![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Farscape essay (last year's essay)
Major spoilers for the entire show and the PK Wars, to warn ya'll.
Introduction: Telefantasy and Farscape
Remarkable innovations characterized American television in the 1990s, particularly in the genre which Catherine Johnson terms ‘telefantasy’. Johnson uses telefantasy as a blanket term to encompass such genres as science fiction, fantasy, and horror, as well as a host of hybrid genres. Prior to the 1990s telefantasy was fairly uncommon on American television, with the main example of course being Star Trek (NBC, 1966-1969). The 1990s, however, represented a veritable explosion of such shows, including The X-Files (Fox, 1993-2002),
When Farscape (SciFi, 1999-2003) debuted in March 1999, telefantasy had already established itself as both an avenue for creative and innovative television as well as a viable market to be targeted. Farscape draws on the science fiction and fantasy shows which had preceded it, while at the same time adding its own flair. The basic premise of the show revolves around a modern-day astronaut, John Crichton, who while conducting an experiment with Earth’s gravity is suddenly sucked into a wormhole and transported light years away into an unknown galaxy. There he finds himself onboard a ship full of escaped prisoners and must learn to survive in a new, harsh, and hostile universe. Over the course of the series’ four seasons and concluding miniseries The Peacekeeper Wars (SciFi, 2004), John faces innumerable horrors, makes several deadly enemies, is driven insane for the better part of a season, dies (three times, though he survives the series in the end), and eventually emerges a changed, hardened man – but he also experiences great beauty and wonder, forms strong friendships with most of the others onboard, and, of course, falls in love.
Farscape takes the traditional conventions of science fiction, mixes them with the innovations of 1990s ‘quality’ telefantasy, and tosses in some of its own ideas in order to reinvent the genre in a new and exciting way. The show brilliantly combines high drama and tragedy with the comedic and the absurd to create an intelligent, emotional, oftentimes strange, and above all entertaining journey. The unrelenting bizarreness of Farscape allows the show to not only reinvent science fiction conventions, but also to question our society’s norms and values. Johnson argues that “by disrupting socio-cultural and generic verisimilitude through their representation of the fantastic, [telefantasy] series invite the viewer to question, not the fantastic aspects themselves, but the normative conventions of the everyday” (Telefantasy, 7). As we journey with John, we experience the wonders and horrors of the galaxy through his eyes, and thus come to accept and embrace the differences of the aliens and their cultures. Eventually they become normal for the viewer, to the point where their physical differences are irrelevant and their psychological differences can be understood.
In this essay, I will argue that Farscape challenges assumptions about what is ‘normal’, both in television and in our society, and thus invites the audience to form subversive readings. I will begin with a brief overview of Star Trek’s contribution to science fiction television, followed by a discussion of the rise of ‘quality’ telefantasy in the 1990s. With this context in mind, I will then turn to Farscape and will analyze the various ways that it plays with and challenges the conventions of science fiction television and the norms of our society.
Star Trek: The Rise of Science Fiction Television in the 1960s
In Telefantasy, Johnson describes the 1960s as a period of increasing competition among television networks, during which time product differentiation became “a particularly important commercial strategy” (Telefantasy, 73). In order to attract audiences away from the competition, networks began to “[test] the limits of convention and [expand] the horizons of popular television entertainment, albeit within fairly circumscribed formal limits” (Alvey, qtd. in Telefantasy, 73). Into this climate of what Alvey calls “regulated innovation” (Telefantasy, 73), Star Trek introduced a new kind of science fiction television show. Star Trek was innovative in many ways: it brought science fiction to the masses and popularized the genre on television, it mixed the concept of the ongoing series with existing established anthology science fiction dramas, and it established the conventions of the genre. Star Trek was able to appeal to a wide audience with its action-adventure formula, while at the same time it utilized the “almost limitless story potential” (Roddenberry, qtd. in Telefantasy, 75) of the science fiction setting to deal with various social issues.
The conventions that Star Trek established have had enormous influence on science fiction television, with later series (Farscape included) alternately utilizing and rejecting them. For one, the narrative format of Star Trek was strictly episodic. Although characters carried over, they did not develop or change as a result of events in the series. Each week the “cast of heroic, recurring characters [was] placed in a different perilous situation…from which they must use their skill and ingenuity to escape”, with “an emphasis on dramatic action on the presentation and resolution of conflict” (Telefantasy, 81). The crew of the
Quality Drama and Telefantasy in the 1990s
Telefantasy in the 1990s was strongly influenced by the development of ‘quality drama’ in the 1980s. The advent of cable television and a larger number of networks (Fox in 1986, followed in the 1990s by The WB and UPN) led to increased competition among the networks, which therefore had to find new strategies for attracting viewers. The networks came to recognize that there was no longer (indeed, there never truly was) a mass audience to which they had to appeal, and they became concerned with attracting a particular ‘quality’ demographic: “urban, 18-49, liberal, professional, and culturally educated” (Telefantasy, 96). 1980s shows such as Hill Street Blues targeted this ‘quality’ demographic by “[accommodating] multiple readings” (Telefantasy, 97), dealing with controversial subject matter, experimenting with narrative, stylistic, and generic conventions, and referencing a variety of cultural texts. This conception of quality drama continued into the 1990s, and was adapted by series such as The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer into “a new form of ‘quality/cult’ television” (Telefantasy, 99). Audiences were increasingly fragmenting into “a coalition of taste markets” (Telefantasy, 99), and one market which was particularly important to the rise of telefantasy was the fan-consumer. Both The X-Files and Buffy targeted the fan-consumer taste market in addition to a wider audience, thus building large and loyal fanbases. Both series incorporated many of the characteristics of quality television: they were hybrids of several genres, they combined ongoing serial narratives with stand-alone ‘monster-of-the-week’ episodes (in the case of Buffy, the distinction between ‘mythology’ and ‘stand-alone’ episodes became increasingly blurred), they could potentially be read as subversive, and they developed signature aesthetic styles.
Narrative Experimentation in Farscape
I will now turn to the text of Farscape itself and attempt to analyze the ways in which it both draws upon and departs from earlier telefantasy series, starting with the series’ use of narrative. Following in the footsteps of
Like on Buffy, the line between stand-alone and arc episodes is often blurred on Farscape. Seemingly stand-alone episodes help to reveal and develop the main characters, with the basic plot device of an episode often serving as a means for character and even plot development. For example, episode 2.04 “Crackers Don’t Matter” is seemingly a one-off episode about an alien coming onboard Moya and affecting the behaviour of the crew members; however, it in fact marks the first appearance of the neural clone that Scorpius implanted in John’s brain and which would dominate much of the season’s story arc. Episode 3.06 “Eat Me” begins as an episode unrelated to the main arc, albeit an intensely dark and disturbing one, but the ‘twinning’ of John at the end of the episode becomes one of the main storylines of season 3. There are also many examples of episodes in which a discrete storyline allows for character development, such as the start of the D’Argo and Chiana relationship in the series’ requisite body-switch episode, 2.09 “Out of Our Minds”.
Character development is central to Farscape. Each main character experiences significant change throughout the series, with the events in an episode often having a great consequence on their lives. As the main character, John Crichton has one of the most compelling character arcs of the series. John begins the series as an idealistic, likable, moral, funny, and all-around nice, average guy: an appropriate choice for early audience identification. His character becomes increasingly dark and complex as the series progresses, and his sense of good and evil is undermined. Constantly on the run and facing near-death at every turn, John becomes hardened and must learn to fight – and kill. His mental state is often unstable, particularly in season two when he is driven to the brink of insanity by the presence of a neural clone of Scorpius inside his head. He frequently becomes overwhelmed with the knowledge of what he has done and what has happened because of him and to him.
The narrative format of Farscape is a long ways from Star Trek’s lack of surprises or change. Farscape constantly seeks to subvert the viewer’s expectations by doing what is least expected and “[refusing] to move [the] plots forward in baby steps and pause for explanations each step of the way” (Cavelos, 25). While Star Trek sought to comfort the viewer by explaining the plots and following a familiar formula, Farscape often throws viewers into the middle of a situation with little or no explanation. The effect can be confusing and destabilizing, but that was the point: for one, the writers presume audience intelligence, and for another, the viewer is often placed in the same situation as John in trying to comprehend the bizarre and complicated events occurring. For example, the first episode (“Premiere”) can be quite disorienting and confusing upon first viewing. While this is partly due to the time constraints of the episode (the writers had a great deal to convey in little time), it also allows the viewer to identify with John. Farscape in general, and the first episode in particular, “[throws] us into a state of cognitive dislocation, wrenching us from our living rooms and tossing us down the wormhole in an experience that mirrors Crichton’s, creating a strong, immediate bond between us and the character” (Cavelos, 36). When he is first spit out of the wormhole, John has no idea what is happening to him and he has no points of reference to understand what is going on. He is in an entirely alien situation all by himself, and nothing he sees makes sense. As he learns, so do we – we are taking his journey with him.
Unlike Star Trek, Farscape rarely allows for simple resolutions. Conflict escalates throughout the series, and even when one immediate conflict is solved another (often related to the previous) takes its place. Farscape is concerned with the consequences to the characters’ actions. In the “Liars, Guns, and Money” trilogy at the end of season 2 (episodes 2.19-2.21), what begins as a ‘simple’ plan (rob a bank to save Jothee, D’Argo’s son) rapidly escalates when Scorpius appears and the plan starts to go wrong. In fact, plans rarely go right on Farscape, and even when they work out there are consequences to pay. In the end of the trilogy, true, the plan works out – Jothee is rescued and the crew gets away with a great deal of money. The consequences are terrible, however: thousands of people are dead, Moya has been badly injured and most of their money must go towards healing her, and John is so tortured by the neural clone in his head that he begs D’Argo to kill him. Furthermore, when Aeryn dies in the following episode (2.22 “Die Me Dichotomy”), there is no simple solution to resurrect her. Yes, she is revived in the season 3 premiere (“Season of Death”), but at the expense of Zhaan’s life. Things are never easy on Farscape.
One thing that Farscape takes particular delight in is playing around with science fiction clichés. There are several plots (both in individual episodes and in longer story arcs) which are commonly found in science fiction television, but Farscape rarely deals with them in a conventional manner. The main example of this is the season three ‘twinned John’ arc. While other science fiction shows may have an episode in which some of the main characters are cloned, the story will inevitably end with the clone(s) being killed off. In addition, the clone is usually different from the original in some way in order to increase drama and possibly explore that character’s personality. On Farscape, however, there is not an ‘original’ and a ‘clone’: both Johns are ‘equal and original’. Rather than killing one John off immediately, both survive for a number of episodes (though the crew splits in half to avoid filming two Johns in each episode). When one of the Johns dies in 3.15 “Infinite Possibilities Part 2: Icarus Abides”, there is truly a sense of loss and pain: after all, he was the one who had gotten the girl (he went with Aeryn and they finally consummated their relationship). Aeryn’s grief over his death complicates her relationship with the living John when they are reunited, and it takes many more episodes for them to finally get together for good.
Farscape also included a number of ‘experimental episodes’, which play with narrative and style. These episodes never existed only for the sake of experimentation, they were always used to explore character and plot issues. One of the primary examples is 2.15 “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, which is essentially an episode-long hallucination of John’s. The episode is extremely bizarre and oftentimes hilarious, but it has a dark undertone and eventually reveals an important plot point (the existence of the neural clone). The unrelenting insanity of the episode has a very specific point, as it turns out: the hallucination was induced by a Scarran to break John so that he reveals the secrets of wormhole technology. As the episode progresses, John’s sanity breaks down and there are some heart-wrenching emotional scenes (particularly when he is confronted with his dead mother). The episode therefore allows some fascinating character insight and helps propel the main story arc of the season. Some other noteworthy experimental episodes include 3.16 “Revenging Angel”, in which Looney Tunes cartoons are used to represent the inside of John’s mind when he goes into a coma, and 4.07 “John Quixote” which uses a fairytale setting to explore John’s part in Zhaan’s death (which was over a season earlier).
Anti-Heroes, Survival, and Morality on Farscape
Unlike most science fiction series, such as Star Trek, Stargate SG-1, and to some extent
John: Hi... Honey. Huh. Guess what I did at work today? I wore a bomb. A nuclear bomb in a field of flowers. I could get lucky. Tomorrow I could have a bigger bomb. I could kill... more people. Maybe they'll be innocent people. Children... maybe.
(4.21 “We’re So Screwed Part 3: La Bomba”)
Morality is a difficult thing in Farscape. Sometimes people do what they believe they have to, for what they believe are the right reasons – and sometimes they do things knowing that they doing them for the wrong reasons. The show frequently invites the viewer to question what the ‘right’ reasons are, and if there is indeed ever a clear line between right and wrong.
Tentacles, Sentient Plants, Pregnant Ships, and… Puppets? Aliens and Humans in the Farscape Universe
The examination of how strange we humans are -- but introducing alien characters who at first blush we THINK are the strange ones...
(Series creator Rockne O’Bannon in a chat with Scifi.com, June 1999)
Since Farscape is not military-centric, it evades the common tendency of shows to be human and Earth-centric. On Farscape, Earth is irrelevant except insofar as it matters to John. Humans are repeatedly described as weaker, less intelligent, and generally lesser beings compared to other races. John must conform to the ways of the alien cultures rather than the other way around, to the point where Earth no longer feels like home to him when he briefly returns in 4.13 “Terra Firma”. This is a major departure from earlier shows, in which Earth was represented as an enlightened society (in Star Trek) or at least a major player in inter-galactic politics (in
Furthermore, the documentary consistently portrays the aliens as ‘other’ – so strange and unintelligible that they must be hostile to Earth. And indeed, the aliens on Farscape are undeniably weird. Admittedly Sebaceans look completely human, but there is some indication in The Peacekeeper Wars that this is because they were in fact humans originally. Most of the other Farscape races have non-human appearances: D’Argo has tentacles on his head and a tongue which he can knock people out with, Zhaan is blue (and is also a sentient plant), Chiana is grey and is distinctly alien in voice and movement, and Rygel and Pilot are brought to life with animatronics – basically, complex puppets. Created by the Jim Henson Company of “Muppets” fame, the two main puppet characters are remarkably alien in appearance. Perhaps the most fascinating alien is Moya herself, a “Leviathan” living ship with her symbiotically attached Pilot. Moya is a ship, but she is also very much a character with her own thoughts, emotions, and motives. She even becomes pregnant and gives birth to a Leviathan-Peacekeeper gunship hybrid named Talyn. Talyn, likewise, has a distinct personality and he forms a close bond to Aeryn and former Peacekeeper Captain Crais.
In many ways, the aliens of Farscape truly possess “an otherness that suggests an alien emotional reality, rather than an alienness defined by bumpy foreheads” (Marano, 21). “Constellation of a Doubt” indicates just how odd the alien customs and beliefs seem on Earth, such as Chiana’s confusion over the purpose of make-up and her attempts to clean herself from the toilet:
Chiana: “How many places do you need water to come from? You can wash up in the toilet. See? It’s clean”
(4.17 “Constellation of a Doubt”)
The aliens do not think the same way as humans, because they come from vastly different cultures. In spite of their ‘otherness’, however, John and the audience both grow to accept and understand them. On one level, Farscape is about overcoming and celebrating differences, as well as finding common points of reference with one another. After all, for all their alienness the aliens’ emotions can be understood quite easily from a human viewpoint. Johnson argues that:
“the fantastic, far from being removed from reality, can only be represented through reference to culturally constructed notions of reality. By both evoking and disturbing socio-cultural verisimilitude, the fantastic therefore is understood to offer new (and potentially subversive) perspectives on society” (Telefantasy, 8).
Farscape’s aliens feel real to the viewer because they express recognizable emotions and, at their core, are not that different from humans. Certainly there are differences, but many of these can be attributed to culture rather than anything innate. This is something that many of the experts interviewed in “Constellation of a Doubt” fail to take into account when they write off the aliens as irredeemably abnormal and potentially unhealthy influences to humans. Yet, the footage in the documentary clearly show their similar emotions, such as Chiana’s grief over the death of a rat she was playing with. To her, the rat was her friend and now it is dead – human beliefs about rats are inconsequential compared to the shared experience of grief. Likewise, the puppet characters Rygel and Pilot are extremely life-like because, Michael Marano argues, “[they] don’t merely inhabit the unreal world of Farscape; they force viewers to partly define that world” (Marano, 18). The viewers take their knowledge of human emotions and expressions and transfer them to the puppets in order to create their performances – aided, of course, by the superb puppeteers and voice actors (Marano, 20-21).
The recognition of such similarities is key to understanding Farscape’s potentially subversive messages, particularly in “Constellation of a Doubt”. After four seasons with these characters, they are real to the viewer and feel ‘normal’. The humans in this episode are constructed as ‘other’ because of their ignorance and stubborn refusal to accept the aliens. As a result, the beliefs and norms of human society come into question – in some scenes, the aliens seem to have a better grasp on our culture that we do. In particular, the scene in which Chiana asks why so many little girls are dressed as though they want to have sex highlights the hypocrisies of our society’s beliefs about sexuality. Chiana points out that if they dress like that it is because someone sold them the clothes and thus wants them to have sex. The viewer is forced to pause and consider her statement rather than immediately brush it off because she ‘doesn’t understand’.
Gender and Sexuality in Farscape
D'Argo: The bad news is that you're married, and must endure as a statue for eighty cycles in a strange world.
John: What's the good news?
D'Argo: Chiana and I are having fantastic sex.
(2.12 “Look at the Princess Part 2: I Do, I Think”)
Sexuality and gender are two of Farscape’s most subversive elements. Unlike in earlier science fiction series, Farscape “[deals] openly, honestly, erotically, and often very humorously with sex” (Kiernan, qtd. in Action Chicks, 258). The characters of Farscape regularly take pleasure in having sex and don’t feel the need to apologize for it or feel uncomfortable about it. Sex is simply a part of life, and is had with great gusto by D’Argo and Chiana as well as by John and Aeryn. Chiana in particular is a very sexual being who is willing to use sex to get her way. While in most science fiction, and indeed most television shows, her sexuality would be considered threatening, in Farscape it is just a part of who she is and she makes no apologies for it. The presentation of sex in Farscape raises questions about our society’s hypocritical condemnation of sexuality. Many of the characters and their cultures lack our sexual taboos and see sex as an integral and enjoyable aspect of life. For example, in Aeryn’s Peacekeeper culture sex is purely a means of procreation or recreation, and is considered a perfectly common and acceptable way of relieving tension. Although the lack of emotional attachments in Peacekeeper society is certainly problematic, their straightforward approach to sex is rather refreshing.
Furthermore, Farscape questions the gender roles considered normal in our society. Carlen Lavigne suggests that “elements of the feminine and the masculine are both present” in Farscape (“Space Opera”, 2) and therefore the show allows for both male and female spectatorship. The show does so primarily through the character of Aeryn Sun. Aeryn is an extremely strong female character who effectively overturns gender stereotypes by combining the ‘masculine’ and the ‘feminine’. Brought up as a Peacekeeper soldier, Aeryn was trained to be devoid of any emotion or compassion. She is an extremely capable fighter as well as a pilot, and she can easily overpower John in a fight. In this way, she possesses qualities which are traditionally considered ‘masculine’ in our society: physical strength and lack of outward emotion. When consequences force her to escape with John and the others, she must gradually learn to soften and learn the so-called ‘feminine’ values of mercy and love. However, that is not to say that she is forced to feminize herself – quite the contrary. Aeryn’s physical and mental strength are both highly valued and certainly save the crew many times. Love and compassion in this universe are not ‘feminine’ qualities, they are simply the qualities that all living beings should possess to be complete. By the end of the series, Aeryn has integrated her newly discovered senses of emotion with her outwardly hard persona. She is tough, but she is also loving. She is both the warrior and the mother, completing the series in The Peacekeeper Wars by firing off rounds of gunfire in between contractions as she gives birth in the midst of battle. Aeryn serves as a role model for female viewers by portraying a strong, capable, but also compassionate woman, thus raising questions about our society’s essentialist and dichotomous gender roles.
Aeryn: It is my duty, my breeding since birth, it's what I am.
John: You can be more.
(1.01, “Premiere”)
Self-Reflexivity and Intertexuality in Farscape
The final issue I will examine is Farscape’s use of self-reflexivity and intertextuality. Both are characteristics of quality drama and are frequently used in earlier 1990s telefantasy series, particularly Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Though in many ways a serious drama, Farscape also enjoys poking fun at itself and science fiction television in general. By placing a modern day man at the centre of the series, the writers can use his perspective to comment on the absurd things he comes across. John very frequently makes references to popular culture and, at least in the first season, is perpetually astonished by the things he sees. Over the course of the series, John references everything and anything from The Wizard of Oz to pop icon Madonna to Shakespeare. By doing so, the viewer can identify with him by recognizing the references that he makes. When he exclaims “Boy, was Spielberg ever wrong. Close encounters my ass!” in “Premiere”, the viewers laugh knowingly – even if they haven’t seen the film in question, it is a part of our culture and is readily recognizable to most North Americans. The line also functions as a self-reflexive comment by the show, acknowledging the fantastic settings and events. Similarly, later in the episode John cries out: “Freeze! Don't move! Or I'll fill you full of.....little yellow bolts of light!” The line is humorous because it indicates both John’s and the show’s recognition of how strange the alien weapons are, and it pokes fun at science fiction in general.
Conclusion
Farscape is a wondrous, imaginative, thrilling, and emotional roller-coaster ride, which grips hold of the viewer and pulls them into the text in a way few shows truly do. The intelligent writing, complex characters, and exciting storylines are among the many reasons why the show has developed such a loyal fanbase. Though low ratings and a high budget led to the abrupt cancellation of the series after four seasons, fan response was so great that The Peacekeeper Wars was produced in 2004 to conclude the story arc. Farscape challenges viewers to rethink their assumptions about science fiction, television, and society at large. Yet it does not necessarily do so by attempting to mimic ‘high art’ – indeed, it revels in its popular origins and invites viewers to simply take pleasure in series. Farscape shows that pleasure and entertainment can be synonymous with intelligence and criticism, and that viewers can read deeply into the text while still enjoying the pure fun of the series. Though Farscape may have emerged from and been influenced by its context and earlier TV shows, it creatively reinvented the telefantasy genre and thus created a truly unique and remarkable experience.
Annotated Bibliography
Bray, Patricia. “Looking Out for Number One.” Farscape Forever: Sex, Drug and Killer Muppets. Ed. Glenn Yeffeth.
Patricia Bray’s essay deals with the portrayal of heroism and morality in Farscape. She argues that the characters on the show were most concerned with their own survival and needs and only occasionally became heroic when it was necessary. This runs counter to the typical, and often militaristic, mission of many science fiction shows since the characters were brought together by chance and rarely agreed on anything. She shows how the characters eventually came to care about each other and became willing to do whatever they could to save one another, while still retaining their sense of individual survival. She argues that Farscape thus presents a more realistic and identifiable form of heroism. This essay was useful for my discussion of morality and anti-heroes because it shows how complicated and gray morality and heroism are on the series.
Cavelos, Jeanne. “Down the Wormhole: Cognitive Dislocation, Escalation, Pyrrhic Victory and Farscape.” Farscape Forever: Sex, Drug and Killer Muppets. Ed. Glenn Yeffeth.
Jeanne Cavelos explores the ways in which Farscape deviates from traditional narrative formulas and constantly seeks to subvert audience expectations. She discusses several episodes and shows how they evade easy resolution by building up the conflicts to the point where any resolution has important consequences to the characters and plot. She argues that the cognitive dislocation the series forces upon viewers allows them to bond with John and to see the other characters as real, because we share the emotional consequences that they face. Her essay was useful to me because the way that she discusses the individual episodes in relation to the series’ use of narrative. Because of her detailed attention to a few particular episodes, her essay effectively shows how Farscape goes against the grain and constantly seeks to surprise the viewer.
“Chat: Rockne O’Bannon” (1999). A Snurcher’s Guide to Farscape. Accessed 12 November 2006 < http://www.snurcher.com/online/chat990624.shtml>.
This is simply a chat between Farscape creator Rockne O’Bannon and scifi.com in 1999, in which O’Bannon discusses the conception of Farscape. I referred to this chat to illustrate how the series constructs the aliens as normal by making John our point of identification.
Christopher, Remy. “Little Miss Tough Chick of the Universe: Farscape’s Inverted Sexual Dynamics.” Action Chicks. Ed. Inness, Sherrie.
Remy Christopher analyzes the portrayal of gender and sexuality in Farscape, with particular emphasis on the characters of John Crichton and Aeryn Sun. Christopher argues that Farscape challenges conventional gender roles by portraying characters who do not fit into either a traditional ‘male’ or a ‘female’ role. She convincingly utilizes queer theory to show how the characters create a new gender role which mixes both the ‘feminine’ and the ‘masculine’. She argues that the alternative gender performances of the series are rare in science fiction and thus give fans a new chance to explore a queer universe rather than a patriarchal and hetero-normative one. Her essay was useful for my paper because it suggests how the characters overturn essentialist gender roles by creating a new, mixed gender rather than simply giving characters characteristics of the ‘opposite’ gender. Her argument allowed me to show how Farscape’s sense of gender and sexual play can be subversive and challenge the dominant beliefs in society.
Durgin, Doranna. “Puppets, Sentient Blue Vegetables, Body Fluids and Love: Or, How Farscape Screwed with its Characters.” Farscape Forever: Sex, Drug and Killer Muppets. Ed. Glenn Yeffeth.
Doranna Durgin’s chapter in Farscape Forever is not a traditional essay, but she nonetheless brings up several important issues surrounding the ways that Farscape inverts the norm. By presenting a conversation between two fictional characters in the television industry, she gives insight into how Farscape is perceived by both its fans and the networks. The chapter repeatedly emphasizes how Farscape broke many of the rules of television and science fiction and thus built a dedicated fanbase. This chapter was useful to me because it deals with many of the ways that Farscape differed from previous science fiction TV shows.
Johnson, Catherine. Telefantasy.
Catherine Johnson analyzes the place of ‘telefantasy’ series in North American and British television. To do so, she takes both a historic approach and a text-based approach. She describes the context in which various telefantasy series were produced and received by relating the issues of the time to the texts themselves. She then goes into detail about several telefatnasy series and applies genre theory in order to analyze the differences and similarities between each text. By taking these dual approaches, she very effectively outlines the rise of telefantasy in North America and
Lavigne, Carlen (unknown) "Space Opera: Melodrama, Feminism and the Women of Farscape”. Femspec 6.2. Accessed 14 November 2006. < http://www.femspec.org/samples/farscape.html>.
Carlen Lavigne argues that Farscape combines science fiction with melodrama and soap opera in order to suggest new possibilities for gender roles and spectatorship. The essay argues from a feminist perspective that the science fiction setting allows Farscape to rewrite the traditionally passive women of soap operas. The essay effectively illustrates how the main female characters, particularly Aeryn, express new gender roles and a more open sexuality. I used this essay for my discussion of gender and sexuality, and how they are portrayed in a potentially subversive manner on Farscape.
Marano, Michael. “Theatre of Faces: How the Nonhumanoids of Farscape Create a Unique SF Experience.” Farscape Forever: Sex, Drug and Killer Muppets. Ed. Glenn Yeffeth.
Michael Marano analyses the place of the puppet characters in Farscape and tries to account for their realism and popularity. He argues that the puppets are ‘empty’ and incomplete, and thus invites audience participation in the creation of their characters. They feel real precisely because they are not created to seem super-realistic like many CGI aliens and monsters are in other science fiction. He describes how viewers bring their knowledge and background to the show and to the puppets, and so imbue the puppets with human-like emotions which make them come to life. By doing so, Farscape creates a sense of a shared experience by the audience. This essay was useful to me because it illustrates how the show combines extremely alien and ‘other’ characters with recognizably human emotions to make them seem real. This allowed me to suggest ways in which such a combination can be potentially subversive by raising questions about our human society.
no subject
no subject
no subject