Every sci-fi fan should watchFarscape, the 26-year-old sci-fi masterpiece from Jim Henson Productions that originally aired from 1999-2003 on the Sci-Fi Channel in the US—but be aware that streaming sites haveFarscape’s first season out of order.Farscapestars Ben Browder as John Crichton, an astronaut who’s sucked into a wormhole and winds up in the galaxy’s Uncharted Territories. Aboard Moya, a biomechanoid starship crewed by escaped fugitives, Crichton introduces compassion to aliens who literally don’t know the meaning of the word.
Farscapeaged beautifully as aninfluential sci-fi TV show that’s still being copiedtoday, which makes sense for a show that was as ahead of its time asFarscapewas. Its worldbuilding is unique and brilliant, with complex characters that grow together and apart. There are love stories, chiefly between Crichton and Peacekeeper-turned-ally Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black), and one of thebest characters in sci-fi TVin Scorpius (Wayne Pygram), debuting near the end of season 1.EveryFarscapecharacter matters, and more importantly, everyactionmatters, compounding into an ongoing story that can and will break your heart.
26 Years Later, Farscape Remains A Must-Watch Masterpiece For Sci-Fi Fans
Farscape Dared To Break The Mold Of Late 90s Sci-Fi
26 years after its original broadcast date,Farscaperemains a must-watch masterpiece for sci-fi fans. BecauseFarscapewas so ahead of its time, it’s the kind of sci-fi show that still holds up today. Of course,Farscapeis more than a simple fish-out-of-water story. It dared to be different in an era when most sci-fi shows still stuck to a familiar formula.Farscapelets its aliens be trulyalien, with wildly different biology even when they’re humanoid. It’s visceral, sexy, and unafraid to turn normal sci-fi tropes on their heads and inside out in the name of better stories.
ButFarscapedoes require patience. The first season seems like it’s not quite sure whether it’s allowed to be as weird asFarscapereally wants to—and will eventually—be. Like Crichton, you’re dumped into the middle of the action without many explanations or easy answers. I think that’s a plus, but some viewers might be confused by the chaos. BecauseFarscapeseason 1 isn’t always shown in the correct order,you have to followFarscape’s original production orderto see how the relationships betweenFarscape’s best charactersunfold as the writers intended.
Farscape’s Viewing Order Needs To Be Fixed On Streaming Sites
You Should Watch Farscape Season 1 In Production Order
The viewing order forthe first half ofFarscapeseason 1 needs to be fixed on streaming sitesso it matches the production order. Currently, Amazon Prime and Peacock listFarscapein the original US broadcast order, as doesIMDB’sFarscapeseason 1 page. The UK and Australia also originally airedFarscapein unique orders that are completely different from the US broadcast order. Fortunately, DVD and Blu-ray releases use production order to showFarscape’s first 13 episodes as they should be watched.
1
2
3
Back and Back and Back to the Future
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Rhapsody In Blue
Curiously, every version ofFarscape’s original broadcast moves “I, E.T.,” which is supposed to be the second episode, to later in the season, and swaps the last two episodes of the season’s first half, “The Flax” and “Rhapsody in Blue”. The UK and Australian broadcast orders are relatively consistent with the production order, and keep “I, E.T.” relatively early in the season, butstreamers are using the US broadcast order, which has the biggest changes, because the first seven episodes ofFarscapeseem to be completely random in that order.
Why Farscape’s Broadcast Order Is Different From Production Order
The Sci-Fi Channel Couldn’t Risk Losing An Already Skeptical Audience
Farscape’s broadcast order is different from its intended production order because the show was such a tough sell at the turn of the Millennium.Farscapehad an estimated cost of $1.4 million per episode, making it one of the most expensive TV shows on the Sci-Fi Channel at the time. Between the colorful cast, the Henson Creature Shop characters, and the second episode, “I, E.T.”, being about Crichton befriending a young boy,Farscaperan the risk of being misinterpreted as a children’s show—and alienating its actual target audience of adults.
Farscape’s per-episode budget of $1.4 million is equal to $2.71 million in 2025. Compared to today’s soaring TV budgets, that’s a bargain.
Fearing viewers might not tune in ifFarscapedidn’t follow its premiere episode with a banger, the Sci-Fi Channel pushed the lackluster “I, E.T.,” to later in the season. Thenew second episode, “Exodus from Genesis”, is more action-orientedand emphasizes that Moya is a living ship. The BBC and Australia’s Nine Network also moved “I, E.T.”, but also pushed back “Exodus from Genesis”, making “Throne for a Loss” the new episode 2. But “I, E.T.” is a surprisingly important episode for Crichton’s motivation and character development, so it needs to happen early.
Watching Farscape In Production Order Makes A Better Viewing Experience
Farscape’s First Season Is Episodic, But There’s Still Slow Character Development
WatchingFarscapein its intended production order makes for a better viewing experience today, when we can watch from the beginning and hang on for the slow build. It’s weird to watch “Exodus From Genesis” as the second episode, because you’d think Crichton should be more concerned about figuring out where he is or how he can get home,but that story is already in “I, E.T.”, which gets skipped over. And putting “I, E.T.” as episode 7 (or even episode 4), means characters like Aeryn and Rygel gobackwardsin their character development.
We see howFarscape’s main characters slowly learn to rely on one another as they discover their common goals.
The first half ofFarscape’s first season was originally shot in production blocks of two episodes, so it probably seemed like it didn’t matter which order these episodes aired in. These are the episodic adventures of Moya’s crew in the Uncharted Territories while trying to stay off Peacekeeper radar, and not as heavily serialized asFarscape’s later seasons. But in these first few episodes, we see howFarscape’s main characters slowly learn to rely on one another as they discover their common goals. And you really see that best when watchingFarscapein production order.
