Introduction to Farscape and Season Two

My name is John Crichton, an astronaut... a radiation wave hit and I got shot through a wormhole... Now I'm lost in some distant part of the universe on a ship -- a living ship -- full of strange, alien life-forms... Help me... listen, please. Is there anybody out there who can hear me? I'm being hunted by an insane military commander... doing everything I can... I'm just looking for a way home.

Astronaut John Crichton, while testing an experimental spacecraft, is pulled through a wormhole and into an area of space known as the Uncharted Territories. There, he is pulled aboard Moya, an intelligent living starship known as a Leviathan. Moya is crewed by a group of escaped prisoners; Ka D'Argo, Zotoh Zhaan and Rygel XVI and her pilot, Pilot. Also on board is the Peacekeeper Aeryn Sun who was captured in the escape.

All of them are pursued by Bialar Crais, the Peacekeeper from whom the prisoners escaped and who blames John for the death of his brother, which resulted from a collision with John's spacecraft.

John and the others are briefly captured by Crais, at which time Aeryn is declared Irreversibly Contaminated. John gets away and he, Aeryn and the others escape from Crais.

All of them flee into the Uncharted Territories while still being pursued by Crais. They become involved in a series of adventures while learning to work together. They are soon joined by another escaping prisoner, Chiana. Eventually, all of them come to trust and respect each other and become allies and friends. Aeryn and John become especially close and develop a mutual interest in each other.

Crais' quest for revenge unbalances him and he continues to pursue John against the orders of the Peacekeeper High Command. He kills his Lieutenant when she learns that he has been ordered to return so that he can continue the search.

During this time, while attempting to remove Peacekeeper tracking and control devices from Moya, a shield is broken and Moya becomes pregnant. Eventually, Moya's offspring is born. The baby is a heavily armed gunship, which surprises everyone as no Leviathan has ever had weaponry. The baby is named Talyn, after Aeryn's father.

At one point John encounters another wormhole but while investigating it his module is damaged and he is forced to land on a nearby planet. He is able to get the module repaired by Furlow, a mechanic, but he is forced to give her his wormhole information in payment.

In one significant adventure John encounters what seems to be a wormhole back to Earth. He enters it but things are not what they seem and the place he and several other crew members visit is nothing but a test created by a race known as the Ancients. The Ancients are looking for a new home, a planet where they can coexist with the natives. Unfortunately, their test reveals that Earth will not be that planet.

Later, Moya is boarded by a group of Peacekeepers transporting a dangerous virus. The virus escapes and wreaks havoc. Eventually all of the Peacekeepers are killed and the virus destroyed but Aeryn is badly injured. To save her life, John is forced to impersonate a Peacekeeper and infiltrate a Gammak Base. With the aid of Gilina, a technician that he had previously befriended, he is able to get a tissue sample to save Aeryn but he is recognized as an impostor by Scorpius and captured.

Scorpius places John in the Aurora Chair in order to probe his memories. He discovers John's interest in wormholes and it is revealed that the purpose of the base is wormhole research. While probing, he discovers that when John encountered the Ancients they hid information on creating a wormhole in his mind. Even John did not know this information was in his mind.

With the aid of his friends from Moya, Gilina and a fellow prisoner named Stark, John manages to escape from the base. Unfortunately, Gilina, who has fallen in love with John, is killed in the escape.

Scorpius pursues them and Moya, her crew and Talyn are forced to hide. They gain an unlikely ally in the form of Crais. Scorpius has discovered that Crais disobeyed orders and killed his lieutenant and he now faces a court-martial and execution. He escapes to join the crew of Moya and is declared Irreversibly Contaminated.

The crew comes up with a plan to destroy the Gammak Base and escape from Scorpius. The plan initially works and the base is destroyed but Crais uses the opportunity to steal Talyn and leave. Moya is forced to flee shortly thereafter and Aeryn is left behind in her Prowler while looking for John and D'Argo, who are floating in space and running out of oxygen.

These are the main, reoccurring characters.

John Crichton:
Human. Astronaut. John was piloting the Farscape 1 when he was pulled through a wormhole and into the Uncharted Territories. He holds a doctorate in Cosmic Theory from MIT and is an astronaut with IASA; the international successor to NASA. His father, Jack Crichton, was also an astronaut and one of the last people to walk on the Moon.

At first John was completely out of his element but he has quickly learned his way around and is now comfortable in the environment in which he finds himself. His resourcefulness and adaptability have lead the others to regard him as the de facto leader on Moya. He is now friends with all aboard Moya and has developed a romantic interest in Aeryn.

Aeryn Sun:
Sebacean. Peacekeeper. Aeryn was one of the Peacekeepers attacking Moya during the escape. When Moya entered Starburst, her ship was pulled along with it and she was captured by the escapees. She managed to escape from them and contact Bialar Crais, her former superior officer. Unfortunately, she also attempted to defend John from Crais and was declared Irreversibly Contaminated.

Initially Aeryn was not well liked aboard Moya as she was a Peacekeeper, a member of the organization which had imprisoned most of the others. She also felt a great loss at being removed from that organization as she did not know how to live without the structure in which she had grown up. However, as time has passed the others have come to respect her ability and integrity and she has become their colleague and friend. She has also learned that the new life in which she has found herself is better than her old one and she has now renounced her Peacekeeper heritage. She is attracted to John but is either afraid or unable to allow herself to admit it to him.

Aeryn also has a close relationship with Pilot and Moya. She now carries some of Pilot's DNA and Pilot trusts her more than anyone else on Moya.

Chiana:
Nebari. Thief. Chiana was a Nebari prisoner who was being returned to her home world for Mental Cleansing. She now uses her skills to help the crew and never misses a chance to flirt with anyone around.

Chiana has an interest in John but he does not return the feelings in the same way she does. It seems that she would like a more intimate relationship while John sees her more as a little sister. D'Argo has revealed some interest in her but she does not seem to be returning it. Yet.

Chiana also seems to have a relationship with Rygel but it seems to be more of a mutual understanding between one devious thief and another.

D'Argo, Ka:
Luxan. Warrior. D'Argo is one of the escaped prisoners. He had been imprisoned for killing his wife, a Sebacean woman. However, he is really innocent and his wife was killed by her brother, a Peacekeeper, because Peacekeepers consider unions between different species to be evil. He also has a son, Jothee , who he managed to get to safety before he was captured but he does not know where Jothee is now.

While he at first expressed dislike of Aeryn and distrust of John he has come to accept both as allies and friends. He has great respect for Aeryn as a warrior and as an ally and considers John to be his friend. He also has a slowly developing interest in Chiana.

Pilot:
Pilot. Pilot. Pilot is the pilot of Moya. His people can be symbiotically linked to a Leviathan and when they are they become the pilot of the vessel. Because of his symbiotic link he cannot leave his Den.

Pilot has come to like the others on Moya and has said that he and Moya enjoy their presence and would miss them if they were to leave. He feels especially close to Aeryn and trusts her more than any of the others but he will also give his support to John without hesitation.

Rygel XVI:
Hynerian. Dominar. Rygel is one of the escaped prisoners. He was the Dominar (ruler) of the Hynerian Empire and supreme monarch of over 600 billion subjects. He was deposed over 130 cycles ago in a coup lead by his cousin. He has been a prisoner ever since then. He was the one who engineered the original escape of the prisoners. Rygel has difficulty walking and usually travels on his floating "thronesled".

Rygel is opportunistic and greedy and his greed and ego have gotten the crew into trouble on more than one occasion. He even attempted to sell the crew out to Scorpius at one point. However, when things go bad he can usually be depended on to do the right thing and he has used his skill to help the crew many times as well. He has also shown that he was probably an honorable and caring ruler who was truly concerned for his people.

Stark:
Banik. Slave. Stark was Scorpius' prisoner and shared a cell with John. He left with the others during the escape from the Gammak Base.

Baniks are able to block thoughts from the Aurora Chair, which is why Scorpius was keeping him. One side of Stark's face is covered by a mask. When he removes the mask he reveals that there is nothing there but a light. The light has a calming or relaxing effect on others. He is also able to give thoughts to others which also seem to be able to calm and relax them.

Stark joined the crew of Moya briefly but vanished mysteriously shortly after the escape from the Gammak Base.

Zhaan, Zotoh:
Delvian. Priest. Zhaan is one of the escaped prisoners. She is a tenth level Pa'u, a Delvian priest, and as such has certain powers, primarily the ability to remove or cause pain. Calm in demeanor, she is usually trying to help the others and is the default medic on Moya.

Zhaan was arrested for the murder of her lover, one of the rulers of her home world. His time in office was ending but rather than step down he brought the Peacekeepers to Delvia in exchange for their keeping him in office. The Peacekeepers arrested anyone who opposed him, including Zhaan's father. Zhaan killed him while they were having sex and went insane for a period. After recovering from insanity, she begin the Delvian Seek and became a priest.

At the moment, Zhaan has renounced the Seek after encountering a group of Delvian priests who were attempting to use their abilities to free Delvia from Peacekeeper control but whose methods were such that Delvia may have been better off without them.

Zhaan cares for everyone on Moya. She sees all of them as now being a family.

Moya:
Leviathan. Transport. Moya is a Leviathan, an intelligent, living starship. Leviathans are used as cargo vessels and she was most recently being used as prison transport. She had been kept a prisoner herself by a Control Collar which had been attached to her and prevented her from performing a Starburst, the only defensive capability a Leviathan has. The Control Collar was removed during the prisoner's escape.

Talyn:
Leviathan. Gunship. Talyn is the son of Moya and the result of a Peacekeeper breeding program to create an armed Leviathan. He is immature but also possesses an impressive array of weaponry, including a Sonic Ascendancy Cannon.

Talyn does not require a Pilot but instead responds to direct voice commands from his captain. Crais has taken control of Talyn and hidden him away from the others.

Bialar Crais:
Sebacean. Peacekeeper. Crais was the commander of the convoy which contained Moya and his brother was killed in a collision with John's module. For these reasons, he chased them into the Uncharted Territories and continued the chase even after he was ordered to return by Peacekeeper High Command. His quest for revenge unsettled him to the point that he even killed his lieutenant as she knew about the order to return.

Crais was contacted by Scorpius after John was captured and Scorpius learned of Crais' actions. He brought charges against Crais which would have resulted in his court-martial and execution but Crais managed to escape to join the crew of Moya. From there, he managed to gain control of Talyn and left aboard him. He has now been declared Irreversibly Contaminated by Scorpius.

Crais now accepts that the death of his brother was an accident and has rejected his life as a Peacekeeper. He now seems to be trying to find himself but John still does not trust him.

Scorpius:
Sebacean/Scarran Crossbreed. Peacekeeper/Scientist. Scorpius is a scientist and was the head of the Gammak Base which was researching wormholes. He also seems to have developed the Aurora Chair. Scorpius replaced Crais' as captain of his Command Carrier after revealing Crais' crimes and getting Crais declared Irreversibly Contaminated.

Scorpius is determined to learn all he can about wormholes and for this reason wants the wormhole information hidden in John's mind by the Ancients. He will stop at nothing to get this information.

As a Sebacean/Scarran crossbreed Scorpius has an unusual appearance as well as several abilities and disadvantages. He can see energy signatures well enough to distinguish between a Human and a Sebacean but the natural heat produced by a Scarran is dangerous to the part of him that is Sebacean. He has cooling rods inserted directly into his brain to protect himself from Sebacean Heat Delirium.

Farscape has its own terminology and technology. Here is a quick primer on some of the things you'll hear in the Uncharted Territories.

Ancients :

Intelligent Species. The Ancients look insectoid in their natural form and live in large hive-like structures which hang from above but they have the ability to alter their appearance into other forms. They are a very old race which has the ability to create wormholes at will but who only have limited resources remaining to them. They are looking for a new planet on which to live but need to find one which they can share peacefully with the native inhabitants.

The Ancients encountered John while performing an experiment to see if they could live on Earth. The experiment showed that they could not. However, during the encounter they placed the information needed to create a wormhole into John's mind but hid the information and the fact that it existed from him. Why they did this is unknown.

Apothecary :

Noun. Area on Moya where Zhaan has set up her plants, herbs and other medical supplies and equipment and which she uses as a lab and medical facilities.

Arn :

Unit of time. Roughly equivalent to an hour.

Aurora Chair :

Torture/Interrogation device used by Scorpius. It is unclear if Scorpius invented the Chair or if it is a standard Peacekeeper device. Used to probe the memories of a subject. Any memory can be retrieved by the Chair, even if it is blocked or suppressed. The Chair causes great pain and potentially insanity or death.

Banik :

Intelligent Species. Baniks appear human but there are non-obvious differences. Baniks are thought to have no emotions and for that reason are commonly employed as slaves. Actually, they do have emotions but they are able to keep them hidden. They also have the ability to hide their thoughts from others and to give others some of their thoughts.

Stark, the only Banik we have met, has one side of his face covered with a mask. When he removes the mask it is revealed that there is nothing under it but a light. The light has a calming and relaxing effect on anyone exposed to it and it seems to also remove their pain. It is not known if all Baniks have this ability or if it is unique to Stark.

Chakan Oil :

Noun. Chemical used as a power source for Peacekeeper weaponry.

Command :

Noun. Central control room on a Leviathan or other large spacecraft.

Command Carrier :

Spacecraft. Large Peacekeeper spacecraft used as a mobile base of operations. Over a mile in length, it is home to thousands of Peacekeepers, many of whom spend their entire lives on board.

Comm :

Noun. Communicator. Small medallion-like device worn by the crew of Moya and used to communicate with each other. The Uncharted Territories equivalent of the cell phone.

Commerce Planet :

Noun. Planet primarily set up for trade. The Uncharted Territories equivalent of a shopping mall.

Control Collar :

Noun. Mechanical device attached to the outside of a Leviathan which prevents it from entering Starburst. Used by Peacekeepers to keep Leviathans under control.

Cycle :

Unit of time. Roughly equivalent to a year.

Defense Screen :

Noun. Peacekeeper device which generates an energy field around a ship which protects it from incoming weapons fire. A single screen will have gaps in it and two screens running simultaneously are necessary for complete protection.

Delvian :

Intelligent species. A bipedal, spiritual race. Delvians are blue, hairless and quite strong. They are a very open species with no modesty or nudity taboos. They have some mental abilities but acquiring them opens them up to their darker impulses and may result in insanity or berserk rages.
Delvians are unusual in that they are plants, not animals, and as such have several unique abilities. They can change appearance to blend in with their surroundings and their bodies do not carry bacteria. They also have a strong reaction to bright light known as a photogasm.

Den :

Noun. Room on a Leviathan where the Pilot is symbiotically bonded.

Dentic :

Noun. Small, grub-like worm used for oral hygiene. The Uncharted Territories equivalent of a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss.

Dominar :

Title. A Hynerian monarch.

DRD :

Noun. Diagnostic and Repair Darter/Droid/Drone. (The third word seems to change from time to time.) Small mechanical robots which are used for maintenance and repair on Leviathans. There are hundreds of DRDs on Moya.

Dren :

Noun. Excrement. Used as an expletive.

Farscape 1 :

Spacecraft. The spacecraft which was to used by John Crichton to test his and DK's theory on skipping off of an atmosphere and using the planet's gravity to accelerate a ship. Sometimes referred to as John's Module.

Fharbot :

Adjective. Crazy. Insane.

Fillip Nectar :

Noun. Intoxicating beverage. The Uncharted Territories equivalent of a beer.

Food Cube :

Noun. Survival rations. Tasteless, cracker-like foodstuff that is nutritious but not much else.

Frag Cannon :

Peacekeeper weapon. Primary weapon on Peacekeeper starships.

Frell :

Verb. To copulate. Used as an expletive.

Gammak Base :

Noun. Peacekeeper research base.

Hammond :

Right or Starboard.

Hetch :

Unit of velocity. Appears to be a multiple of light speed.

Hetch Drive :

Noun. Space drive capable of moving a ship at hetch velocities.

Hezmana :

Noun. Place of eternal torment or torture. Hell. Used as an expletive.

Hynerian :

Intelligent species. A small, semi-aquatic race. Hynerians are cunning and devious. They also have three stomachs and seem to be constantly eating. They fart helium when they are stressed.

Ident Chip :

Noun. Computer data storage chip used by Peacekeepers as identification.

Irreversibly Contaminated :

Status applied to Peacekeepers who have had too much contact with other species or cultures and therefore may start questioning Peacekeeper rules and authority. Usually carries a death sentence.

Leviathan :

Intelligent species. An intelligent, living starship. Leviathans are commonly used as transports. Leviathans carry no offensive weaponry and have only one defensive capability, that of Starburst. Leviathans cannot land and passengers use Transport Pods to get to and from planet surfaces. They are controlled by a Pilot who is symbiotically linked to them.

Luxan :

Intelligent species. A bipedal, warlike race. Luxans are humanoid but have tentacles known as Tentas growing from their face and head. They also have an extremely long tongue which can extend several feet from their body and which can extend quickly enough to knock someone unconscious. When a Luxan is injured the wound must continue to bleed until the blood is clear or infection will occur. Luxans can survive for short periods of time unprotected in a vacuum.

Marauder :

Spacecraft. Small five man assault craft used by Peacekeepers. Marauder crews have the highest levels of training available to Peacekeepers and their success is measured by their body count.

Mental Cleansing :

Nebari process which brainwashes the subject, causing them to become peaceful and to adhere to the norms of Nebari society and to work for its greater good.

Metra :

Unit of distance. Appears to be roughly equivalent to either a mile or a yard; actual usage seems to vary and may be based on context.

Microt :

Unit of time. Roughly equivalent to a second.

Module :

Spacecraft. See Farscape 1

Nebari :

Intelligent species. A humanoid race. Appear human but with gray skin. Males have black hair while females have white hair. They have a very orderly society and require that all of their citizens fit into their norm. People who do not fit their norm must undergo Mental Cleansing which causes them to become peaceful and to work for the greater Nebari good. Very technologically advanced, one of their Standard Host Vessels is more than a match for a Peacekeeper Command Carrier.

Pa'u :

Title. A Delvian priest.

Paraphoral Nerve :

Noun. Nerve in Sebacean physiology responsible for toxin removal. It will not heal if damaged and its loss will eventually result in death.

Peacekeepers :

Noun. The Sebacean military arm. Peacekeepers are called in by other species to provide protection and to keep order but are also commonly used for assassinations, torture and kidnapping. They are generally ruthless and quite efficient. Peacekeepers have a very rigid culture with very strict rules. Peacekeepers are born on their ships or are conscripted from the general Sebacean population at a very early age and are not allowed to interact with other species except as necessary. Excessive contact can result in being declared Irreversibly Contaminated.

Photogasm :

Noun. Extremely pleasurable reaction in Delvians caused by exposure to bright light.

Pilot :

Intelligent species. A species which can be symbiotically bonded with a Leviathan to act as its pilot. The word Pilot is used to refer to the species, any member of that species and to their job function. Pilots have to ability to multi-task. They can simultaneously maintain several thought streams. This ability is unique to their species and it necessary to operate a Leviathan.

Pod :

Spacecraft. See Transport Pod

Prowler :

Spacecraft. Small one or two man fighter craft used by Peacekeepers.

Pulse Pistol/Pulse Rifle :

Peacekeeper weapon. Standard Peacekeeper sidearm. Fires a bolt of energy. Can be overloaded which results in an explosion. Uses a Chakan Oil cartridge for power.

Qualta Blade :

Luxan weapon. A heavy sword whose blade will split apart revealing an energy weapon.

Scarran :

Intelligent species. Humanoid but with a reptilian appearance. Scarrans are enemies of the Sebaceans and Peacekeepers. Their bodies generate heat and they seem to be able to use the heat to affect others.

Sebacean :

Intelligent species. Appear human but there are non-obvious physiological differences such as the Paraphoral Nerve. Sebaceans are very susceptible to heat. Sebaceans consider mating or reproduction outside of their species to be taboo.

Sebacean Heat Delirium :

Condition which affects Sebaceans when they are exposed to heat. Causes muscle spasms, memory loss and eventually coma. Sebaceans who reach the final stage of Heat Delirium are usually killed out of mercy.

Seek :

Noun. Delvian rites of meditation and ritual which lead to enlightenment.

Shipper :

Fan term. Fan who enjoys the Shippy aspects of the show. See Shippy.

Shippy :

Fan term. Romantic. Used to refer to an episode or scene which involves one of the romances between the various characters. (Aeryn/John, Chiana/D'Argo, etc.) From the word 'relationship'.

Snurch :

Verb. To steal.

Snurcher :

Noun. A thief.

Sonic Ascendancy Cannon :

Peacekeeper Weapon. Weapon used on Peacekeeper starships. Primary weapon on the Leviathan gunship Talyn.

Standard Host Vessel :

Spacecraft. Standard Nebari spacecraft. Quite advanced, one of them is more than a match for a Peacekeeper Command Carrier. The Nebari do not have warships as their Host Vessels are more than capable of defending themselves.

Starburst :

An ability of a Leviathan which allows them to travel extremely large distances in a very short time. It is a rip in the seam of the universe which the Leviathan enters. It then rides the energy stream until it is pushed back out into the normal universe, somewhat at random.

Thronesled :

Noun. Floating sled used by Rygel for movement.

Tier :

Noun. Level or deck on a Leviathan.

Transport Pod :

Spacecraft. Small surface to orbit ships used by Leviathan passengers to get to and from planetary surfaces. An unknown number are carried aboard Moya. Sometimes simply called a pod.

Translator Microbe :

Noun. Microbes which, when injected into an intelligent being, infect the base of the brain. Translator Microbes allow anyone infected with them to understand anything said to them in any language. The Uncharted Territories equivalent of a Babel Fish.

Treblen :

Left or Port

Uncharted Territories :

Region of space. The mostly unmapped area beyond the control of the Peacekeepers and other intelligent species.

Wormhole :

Noun. Natural or artificial spatial phenomena which can be used to travel across enormous distances in almost no time. John arrived in the Uncharted Territories through one but they are often unstable and dangerous. Rare.