@mardus_ee And the triple whammy of cancelling the shared universe shows of Eureka, Warehouse 13 and Alphas.

[@mardus_ee]

@@Tao_Tology And Caprica.

[@Tao_Tology]

@@mardus_ee That one was a mercy killing. 😏

[@adampoll4977]

A truly ground-breaking and off-the-wall sci-fi that still kept grounded in its heart and characters. Black and Browder were one of the most attractive and believable on-screen "couples'" on the small screen, and Claudia has the sexiest voice in sci-fi. Great work as usual!

[@abledonald943]

A classic. Sad that others don't get it! Sometimes it is like that. Let us enjoy this thing that's just for us who get it!

[@Ltulrich]

Word. I love being among the weirdos who are crazy about this show.

[@nebularain3338]

Other people have a right to dislike what you like, but as long as they are not stopping you from enjoying it then it's ok.

[@andymouse]

I get it, I love it.

[@jamesabernethy7896]

This is one of the best Sc-fi shows of all time. The chemistry in front of the camera and passion behind it made it great. It was playful and painful, funny and fantastic. It could change tone but it never felt out of place in the world it created. As much as I might have wanted it to continue, i think it ended at the right time. So many great stories, so many great effects and characters that we loved.

[@Ltulrich]

Ben Browder and Claudia Black had the best chemistry I've ever seen in any show. Jake and Kate from Lost are a close second.

[@jamesabernethy7896]

Babylon 5 had some amazing chemistry too but Farscape topped that. Ben and Claudia were amazing together, I think they did an incredibly good job of resetting that chemistry for Stargate@@Ltulrich

[@bensneb360]

One of the greatest and most underrated sci-fi series of all time. Plus I feel like it influenced Guardians of the Galaxy… a human who makes jokes, a bad ass warrior woman with a shady past, a big straight forward tough guy, a blue badass lady with black eyes, a small fowl mouth character, and a character who is part planet… I wonder if James Gunn was a fan lol

[@DigiRangerScott]

I believe he said it did

[@Gengh13]

James Gunn even showed the cast a couple of episodes of Farscape to convey his concept for Guardians.

[@DigiRangerScott]

And yeah it’s brought up at the end of the video. Including Browder’s cameo

[@vonVile]

James Gunn is a no talent hack.

[@hypotheticalaxolotl]

@@vonVile and you felt it pertinent to vent this here... why?

[@larrywright6574]

I used to love Friday nights here in the US. You had Invisible man, Farscape, and Lexx. Farscape got me hooked and then I found the other two.

[@toddspringer6098]

Thank you for bringing up Lexx! I remembered that show but could not remember the name. I have tried to ask my friends, they just asked if I was on acid. Lmao Lexx was crazy and good.

[@katarjin]

Fuckin Lexx, what a interesting, strange and goofy time it was.

[@jammin2575]

Here in the UK we had BBC 2 and one night a week it would be Simpsons, Fresh Prince of Bel Air then Farscape. For me in Secondary school/ High school it was an amazing night , I didn’t get into Farscape until season 4,so imagine my shock at the season ending and then waiting years to get the final part 😮

[@ozzyman75]

I watched this show from the beginning to the end. I love it til this day

[@RobertSpitzer]

It may not have been terribly popular, but I found it to be one of the best scifi shows ever.

[@B1gLupu]

After Farscape it took years for something just as good in The Expanse

[@makasete30]

@@B1gLupuwell, I’d add Battlestar Galattica as one which was just as good in its own unique way, one of my all time favorites. And the Expanse writers have said they drew a lot from BSG. Both the Expanse and BSG fumbled their endings unfortunately but the first few seasons of each were lighting in a bottle.

[@FrontSideBus]

@@B1gLupuThe first 3 seasons only mind... Big fan of the books btw.

[@johnny5guns]

I always thought Farscape didn't get enough love. Thanks for doing this awesome show justice in this video.

[@pleasantvalleypickerca7681]

Excellent retrospective/overview of the series. I don't think it was so much that Farscape was "Too weird" for mainstream success as the naration stated, I think it was too creatively complex, original in it's vision and intellegent for many mainstream viewers. It will always be one of my favorite series.

[@bakoyma]

Farscape was a perfect storm. I loved this show so much

[@peterburghart3059]

Rowan, I think every streaming service that contains one of these properties should include a link to your retrospectives. These are incredibly well done. ❤

[@theneochroniconagency]

Looking forward to giving this a watch. Along with Star Wars, Farscape was my gateway into SF, so it'll always hold a special place in my heart. Wacky, unadulterated sci-fi. Loved watching it after The Simpsons on BBC2 back in the day 😂

[@brazil-y2y]

Back when BBC was worth watching!

[@ssgcmwatsonusa]

I loved how alien the theme song sounded compared to other sci-fi

[@rafangirl1]

"Farscape" is my favorite sci-fi series of all time. I've watched each episode so many times that I can recite whole chunks of dialogue. Having met all the actors except Tammy MacIntosh (Jool) at Creation fan conventions, I can attest that every single one of them was warm and generous to the show's fans.

[@GamesforPirates454]

What a beautiful way to honor Farscape, this is the best retrospective any fan could ask for. This is such a great retrospective series you put together. Thanks for reminding me how wonderful this show is. Definitely plan on re-watching it now.

[@DaveNarn]

I forgot about the crazy curse words until the last bit from Aeryn Sun! Magnificent review, thank you.

[@jasonblalock4429]

1:07:34 I love how you drop this line on top of the best possible illustration of *why* Farscape will always be a cult show. 🙂Which is why its fans love it.

[@liamtaylorvfx]

thanks for bringing a tear to my eye man, this show was my rock in a troubling time, and you've reminded me why it meant so much, thanks.

[@farview13]

Farscape! One of the most original and entertaining scifi shows ever. The cast and crew of the show are some of the nicest people I have ever met at cons and are the most fan friendly bunch of characters around. It is definitely my favorite scifi show.

[@DFAMPODCAST]

Rowan this is so cool. I recall watching Farscape when it first came out. Such a wonderful show! Thanks for doing this dude!

[@paganstomper]

It was and is amazing. Nothing like it still. It may be the best sci-fi show put to film. Gotta rewatch it again.

[@mreenpeters4423]

Thanks for this deep dive! Farscape was the most amazing show. A risk taker in storyline, turning tropes on their heads, with excellent writers, cast, and effects 🎉

[@kevincachia1977]

I gave a friend a set of DVDs for Christmas or a birthday, oh many years ago now. I remember how completely nonplussed he looked. He had never heard of the series. I wasn't familiar with it either, but something made me take a chance on it. Not only do I remember the bewildered look of disinterest when he opened the gift, I also remember how much he enjoyed the show when he actually watched it.

[@anidfan2]

Was lucky enough to meet Rowan Wood one of the producers of the show when i was working in a pub in New Zealand , talked to him for a while about Farscape, really nice guy

[@1down4upworkshop61]

Loved this show. Still watch it from time to time. The Aeryn and John romance is one of the best to be put on a screen...

[@jormungandrtheworldserpent8382]

for a long time i thought the show ended at the boat scene so when i found out years later that there was more i cant not express the joy that surged into me to finally see the conclusion to one of my favourite shows was so cathartic and i still think it has one of the coolest intro songs ever

[@kerry-j4m]

Me and my ex-wife LOVED this show when it first debutted on tv and wouldn't miss an episode. She wasn't a sci-fi fan at all,but,Farscape caught her attention,plus we both also LOVED the Chicago Bulls team and wouldn't miss a game. Those were fun times. LOL.

[@NexusNoxCS]

Amazing! Farscape was one of my favorite TV shows since I was a teenager! Even now, as I am writing this comment, I am glancing at my wall -- where a huge fan-made Farscape poster is hanging in its frame, right next the posters of other sci-fi space classics like B5, BSG, Mass Effect and the OG Star Wars. There are many different aspects that those other famed shows and movies and games did better or are better known for, but what Farscape can not be competed on is its uniqueness. There is nothing like it and there never will be. It is a truly singular vision realized in its niche with more depth hidden behind its weirdness than anyone could have expected. On a personal note, I suspect it is one of the major inspirations responsible for igniting interest in BDSM or at least the leather kink in a certain subsection of fans and leading them along the path of incredible self-discovery. I know, because I am one of those fans. Thank you, Rowan for this retrospective. Sublime work as always.

[@mardus_ee]

The Matrix sort of showed, that leather clothes could be worn by cool people, and Farscape showed, that they could be worn by common men, Crichton initially being sort of that tropey 'common man', being a clever scientist and all.

[@ElricX]

I loved this show! The FX, story, and cast were incredible! and Holy Cow was I smitten by Claudia Black! It was so cool to see her and Ben work together after Farscape! This was a great video!

[@carlosvergara4132]

Every so often I think about that episode where they switch bodies, tropey, but is so memorable.

[@Ltulrich]

Tons of fun. I love when Browder gets to be in Claudia's body lol

[@CortexNewsService]

@@Ltulrich "They're right there! Guys dream of this!"

[@ladislavantal7268]

The range of emotions you face whilst watching this show is incredible. Such a good show and the actors are absolute top notch. Also part of my teenage years so I might be biased here but I watched the whole series again when I was 30 and I think I liked it even more!

[@DanteMac26]

I love this show. Still my favorite of all time. But I do think you missed an opportunity here to talk about one of the things that really made this show unique, Moya. Such as the fact she was unarmed, and how that affected how the crew had to deal with threats, vs. how those same threats would be dealt with on other shows. But hey, gotta cut something, right? Great job!

[@MaxDoll]

What a terrific Christmas present! Thank you so much for showing the appreciation this series deserves.

[@merdoc89]

Farscape was AMAZING and seriously still is just as good today as it was when it came out.

[@michaelconnor1542]

My top five sci-fi shows are B5, Stargate SG1, Farscape, Battlestar Galactica (reboot), Deep Space 9.

[@noneofurbusiness5223]

I love 4 of ur choices (that all came out close together).

[@michaelconnor1542]

@noneofurbusiness5223 there was a period between the early 90's to 2005 and tapering to 2010 of just fantastic science fiction television. Since it has been very sporadic in quality. But in nineties it was everywhere.

[@RamsesTheFourth]

Red dwarf no?

[@redplanet76]

Great list. Great order.

[@tipulsar85]

Farscape is a show I found one Saturday or Sunday morning flipping by on Sci Fi. and I stopped and found myself enjoying it, I then found out I had come in on the season finale which was a big shock when it really didn't feel like a full season had already aired. That was in 1999, and I had effecively not just got myself hooked, but also my family. It still feels like a breath of fresh air 25 years later. And as for Guardians of the Galaxy as a spiritual successor, I realized why still liked Farscape and enjoyed both for not only the similarities, but also the differences.

[@jmvsic]

The emotional dynamics is what makes Farscape the brilliant piece of art that it is. Thank you for this video.

[@WakenerOne]

Farscape has the best trick trivia question ever: "In what episode does Chrichton acquire his signature weapon, Winona?" The trick is that he doesn't acquire it in an episode; he acquires it in Farscape: The Game, which is a canon event which takes place _in between_ two specific episodes.

[@DreFromMaine8472]

Recently I watched part of a playthrough of that game. I don't think it's terrible or anything, it's adequate. And apparently it didn't sell well and got some not-so-good reviews. But I like that it's considered canon within the franchise, it makes sense!

[@jello195]

God that game was aweful. Someone should mod it to make it playable...

[@TomCoates]

Absolutely extraordinary show and I *wish* it was better known and more celebrated. A sequel would be extraordinary. Just loved it.

[@kelvincasing5265]

And they even got a little farscape cameo in for 200

[@JS-fd8ey]

I adore Farscape! I've watched and rewatched it over and over. This is a fantastic retrospective. Thank you for addressing a highly underrated show!

[@lanarkorras4411]

Thank you so much! Lots of interesting details here, even for the dedicated fan. Frelling love the show, season three being one of the best in sci-fi history.

[@silvernoob1603]

fantastic, i saw them filming season 1 episode 14 sometime around 98-99 at a reserve somewhere outside of sydney, specifically the scene where the natives are dancing around the campfire, the crew were trying to get people in the area to keep the noise down which surprised me because you would think they would have the park closed off while filming

[@ange1uk]

I absolutely adore this show, its one of my all time favourites. I remember just kind of initially riding along the first season, interested but also feeling it was rather formulaic episode of the week, typical Star Trek stuff but more effort into alien characters and makeup design (which was utterly fantastic by the way). But then they introduced Scorpius - possibly my all time favourite villain - and off we went on a wild ride. It was full of rich, interesting characters and interpersonal conflicts, crazy episodes that weren't afraid to push boundaries and go completely off the wall, and then the next few episodes punch you over and over with emotional rollercoasters of the sheer hell these characters have to go through. I am so grateful we got the Peacekeeper Wars mini-series to wrap things up, its just such a damned shame it felt rushed as a result, cramming all of what would've been Season 5 and maybe beyond into a 3-4 hour mini-series. Despite that, it was a fantastic send-off and had my all time favourite Crichton/Scorpy interaction, as he makes Scorpy beg to see the wormhole weapon - pretty please with a cherry on top. Just love it. And yes we had puppets. Pilot and Rygel, two fully formed fleshed out main characters that you quickly forget are puppets once you're engaged with the story. I still think there's potential to explore the Farscape universe again someday, 20 years on, see where all our favourite characters are at this point. I know there's the comics which are supposed to be canon, but I want more live action. Let's hope :)

[@jsonWho]

it's streaming on a loop now - Shout/Freevee Always the #1 show in my book - there was so much more they could have done. Peacekeeper Wars wrapped up most of the story lines, but there was plenty they left out. but who knows maybe in another 20 years we'll see a Farscape TNG - lol

I always assumed Scorpi's smile and nod was at the fact that he won on two fronts, he got his wormhole weapon used to create peace and he was proven right as well in that thinking. He was rubbing it in the faces of both leaders.

[@JobeStroud]

My favorite sci fi series of all time. Watch it once a year.

[@musicalnotextr]

These days, I always say that FARSCAPE is just GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY but as a TV show (and weirder). The similarities between the two is quite amazing!

[@dongordon9983]

Great respective review of Farscape, a unique series that still remains one of the most memorable of all science fiction series with exceptional characters and interrelations. I am fortunate enough to have a Blu-ray DVD certificated limited edition Farscape universe collection which I highly cherish. Always worth a revisit to indulge oneself into a dysfunctional universe that is truly entertaining.

[@sethcarson5212]

15:30 Oh My God. I totally forgot out that introduction for her. So when she meets Daniel on SG1 that was a direct call back. DAMN. I never caught that. It's kinda amazing. Obvious but subtle.

[@MythicFables]

One of the greatest tragedies of this show was that out of desperation over mounting storage costs as the show sat languid and mostly forgotten by studios, and feeling like no one would ever revisit the project, Henson was forced to clear the warehouse of all the original film stock of the series. In a twist of fate this ended up being mere months before a studio came wanting to make the first HD bluray release. Now a true remaster without AI upscaling will never be possible as all they have left are the SD broadcast masters. That's why the new bluray set releasing this month is so important as it's the greatest effort made to date to preserve the series for the future and they've made a truly valiant effort in cleaning up the audio and video to make the show look great on modern TV's. Support the show, buy the blurays.

[@noneofyourbusiness4616]

Seems like if they had gone to fans they could have found somewhere to store the film stock.

[@gabriellawless2202]

One of my absolute favorites of all time - I stay proud that I am the one that turned my mom and older brother onto this absolute masterpiece of a show. All time fave - even before my beloved Star Trek and Stargate ❤

[@whyjnot420]

The crew being about as far from being a military hierarchy as you can get really is a microcosm of the show in general (as it pertains to other sci-fi shows). The other show that stands out to me for this reason is Lexx. Both are shows I loved when they came out and continue to. I like the militaristic aesthetic of Star Trek and others. I absolutely love proper military sci-fi, e.g. Banner of the Stars. I don't think I could deal with tons of stuff in the vein of Farscape or Lexx. But since that is not the case, both are incredible at injecting some fun oddities and insanities into ones diet of sci-fi.

[@mardus_ee]

Another trope-defying show was the short-lived Stargate Universe. Of course, it had had its own set of tropes, but it sort of defied the standard military sci-fi "we run the show here" trope to being more collaborative between the military and civilian crews aboard a large spaceship, because starship Destiny appeared to have a mind of its own, and so the crew had to adjust to its travel plans. In addition, SGU amazed me with how inclusive it was for its time (2009-2011).

[@gregglesmigregglesmi3633]

I so loved this show. I eagerly awaited each and every episode. And as for Rygel "dishing out revenge whenever the opportunity presents itself"...yeah, Rygel, don't F around!

[@nathanixslade]

We will never have stories like this again.

[@tyrannicpuppy]

I remember watching the initial episode in my nanna's kitchen on a teeny tiny TV with my brothers. Sister wasn't born yet, she came that November. Whole family were already Stargate nuts. We loved it. And I definitely enjoyed the viewing of that episode. Yet, somehow, we never continued watching it once we went back home. I've had it on my Plex library for several years now as I made it a priority to get. But still I haven't actually watched it. I need to find the time to finally get around to doing so. I am also both amused and not surprised that Claudia got the role that way. Her voice is instantly distinctive. Love whenever it pops up in a video game and you immediately know that character is going to be fun. Whether they're a main or a one off. And her and Ben definitely added some fun back into late game SG-1. Cam brought back the wonder to a team that had seen and done it all, so nothing was new anymore. And Vala finally gave us a true exploration of a post-Goa'uld host. Someone who remembered doing awful things and had hardened themselves against those memories. Who the galaxy seemed destined to hate, but who Daniel still saw potential in. Watching her in episodes like Line in the Sand and The Quest were spectacular. And showed the growth her character went through in those two short seasons. It is long past time for me to go and see the effort that likely led to that wonderful period. To give Farscape it's due at long last.

[@mathuxley7264]

I feel like I've been given an extra Christmas present, thanks so much for this

[@slamjam7676]

The episode where they fuck around with a historical event and accidentally cause a genocide is legit one of the greatest science fiction stories ever put on tv

[@lovipoekimo176]

One of my other favorite scifi shows. I love the manic energy, the creative makeup and alien aesthetics, and most importantly the characters. Pa'u Zhoto Zhaan was my favorite character even after her actress's departure. But by the end, practically every character, even the villains, were so likeable.

[@shirobara95]

In the early to mid 2000s as a child i stumbled upon the first episode of this show whilst flipping through channels when i should have probably been sleeping. BBC 2 seemingly was re-airing it. It was probably one of my first introductions to Sci-fi and nothing to this day has really scratched the itch this show created. I thank both you for creating this video and the KZbin algorithm for somehow sending this video into my recommendations.

[@grey7513]

One of my all time favourite shows. Haven't rewatched for several years, but currently doing so now. Thanks Rowan.

[@RoySATX]

We Farscape fans, the weird and wonderful standouts even among an already strange crowd, are happy with our status on the cult fringe. To paraphrase Malcolm McClaren's headstone "It's better to be a flamboyant failure than any kind of benign success."

[@loslobos786]

I was parusing my local thrift store last month when I found the entire Show in its original Star Burst edition release. Every disk was in pristine condition I couldn't believe my luck. I had to buy the entire set even though I already owned the Show on DVD, best hundred bucks I ever spent, frellin love this show.

[@noneofurbusiness5223]

@loslibo . . . That happened to me! Only time I'd been to that particular thrift store. 10 USD!

[@Gliese380]

This, B5, SG-1, DS9, S:A&B, etc. We had it good.

[@joshmartin2744]

It was so painful to see Space: Above and Beyond get so phenomenally shafted.

[@MarcelVerheijden]

This was a supreme Christmas gift, thank you.

[@inelouw]

Farscape video from Rowan Coleman? BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER.

[@zorglub667]

Two central points of this excellent I very much agree with : (1) yes, sometimes farscape stepped over it's own crazyness for crazyness sake mantra to the point where it emotionally lost me in different phases of the season (2) but : Aw man, the central live story. That chemistry. That never lost me for even a split second. So so good. They were the reason I kept watching even the plot occasionally overdid the Hail Maries (if that's English).

[@BrayTube]

I'd call this the best frelling sci-fi property ever. To watch it play out week by week and season by season was an emotionally tumultuous experience. I remember my eyes popping out of my head at the visual effects and how seamlessly they sat with the live action. The cgi scenes never felt separate or implanted, and so they never took you out of the story even for an instant. The story itself lacked absolutely nothing. There were sources of tension, fear, joy, anger, shock. humour, lust, love, envy etc. etc, that somehow played out virtually simultaneously without ever overloading the viewer or clouding the narrative. The filmmakers managed something bordering on miraculous just to persist as long as they did, with all the hurdles and setbacks, in keeping a firm hold on the integrity of the universe they created. Everyone involved deserved much more success with the series than they acheived. It absolutely deserved a few more seasons and I felt robbed when the series ended. However, looking back now I'm happy with how it played out. It remains a perfect thing in my memory and I could have happily accepted the season four finale as a show finale. I knew when The Peacekeeper Wars was announced that they would have to come up with some kind of mcguffin to resurrect Cricton and Aery Sun, and anytime you do that you remove jeopardy from your story and tension leaves with it. I knew it was simply to satisfy fans and therefore you're writing for entirely different reasons, and it's probably going to be shit. But I loved Farscape and so I had to give it a look and I was blown away all over again, but for different reasons. Yes, they had made something for the fans but all the fans wanted was a good Farscape story. That's how I look at the mini series now, a great Farscape story with a very satisfying conclusion, but - Farscape ended on that boat.

[@seanssangster6079]

Thanks Rowan i thoroughly enjoyed that, very informative.

[@SethTyrssen-o7l]

Farscape was brilliant! Especially loved gorgeous Virginia Hey.

[@anthonykeane4984]

Talon ' starbust' still gets me in the feels

[@HappyNormalHuman]

Farscape was a huge part of my childhood. I would go to my grandparents and they would let us watch tv after dinner and we would see farscape episodes. It was crazy cool and genuinely terrifying to me as a little kid.

[@MrBerniemcgovern]

Amazing deep dive, thank you!!

[@georgemoss8729]

I loved this show. So under appreciated. This show was definitely before it's time