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Investigating Cult TV
Investigating Farscape: Uncharted Territories of Sex and Science Fiction
"My name is John Crichton. 'I'm lost'. An astronaut. Shot through a wormhole. In some distant part of the universe. 'I'm trying to stay alive'. Aboard this ship. 'This living ship'. Of escaped prisoners." During its fourth and - for the present - final season, "Farscape" was the Sci-Fi Channel's highest rated original series. With its dedicated fan-base, "Farscape" seasons are still top-billing Sci-Fi DVDs. This first proper analysis of the show, written by a scholar-fan, uncovers "Farscape's" layers and those of the living spaceship Moya. Jes Battis proposes that "Farscape" is as much about bodies, sex and gender, as it is about wormholes, space ships and interstellar warfare. It is this straddling of genres that makes the show so viewable to such a broad audience, of which almost half are women. He explores "Farscape's" language and characters, including Moya, its creation of 'family and home', of masculinity and femininity, and the transformation of an all-American boy.
- GenresNonfiction
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
2 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Jes Battis
22 books174 followersJes Battis (they/them) is the author of THE WINTER KNIGHT (April 2023), the OCCULT SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR series, and the PARALLEL PARKS series. Jes writes in the areas of urban fantasy, horror, and mystery/thriller. They also teach literature and creative writing in the Canadian prairies.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 23, 2023
This is a book whose quality is all over the map. When it's good, it's solid. When it isn't, reading it is a chore.
One of the things I did appreciate about it was that it didn't just explore the show itself, but took a broader look at the fan community. Battis quotes fan fiction, describes visiting fan sites, and writes about sharing drafts of their essays with other fans. Sometimes their opposing views are included to give a fuller picture. This broad look at Farscape leads to some excellent essays: well-written, approachable, and containing valuable analysis. While I felt others missed the mark in their connection to Farscape itself, some of the content Battis drew on was so intriguing that I enjoyed reading them anyway.
Others come across as nothing but padding to fill out the book. There Battis draws on theories without really explaining them or doing anything to make them approachable to the reader. And the content of those essays can be absolutely bizarre: some of the interpretations they come up with are mind-boggling, and made me wonder if they've ever heard that a cigar can be just a cigar. When you can follow the theories they're referring to, the links they draw seem tenuous at best (and absolutely wild at worst). Where the book also suffers is in the quality of the editing. Quoted lines are attributed to the wrong characters, one actress is given the wrong name entirely, characters' names and terms from the show are misspelled (sometimes several different ways in one chapter), and there are plenty of typos that spellcheck wouldn't catch, but an attentive editor should have. It really gives the impression that no one else looked over this book before sending it to print.
If you're a Farscape fan, you'll probably find parts of it to be of interest. But I wouldn't plan to read it cover to cover.
One of the things I did appreciate about it was that it didn't just explore the show itself, but took a broader look at the fan community. Battis quotes fan fiction, describes visiting fan sites, and writes about sharing drafts of their essays with other fans. Sometimes their opposing views are included to give a fuller picture. This broad look at Farscape leads to some excellent essays: well-written, approachable, and containing valuable analysis. While I felt others missed the mark in their connection to Farscape itself, some of the content Battis drew on was so intriguing that I enjoyed reading them anyway.
Others come across as nothing but padding to fill out the book. There Battis draws on theories without really explaining them or doing anything to make them approachable to the reader. And the content of those essays can be absolutely bizarre: some of the interpretations they come up with are mind-boggling, and made me wonder if they've ever heard that a cigar can be just a cigar. When you can follow the theories they're referring to, the links they draw seem tenuous at best (and absolutely wild at worst). Where the book also suffers is in the quality of the editing. Quoted lines are attributed to the wrong characters, one actress is given the wrong name entirely, characters' names and terms from the show are misspelled (sometimes several different ways in one chapter), and there are plenty of typos that spellcheck wouldn't catch, but an attentive editor should have. It really gives the impression that no one else looked over this book before sending it to print.
If you're a Farscape fan, you'll probably find parts of it to be of interest. But I wouldn't plan to read it cover to cover.
December 3, 2011
A single book could never hope to cover every subject and theme up for discussion on Farscape. This book does not attempt to do so, but it manages to touch on some of the major ones (gender, bodies, language, etc.). Unfortunately, Farscape is still not getting the attention it deserves, and the "Farscape Studies" that Battis predicts will come have yet to emerge.
This book is good and makes many salient points, though I disagree with some of them (repeated references to the idea that one of the two Crichtons is the "real" one, whereas the series makes it pretty clear that they are the same, "equal and original," or at least parts of one whole; the prediction that D'Argo Sun-Crichton's human genes will "overpower" his Sebacean genes, which is extraordinarily unfair to the show, and something that would be expected from standard science fiction, which Farscape is certainly not; etc.). There are quite a few typos and some factual inaccuracies in regards to the story arc of the series, which is annoying, but they can be ignored.
A+ for choice of subject, of course.
This book is good and makes many salient points, though I disagree with some of them (repeated references to the idea that one of the two Crichtons is the "real" one, whereas the series makes it pretty clear that they are the same, "equal and original," or at least parts of one whole; the prediction that D'Argo Sun-Crichton's human genes will "overpower" his Sebacean genes, which is extraordinarily unfair to the show, and something that would be expected from standard science fiction, which Farscape is certainly not; etc.). There are quite a few typos and some factual inaccuracies in regards to the story arc of the series, which is annoying, but they can be ignored.
A+ for choice of subject, of course.
March 29, 2016
Farscape is a complex show and still on the very top of my favorite TV shows list. The book offers interesting takes on and illuminating insights into the world of Farscape, ranging from the sexual to the political and beyond. Investigating Farscape makes it possible to go back and watch any given episode with new understandings. Reading the text closely adds even more depth to the show and the characters. A MUST for die-hard fans, probably boring for the casual watcher. Heartily recommended!
September 17, 2020
In the past few years I've fallen deeply in love with Farscape, so it's only natural that I got this book shipped from the UK and instantly adored it. I had the suspicion that it would introduce me to topics I know nothing about and would've never learned about otherwise and boy was I correct. I learned about feminist theories surrounding new reproductive technologies, subalterns in postcolonial theory, theories of body permeability, etc., all through the foundation of a super weird sci fi TV show that I know well. Basically, this book didn't just expand my understanding of the show, but also gave me a nice primer on some scholarly subjects.
Now the, book did have a few flaws. One was that there were a fair few typos and the author made some minor factual errors about the show (which only goes to show how nerdy I am over it). I don't think the book was thoroughly edited but -- whatever, it's about what I expected from such a niche publication and the content was never significantly affected by this. The other thing was that the writing sometimes became rather Kierkegaardian -- by which I mean the language sometimes becomes so high-falutin' that meaning becomes difficult to penetrate. Style over substance, really. Thus the chapter on linguistics was exceedingly difficult to assimilate and certain portions were just lost to me. But sometimes this excited, poetic style made me have lots of feelings, especially whenever Zaahn was the subject of discussion. Yep, it's a scholarly book that gave me big feelings.
Honestly, however, I was happy to excuse all this because I was just enjoying the book so much. I actually looked forward to reading it, used it to treat myself for getting through chapters of other, less enjoyable books, and would sometimes get stuck in the bath or up late at night reading it because my mind was getting blown so intensely. It's thrilling to read someone getting excited about something you're excited for, especially when they do it in the same way that you do, and it's even better to learn things along the way.
Now the, book did have a few flaws. One was that there were a fair few typos and the author made some minor factual errors about the show (which only goes to show how nerdy I am over it). I don't think the book was thoroughly edited but -- whatever, it's about what I expected from such a niche publication and the content was never significantly affected by this. The other thing was that the writing sometimes became rather Kierkegaardian -- by which I mean the language sometimes becomes so high-falutin' that meaning becomes difficult to penetrate. Style over substance, really. Thus the chapter on linguistics was exceedingly difficult to assimilate and certain portions were just lost to me. But sometimes this excited, poetic style made me have lots of feelings, especially whenever Zaahn was the subject of discussion. Yep, it's a scholarly book that gave me big feelings.
Honestly, however, I was happy to excuse all this because I was just enjoying the book so much. I actually looked forward to reading it, used it to treat myself for getting through chapters of other, less enjoyable books, and would sometimes get stuck in the bath or up late at night reading it because my mind was getting blown so intensely. It's thrilling to read someone getting excited about something you're excited for, especially when they do it in the same way that you do, and it's even better to learn things along the way.
November 20, 2023
This was such a good read, probably because I love Farscape and I'm really into gender and queer studies. Of course there are some lacking ideas, even kind of disconnected, but overall I find it quite enjoyable and fruitful. I don't agree with every analysis, though, and some parts are quite challenging if English isn't your first language (my case). I think some characters like Aeryn, for example, would have deserved a deeper exploration and there are some minor facts about the show that are just wrong, but nothing pretty unforgivable in my view. Some strong interpretations are the ones about language, Chiana or the significance of the body functions and fluids in Farscape. And, of course, the lexicon at the end is very drad!
July 27, 2023
*sighs* long story short: author claims that is a Farscape's fan. And then says John was cloned....
Basically, fan theories and headcanons are fun, but when taken too seriously, they become cringy.
Don't recommend.
(Seriously, I've finished only because I bought it, bookmarked 20 places that pissed me off and I would have died of alcohol poisoning if I had a shot every time I muttered "dude..." under my breath).
Basically, fan theories and headcanons are fun, but when taken too seriously, they become cringy.
Don't recommend.
(Seriously, I've finished only because I bought it, bookmarked 20 places that pissed me off and I would have died of alcohol poisoning if I had a shot every time I muttered "dude..." under my breath).
June 23, 2016
I picked this book up out of curiosity, since Farscape is one of my absolute favorite shows and it doesn't get half the attention it deserves. While this book made a go at bringing academic attention to the show, it was extremely inconsistent in its stance and spent more time talking about what it planned to do than actually doing things.
Don't get me wrong, there were some great ideas in there, especially concerning Moya and Pilot, Chiana's and Stark's use of language, and the roles of the characters in general. Some chapters introduced some really interesting theory, and I'm pleased that the author worked so hard to include feminist theories to help offset the long history of misogynistic academia. The glossary of Farscape terms at the back was a nice addition as well.
That said, the structure was horrendously hard to deal with. Each chapter began and ended with paragraphs and paragraphs of text narrating what the chapter would be about, what the last chapter had been about, where this fitted in the book as a whole, what the plan for this chapter was, and other completely unnecessary references to sequence of information. After that, chapters tended to start with theory info-dumps that listed lots of ideas without unpacking any of them. By the time we got to the actual meat of the analysis, the chapter was half over.
I appreciate the author's attempts to bring Farscape into academia, and my own personal distaste for sex-based theory aside, there were some interesting ideas here. I just wish an editor had properly gone through this and given him solid advice about the structure. This book, like Aeryn Sun, could have been so much more.
Don't get me wrong, there were some great ideas in there, especially concerning Moya and Pilot, Chiana's and Stark's use of language, and the roles of the characters in general. Some chapters introduced some really interesting theory, and I'm pleased that the author worked so hard to include feminist theories to help offset the long history of misogynistic academia. The glossary of Farscape terms at the back was a nice addition as well.
That said, the structure was horrendously hard to deal with. Each chapter began and ended with paragraphs and paragraphs of text narrating what the chapter would be about, what the last chapter had been about, where this fitted in the book as a whole, what the plan for this chapter was, and other completely unnecessary references to sequence of information. After that, chapters tended to start with theory info-dumps that listed lots of ideas without unpacking any of them. By the time we got to the actual meat of the analysis, the chapter was half over.
I appreciate the author's attempts to bring Farscape into academia, and my own personal distaste for sex-based theory aside, there were some interesting ideas here. I just wish an editor had properly gone through this and given him solid advice about the structure. This book, like Aeryn Sun, could have been so much more.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews