I'm ashamed of myself. Farscape caught my interest from the first commercial I saw for it on the SciFi Channel. I've always been a fan of science fiction, and one of my favorite book series as a kid was Edgar Rice Burroughs', "John Carter of Mars," series; a series about an ordinary human thrown completely by accident, helpless and confused, into an alien world far away. Farscape struck me as that sort of series. But I was wrong. Farscape is much broader and richer than a few adventures on the red planet, and from the first episode, it took a far firmer grip on my imagination than Burroughs' "Barsoom" (the Martians’ word for their planet), series ever did. And that's why I'm ashamed of myself: it's now the middle of the fourth season and the eve of Farscape's cancellation, and I'm only now getting around to writing a review of this fantastic show!

CLASSIC PREMISE: NEW WAVE DELIVERY
Burroughs' "Barsoom" series is about a man named John Carter, delivered unexpectedly, naked and helpless, to the surface of Mars, where he must fight fierce, intelligent beings for survival. Similarly, Farscape is about a man named John Crichton (John Carter? John Crichton? Get it?), thrown helpless and confused into an alien universe, where strange and intelligent beings seem hell-bent on ensuring that he doesn't survive. But where Burroughs’ Martian stories are two-dimensional, turn-of-century swashbucklers, Farscape is a thoroughly modern epic that paints an intricate tapestry of love, deceit, intrigue, and the good old fight for freedom and survival on a galactic scale. If you enjoyed trying to figure out who Luke’s father was, and who Princess Leia will settle down with, then you’ll love trying to figure out where the next plot twist in Farscape will take you. And like those first three Star Wars films, that’s the secret of Farscape’s magic: it’s about the people.

SCIENCE FICTION IS ALL THE SAME...NOT!
Yes, Farscape is science fiction. It’s filled with aliens (really good aliens!), technology (so advanced\ in some instances that it has become another form of organic life!), special effects (really good special effects!), and beautiful cinematography (motion picture quality!). But don’t let all that fool you. Farscape is also filled with characters who grow and develop, and yes, sometimes even die when you least expect it. You don’t go back to Farscape episode-after-episode to see what new engineering miracle Scotty will come up with to save the Enterprise and the Universe. You keep going back to see what new desperate, harebrained plan John Crichton will concoct to pull his fat from the fire and live another day, or what bodily function Rigel will use to confound an enemy so he can steal his wallet. And along the way, you’ll also get some pretty cool classic science fiction standards turned on their ear; like, how to use a wormhole to destroy a planet.

YOU’LL LAUGH, YOU’LL CRY, NOW KISS FARSCAPE GOODBYE
And all that is why the SciFi Channel has decided to cancel Farscape; it’s too good. Quality of this caliber comes at a high price, and the SciFi Channel has decided that Farscape is too expensive. Despite the two Saturn awards, despite the Emmy nomination, and despite the universally good reviews, the SciFi Channel has decided that they can no longer foot the bill for this show. Thank goodness every season of this work of art is being collected on DVD! Rumor has it that the show may be picked up by Showtime or UPN, but if those possibilities fall through, then at least we’ll have four great seasons on DVD to watch over and over again; until “Farscape: The Motion Picture,” that is. But with a television show this visually stunning, what more can they possibly do to make it look better on the big screen? I can’t wait to find out!

You can learn more about Farscape, and if you’re so inclined, join the “Save Farscape” campaign at: http://www.savefarscape.com/


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older