10 Best Farscape Episodes That Are Now Considered Classics

Farscape is a quirky, low-budget sci-fi masterpiece, and many episodes have become classics over time. The series became a cult hit despite not getting the attention that it deserved initially. The Farscape characters are a mix of actors and puppets, and the show chronicles the journey of John Crichton, who accidentally enters a wormhole in space and must rebuild his life, surrounded by aliens.

Farscape has become one of the most influential sci-fi shows of the 1990s. It shares its blend of drama, romance, action, and comedy with other, more well-known sci-fi shows like Firefly, but the use of the Jim Henson creatures adds a new dimension. Every sci-fi fan should watch Farscape, and it doesn’t have a lot of bad episodes. That said, some Farscape episodes truly stand out as classics.

11

Premiere

Season 1, Episode 1

Farscape‘s premiere introduces us to the charming but slightly arrogant John Crichton, who enters a wormhole during a flight that goes wrong. As the show involves several different aliens who come from drastically different cultures, Farscape could have fallen into a problem that many sci-fi shows have, being too confusing early on. However, the show was able to explain the situation and characters while focusing on the story.

From the first episode, it became clear that Farscape was different from many sci-fi shows. Many lead characters lose their connection to the Earth culture that the audience knows. However, Crichton was, in some ways, an early version of Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Star Lord, arriving with pop culture references and a talent for thinking on his feet. This perfectly set up the rest of the show.

10

PK Tech Girl

Season 1, Episode 7

Of all the cast of Farscape, Ben Browder’s John Crichton becomes the heart of the ship’s crew. The show made Browder a sci-fi icon, and the season 1 episode “PK Tech Girl” is where his character comes into his own. Crichton has to learn about the various alliances and customs among the crew, and while he spends the first few episodes fixated on trying to return home, this episode changes the situation.

PK Tech Girl is where Farscape‘s Peacekeeper lore begins to be fleshed out, as John starts to understand part of the new world that he finds himself in. He comes into his own when he meets Gilina, who reminds him of home, but deepens his relationship with Aeryn. This sets up their relationship and takes Farscape in the direction of a more serious drama, away from some of the show’s sillier moments.

9

Durka Returns

Season 1, Episode 15

Farscape is often compared to Firefly, as the show is about a mismatched crew living on a spaceship. That said, the differences between the cultures are much more extreme, and “Durka Reigns” shakes things up even more by introducing the fan-favorite Chiana. Chiana is one of the most interesting passengers on Moya, as she is escaping her own restrictive culture.

Chiana’s culture lobotomizes rebels, and the energy that she brings to the ship’s crew is both wild and vulnerable. She is one of the more troubled characters, and her introduction is one of the best Farscape moments. Chiana is a shackled prisoner, but remains flirty, witty, and unpredictable, with some of the show’s most quotable lines.

8

Crackers Don’t Matter

Season 2, Episode 4

“Crackers Don’t Matter” is one of the defining classic Farscape episodes, as it is one of the wilder moments for the show. Moya’s crew is thrown into psychological chaos when they allow a seemingly benign alien to help them modify the ship. The crew grows increasingly paranoid, turning on each other in a way that is both dark and hilarious.

The characters are completely unhinged in this episode, with Chiana hoarding crackers and Rygel being stuck to a wall. However, Crichton comes out with the surprisingly profound quote that “crackers don’t matter,” while also behaving in a very disturbing way. Farscape often pushes its characters to their limits, offering some of them redemption, and this episode is a great example of this.

7

Liars, Guns, And Money

Season 2, Episodes 19-21

Farscape avoided an overused sci-fi trope by using the typical “planet of the week” formula as a main part of the plot. Moya’s starburst travel was unpredictable, so the crew members were not always certain where they would end up or what adventures or trouble they might find. Many of these adventures were based on familiar tropes and storylines in a self-aware way that made the show feel both funny and familiar.

The best example of this is the multi-episode heist “Liars, Guns, and Money” in which Moya’s crew has to rescue D’Argo’s son, who has been sold into slavery. The storyline is a traditional bank heist, but with high emotional stakes, especially for both D’Argo and Aeryn. The episode combines hilarious moments with character growth and emotion, and, in typical Farscape fashion, no happy ending guaranteed.

6

Different Destinations

Season 3, Episode 5

The best-written sci-fi shows of all time tend to be bittersweet and emphasize the difficulty of space travel. Farscape truly becomes one of these shows in the episode “Different Destinations,” which is a heartbreaking look at the way that time travel is not always a solution to a problem. In this episode, the crew visits a peace memorial, but some of them are transported back in time to the war.

With the benefit of future knowledge, the crew tries to stop the war, but ends up only making the situation worse. Instead of saving lives, their actions end up leading to more deaths. The episode tells one of the more serious of Farscape‘s stories, and is a very profound look at war, hindsight, and the idea that good intentions do not always make a difference.

5

Eat Me

Season 3, Episode 6

Farscape is often hilarious, but the wild nature of the show’s more comedic episodes can be misleading. One of Farscape‘s darkest and most shocking episodes is “Eat Me,” which has become a classic for the horror element. Eat Me is mostly set within the spaceship, and is both claustrophobic and ominous. When the crew discovers another Leviathan, they try to help it, but find something terrifying inside.

The Leviathan is dying because it is occupied by scavengers, who are repeatedly tearing the limbs off the pilot and eating them. Leviathan pilots can regrow their limbs, so this is not deadly, but it is torturous. As the pilot is a puppet, it is an incredible achievement for the makers and designers that viewers truly care about this character.

4

Incubator

Season 3, Episode 11

Scorpius is one of the best sci-fi TV villains of all time, with his distinctive outfit resembling one of the Hellraiser series’ Cenobites. For most of the show. Scorpius is a formidable character whose mind-control abilities cause havoc. That said, Farscape embraces its ridiculous side by giving Scorpius some ridiculous moments as well as a great backstory.

The episode “Incubator” was a risk, but Farscape often played with narrative tricks, and this one paid off. After nearly three seasons of showing Scorpius as a cold and terrifying character, the episode is told from his point of view. Incubator turns Scorpius into a tragic villain, without making him appear any less dangerous, which is an impressive feat of storytelling.

3

Revenging Angel

Season 3, Episode 16

Of all the most memorable episodes of Farscape, “Revenging Angel” is likely to be at the top of the list. Revenging Angel leans into the eccentric nature of the show when D’Argo hits Crichton, putting him into a coma. Crichton’s coma-dreams see him fighting D’Argo in an animated landscape that resembles an episode of Looney Tunes.

Related

14 Years Ago, I Heard A Farscape Theory That I Still Can’t Get Out Of My Head

I’ve come up with several of my own Farscape theories through the years, but one of the best I’ve ever heard came from a very unexpected source.

As with all the best Farscape episodes, Revenging Angel is not just comedy. It forces the crew of Moya to confront the fact that D’Argo’s rage can be just as dangerous as Scorpius’s, whose alter-ego, Harvey, has taken over Crichton’s mind. Any time Harvey appears, he generally steals the show, and Revenging Angel gives him some of his most iconic scenes, while juggling comedy and high emotional stakes.

2

We’re So Screwed