- Directed by Andrew Prowse
- Written by Rockne S O’Bannon
- Created by Rockne S. O’Bannon
- March 19, 1999
- Sci-Fi Channel
Episode Cast
- John Crichton-Ben Browder
- Officer Aeryn Sun-Claudia Black
- Pa’u Zotoh Zhaan-Virginia Hey
- Ka D’Argo-Anthony Simcoe
- Jack Crichton-Kent McCord
- Dominar Rygel XVI-Jonathan Hardy (voice)
- Captain Bialar Crais, Pilot(voice)-Lani John Tupu
- D.K.-Murray Bartlett
- Peacekeeper Guard #1-Greg Blandy
- Peacekeeper Weapons Officer-Colin Borgonon
- Lt. Teeg-Christine Stephen-Daly
- Bio Isolation Man #1-Damen Stephenson
- Bio Isolation Man #2-Lawrence Woodward
An astronaut attempting to use the Earth’s atmosphere to propel his module at high speeds is hit by a radiation wave and sucked through a wormhole into a distant part of the universe.
When you say The Jim Henson Company people think of The Muppet Show or Labyrinth but should include the imaginative Farscape which began life with the unimaginatively titled Premiere. Featuring Ben Browder as astronaut and scientist John Crichton, it is an excellent showcase of what the show would be but as an episode comes up short in some areas.
John’s moral code is on full display throughout. He does do the right thing like show mercy to the prisoners when he could do otherwise or save one of the enemy when they are about to be screwed. John shows a level of resourcefulness and intelligence though nothing is ever flawless.
One thing that was started here and kept throughout the series is that John was never a hero. He was never a character setting out to fight the good fight. He was simply guided by a moral code while avoiding capture at the hands of various aliens initially because he ran afoul of one commander but those reasons for him to be pursued would grow.
The necessary opening scenes on Earth are…off. I don’t know exactly what it is about them, but the episode definitely starts to fire on all cylinders once the action gets into space. There’s a distinct low budget Full Moon Entertainment of the time feel to it for some reason yet not of one of their quality offerings.
John is initially portrayed as a man living in his father shadow. He’s not necessarily bitter or angry over it, but it has added pressure to his life. His father Jack (Kent McCord) is a former astronaut and current head of IASA (International Aeronautics and Space Administration because NASA can be litigious). John’s problems begin because his flight to test a theory that will advance spaceflight goes screwy for reasons.
We get from Earth to space to aliens rather quickly and I have a problem with that. A great many events happen in under twenty minutes of show. This needed to be two-hour pilot. Not to spend a great deal of time on Earth but just to move slower towards the broader series status quo of John and (eventual) friends on the run.
Science-fiction is pricier than most shows, yet this was on the cheaper side for the genre of the day. It’s like in a rush to get everything set up possibly to keep costs down. This is something that could’ve benefited from a two-hour pilot rather than a single hour. It is almost barreling along not because of chaos of the story or kinetic action of the narrative, but to establish the broad status quo of the series where the main character is pursued by a crazed commander seeking to avenge the accidental death of his brother.
The main cast of the series aside from John are introduced quickly. Officer Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black), Pa’u Zotoh Zhaan (Virginia Hey), Ka D’Argo (Anthony Simcoe), Dominar Rygel XVI (Jonathan Hardy voice), and Lani John Tupu as the obsessed Captain Bialar Crais and the voice of Pilot all are met before the halfway point. You get a good feel for each but there is little time to take each in before the story moves on.
Claudia Black played Aeryn Sun, an elite Special Peacekeeper Commando and pilot serving in the Icarion Company of the Pleisar Regiment, with a cold military manner. Though human looking, her and the rest of her species are Sebacean. Aeryn was tough and stern without needing to actually show it. You just knew it. She is doing her duty and proceeds like that until the finale and is forced to stick with the people her people imprisoned.
Zhaan was enigmatic and calm. A few lines succinctly set up her personality and her species. Virginia Hey gave her realism despite the extensive body paint used to realize a character that was absolutely beautiful in her unEarthly appearance. Her calm measured tone and almost flirtatious interactions largely with D’Argo here said so much.
D’Argo is clearly a riff on Star Trek’s Klingons, but he is quickly established as a warrior with something a little more. He, like every other character here, has a few secrets hinted at by evasive answers.
Dominar Rygel XVI was accomplished via a masterful Henson puppet and minimal early TV CGI. With his expressive capabilities and the capable vocals of Jonathan Hardy you almost forget it is a puppet. As a character, he gets on your nerves. Not in a good way. He’s all greedy and annoying to the point of being self-parody. He even farts helium a few times. All that nearly pushed him into Jar Jar Binks territory. Pilot, trapped forever in the depths of the Moya, was another dynamic puppet. The arms did move pointlessly but the face moved and looked so very real.
Captain Bialar Crais, the original intended overarching villain of the show, promised something special in the way of villainy in his first appearance. Lani John Tupu never chewed the scene but managed an endless controlled rage mixed with a military authority. Not necessarily evil but angry.
There is a realism to the dialogue and character reactions. Even the space dialogue they have feels serious. By that I mean it’s written and delivered in a way that the characters know what they’re talking about, but the audience might be occasionally confused or even clueless. Like what is the Fourth Sensation? That means nothing to the viewer but something to the characters.
How they get past the obvious language barrier I found to be a unique take on the idea of the universal translator. Here it is something called ‘translator microbes’ which per the show colonize at the base of the brain and allows them to understand each other. I have question on how it works since in one episode they went to a planet that logically would not have access to them, but language was not a problem then. Getting off track.
Premiere does an excellent job of creating unique yet identifiable aspects of common science-fiction technology. Communicators and view screens are done differently yet introduced and used in a way that you’re familiar with them. What soon became referenced as the clamshell is perhaps a prime example.
The episode is thrilling and entertaining with humor that never undermines the situation. Each character stands out because there is something unique each brings to that moment or to the show itself. The alien feel of it is hammered home because John is the only one with an American accent. You can bring up D’Argo but the man is far from human looking. The alien vibe would’ve been a much to tougher sell if this were produced in LA or Canada. The pool of actors that they could pick from would have sounded much more like John.
In general, it is a promising start and maybe that’s part of the reason I feel it cut short because I wanted more. It’s imaginative space opera that’s visually distinct. Filmed in Australia, it has sensibilities that could only come from the unique area of its production. Look what came about in the post-apocalyptic genre from there.
Premiere was a good start to a show even if it left me wanting more. It promised something special and different and it certainly delivered down the road on that. A good beginning to what turned out to be a fantastic show.
Warren Watched A Movie 