The June 2002 double issue (Volume 34, Numbers 3-4)featured a cover story on SPIDER-MAN; extensive coverage of the third season of FARSCAPE; plus articles on LILO & STITCH, STAR WARS, MEN IN BLACK 2, DINOTOPIA, MINORITY REPORT, SPIRIT, JASON X; and FRAILTY.

You can purchase a copy here.

You can find articles from this issue in the Archives for June 2002. Highlights include:

• Farscape Season Three
• Interview: Ben Browder on playing John Crichton
• Interview: Claudia Black on playing Aeryn Sun
• Farscape According to David Kemper

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By Anna L. Kaplan

The third season of FARSCAPE, the SCI FI Channel’s highest-rated, original series continued to amaze, surprise, and engage its viewers. The deftly plotted stories delivered satisfying and deep character development against a background of galactic politics that increasingly involved John Crichton (Ben Browder), Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black) and the others. FARSCAPE Season Three, although darker in tone than the previous two seasons, offered something for everyone, with the promise of more to come in seasons four and five.

In Season One, astronaut John Crichton got lost on the other side of the universe, sucked through a wormhole. He spent most of the first season trying to stay alive. Season two, he learned the cost of living amongst aliens in the Uncharted Territories, as the clone of the Scorpius (Wayne Pygram) slowly took over his mind. Season three, John was sane, but still facing peril at every turn, even in the most unexpected places. He coped with extraordinary situations, and increasingly Continue Reading »

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By Anna L. Kaplan

Season three of FARSCAPE brought series star Ben Browder new and different challenges. He wrote his first script, “Green-Eyed Monster.” He played two John Crichtons for almost half of the season. Crichton finally got the girl, died, and yet lived on to fight the good fight, all in 22 episodes. This prompted executive producer David Kemper to say, “When I praise somebody it’s because they’ve really earned it. Ben is an astounding actor. People don’t even know how good he is, because they are only seeing the cut film. They don’t see what he goes through and how he prepares. They don’t see how he makes it look effortless, and yet it’s hard work. That’s what separates brilliant actors from the ones that are just walking through a crime drama. This guy is outstanding.” Continue Reading »

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Is Season Three Her Best Yet?

By Anna L. Kaplan

Claudia Black’s Aeryn Sun looks like a human, but is actually a Sebacean. She first appeared in FARSCAPE as a fierce Peacekeeper, bred and trained military elite. Once contaminated by her time with John Crichton and forced to live with the other species on Moya, Aeryn started a journey toward self-realization. She developed more “human” traits and more emotions, under the influence of Crichton and away from the Peacekeepers.

Season three, Aeryn followed that journey as far as she possible could, learning about her own past and family, and taking her relationship with Crichton to the ultimate conclusion. Black reveled in season three’s storylines. She recalled, “In terms of the stories now, I think the focus has shifted a lot more to Aeryn and her history. There are a lot more personal issues for her to deal with.” Continue Reading »

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By Anna L. Kaplan

Everyone who makes FARSCAPE works very hard, including executive producer David Kemper. He is passionately committed to making the best television show possible. He feels the weight of that responsibility. As work was progressing on the beginning of season four, he said, “Rockne [O’Bannon] had a vision from the beginning. We are going to stay true to it. I know where the series is going. I know the cliffhanger for year four. I also know the season opener for year five, because if you know the cliffhanger you have to know how it resolves. I know all the way through into the beginning of year five. I feel this responsibility to all the fans. That’s what scares me. I’ve got all this stuff in my head. There are stacks of file cards and papers. They are my notes for the first three-and-a-half years. Embedded in all those notes is another six or seven years worth of show. All these file cards are sitting, and other people know what they are and where they are, but interpreting is them is like tea leaves. That’s what scares me. All these people really like the show, and I feel like I better deliver.” Continue Reading »

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By Anna L. Kaplan

Anthony Simcoe likes to set challenges for himself, especially portraying the same character over many seasons of a television show. There are limitations to playing D’Argo on FARSCAPE, imposed by the prosthetics and costume, and the world in which the Luxan lives. More comfortable with the makeup by the time season three started, Simcoe wanted to find the comedy in D’Argo.

The actor explained, “Each season gets easier and easier for me. Initially it was all about the physical hardship rather than the storytelling. But now I can just focus on doing my job and having fun. Each season I just set myself a goal. This season my goal was to make D’Argo really funny, just to make him funnier and funnier as the season went on. I think we have accomplished that in lots of ways.” Continue Reading »

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By Anna L. Kaplan

Gigi Edgley, the youngest member of the FARSCAPE cast, goes through the ups and downs of making the show with as much calm as she can muster. Season three had highs and lows for her, both off screen and as Chiana. Edgley explained, “This season there’s been lots of unexpected choices, character choices and challenges. There has been a lot of intense stuff going on in my life which has definitely [affected] Chiana’s journey through it all.”

Chiana’s troubles reached the boiling point by the second episode, “Suns and Lovers,” when D’Argo discovered that she was sexually involved with his son Jothee (Matt Newton). It was difficult for Edgley play Chiana’s betrayal. She recalled, “It was a very challenging thing to accept, to let go and try and rediscover the old Chiana, what Chiana is like when she is scared out of her wits. She reverts back to those alien Continue Reading »

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By Anna L. Kaplan

Trying to keep up with all the manifestations of Scorpius on FARSCAPE was almost more complicated than watching two Crichtons. Everything began with the real Scorpius, played by Wayne Pygram. Then Scorpius put a neural chip with a clone of his own personality into Crichton’s brain. Season two, Crichton alone could see and hear the clone, who he dubbed “Harvey,” until the cliffhanger when the clone took over Crichton, and Crichton looked like Scorpius to the viewers. Then, the chip was removed but the clone stayed behind, weakened, alive only because of Crichton. John made a deal, more or less, with this Scorpie, that he could co-exist and talk to Crichton when Crichton wanted his advice. Then Crichton got twinned, meaning there were two Scorpie clones. Continue Reading »

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By Anna L. Kaplan

Francesca Buller, Ben Browder’s wife, returned to FARSCAPE season three, playing a duplicitous character named Raxil in “Scratch ‘N Sniff.” Raxil tried to convince Crichton that she could help him and D’Argo find Chiana and Jool. She was really conning Crichton. Buller wanted her husband’s help, actor-to-actor, in selling one of their scenes. She recalled, “You know that scene in the bar? I dupe Crichton. I said to Ben, ‘Can you help me out in this scene.’ He says to me, ‘No. I don’t believe a word you are saying.’ Continue Reading »

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By Anna L. Kaplan

Tammy MacIntosh bounced into her first FARSCAPE convention, launching into the acrobatics that she did in “Scratch ‘N Sniff.” Before the convention, she expressed some trepidation about meeting fans. To begin with, Jool got a rocky introduction into the FARSCAPE family. Zhaan was dying. Jool’s character was created to be unlikable. MacIntosh, who didn’t have a land phone line or a computer in her house at the time, also expected to meet people who knew the show better than she did. She said, “The one and only time I went on the ‘Net, all these people seemed to be quoting lines that I said. They seemed to know a whole lot more about my character than I knew at the time. It’s a little bit scary when somebody knows more about your career than you do, and about the character that you are playing. I was under the impression that I had to know everything. I just thought if I got to the convention and they asked me all these questions, they would know so much more about Jool than I would, that it would be embarrassing.” Continue Reading »

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By Anna L. Kaplan

FARSCAPE’s season three kept Lani Tupu even busier than the previous two, playing Bialar Crais and also providing the voice for Pilot. Tupu was finally credited as a regular cast member and not a guest. Crais helped save the group in “Season of Death,” and then took off on Talyn until episode six, “Eat Me.” After that Crais appeared in all the Talyn-based episodes, and was especially important after the Crichton on Talyn died. Crais took Crichton’s death very seriously, and made his own sacrifice to honor Crichton’s wishes. Continue Reading »

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By Anna L. Kaplan

Dave Elsey, creative supervisor of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™ in Australia, loves working on the FARSCAPE. When he first agreed to do the job, he set himself a goal. He recalled, “I am a fan of everything you can think of to do with sci-fi and horror, anything that might possibly contain any makeup effects and creatures. When we got offered this job to come out here and do this show, my one objective was to try and do something that would actually excite me.” Continue Reading »

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By Anna L. Kaplan

“Green-Eyed Monster” proved to be an exceptional experience for everyone involved. First and foremost, the script was written by Ben Browder. As the series star, he appeared in every episode, but he amazingly found time during breaks, nights and weekends to complete his writing work. Browder was ready for this challenge, creating a memorable, character-driven episode, which the cast and crew enjoyed making. He said, “It was a very interesting experience, to actually go through the process that the writing staff on the show go through, and then to watch the work. It’s a different kind of reality.” Continue Reading »

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By Anna L. Kaplan

FARSCAPE takes risks. FARSCAPE refuses to be pinned down to one style or one way of doing things. Executive producer David Kemper decided long before starting season three that he wanted to do an episode of FARSCAPE mixing live-action with cartoons. It took a long time, and all of his personal conviction and powers of persuasion to bring the episode “Revenging Angel” to the small screen. Although he understood the fact that a cartoon episode could be viewed as both a financial and creative risk, he was undeterred. Continue Reading »

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By Anna L. Kaplan

“I will not permit anyone else to sacrifice their life for mine.” - Aeryn Sun
“What do you mean, anyone else?” - John Crichton

SEASON OF DEATH ***
Production #10301. Airdate 3/16/01. Written by Richard Manning. Directed by Ian Watson.

As John Crichton lies speechless on the operating table near the fallen Diagnosan, Scorpius has claimed the neural chip. Aeryn is dead, and the crew in mourning aboard Moya, while Crais is on Talyn. But the clone is still in Crichton’s head. Scorpius himself is stuck on the planet awaiting his Command Carrier, but he is able to control the body of Grunchlk (Hugh Keays-Byrne) in order to keep tabs on the others. On Moya, Chiana and Jothee (Matt Newton) are getting closer together.

Continue Reading »

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