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Star Trek & Farscape: The Complete Series
Star Trek on DVD and the other Trek worth picking up this week! By
Robert T. Trate
November 17, 2009
© Mania/ Robert Trate
“My name is John Crichton... an astronaut. Three years ago I got shot through a wormhole. I'm in a distant part of the universe aboard this living ship of escaped prisoners, my friends. I've made enemies. Powerful. Dangerous. Now all I want is to find a way home, to warn Earth. Look upward, and share... the wonders I have seen”.
Several years ago I came across Farscape on one lonely Friday night. The episode was “Out of There Minds”. Farscape was getting a lot of great reviews at the time and appearing on every magazine including TV Guide. I thought I had better check it out. Unfortunately for me, I was completely lost. “Out of There Minds” features a story where the entire cast switches bodies. Crichton (Ben Browder) is inside Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black) and Ka D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe) is inside Pilot (Lani John Tupu) and so fourth. I had no sense of the characters so the actor’s performances were totally lost on me. The story itself was funny, mildly offensive (in a good way) and totally refreshing. Sure there was plenty of sci-fi danger and intrigue but this wasn’t Star Trek. There wasn’t a chain of command or rules and regulations to follow, it was off-the-cuff. I was hooked.
I waited for the show to be start again in re-runs and what happened next was totally unexpected. I went from being hooked to gaining an obsession for the show. Every night I had this ritual of watching the further adventures of John Crichton and the crew of Moya. What also was totally refreshing was how each episode hinged on the next. Let’s face it, you can pretty much watch all three seasons of the original Star Trek series out of order (and most of us have for decades). Farscape is a story that constantly unfolds and reveals the interworkings of all those on board. In trying to introduce others to the show, I was pointing out significant episodes to watch but quickly realized the only place to begin is at the beginning.
For those of you that don’t know Farscape here is your quick run down of the show. John Crichton is an astronaut that finds himself on the other side of the universe. A worm hole has transported him from today (circa 1999) into a huge space battle where escaped prisoners have taken control of their ship and are now on the run. John is constantly trying to find a way home but his bigger problems come from working with this diverse group of aliens. Every day problems are the key to Farscape as John and his new shipmates must not only outrun the evil Peace Keepers but find food and supplies. Their ship is totally defenseless and completely alive creating further dilemmas. Over the course of four seasons, the crew changes only slightly but their main enemies actually become members of the crew. This constantly throws off the balance and trust that those original prisoners formed. It is never easy, there is always someone that wants them dead, but this motley crew rises to the challenge time and time again. You’ll feel foolish for not watching when it was on and marvel how just how real a puppet can be.
Today is your chance to get Farscape in a complete Mega Set that includes every episode in one box (pick up the Best Buy Exclusive Edition to get the set that includes The Peace Keeper Wars). The ADV Films releases are long gone and this is your chance to either discover or rediscover Farscape. The show is really the epitome of what all great sci-fi fans want. It takes the best of what made Star Trek, Buck Rogers and Star Wars so popular and blends them together with incredible puppets and a lot of sex. Not sex with the puppets just… well watch and see because when it is all said and done you’ll never find another show that was so character driven in the realm of sci-fi. It is time for you to discover the wonder that is Farscape.
Check out my interview with Farscape stars and producers Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Brian Henson and Rockne O’Bannon here on Mania. Be sure to check out my Farscape toy column for your complete run down on those hard to find action figures, “The Farscape Folly”.
ACTION / ADVENTURE / KUNG FU/ THRILLERS / WESTERNS
2 Assassins ~ Eric Carroll, Krishna B. Sharma, and Tracy Cooper
3 Days Gone ~ Richard Tyson, Michelle Stafford, Patrick J. Adams, and Charles Wesley
American Venus ~ Matt Craven, Rebecca De Mornay, Nicholas Lea, and Jane McGregor
Bad Dealings ~ Beanie Man, Roxy Ward, and Kennyy Williams
Black Soul Dynamite
Blue Seduction ~ Jane Wheeler, Billy Zane, and Estella Warren
The Canyon ~ Yvonne Strahovski, Will Patton, and Eion Bailey
City of Life and Death [Blu-ray] ~ Gao Yuanyuan, Liu Ye, Fan Wei, and Hideo Nakaizumi
The Limits of Control ~ Isaach De Bankolé, Alex Descas, and Jean-François Stévenin
The Locator 2 Braxton Returns ~ Andre Buckner, Chris Durant, Cristina Kellogg, and Lynn McArthur
Lords of the Street [Blu-ray] ~ Kris Kristofferson
Luxury Car ~ Wu You Cai, Tian Yuan, and Huang He
Police Story [Blu-ray] ~ Maggie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Jackie Chan, and Bill Tung
Prisoner ~ Tom Guiry, Elias Koteas, Julian McMahon, and Kim Raver
The Professional [Blu-ray] ~ Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, and Danny Aiello
Samurai Princess ~ Aino Kishi
Rituals ~ Hal Halbrook, Lawrence Dane, and Robin Gammell
SEAL Team ~ Chris Warner, Zach McGowan, Jeremy Davis, and Jes Meza
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon DVDTee (Size L) ~ Basil Rathbone
Shout at the Devil ~ George Coulouris, Peter Copley, Maurice Denham, and Ian Holm
ANIME
Bleach, Vol. 22
Blue Drop: The Complete Collection
Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion: R2, Part 2 (Limited Edition)
Code Geass Leouch of the Rebellion: R2, Part 2
Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Box One ~ Sean Schemmel, Christopher R. Sabat, and Laura Bailey
Evangelion: 1.01 You Are (Not) Alone - Movie ~ Allison Keith-Shipp
Hayate the Combat Butler, Part 3
Kujibiki Unbalance Complete (Thin Pack)
Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Season 1, Part 3 (Special Edition)
Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Season 1, Part 3
My-Zhime: My-Otome Complete Collection (Anime Legends)
Polyphonica: Complete Collection
Toward the Terra: Complete Collection
Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE: Season 1 [Blu-ray] ~ Carrie Savage
CARTOONS
Ben 10: Alien Force, Vol. 5
Drawn Together - The Complete Series
Egon & Donci
The Smurfs: World of Wonders
The Spectacular Spider-Man, Vol. 5 ~ Josh Keaton, Lacey Chabert, Joshua LeBar, and Grey DeLisle
CLASSICS
Avant-Garde 3: Experimental Cinema 1922-1954
The Exiles ~ Mary Donahue
Gone with the Wind (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray] ~ Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, and Olivia de Havilland
Gone with the Wind (Two-Disc Special Edition)
COMEDY AND LOVE Mania Style
Bruno ~ Sacha Baron Cohen, LaToya Jackson, Elton John, and Paula Abdul
Brüno [Blu-ray]
Chasing Amy [Blu-ray] ~ Ethan Suplee, Ben Affleck, Scott Mosier, and Jason Lee
Clerks [Blu-ray] ~ Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, and Lisa Spoonhauer
Galaxy Quest [Blu-ray] ~ Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and Tony Shalhoub
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Its A Very Sunny Christmas ~ Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas [Blu-ray]
Criterion Collection
Downhill Racer (The Criterion Collection) ~ Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, Camilla Sparv, and Joe Jay Jalbert
HORROR
Basement Jack ~ Eric Peter-Kaiser, Sam Skoryna, Lynn Lowry, and Tiffany Shepis
Call of the Hunter ~ Angelique Fernandez, Don McCorkindale, and Jonathan Hansler
The Canyon ~ Yvonne Strahovski, Will Patton, and Eion Bailey
Dark ~ Carolyn Carlson
Evilution ~ Nathan Bexton, Jonathan Breck, and Eric Peter-Kaiser
Hanger ~ Dan Ellis, Nathan Dashwood, Wade Gibb, and Candice Le
Taintlight ~ Meredith Host, Kurt Indovina, Billy Garberina, and A.J. Stabone
ThanksKilling ~ Chuck Lamb, Lance Predmore, Lindsey Anderson, and Natasha Cordova
Vampire Party ~ Tchéky Karyo, Patrick Mille, and Julien Boisselier
MODERN CLASSICS on BLU-RAY
Fight Club [Blu-ray] ~ Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter
SCIENCE FICTION / FANTASY
Franklyn ~ James Faulkner, Bernard Hill, Art Malik, and Kika Markham
Franklyn [Blu-ray]
Star Trek (Three-Disc +Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] ~ Chris Pine, Leonard Nimoy
Star Trek (Single-Disc Edition)
Star Trek (Two-Disc Digital Copy Edition)
Star Trek Limited Edition Replica Gift Set (Three-Disc + Digital Copy) (Amazon Exclusive) [Blu-ray]
TV LAND
7th Heaven: The Ninth Season ~ Stephen Collins, Catherine Hicks, Jessica Biel, and Barry Watson
Andy Barker, P.I.: The Complete Series ~ Andy Richter
Monk: Best of Monk ~ Jason Gray-Stanford, Ted Levine, and Tony Shalhoub
The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series, Vol. 2 ~ William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, and James Doohan
The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Vol. 2 ~ Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Levar Burton, and Brent Spiner
Elvis Costello: Spectacle: Season 1 (4pc) (Ac3) ~ Elvis Costello, Elton John, Bill Clinton, and Smokey Robinson
Elvis Costello: Spectacle - Season One [Blu-ray]
-29 Episode Commentaries, including "Premiere" with Rockne S. O'Bannon, Brian Henson and Ben Browder; "Jeremiah Crichton" with Claudia Black, Producer/Writer David Kemper, Browder and O'Bannon; "Bone to Be Wild" with Anthony Simcoe; "Relativity" with Lani Tupu (Crais/Voice of Pilot) and Director Peter Andrikidis; and, "Bad Timing" which features Browder, Black and Kemper discussing the series' final episode.
-Multiple featurettes and documentaries including "In the Beginning: A Look Back with Brian Henson"; "Making of a Space Opera" and "Inside Farscape: Save Farscape," on which fans, cast and crew discuss the fate of their beloved series.
-Multiple video profiles featuring archival clips and cast/crew discussing their characters and roles on Farscape.
-Over 90 minutes of deleted scenes.
-Slideshows and archival photo galleries, including character concepts and promo photos.
-Production design galleries featuring screenshots, rough drafts and concept slide shows.
-Behind-the-Scenes interviews with Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Anthony Simcoe, Virginia Hey, Gigi Edgley, Paul Goddard (Stark), Wayne Pygram (Scorpius) and more.
-Original TV promos and trailers
Farscape: The Complete Season 1
Farscape: The Complete Season 2
Farscape: The Complete Season 3
Farscape: The Complete Season 4
Moonshot [Blu-ray] ~ Andrew Lincoln, Daniel Lapaine, James Marsters, and Anna Maxwell Martin
Rome: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] ~ Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson, Polly Walker, and Tobias Menzies
Rome: The Complete Series
Scrubs: The Complete Eighth Season [Blu-ray] ~ Zach Braff
The Sopranos: The Complete Series ~ James Gandolfini
Wagon Train - The Complete First Season - Special Limited Edition - 39 episodes! ~ Ward Bond, Robert Horton, Frank McGrath, and Terry Wilson
BOX SETS
Kevin Smith Box Set (Clerks | Chasing Amy | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) [Blu-ray] ~ Ethan Suplee, Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, and Matt Damon
Shaw Brothers Metal Tin: Epic Heroes (4 DVDs and T-Shirt Offer)
NON GENRE PICK OF THE WEEK
Gone with the Wind (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray] ~ Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, and Olivia de Havilland
Farscape was great! Anybody who hasn't experienced it owes it to himself to see it.