The Worlds of Farscape

Reversing a common science fiction cliché, Farscape follows the adventures of the human astronaut John Crichton after he is shot through a wormhole into another part of the universe. Here Crichton is the only human being, going from being a member of the most intelligent species on our planet to being frequently considered mentally deficient by the beings he encounters in his new environment. John Crichton befriends a group of beings from various species attempting to escape from imprisonment aboard a living spaceship. The series, which broke many of the so-called “rules” of science fiction, follows Crichton’s attempts to survive in worlds that are often hostile to him and his friends. Their adventures center on each being’s attempt to find a way home. The essays in this volume explore themes running throughout the series, such as good and evil, love and sex, and what it means to be a hero, as well as the various characters populating the series, including the villains and even the ship itself.

Sherry Ginn is a retired educator currently living in North Carolina. She has authored books examining female characters on science fiction television series as well as the multiple television worlds of Joss Whedon. Edited collections have examined sex in science fiction, time travel, the apocalypse, and the award-winning series Farscape, Doctor Who, and Fringe.

Edited by Sherry Ginn. Series Editors Donald E. Palumbo and C.W. Sullivan III
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 220
Bibliographic Info: appendices, notes, bibliographies, index
Copyright Date: 2013
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6790-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0627-9
Imprint: McFarland
Series: Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Acknowledgments xi
Introduction: Through the Wormhole and What Crichton Found There (Sherry Ginn) 1
Farscape, the Impossible and the Accident (J. P. Telotte) 11
War and Peace by Woody Allen or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Wormhole Weapon (Ensley F. Guffey) 22
Into the Uncharted Territories: Exploring the Nature of Evil (Robert L. Lively) 40
The Emperor’s New Farts: Socioeconomic Disenfranchisement and “Colonic Miasma” (Michael G. Cornelius) 55
’Scaping the Mythic Triad into Uncharted Territories: Hero, Antihero and Villain (Billie Jo Mason) 61
Friends, Enemies, Partners, Mates: Examining Relationships in the Uncharted Territories (Sherry Ginn) 74
Joining the Conversation: Ben Browder Writes John Crichton (Jessie Carty) 92
Friend … Enemy … Alien … Ally: Female Community Aboard Moya (Sherry Ginn) 104
Sentient Space: Moya as Homeplace (Michael G. Cornelius) 123
Of Big Blue Butts and Bias: The Problem Body (Elizabeth Leigh Scherman) 142
The Ballad of John and Aeryn (Sherry Ginn) 160
“Winona has been very reliable”: Female Gendering of Weapons in Fiction and Fact (Ensley F. Guffey) 164
A Legendary Tale: Scapers and the Myth of Fan Power (Tanya R. Cochran) 168
Primal Scream—With Accompaniment (Jessie Carty) 185
Appendix A: Farscape Character List 191
Appendix B: Series Episode List 195
Appendix C: Farscape Bibliography and Filmography 199
About the Contributors 201
Index 203

• “If you want to be reminded of just how good Farscape was and anything you missed, then you’ll find that here.”—SFCrowsnest