Farscape Up Close
It ain't Muppets in Space.
      by Linda M. Najera and pisher

"Rhapsody In Blue"

Summary: When Moya thinks she hears the distress call of another pregnant Leviathan, she starbursts to its aid. What the crew find however is a group of rebel Delvians who refused to surrender to the corrupt Delvian government which had aided the Peacekeepers in their takeover of their home planet.

Impressed by Zhaan's inner strength, the leader of the group, Tahleen, asks for the honor of experiencing "unity" with her so that she might learn how to achieve such a state of peace. The ceremony takes place, but Tahleen has lied and rips from Zhaan's mind the knowledge of how to control one's darker side. This mental rape leaves Zhaan vulnerable to insanity as she has lost the ability to handle her impulses. It is only when John finally breaks free of the hallucinations that have kept him from action that he can help Zhaan recover.

Relevant Trivia: We learn that Zhaan's imprisonment came as a result of the murder of her former lover.

"The Flax"

Summary: While Aeryn attempts to teach Crichton how to drive one of Moya's transports, they become entangled in an energy field net called The Flax which is operated by pirates. Meanwhile, back on Moya, the others receive an unannounced visitor who warns them of the dangers of The Flax and offers to help D'Argo find a Luxan ship which had been caught several cycles earlier.

Hoping to find John and Aeryn as well as the Luxan ship, D'Argo accompanies Staanz (a former pirate) out into space. While he is gone, the Zenetan pirates board Moya and in a complex game of chance, Rygel uses his crafty wits to do some good. Meanwhile Aeryn and John are running out of air and desperate measures must be taken so that at least one of them can survive.

Relevant Trivia: John and Aeryn sittin' in a tree.... It's all about The Kiss, baby.

"Jeremiah Crichton"

Summary: The stress of living in a pregnant and moody Leviathan finally gets the best of John and in the midst of a squabble with D'Argo, he takes off. Unfortunately at just about that time, Moya experiences a pressure build up and must starburst, leaving Crichton to his own devices. A long time later, the crew's search for John finally nets them a promising lead and D'Argo and Rygel go down to investigate.

What they find is a particularly pissed off John who has been living on a lush planet on the outskirts of a village populated by the Acquarians, a generous people. It would be perfect situation if it weren't for the romantic rivalry John has stumbled into. D'Argo's attempt at helping his friend only leads them into further danger and the appearance of Rygel, who closely resembles the deity of their religion make matters even worse. If Rygel, D'Argo, and Crichton can't figure out the cause of the energy drain surrounding the planet by the end of the feast, they will all be executed.

Relevant Trivia: Umm... John doesn't look good in a beard? His astronaut clothes are toast so he must don Peacekeeper clothes for the rest of the series and... Yum!

"Durka Returns"

Summary: An unplanned starburst causes the destruction of a cruiser. In an attempt to make amends, the crew rescues the three inhabitants of the ship. Their guests turn out to be Salis, a Nebari official and his two prisoners, a soon to be brainwashed Nebari female by the name of Chiana and the former Peacekeeper Captain Durka, who has already gone through a mental cleansing to erase his violent and sadistic impulses.

Rygel, in an act of revenge on Durka who tortured him on the Zelbinion many, many years ago, attempts to kill the former Peacekeeper with an explosive device. Unfortunately he only manages to undo the reconditioning which leaves Durka back as his old, sadistic self. Crichton finds Salis' dead body, but it is unclear as to whether he was murdered by Chiana or Durka. The crew desperately tries to thwart Durka's plan to take over Moya and starburst out of the system before another Nebari ship finds them. In the end John must trust the young, Nebari female to help him.

Relevant Trivia: Rygel develops a spine. Chiana reluctantly joins the crew and although makes noises about leaving at the first inhabitable planet, sticks around a lot longer.

"A Human Reaction"

Summary: A wormhole is discovered that seems to lead to Earth. Eager to return home, John at first tries to convince Aeryn to accompany him, but then accepts her decision to stay with Moya and sets out alone. Despite the warm welcome he receives from his father, the heartfelt homecoming from the IASA that Crichton expected is not forthcoming. The world is suspicious of him and The Powers That Be reveal their xenophobic tendencies when Aeryn, D'Argo, and Rygel travel through the wormhole to ensure that their friend made it back to Earth in one piece. John quickly discovers that his home is not ready for his new found friends and it breaks his heart. An attempted break-out only allows he and Aeryn to escape and in his moment of need, she offers him comfort.

Soon after, however, he realizes that this world is not his own. And so The Ancients, a race of aliens, reveal themselves and their quest. They have used their technology to probe John's memories to create the other-Earth as a simulation to see if the planet would accept them. They share in Crichton's sorrow that Earth is not yet ready.

Relevant Trivia: John and Aeryn... umm... do it. And The Ancients shove their wormhole technology into Crichton's subconscious which leads to the problems in "The Hidden Memory".

"Through The Looking Glass"

Summary: In a particularly vulnerable moment, Moya overhears some of the crew expressing a desire to jump ship. In order to prove that her pregnancy hasn't weakened her ability to serve and protect them, she goes into starburst far sooner than she should, leading to disaster.

Caught in a schism between space and time, Moya and the crew found themselves occupying four different dimensions. It is only with the help of a trans-dimensional creature that they figure out how to fix the problem and return to regular space.

Relevant Trivia: Rygel is a happy drunk and has a gift for song!

"A Bug's Life"

Summary: A troop of Peacekeeper commandos board Moya with a mysterious container. Inside is an alien body currently hosting a deadly virus which is scheduled to be studied by Peacekeeper scientists for use as a weapon. In order to fool the commandos, Crichton dons red and black leather and affects a Peacekeeper accent (*swoon*), pretending to be the commander of the Leviathan. When the overly curious Chiana and Rygel open the container, they release the virus and pandemonium ensues.

Relevant Trivia: Aeryn is wounded in a struggle with one of the infected Peacekeepers which leads to the events in "Nerve".

"Nerve"

Summary: The wound Aeryn sustained in her fight with one of the infected Peacekeepers in "A Bug's Life" is slowly killing her. In order to find the tissue sample necessary to save her life, Crichton, doing his Peacekeeper impersonation again, and Chiana, pretending to be his slave, brave a secret Peacekeeper base.

Gilina from "PK Tech Girl" makes a return appearance and tries to help both John and Chiana escape. However, Scorpius, a new and very nasty Scarran-hybrid, thwarts the plan and Crichton is left behind to suffer a particularly nasty interrogation device known as The Aurora Chair which literally sucks memories and the life out of prisoners. John must fight the effects of the chair lest he betray Gilina, Moya, and the rest of the crew.

Relevant Trivia: Chiana takes a much more active role in this episode, even going so far as to both put her own life in danger for Aeryn and lie to protect Crichton.

"The Hidden Memory"

Summary: Crichton suffers the torture of the chair, which Scorpius uses to try and extract the amazing wormhole technology stuffed there by The Ancients John encountered in "A Human Reaction." Problems arise, however, when Crais shows up and wants to exact his revenge upon Crichton.

A recovered Aeryn attempts a rescue and is aided by Gilina, who has manipulated the chair into implicating Crais. While Crais has his time in the Aurora Chair the others escape. Although Scorpius finds that the allegations were false, he does discover that Crais, in his quest for revenge, has been operating against orders for a very long time.

Relevant Trivia: In the escape attempt, Gilina is mortally wounded, but is brought aboard Moya where, despite everyone's best efforts, she dies. With Chiana's aid, Moya gives birth to a boy; however, due to major Peacekeeper tinkering he is a brand new kind of Leviathan with a serious weapons package.

"Bone To Be Wild"

Summary: While still hiding amid the asteroid field, Moya's crew receives a distress signal. Despite the danger involved, they feel that they can't ignore this plea for help. Once dirtside, Zhaan, Crichton, and D'Argo find two very different examples of two very different species with two wildly different tales. Both M'Lee and Br'Nee claim to be the victim of the villainy of the other. What follows is a story with enough twists and turns and role reversals to give anyone a headache. But at the heart of the episode is the idea that first -- and even second -- impressions can be deceiving.

M'Lee, the calcivore they discover, is given the chance by Moya's crew to both survive and perhaps exact a little revenge for them by appealing to Scorpius' desire for any information on Crichton. They direct her towards the Peacekeeper Command Carrier and after she contacts them, becomes their guest and more than likely has a hand in a few mysterious disappearances.

Relevant Trivia: The audience, right along with Crichton, learns that Delvians in general, and Zhaan in particular, evolved from plant, not animal, life.

"Family Ties"

Summary: The stress involved in trying to wait out the Peacekeepers finally breaks Rygel and he leaves, intending to sell out the others for his own freedom. It becomes clear however that Scorpius will not keep his word and Rygel, accompanied by a stripped of command Crais, returns to Moya. Although he professes to be in the same position as they are, the crew lock Crais up and try to figure out a plan that will allow at least some of them to escape with their lives. While they are successful at blowing up the Peacekeeper base, other portions of the plan do not go as smoothly leading to a very intense cliffhanger that ends season one.

Relevant Trivia: At episode's end, Crichton and D'Argo are floating out in space and in danger of dying, Aeryn is out in her Prowler, but due to the presence of other Peacekeepers in the area cannot go after them, Crais has made off with Talyn and a reluctant Moya has been convinced to starburst out of the system to avoid detection, taking Zhaan, Chiana, Rygel and Pilot with her.

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