The Worlds of Farscape

CRITICAL EXPLORATIONS IN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY
(a series edited by Donald E. Palumbo and C.W. Sullivan III)

1
Worlds Apart? Dualism and Transgression in Contemporary Female Dystopias
(Dunja M. Mohr, 2005)

2
Tolkien and Shakespeare: Essays on Shared Themes and Language
(ed. Janet Brennan Croft, 2007)

3
Culture, Identities and Technology in the
Star Wars
Films: Essays on the Two Trilogies
(ed. Carl Silvio, Tony M. Vinci, 2007)

4
The Influence of
Star Trek
on Television, Film and Culture
(ed. Lincoln Geraghty, 2008)

5
Hugo Gernsback and the Century of Science Fiction
(Gary Westfahl, 2007)

6
One Earth, One People: The Mythopoeic Fantasy Series of Ursula K. Le Guin, Lloyd Alexander, Madeleine L'Engle and Orson Scott Card
(Marek Oziewicz, 2008)

7
The Evolution of Tolkien's Mythology: A Study of the History of Middle-earth
(Elizabeth A. Whittingham, 2008)

8
H. Beam Piper: A Biography
(John F. Carr, 2008)

9
Dreams and Nightmares: Science and Technology in Myth and Fiction
(Mordecai Roshwald, 2008)

10
Lilith
in a New Light: Essays on the George MacDonald Fantasy Novel
(ed. Lucas H. Harriman, 2008)

11
Feminist Narrative and the Supernatural: The Function of Fantastic Devices in Seven Recent Novels
(Katherine J. Weese, 2008)

12
The Science of Fiction and the Fiction of Science: Collected Essays on SF Storytelling and the Gnostic Imagination
(Frank McConnell, ed. Gary Westfahl, 2009)

13
Kim Stanley Robinson Maps the Unimaginable: Critical Essays
(ed. William J. Burling, 2009)

14
The Inter-Galactic Playground: A Critical Study of Children's and Teens' Science Fiction
(Farah Mendlesohn, 2009)

15
Science Fiction from Québec: A Postcolonial Study
(Amy J. Ransom, 2009)

16
Science Fiction and the Two Cultures: Essays on Bridging the Gap Between the Sciences and the Humanities
(ed. Gary Westfahl, George Slusser, 2009)

17
Stephen R. Donaldson and the Modern Epic Vision: A Critical Study of the “Chronicles of Thomas Covenant” Novels
(Christine Barkley, 2009)

18
Ursula K. Le Guin's Journey to Post-Feminism
(Amy M. Clarke, 2010)

19
Portals of Power: Magical Agency and Transformation in Literary Fantasy
(Lori M. Campbell, 2010)

20
The Animal Fable in Science Fiction and Fantasy
(Bruce Shaw, 2010)

21
Illuminating
Torchwood
: Essays on Narrative, Character and Sexuality in the BBC Series
(ed. Andrew Ireland, 2010)

22
Comics as a Nexus of Cultures: Essays on the Interplay of Media, Disciplines and International Perspectives
(ed. Mark Berninger, Jochen Ecke, Gideon Haberkorn, 2010)

23
The Anatomy of Utopia: Narration, Estrangement and Ambiguity in More, Wells, Huxley and Clarke
(Károly Pintér, 2010)

24
The Anticipation Novelists of 1950s French Science Fiction: Stepchildren of Voltaire
(Bradford Lyau, 2010)

25
The
Twilight
Mystique: Critical Essays on the Novels and Films
(ed. Amy M. Clarke, Marijane Osborn, 2010)

26
The Mythic Fantasy of Robert Holdstock: Critical Essays on the Fiction
(ed. Donald E. Morse, Kálmán Matolcsy, 2011)

27
Science Fiction and the Prediction of the Future: Essays on Foresight and Fallacy
(ed. Gary Westfahl, Wong Kin Yuen, Amy Kit-sze Chan, 2011)

28
Apocalypse in Australian Fiction and Film: A Critical Study
(Roslyn Weaver, 2011)

29
British Science Fiction Film and Television: Critical Essays
(ed. Tobias Hochscherf, James Leggott, 2011)

30
Cult Telefantasy Series: A Critical Analysis of
The Prisoner
,
Twin Peaks
,
The X-Files
,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
,
Lost
,
Heroes
,
Doctor Who
and
Star Trek (Sue Short, 2011)

31
The Postnational Fantasy: Essays on Postcolonialism, Cosmopolitics and Science Fiction
(ed. Masood Ashraf Raja, Jason W. Ellis and Swaralipi Nandi, 2011)

32
Heinlein's Juvenile Novels: A Cultural Dictionary
(C.W. Sullivan III, 2011)

33
Welsh Mythology and Folklore in Popular Culture: Essays on Adaptations in Literature, Film, Television and Digital Media
(ed. Audrey L. Becker and Kristin Noone, 2011)

34
I See You: The Shifting Paradigms of James Cameron's
Avatar (Ellen Grabiner, 2012)

35
Of Bread, Blood and
The Hunger Games
: Critical Essays on the Suzanne Collins Trilogy
(ed. Mary F. Pharr and Leisa A. Clark, 2012)

36
The Sex Is Out of This World: Essays on the Carnal Side of Science Fiction
(ed. Sherry Ginn and Michael G. Cornelius, 2012)

37
Lois McMaster Bujold: Essays on a Modern Master of Science Fiction and Fantasy
(ed. Janet Brennan Croft, 2013)

38
Girls Transforming: Invisibility and Age-Shifting in Children's Fantasy Fiction Since the 1970s
(Sanna Lehtonen, 2013)

39
Doctor Who
in Time and Space: Essays on Themes, Characters, History and Fandom, 1963–2012
(ed. Gillian I. Leitch, 2013)

40
The Worlds of
Farscape
: Essays on the Groundbreaking Television Series
(ed. Sherry Ginn, 2013)

CRITICAL EXPLORATIONS IN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY, 40
Donald E. Palumbo
and
C.W. Sullivan III, series editors

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London

Also of Interest and from Mcfarland

Power and Control in the Television Worlds 
of Joss Whedon
(2012), by Sherry Ginn

The Sex Is Out of This World: Essays on the
Carnal Side of Science Fiction
(2012), edited by Sherry Ginn and Michael G. Cornelius

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE

BRITISH LIBRARY CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE

e-ISBN: 978-1-4766-0627-9

© 2013 Sherry Ginn. All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

On the cover: Ben Browder as John Crichton and Claudia Black as Aeryn Sun in
Farscape
(SCI FI Channel/Photofest); background images Hemera/Thinkstock and iStockphoto/Thinkstock

 
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com

This one is also for Larry
with all of my love

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Through the Wormhole and What Crichton Found There
     Sherry Ginn

Farscape
, the Impossible and the Accident
     J. P. Telotte

War and Peace
by Woody Allen or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Wormhole Weapon
     Ensley F. Guffey

Into the Uncharted Territories: Exploring the Nature of Evil
     Robert L. Lively

The Emperor's New Farts: Socioeconomic Disenfranchisement and “Colonic Miasma”
     Michael G. Cornelius

'Scaping the Mythic Triad into Uncharted Territories: Hero, Antihero and Villain
     Billie Jo Mason

Friends, Enemies, Partners, Mates: Examining Relationships in the Uncharted Territories
     Sherry Ginn

Joining the Conversation: Ben Browder Writes John Crichton
     Jessie Carty

Friend ... Enemy ... Alien ... Ally: Female Community Aboard Moya
     Sherry Ginn

Sentient Space: Moya as Homeplace
     Michael G. Cornelius

Of Big Blue Butts and Bias: The Problem Body
     Elizabeth Leigh Scherman

The Ballad of John and Aeryn
     Sherry Ginn

“Winona has been very reliable”: Female Gendering of Weapons in Fiction and Fact
     Ensley F. Guffey

A Legendary Tale: Scapers and the Myth of Fan Power
     Tanya R. Cochran

Primal Scream—With Accompaniment
     Jessie Carty

Appendix A:
Farscape
Character List

Appendix B: Series Episode List

Appendix C:
Farscape
Bibliography and Filmography

About the Contributors

List of Names and Terms

I fell in love with
Farscape
from episode one, despite the atrocious theme song (thank heavens for a mute button). I know I presented a paper on the women of the series in 2002 (I can find that one still on my computer), but there were others prior to that time. An entire chapter (as well as parts of another) in my first book was devoted to
Farscape
. And I remember someone at a Popular Culture Association conference, or perhaps it was a PCA-South conference, telling me that she knew I would be talking about
Farscape
, which is why she had come to my presentation (she was right, I did). The idea of writing a book devoted to
Farscape
or editing a collection of essays on the series is something I thought about for quite some time and now it is finally happening, although I note that the publication of this book will coincide with the 10th anniversary of its last season (2003).

Despite its popularity among its core fan base and the myriad awards received by the cast and crew,
Farscape
was never able to realize the numbers needed to keep such an expensive program on air. Re-watching the series during the summer of 2012 brings the excitement and, I must admit, exasperation back. Taking notes on each episode of each season gave me dozens of ideas for more in-depth analysis. I am astounded at the lack of critical analysis of this series with its rich tapestry of characters who, although “alien,” act all too human, serving as a lens through which to view the human condition. Is that not what the best science fiction does?

My thanks to everyone who submitted a proposal and who then prepared their essays for this collection. I also thank all of those people who discussed
Farscape
with me for the last dozen years or so as well as those who discussed the project with me over the course of the last couple of years. Special thanks to Donald E. Palumbo for being enthusiastic about a
Farscape
collection, even though the series has been off the air since 2003 (at least for first-run episodes). I also would like to extend warm thanks to Tanya R. Cochran, Michael G. Cornelius, and Jessie Carty for editorial help with various essays in the book. Unlike Noranti, I do not have a third eye and the sharp eyes of those three really helped me when I was second-guessing myself.

Rockne S. O'Bannon, David Kemper, and Brian Henson have tried to keep
Farscape
alive via the graphic novels, and I hope that they will be able to continue that endeavor (although the news is not good at this point in time). The cast and crew of
Farscape
were phenomenal and I continue to look out for projects in which Ben Browder (he is from my hometown, you know, and I keep searching my memory to determine if we've ever met) and the others engage. I have a conference in Australia in 2013 and am looking forward to visiting all of the locations used in filming the series while there.