Farscape — 1x03 — Exodus from Genesis
Synopsis
The source of a mysterious rise in Moya's temperature turns out to be an infestation of Draks, a race of intelligent insectoid creatures. Aeryn quickly succumbs to Sebacean heat delirium, a potentially fatal illness, forcing Crichton to bargain with the Draks, who agree to lower Moya's temperature in return for inhabitation of Moya until their breeding cycle is complete. However, this uneasy truce is shattered when lethal Peacekeeper Commandos under the command of Captain Bialar Crais raid the Leviathan.
Filler rating: partial filler
Has exposition about Sebacean heat delirium along with a partially relevant subplot concerning the Peacekeepers chasing Moya.
Remarkable scenes
- John cleaning his teeth with a "dentic" creature.
- Zhaan's painting of Rygel.
- John freaking out about alien bugs in his quarters.
- John: "What's her problem?" D'Argo: "Sebacean heat delirium." John: "What?" D'Argo: "Sebaceans lack the gland necessary to regulate extreme thermal increases." John: "Wait, Crais and those other bastards chasing us are cold blooded? Literally?" D'Argo: "It's a weakness not enough of them die from."
- Zhaan: "How will you tell us from them?" D'Argo: "We will cut off the tip of our small finger for identification!" John: "How about something a little less permanent?"
- Pilot: "It is strange to be so close to a Peacekeeper I do not fear."
- John figuring out the motives of the alien and mediating the situation.
- Peacekeepers boarding the ship, confronting the clones of the crew.
- Crichton's bluff to the Peacekeepers.
Review
Continuing the theme from the premiere of Crichton struggling to be useful, this episode explores the psychology behind his struggling to be relevant quite well. I loved the detail about his not being able to figure out how to work all the controls on Moya along with Zhaan's astute observations and counseling. Once again she seems to be a stabilizing force among the runaways.
Likewise, even D'Argo presents some interesting facets as he admits that he wants Aeryn to live in this episode, declaring that while she was a Peacekeeper, she's now a comrade. D'Argo calls John a comrade too. It's touching how these people are slowly becoming more like friends and less like ambiguous allies. Indeed, John proves himself once again by applying his skills and his human perspective to solve the problem of the week. He adapts quite well and has earned the respect that he's now built up.
A particular highlight is Crichton's bluff to the Peacekeeper commandos who boarded on the marauder ship. They will undoubtedly return to Crais and give a report that will undoubtedly be all manner of confusing to Crais, though I doubt it will much motivate him to call off his search. That would be too easy. At best, it will buy John some time as Crais plans a more careful chase.
Easily the best theme of the episode is the theme of symbiotic life discussed between Crichton and Zhaan at the end of the episode. The parallelism between the dentic, the translator microbes, Moya herself (along with Pilot), and the monarch aliens is definitely a nice touch. I like how John appeals to the better parts of his nature, chiding himself for reacting so fearfully and violently upon witnessing all of these alien life forms at first. Though I suspect he will still encounter trouble with this instinct as time goes on.
Overall, Exodus from Genesis is a fairly enjoyable episode, particularly the character drama. The Crais plot strictly speaking may not have been too terribly relevant, but it's nice to see that the Peacekeepers are still chasing them, despite the questionable competence of the chase.