Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars

Scorpius: "This is insane, Crichton."
John: "Four years on and you're finally gettin' that?"

While filming of this two-part finale began in December of 2003, just nine months after the show was cancelled (March 10, 2003), we didn’t find out about Peacekeeper Wars until the following May and had to wait another five months (October 17, 2004) for it to premiere. We had to stew with nothing but rumors for over a year that we wouldn’t be left with that miserable ending.

This first part of two, shown over subsequent days, was a proper return. While certain costumes had changed, notably Sikozu, this was Farscape. We are first introduced to Rygel as he swims about (the digital effects are a little dated now), and he’s finally shown to be the aquatic type lifeform established way back in season one, as he scoops up the pieces of John and Aeryn that had fallen into the sea.

This marks the first of several complications that the crew have to overcome, because while John and Aeryn are reconstructed without issue, their baby which had long been teased ends up in Rygel for a time. In usual frenetic succession we learn that Sebaceans are actually human, taken from Earth 27,000 cycles earlier, and genetically engineered to protect the galaxy by the Eidelons, the alien race that crystallized John and Aeryn.

The Eidelons were introduced early in season four as a kind of mystical alien that kept the peace between the various alien races. The ones we meet on the water planet are their ancestors who have lost the ability to influence peace so that’s our primary McGuffin for the show. We are learning all this while interspersed with scenes of the new war between Peacekeepers and Scarrans, which feels rather apocalyptic... a galaxy-sized war.

What I loved right away were John and Aeryn waking up, pulling guns and being somewhat cool with their weird two month time loss, quickly announcing that they were getting married. I loved D'Argo and Chiana congratulating them, while trying to keep the Eidelons from attacking and likely feeling tremendous relief that their friends were back among the living. D'Argo and Chi are still together as well, which makes me smile.

Meanwhile, Scorpius somehow knows that John is alive again, as though magically connected to him. My only guess is Harvey somehow alerted Scorpy, which makes about as much sense as anything else. Of course Scorpius in his obsession with wormhole weapons breaks off the attack and retreats towards the water world, causing the newly introduced Grand Chancellor Maryk of the Peacekeepers to call for Scorpius to be hunted down and executed for treason.

We also learn that Grayza is his advisor/lover who is also very pregnant, possibly with the Grand Chancellor’s baby (it’s never actually confirmed). She is clearly pulling the strings, because Maryk is kind of dim, prone to cowardice and is generally a wet bag when it comes to command. It’s a wonder he ever managed to climb the ranks, but when you consider Crais was a fleet captain, who allowed grief to derail both his career and rationality, I don’t think Peacekeeper high command has ever been very smart.

Moya and crew quickly depart the water planet after Grandma realizes the connection between these Eidelons and the ones they encountered a year ago, and after a quick space diversion where some Peacekeeper hired mercenaries actually harpoon Moya and are then relatively quickly killed off by the crew, making the entire sequence of events feel somewhat pointless. Except for the newly created holes in Moya, which do come into play later on. Of course there was a similar situation way back in season one in "I, E.T." where Moya was partially submerged in a bog, her weight and the pressures eventually caused similar water intrusion, so maybe they could’ve just done that and avoided this entire side plot.

Of course, when they land, John ends up alone and is reunited with Jool, who has become a badass since she was left with the Eidelons. I love the fact she immediately assumed John was there for her and started kissing him. Naturally, he shut that down quickly because of Aeryn. I really like what they did with her look because her old outfit was kind of awful. She is also one of the first real casualties of the series, when she dies along with all the rest of the ancient Eidelons when the Scarran emperor nukes the city from orbit.

That moment is one of the most brutal scenes in the entire series, cementing the Scarrans as more than just the monster in the room, but far worse than the Nazi-esque Peacekeepers. There was no reason to do this, they had no real motivation except for violence and perhaps plot, so to lose Jool like this feels devastating, no matter how you feel about her character. The sole remaining Eidelon elder managed to escape, but the Scarrans forced the crew to abandon Moya with Chiana and D'Argo aboard his stealth ship.

Their captivity effectively ends the first part of the two part mini-series with a soft cliffhanger involving John, Aeryn, Rygel (still pregnant with John and Aeryn’s baby), Sikozu, Stark and Scorpius trapped in a room with gas pouring in that will "entomb" them. Something that Scorpius and Sikozu mention is classic Scarran tactics. This works fine to cap off this part of the story, especially since the stakes are relatively minor. What was really heavy was the destruction of D'Argo’s ship just a few minutes earlier, leaving the fate of D'Argo and Chiana up in the air. We know that D'Argo can survive in space for a quarter arn, but we don’t know if Chiana can hold up too. That is, if they were able to exit the ship in time.

On to part two.

The group breaks out in record time, D'Argo and Chiana are rescued last minute by Jothee who has grown up quite a bit since he left back in season two. With D'Argo and Chiana back together, it was the perfect time to finally work on the unresolved drama caused by Chiana cheating on D'Argo. She has also grown up quite a bit since then and I really loved how well they handle the renewed conflict. There is clearly pain on all sides, but a path towards reconciliation. It feels adult and powerful, and I'm really glad they were able to fit Jothee into the story.

I also love that Jothee has a whole Luxan commando group under his command, promoted because he was the smartest of them all. It is lovely to see him like this, that D'Argo gets to see his son thriving and that he has grown up to be an honorable and responsible man. Jothee also saves the day more than once in this final episode, being the one working behind the scenes to make sure the primary mission succeeds. I have literally no complaints on this; it’s a great character come back.

So the majority of the second part takes place on the water world, where the entire plot revolves around getting the secret Eidelon power now residing in Stark's face energy thing transferred to the new Eidelons, because the elder was killed by the Scarran Emperor. This convoluted plot was predicated on two things: one, the Eidelons were essential to creating a lasting peace, and two, a traitor has been informing on the location of John and the crew. This second plot has been hinted at since near the beginning and is finally revealed to be Sikozu.

While I'm not surprised, especially considering her motivations, it feels weird given that she was already a part of a secret rebellion within her own race. That plotline is dropped in favor of her betrayal, which doesn't entirely make sense or work thematically. It also destroys the relationship she had with Scorpius which I was kind of simultaneously grossed out by and silently rooting for. I feel they would've done something very different if season five had been able to go forward.

For me, Sikozu's heel turn is one of the few genuinely bad decisions this two-parter makes, especially when Grunchlik, who has tattled to the Scarrans before, came back somewhat mysteriously. Either way her fate is left somewhat in the air. It is confirmed that Scorpius doesn’t kill her. But she is on the planet when it is torn apart later on, with Grunchlik I might add, whose presence doesn't make sense except as a possible suspect for the traitor plot. In my head cannon Grunchlik and Sikozu rescue the injured D'Argo and manage to get off world before it is destroyed, somewhat redeeming both characters.

The rest of the battle scenes on the water planet are all character driven, coinciding with Aeryn giving birth. I'm not entirely sure we needed to actually see Aeryn deliver the child, but it gave her some needed screen time (she hasn't been absent at all, but never really the focus). Chiana also gets to shine in these scenes, because it shows her reverting a little when it comes to children because she still considers herself a child in a lot of ways.

I really loved how the battle progresses as the crew works closely with Scorpius and Braca who are kind of the devil you know. Braca in particular does some heavy lifting as the one constant loyalist to Scorpius (perhaps his true soulmate, to be honest) and who managed to save and protect the remaining Eidelons from the Scarran attacks. He also holds his own during the siege, supporting the crew and Scorpius several times. He’s always been a great supporting character, and I'm glad he got a final moment to shine.

Of course the battle comes to a head, as the crew get free to be picked up by Moya. But not without one final heart wrenching death. Our beloved D'Argo gets shot and cannot continue, choosing to go out in a blaze of glory covering their escape. This one hits hard, especially on rewatch, because it is a fitting end for the character. Yet it was also incredibly bittersweet because he had just reunited with his son and was developing a permanent relationship with Chiana. I get why we needed to have at least one impactful death, but I wish it hadn't been D'Argo.

With the crew back on Moya, we now progress to the endgame, and oh boy is it incredible. After four years and the constant chasing, capture, torture, death and destruction surrounding John and his wormhole knowledge, he finally unleashes the truth of wormhole weapons. They aren't a clever trap or a small scale save. They aren't easily deployable or even a means of mutually assured destruction. A wormhole weapon is quite simply a black hole that grows exponentially and consumes everything. It isn't a weapon: it is the end of everything.

The moment is calm, as John starts off asking Scorpius to beg him one last time to use the wormhole weapon. Then he does it, which quickly ramps up as John plays an incredibly destructive game of chicken with the Peacekeepers and Scarrans, waiting to see who would flinch first. With John and Aeryn literally holding their newborn, they both are ready to lose everything to stop this war. Even Scorpius realizes what he has done, what he has asked for all this time isn't an answer or a solution; it is annihilation. This one scene is absolutely stunning, a true culmination of the entire wormhole plot arc, and it makes this entire two-parter worth the price we all paid at the end of the original series watching John and Aeryn die. Yet the series ends on a happy and hopeful note as Aeryn and John name their son D'Argo, holding him up to the galaxy as his new playground.

Bits:

Rebecca Riggs (Grayza) was pregnant during the filming of Peacekeeper Wars and production felt it was better to incorporate it into her character's story rather than hide her pregnancy.

The wonderful make-up present throughout the run of the original Farscape was notably different in this two-parter and that is because they had to change make-up houses. This resulted in Melissa Jaffer having to pull out of the production, which is why her presence is so light.

This was Jonathan Hardy’s (Rygel) final role. He passed away in 2012.

As a coda for Stark, he takes off his mask to reveal the transfer of Eidelon energy has closed up his energy scar. It's a soft, bittersweet end for a chaotic and at times annoying character.

Notably, the final shot of season four established that metal objects like their pulse pistols and Aeryn's ring did not get diced up, yet John and Aeryn were still armed when they were reassembled. This was likely overlooked in favor of a good scene, because their entrance was kind of perfect.

In the original plot Sikozu was not the traitor; Wayne Pygram suggested that change while on set. It was supposed to be Grunchlik, which honestly makes way more sense to me.

The final scene with Harvey was a direct recreation of a moment towards the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Quotes:

John: "Wormhole weapons do not make peace. Wormhole weapons don't even make war. They make total destruction. Annihilation. Armageddon. People make peace."

John: "Can I help?"
Aeryn: "Oh, you've done enough already. You know, if this was a Sebacean child, a pure one, it would've been born long ago. So how long will this take?"
John: "On earth, it could take days."
Aeryn: "What? I have killed men for less."

Aeryn: "John! You went there, didn't you?"
John: "I went the whole way there."
Aeryn: "I didn't want you to do that."
John: "Yes, you did. Everybody wants to see the great big wormhole weapon."
Aeryn: "No, I want to see war turned into peace."
John: "War and Peace, War and Peace. Did you know that Woody Allen's version is better than Tolstoy's? Because it is funnier and absolute power corrupts, absolutely. Where the hell's my pen? Where's my pen?"
Aeryn: "This is what you want!"
John: "No, Aeryn, it is not what I want! It's just that fate keeps blocking all the exits! And no matter what I do, I just keep circling closer to the flame!"
Aeryn: "Then pull back. This war is not your responsibility."
John: "You and the baby are my responsibility. And how am I supposed to protect you from the Peacekeepers and the Scarrans and the Tragans and the lions, tigers and bears? With this? Winona? This gun? No gun is big enough."
Aeryn: "We still have Stark and the Eidelons."
John: "It's not enough. (Points towards his notebook) This is enough. Wormholes. What's inside my head. This is ugly and it is malignant. But it will protect you and the baby."
Aeryn: "Ah, but you see. You don't just protect me, we protect each other."

John: "Do you want to see it? Do you want to see what you've been chasing me and my family for years for? Do you want to see a wormhole weapon?"
Scorpius: "Yes."
John: "Beg."
Scorpius: "I beg you."
John: "It's not good enough. Say 'please.'"
Scorpius: "Please."
John: "Pretty please..."
Scorpius: "Pretty please."
John: "With a cherry on top..."
Scorpius: "With a cherry on top."
John: "Happy Birthday. Now get out of my sight."

All in all, this was a marvelous albeit flawed finale of an otherwise marvelous but flawed series. It resolved practically every plotline satisfactorily and gave us a lovely end with John and Aeryn naming their son D'Argo with the promise of further adventures that can live on in our imaginations.

Frell, Dren, Hazmata, Tralk, Fahrbot, Yotz and Mivocks and Draddest to you all, we're finally done!

4 out of 4 cliffhangers and plotlines resolved.

Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.

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