FARSCAPE: THE
PEACEKEEPER WARS
 
STARRING: Ben Browder, Claudia
Black, Anthony Simcoe, Gigi Edgley, Raelee Hill
2004, 240 Minutes, Directed by: Brian Henson
 Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars is the direct result of a feisty fan base
that was enraged when the SciFi Channel in the U.S. decided to cancel the cult
favourite two years ago after four seasons. With an international campaign of
fan-funded advertisements, write-ins and demonstrations in front of the New York
and Los Angeles offices of the SciFi Channel, the network relented by committing
to this four-hour mini-series.
The series followed the
adventures of John Crichton (Ben Browder), an American astronaut who was lost in
a wormhole and ended up on the other side of the galaxy. Crichton ends up on a
giant living spaceship – a Leviathan – crewed by escaped prisoners. In this part
of space, a fascist intergalactic government called Peacekeepers rules with an
iron fist and a fleet of ships. However, the Peacekeepers have their Cold War
opponent in the Scarrans, a reptilian race with genocidal tendencies.
In classic Wizard of Oz
storytelling, Crichton makes new friends – a motley group of people from
different races, including: Officer Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black), a former
Peacekeeper; Ka D’Argo (Anthony Simcoe), a big Luxan warrior; and Rygel
(Jonathan Hardy), a deposed sovereign. At first, the series followed Crichton’s
attempts to get home to Earth and then a new story line developed as both
Peacekeepers and Scarrans began chasing Crichton and crew for his wormhole
knowledge and its potential as a weapon.
In Farscape: The Peacekeeper
Wars, the story literally picks up the pieces from the truncated end of the
TV series when Crichton and Aeryn were disintegrated by an alien weapon. The two
are trying to get married as Aeryn is expecting their baby. However, the running
joke is that every attempted marriage ceremony is rudely interrupted by war.
When full-scale war breaks out between the Peacekeepers and the Scarrans, both
sides feel that it’s Crichton’s wormhole knowledge that will secure victory.
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"Literally picks up the pieces from the truncated end of the
TV series!" |
As the end to the TV series,
Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars should satisfy fans.
Production values are practically theatrical-quality with some very slick CGI
animation of Rygel as well as the fast-moving space battles. It’s like an
episode of Farscape amped up to be a full-blown action movie. Browder has always
played Crichton like a young Bruce Willis –which makes for great comedy as the
American lost in space and missing his toiletries and candy. In Farscape: The
Peacekeeper Wars, Browder occasionally closes in on Shatner-style pompousness.
Black is fun channelling Sigourney Weaver as Peacekeeper mom of the year –
especially when she gives birth, wraps the newborn babe and picks up her weapon
to blast through a barricade. Browder and Black’s chemistry is a big part of the
series’ appeal. By necessity, the other characters get short shrift since this
is ultimately Crichton’s story.
What made Farscape a cult favourite was its great cast and its irreverent
humour
as it defied Star Trek-style plotlines where all problems were tidily resolved
within an hour. Even as a four-hour miniseries Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars is
happily sloppy as it races to conclude the series and all storylines in one big
bang. Logic errors abound, Crichton gets preachy about his Armageddon device,
and the ending is surprisingly syrupy – no doubt a big happy hug to its fans.
If the U.S. TV ratings are any indicator, Farscape will return in some form or
another. SciFi Channel proudly announced that Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars
was number one in its timeslots and demographics, garnering a whopping 6,883,000
viewers!
- Harrison Cheung
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