2.11 - A Kiss is But a Kiss
(Look at the Princess: Part 1)

Moya and her crew encounter a breakaway Sebacean colony where a princess is about to ascend to the throne. But, the princess must be able to produce an heir before claiming her throne and John turns out to be the only person on the planet who is genetically compatible with her. His discomfort increases when Moya is forced to flee without them and it turns out that the guest list includes Scorpius.

I will not be a slave to your hormones! - Aeryn Sun
My hormones? Hey, I was lips, you were tongue! - John Crichton

Aeryn, I want to talk. - John Crichton
Well, I want to talk less. - Aeryn Sun
We tried that. It leads to kissing. - John Crichton

I want you to consider marrying her. - Councilor Tyno
You would just have to be on this side of my life to understand how frelling insane that is. - John Crichton

I don't believe I've had the pleasure. - Cargn
Yes, I've heard that about Scarrans. - Aeryn Sun

There has never been anything we couldn't overcome together. - Aeryn Sun
Except each other. - John Crichton

Aeryn and John are in John's module with Aeryn teaching John combat maneuvers. John is distracted by a scent in Aeryn's hair and Aeryn seems pleased that he noticed. The two kiss briefly then start into a deeper, more intense kiss when Aeryn suddenly becomes agitated and, with a yell, pushes John away and opens the canopy of the module, revealing it to be sitting in the hangar bay. She climbs from the module and John follows.

Aeryn indicates that she does not want a relationship and John asks why she scented her hair. She says she did it to see if he would notice and that she will tell Zhaan that he finds her oils "pleasing". She leaves.

"It's you I find pleasing!" John yells after her.

Chiana has been observing and offers advice. John expresses disinterest but she talks to him anyway.
"Go fast with the body, slow with the soul." she says, coming up to him. "Maybe you should find someone like that." she adds seductively.

They are interrupted by D'Argo calling them to Command. Upon arrival, they find that Moya has been targeted by weapons on several defense satellites belonging to a nearby planet and cannot escape. They are contacted by Councilor Tyno who, after questioning them for a while, allows them to continue on their way. He mentions that security is tight because of an upcoming coronation, causing Rygel to suddenly interrupt and request that they be allowed to visit the planet. Tyno eventually agrees.

John tracks down Aeryn and tries to talk to her but she doesn't want to talk to him. He gets annoyed and, calling Chiana, walks into her cabin and surprises her and D'Argo having sex. Embarrassed, John retreats to the corridor.

Later, D'Argo pulls John aside and tells him that things are going the best for him they have in a long time and for John not to mess things up for him. He then hurries off after Chiana.
"Why am I always the last to know?" asks John to himself.

Everyone but Zhaan boards a transport pod and descends to a large city dominated by a pyramidal palace.

The crew is in a bar watching the locals. Most of them are engaged in a ritual in which couples each place a drop of liquid from a vial onto their tongues then kiss. Some walk away immediately while others engage in a deeper kiss. Aeryn and Rygel are talking and identify the planet as one of the breakaway Sebacean colonies. Aeryn says that they were not expected to survive but Rygel points out they are still hating the Peacekeepers after nineteen hundred cycles.

John appears and attempts to talk to Aeryn but she attempts to brush him off. A woman comes up to John and places one of the drops on his tongue and kisses him then, disappointed, walks off. Aeryn watches in annoyance but Dregon, one of the local men, comes up to her with one of the vials and offers it to her. She tells him that John is the one who enjoys kissing, pushes him away and leaves. John turns to follow but is interrupted by another woman with a vial who repeats the same ritual as before.
"I am never leaving this world!" says John with a smile as he wanders into the crowd.

Three people are watching from an upper balcony; two Sebaceans Jenavia and Clavor and a Scarran, a reptilian being, Cargn. Jenavia points out John to the other two as a Sebacean that Clavor's sister has not kissed. Clavor becomes concerned but Cargn assures him that his sister is not compatible with anyone and that he will be king. He raises his hand and what seems to be a wave of heat energy comes from it. Jenavia tells Clavor that if he doesn't become king then she won't marry him.

Meanwhile, Tyno is asking Rygel about John and Rygel tells him that John is actually quite intelligent, "despite appearances". Rygel asks who the next ruler will be and Tyno tells him that it should be Princess Katralla but if she cannot find a compatible mate it will fall to her brother Clavor.

Up on Moya, Pilot asks Zhaan why she did not descend to the planet with the others and Zhaan replies that she enjoys the solitude and the time to meditate. Pilot says he has opened all of the doors on the tier and asks her if she will sing. She does and we hear her voice echoing throughout Moya.

On the planet, Chiana comes up to D'Argo with one of the vials which she says will let them know if their DNA is compatible. D'Argo is reluctant but she puts a drop on both of their tongues and kisses him. They both pull back a bit disappointed.
"We're not compatible." says D'Argo, disappointed.
"Just our DNA." says Chiana, leaning in closer, "Not the parts that give us pleasure."

Aeryn is talking with Rygel again and the two are watching Cargn observing them. They wonder why a Scarran is on the planet. Several men come up to Aeryn with vials and she tries to ignore them. Finally, she kisses Rygel and pretends they are compatible. The men leave in surprise and both Aeryn and Rygel start spitting to get rid of the taste.

Back on Moya, Zhaan is continuing to sing when Pilot interrupts her to tell her that Scorpius' Command Carrier has just stopped at the outer satellite perimeter. Zhaan decides that he has followed them there and Moya Starbursts in an attempt to mislead Scorpius away from the planet.

Somewhat later, John is talking to Rygel who says that Chiana and D'Argo are in the space control center attempting to locate Moya. Tyno approaches with Princess Katralla who offers John one of the vials. John tries to tell her he is not interested but she insists and he kisses her then pulls away. He comments that the taste is sweet and the Princess smiles broadly. A murmur goes through the crowd and guards step up around John, weapons ready, to his discomfort.

On the balcony, Clavor is angry and says that no one was supposed to be compatible with his sister. Cargn says no one will be and if John is, they will kill him. He again causes a heat wave to come from his hand.

John is being led through the palace by Tyno and the guards. John asks if he is under arrest and, when Tyno says no, attempts to leave but is blocked by the guards. Tyno explains that Katralla can only become empress if she finds a compatible mate by the anniversary of her birth, now only a few days away. If she does not, Clavor claims the throne. John is the only person they have found who is compatible and Tyno asks him to consider marrying the princess. John is stunned.
"You would just have to be on this side of my life to understand how frelling insane that is." he tells him.

They enter a room where Clavor is being helped into his clothing by his assistant, an alien woman named ro-NA. He yells at ro-NA and asks to be left alone with John but Tyno refuses. Clavor whispers a mild threat to John then he and ro-NA leave. Tyno tells John that these are his quarters and John lies down on the bed in resignation.

Chiana and D'Argo are in the bar when Aeryn arrives asking about Moya. Chiana says it isn't in orbit and hasn't crashed so it must have left without them. Aeryn starts to disagree when Chiana tells her that John has been arrested for kissing the princess. Aeryn is stunned and angry at John but Chiana is angry at Aeryn, saying they wouldn't be in the mess they are in if she hadn't rejected John. Aeryn starts to argue but D'Argo interrupts, telling them that Rygel is with John and when he returns they will know more about what is going on. Aeryn demands that Chiana show her where John is being held and they leave.

D'Argo, still in the bar, is surprised by the arrival of Scorpius. D'Argo appears ready to fight but Scorpius offers him a drink. Clavor and Cargn, watching from a hidden location, express surprise that Scorpius knows John and the others. Cargn suspects that John is working for Scorpius and that marrying him to the princess will give the Peacekeepers control of the planet; something Cargn was planning to do with his alliance with Clavor. He also mentions that Scorpius is half-Sebacean and half-Scarran.

Later, D'Argo and Rygel are talking with John. D'Argo tells John that Scorpius has offered the others a deal if they turn John over to him. Rygel says that John should marry Katralla in order to remain safe until they are able to come up with a plan. John says he will not marry her and tells them they will have to think of something.

Elsewhere, Zhaan is speaking with Pilot who says that the command carrier did not follow them and that Scorpius may be going after the others on the planet. Zhaan yells at Pilot to hurry and return to the planet leading Pilot to remind her that the decision to flee was made by both of them.

Back in the palace, John is speaking with Clavor. He tells Clavor, much to his surprise, that he has no intention of marrying Katralla. Katralla and Tyno enter and John goes to talk to her but is interrupted by the arrival of Empress Novia. The Empress pulls John aside and asks if he has proposed yet. When John says no she tells him that she needs John to marry Katralla to keep the empire stable. Clavor would sell them out to the Scarrans and if the empire ever formed an alliance with either the Peacekeepers or the Scarrans then the other would invade and the empire would be destroyed. Since John is the only person who can give Katralla a child, he must marry her.

John still refuses and the Empress gestures to someone. John turns in surprise to find himself warmly and enthusiastically greeted by Scorpius.

Flashback: John is in the Aurora Chair. Scorpius is standing behind him with a large, needle-like spike.
"Something to remember me by!" says Scorpius as he slams the spike into the back of John's head. John screams in agony.

Scorpius continues to congratulate John and the Empress leans over and tells him to choose; either marry her daughter or be turned over to Scorpius. John hesitates only a moment before walking to Katralla.

"Bad?" she asks.
"Enough." John replies.

Katralla tells him that her mother always gets what she wants. John asks Katralla what she wants for herself and Katralla replies that she wants to become empress and have children in order to protect her people. She also says that she will do her best to not make John miserable. He looks back at Scorpius and the Empress then turns back to Katralla.
"Princess Katralla," he says, "will you consent to marry me?"
Katralla smiles. "Yes." she tells him. They embrace but John continues to look worried.

Somewhat later, Aeryn and John are walking along a corridor. Aeryn is upset but John tells her that he is between a rock and a hard place and has no choice. Aeryn continues to argue with him when Dregon, the man who first approached Aeryn with the vials in the bar, appears and congratulates John. He then turns his attentions to Aeryn who again brushes him off. She and John continue their discussion and John says she will have to find someone else to marry Katralla.
"And if I can't?" she asks him.
John shrugs. "Better wed than dead."

Aeryn continues outside on her own and finds herself near a lake where Katralla and Tyno are talking. Katralla is saying that she is afraid she will have to marry John and Tyno is saying that she should, to her displeasure. It turns out that Katralla and Tyno are in love with each other but cannot marry since he is not genetically compatible with her. Tyno accepts this but Katralla is upset by it. She wants him to stop her marriage to John but he will not interfere.

Later, Aeryn is in the bar with Chiana and D'Argo. Aeryn is angry and saying that the marriage is wrong since Katralla is in love with Tyno, not John. Both Chiana and D'Argo try to convince her that the marriage is the only way to save John from Scorpius but Aeryn does not agree and suggests hiding somewhere on the planet until Scorpius leaves.

Chiana disagrees and tells Aeryn it is her fault for not telling John how she felt until it was too late. She mentions Dregon, who is sitting across the room, and tells Aeryn that she only wants the ones she can't have. Aeryn gets angry and leaves.

Meanwhile, on Moya, Zhaan is angry because Moya is not heading back towards the planet. Pilot says that Moya is receiving a signal from somewhere and is compelled to follow it.

Aeryn is walking along a corridor and is intercepted by Cargn. He says he wants to talk and leads her into a room where he tells her to pass on a message to Scorpius; the Peacekeepers should not interfere with Scarran plans on the planet. He then asks if they are part of a Peacekeeper invasion force. Aeryn starts to leave but Cargn raises his hand and uses his heat wave on her, saying he will take the information directly from her mind. Aeryn starts to fight him but he picks her up and throws her across a table then slams her into the floor.

The fight is interrupted by the arrival of the Empress who suggests they kill each other and save her the trouble. Cargn apologizes and leaves. Rygel then enters and tells Aeryn not to interfere with the marriage or they could all be in danger. He leaves and Aeryn watches him go with a confused and frightened look.

John is with Katralla, Tyno and several medical workers who are taking DNA samples which confirm he and Katralla are compatible. John suggests that Tyno marry Katralla but Tyno painfully says he can't. Katralla's DNA was corrupted by her brother and the Scarrans and John is her only possible mate. He is interrupted from saying more by Katralla who asks John if he wants to see what their child will look like. About this point Aeryn arrives unnoticed and stands by the doorway.

Katralla stands under a machine which projects a holographic image of a baby into her arms. John is amazed and goes to stand beside her, examining the baby. The machine then projects the image of a small boy, who calls John "dad" and starts to play with him. John is obviously entranced and happy. Aeryn, a look of hurt and depression on her face, quickly turns and leaves.

Tyno interrupts and tells John he needs to visit the tailor and to determine what pose he will use for the next 80 cycles. John asks what he means and Tyno expresses surprise that he did not know.

Clavor, Jenavia and Cargn are in an outdoor pavilion. Clavor is upset because John and Katralla are compatible and blames the problem on Cargn. Cargn uses his heat wave/mind probe on Clavor and Jenavia, causing both to collapse. He then tells Clavor to have his associates assassinate John.

Meanwhile, Moya has arrived at a nebula. A mist-like energy being appears and approaches Moya. Zhaan asks what it is and Pilot, stunned, says that Moya recognizes it as one of her creators. Her god.

Back on the planet, an obviously distraught John enters Chiana and D'Argo's room where the two of them are once again having sex. He ignores them and sits down next to the bed and starts talking about statues. Chiana angrily gets up and leaves while D'Argo, obviously annoyed, wraps a blanket around himself and asks what he is talking about.

John explains that once he and Katralla are married their molecular structure will be altered so that they will become like statues but still able to see and hear. They will then preside over the senate for the next 80 cycles, learning everything about the government so that they will be ready to rule. D'Argo suggests that the system must work since the empire has endured over nineteen hundred cycles of peace but John is more concerned about being a statue for 80 cycles because everyone he knows will be dead by the time he is released. D'Argo expresses sympathy but still thinks John has no choice but to go through with the marriage.

Later, John is in his quarters where ro-NA is adjusting his clothing. Ro-NA tells him that she has served both Clavor and Katralla since they were children and that she is glad that Katralla has met someone to marry. Aeryn enters and asks to talk to John alone and ro-NA leaves. Aeryn is angry and wants to know why John is taking D'Argo's advice over hers and marrying the princess. John says he has no choice; if he doesn't he gets turned over to Scorpius.
"He's in my head." he tells her. "He's in the back of my mind... the corner of my eye. He scares me, Aeryn, and I can't shake him"

Aeryn tries to convince John to leave with her and the others but John seems defeated and says he can't. Aeryn tries one last time to convince him.

"There has never been anything we couldn't overcome together." she says.
"Except each other." replies John, painfully.

Aeryn, obviously hurt, says all they can say is goodbye. John says nothing and she turns and angrily storms out.

"Bye." says John sadly.

A guard enters and tells John the others will soon be ready for him. The guard then suddenly turns and strangles the guard next to him then attacks John. John fights back and is getting the upper hand when several more guards run in, grab him and hold him. The first guard pulls out a device and points it at John.
"Here's your wedding present from Prince Clavor." he says.

A beam springs from the device and hits John, enveloping him in an energy field. John screams in agony.

John was placed in Scorpius' Aurora Chair, seen here in flashback, in Nerve and The Hidden Memory. Scorpius has been pursuing John and the others since then in an attempt to retrieve the wormhole knowledge hidden in John's mind.

There have been hints of the developing relationship between Chiana and D'Argo, notably in Family Ties, Home on the Remains and Out Of Their Minds.

The existence of breakaway Sebacean colonies in the Uncharted Territories were mentioned in DNA Mad Scientist.

The title of this episode, "A Kiss is But a Kiss" is a line from the song As Time Goes By, most famous as the song being referred to in the (misquoted) line "Play it again, Sam" from the movie Casablanca.

Had Scorpius traced Moya to this planet or was he here for the coronation and just happened to come across them? If the former, why would they allow a heavily armed command carrier near their planet? (They only allowed Moya to approach once they determined she was unarmed and even then only after Rygel intervened.) If the latter, why would a planet which has a stated hatred of Peacekeepers invite one to a coronation?

It seems odd that a planet which is trying to stay neutral with both the Scarrans and the Peacekeepers would allow a Scarran to have the influence over someone who may be their next emperor that Cargn does over Clavor. Have they not noticed or do they not care since they expect Katralla to be empress? Given what we see of Empress Novia, why hasn't she found an excuse to kick Cargn out by now?

Is Empress Novia involved with Scorpius in some way? She seemed to know quite a bit about the situation between Scorpius and John; enough that she could use it to pressure John to marry Katralla. How does she know this and what else does she know?

Katralla's DNA was "poisoned" by Clavor with help from the Scarrans. Apparently they are unable to reverse whatever has been done. Does this mean that the Scarrans are more technologically advanced than the Peacekeepers?

Cargn identifies Scorpius as half-Sebacean/half-Scarran. (His mother was Sebacean and his father was Scarran.) Given what we have been told about Peacekeeper attitudes towards mixed-race births, how did Scorpius rise to the (apparently) high position he has within the Peacekeeper ranks?

What did Scorpius mean in the flashback when he tells John "Something to remember me by."? Does this have anything to do with John's comment to Aeryn "He's in the back of my mind... the corner of my eye. He scares me, Aeryn, and I can't shake him."?

What was the signal that Moya followed to the nebula and why was she compelled to follow it? What is the mist-like being that she has identified as her god?

OK, I have a confession to make. As I write this the final season of Farscape has aired, yet the Look at the Princess trilogy remains my favorite sequence from the entire series. Yes, there are other episodes with their own high points; perhaps a better plot here or a bit more character development there or a more unexpected twist somewhere else but in Look at the Princess everything that makes Farscape what it is comes together so well that I feel it stands out from all of the rest. This trilogy, taken as a whole, is my personal choice for best Farscape episode, ever.

Of course, this doesn't mean the episodes don't have their own set of problems. But, we'll get to those later.

For now, lets start at the beginning with the latest development in the John/Aeryn relationship. Aeryn is teaching John combat maneuvers in his module. A bit odd since, as John himself admits, his module isn't designed for combat.

But, is teaching John how to fly really what Aeryn has in mind? John smells something pleasant and we find out that Aeryn has put some oils in her hair. She says it was for herself but her expression implies that she was hoping John would notice and is pleased that he did.

John does indeed notice and kisses her; a kiss that is welcomed and returned. This is a significant step for Aeryn and John. It has long been obvious that there is an attraction between the two of them, going back at least to PK Tech Girl and possibly to Exodus From Genesis. We have seen them physically close and relaxed with each other on several occasions (Mind the Baby and Out of Their Minds for examples) and they have shared a kiss together on at least two; in The Flax and in A Human Reaction (actually, they may have shared more than a kiss then). However, both of those were in fairly stressful situations where it seemed that they may not have much longer to live. This was the first time the two have kissed in a relaxed situation.

Of course, the moment is fleeting and Aeryn fairly suddenly and angrily breaks it off. It seems she is angry at John, blaming it on his "hormones". But why? She admits that she scented her hair to see if he would notice. What did she think would happen? It seems as if she was trying to attract his attention then, once she got it, wasn't sure what to do. She lashes out at him, possibly not so much in anger as in uncertainty and fear. She is in unfamiliar territory for herself and isn't quite sure how to proceed. She has said before that all of her previous relations were painful (The Way We Weren't) and she may be afraid of putting herself into a situation where she could be hurt again.

Or, she may simply have gotten a stronger response from John than she expected. After all, his line "Standing. At. Attention." could be taken quite a few ways. Perhaps those oils of Zhaan's had more of an effect than just their scent. Or, maybe John has just been in space too long and pushed things a bit further than he should, though his line "I was lips, you were tongue!" implies that he wasn't the one pushing things.

Problems continue between Aeryn and John for the entire episode. It seems Aeryn is quite angry with John, first for kissing the other women when they approached him on the planet, then for kissing the princess and considering marrying her. On the other hand she never seems to be able to adequately explain to John why she is upset with him.

John, of course, is feeling as if he is being pulled around by Aeryn. His attempt to hook up with Chiana was probably intended to make her jealous and his involvement with the women on the planet was probably a reaction to her as well. He is also probably a bit upset with her since her behavior indicates that she doesn't want any kind of relationship with him but doesn't want him having one with anyone else either.

Of course, John is forgetting one key point. Despite appearances, Aeryn is not human! She is Sebacean and, more specifically, a Peacekeeper. She had no family growing up, only ever saw her mother once (and then only for a few minutes) and every relationship she has ever had (save one) was purely for "recreation" (and some of those may have been assigned). The one relationship she has ever been in which did mean something to her ended badly, and she was the cause of that!

Aeryn is in love with John but she doesn't know how to proceed. Her few emotional involvements in the past have failed and she was hurt. She doesn't want to be hurt again but she doesn't want to let someone for whom she has begun to have feelings get away. This is why she is continually pulling John closer to her then pushing him away.

Ironically, Aeryn's situation is much like the one John was in when he first arrived in the Uncharted Territories. In Exodus From Genesis John complains to Zhaan that the others aren't accepting him because he doesn't know how to use their technology or how to contribute to the others. He feels out of place. Of course, he eventually does learn and has become the de facto leader of the group.

Aeryn's situation is quite similar. She doesn't know how to deal with the emotions of friendship, love and intimacy and is having to slowly feel her way forward, all the time trying not to be hurt. Unfortunately, the one person who could probably help her the most is also the person she is having the problem with.

David Kemper, the executive producer, has said that Farscape is not so much a science-fiction story as it is a love story; the story of John and Aeryn. The Look at the Princess trilogy marks a major step in that dynamic.

What is interesting, and something that is easily overlooked, is that Aeryn is not the only person on Moya who is in love with John. There is also Chiana.

Yes, Chiana is in love with John. There has been some evidence to this effect along the way. Consider her reaction in Mind the Baby when John first returns to Moya or the fact that she first goes to John with the data tape in The Way We Weren't. Most significantly, it is to John that Chiana turns in Taking the Stone when she learns that her brother has died.

In many ways, Chiana is the opposite of Aeryn. Her life has been nothing but a string of meaningless relationships. Even her current relationship with D'Argo falls into this category. "It's just a game for us." she tells him after they find their DNA is not compatible. Her relationships have been as meaningless as Aeryn's but in Chiana's case that is the way she has wanted them.

John, on the other hand, has developed a relationship with her that does not involve sex. He has even turned down offers from her on at least two occasions; at the start of this episode and in Family Ties. He obviously considers her a friend and has been supportive of her. We also saw how badly she was hurt when he ignored her in Taking the Stone. Obviously her feelings towards John are more than "just a game", otherwise why would she be as hurt as she was?

Of course, she is now with D'Argo but we have already seen how seriously she takes that relationship. She offered herself to John as an alternative to Aeryn at the start of the episode. If she was already with D'Argo at that time then it seems that she was ready to break it off with him in order to start something with John. Or, if the relationship just started this episode, then she turns to D'Argo only after John turns her down to continue after Aeryn. So, it appears that John is first and D'Argo second in Chiana's mind.

It also appears that Chiana is definitely on John's side as far as his problems with Aeryn go; she certainly takes Aeryn to task a few times for it, even going so far as to blame all of their problems on her. She does not want to see John hurt and is upset with Aeryn for the way she is treating him. This shows how much John means to her.

It seems that even D'Argo realizes that something exists between Chiana and John. He requests that John not mess things up between him and Chiana, apparently realizing that Chiana may leave him for John given the opportunity.

Moving away from crew relationships for a moment, there are quite a few other interesting aspects to this episode. First, this is one of the first large, advanced worlds we have seen. Until now we have seen mostly commerce planets, outposts, research bases and budongs. The "fly-thru" of the city when we first arrive on the planet is impressive and gives a good idea of its size as well as a glimpse of what a typical high-technology planet in the Farscape universe would look like. Unfortunately, this also tends to highlight how claustrophobic much of Farscape really is. Our initial view shows a large city but most of the action takes place in a handful of corridors and rooms. In fact, most of the time is spent in a single bar. This somewhat leaves a feeling of being cramped but, if one thinks of it, most television series take place in only a small number of locations. Usually this isn't a problem but it is somewhat noticeable here.

Speaking of the bar, what is with these "compatibility vials"? Their stated purpose is to determine if two people's DNA is "compatible"; in other words, can they have children together. But, almost everyone using them is Sebacean! Are large numbers of Sebaceans genetically incompatible with each other? It seems reasonable that Chiana and D'Argo may not be compatible with each other or even that John and Aeryn may not be since, despite appeareances, they are different species. But everyone on the planet was Sebeacean yet they were offering the vials to each other. Several men even offered them to Aeryn who is of course Sebacean herself. Is genetic incompatibility within their own species really a problem for the Sebaceans? If so, this may explain the growing number of Sebacean "half-breeds"; more and more Sebaceans may be being forced to go outside their own species in order to find compatible mates. But if that is the case, why are such unions considered "evil" as we learn in They've Got a Secret?

Maybe the vials were introduced to help Sebaceans find compatible mates and so avoid the need for interspecies mixing? Aeryn seemed to be somewhat familiar with their function; she at least knew that a "sweet" taste was what indicated compatibility, as shown in the scene where she kisses Rygel. On the other hand, she seemed genuinely confused when the first woman approached John and offered him the vial. Of course, Aeryn was raised as a Peacekeeper where all breeding is planned and relationships are only considered to be for "recreation". Genetic matching was probably done from medical records. So, she may have only been surprised that genetic compatibility would be important for someone when they approached another or that they would be as open about it as they were.

We also learn a bit more about the political situation of the Uncharted Territories. Apparently the territories are sort of a "neutral zone" between the Peacekeepers and the Scarran Imperium. The Scarrans seem to be the Peacekeeper's main adversaries and they seem to be quite dangerous. They are physically imposing (Cargn was easily able to defeat Aeryn in their fight), technologically advanced (they were able to alter Katralla's DNA in such a way that she was no longer genetically compatible with anyone else on the planet) and have some other abilities as well (their heat wave/mind probe). Unfortunately, they seem to be even more unscrupulous and dangerous than the Peacekeepers! No wonder Empress Novia wants to keep her people neutral.

Of course, the surprising information from the Scarran ambassador is that Scorpius is half-Scarran! Scorpius' odd looks have been obvious and now we know where they came from. How such a union came to be is unknown as is how the product of such a union could have risen so far in the Peacekeeper hierarchy, especially considering what we have learned about the Peacekeeper attitudes towards such unions. If nothing else this shows more of Scorpius' character and indicates even more how dangerous an opponent he is. He did show that he can be diplomatic when he needs to be; his greeting to John when they first met and his conversation with D'Argo in the bar shows that. He certainly doesn't need his aurora chair or a command carrier to be intimidating.

Why is Scorpius here anyway? Had he arrived for the coronation or had he traced Moya and her crew here? He didn't follow Moya when she Starburst away, implying that he was either heading for the planet already or that he somehow knew John and the others were there. Is is possible that Empress Novia had told him about John? She seemed to know quite a bit about the situation between John and Scorpius; enough to use it to her advantage anyway. It will be interesting to see if he is willing to let John get away from him that easily.

Comment should also be made of Rygel. It was he who managed to get Moya and her crew invited to the planet (though they may not be thanking him for that now). He also seems to be fitting in better than the others; apparently his own familiarity with royal courts and protocol is serving him well.

The only off point to this episode to me is the subplot with Zhaan, Pilot and Moya. Zhaan elects not to go down to the planet with the others and then is the one with the idea to try and lead the command carrier away from the planet by performing a Starburst and hoping it will follow. Then, Moya goes off following a signal and meets up with her creators. This subplot, while interesting, seems out of place with the rest of the episode. Now, Look at the Princess was originally to be a two-parter but they were unable to make it fit into two episodes and so expanded it to three. This subplot feels like something that was added just to fill up the extra time and doesn't measure up to the rest of the episode.

But, even with that, Look at the Princess remains my favorite episode of Farscape. Unfortunately, it isn't one you can introduce new viewers with as so much of it depends upon knowing the characters and the background of the plot. However, once you are up to speed this episode is an absolute treat. Do not miss this one.