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Farscape episode
“Look at the Princess, Part III: The Maltese Crichton”
LATP3
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 13
Guest star(s) Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Felicity Price (Princess Katralla), Bianca Chiminello (Jenavian Charto), Matt Day (Counsellor Elkar Tyno), Tina Bursill (Empress Novia), Felix Williamson (Prince Clavor), Aaron Cash (Dregon), Thomas Holesgrove (Cargn), Jonathan Hardy (Kahaynu)
Writer(s) David Kemper
Director Andrew Prowse and Tony Tilse
Production no. 10221
Original airdate August 4, 2000 (US); September 25, 2000 (UK)
Episode chronology
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"Look at the Princess - I Do, I Think" "Beware of Dog"

As the players begin to make their move, all of Moya's crew find themselves in danger and John is nowhere to be found.

Synopsis[]

Counselor Tyno tells Ka D'Argo, Chiana, and Rygel that Scorpius has been told to leave the planet by the Empress. They believe that Moya will then return so they can leave, although Rygel wants to stay behind with John Crichton, for his own reasons. D'Argo speaks to Crichton (who is still a statue; D'Argo uses a special headset), as does Chiana. Later, Clavor enters with Cargn soon to follow, and they chop off Crichton's head! They take it to an acid pit, since as a statue he remains alive, and they throw the head in and leave it to dissolve!

Aeryn Sun and Dregon are preparing to rock-climb in the Barren Lands and she asks him why he's agreed to everything she has suggested and he kisses her, pronouncing his attraction.

The Empress is mad at seeing Crichton's decapitated statue and orders that no one leaves the planet or contacts their ships until Crichton is made whole. Tyno questions Aeryn's whereabouts, but Rygel suggests Scorpius' involvement. Tyno then tells them they must find Crichton's head.

Meanwhile, Crichton's head is removed from the acid pit – by Scorpius! Scorpius mentions that he sampled Crichton's DNA in the Aurora Chair. Scorpy is interrupted when he hears a noise and is suddenly shot.

Zhaan is fiddling with a DRD as Kahaynu tells her that she should leave on a transport. He goes to leave, but Zhaan says that if Moya and Pilot will die, then she and he will remain with them. She gets the DRD to start the Farscape-1's engine, sucking in the made-of-smoke Kahaynu. Zhaan says she will spare him if he spares Moya. He refuses and is sucked in.

D'Argo couldn't find Crichton's head and feels responsible for Crichton's predicament. Jena puts on a headset – she's the one that saved Crichton. If she gets it right, she says can put him back together. She manages to reconstitute Crichton, who is feeling a bit stiff.

Clavor is angry and tells Cargn to do something because someone retrieved Crichton's head. Meanwhile, in the Barren Lands, Dregon is stuck because it is his first real wall. Aeryn tries to help him up, but he grabs her leg and they fall!

Jena has taken Crichton to some tent to keep him safe. She asks him why Scorpius is here, but he again says that he can't say. She forces him to tell the truth because he knows too much about her. He fills her in and asks why she picked him over Scorpius. She says that he is her best chance at completing her mission and asks for his help.

Zhaan is praying for Pilot when Kahaynu appears and says that Moya lives. She is reactivated and Pilot wakes. He says that when he first came on board Moya he wanted to see if Zhaan was worthy; these beings will do anything for whoever is on board – she could potentially produce an army of killing machines. Pilot says that Zhaan would never do that and Kahaynu says that he knows that now – she will protect Pilot and Moya from those out to exploit her. Zhaan demands that he leaves and he agrees, but first Moya wants to speak with her. Moya says that she has one request for Zhaan: "sing".

D'Argo asks Scorpius if he knows where Crichton is and he admits he doesn't, but is anxious to find him. They are now effectively allies. Scorpius says that Clavor and Cargn are their natural suspects. He then says that he will help them all get off the planet, take Crichton's wormhole knowledge and then hand him back. Cargn appears and says that he is honoured to meet D'Argo. He congratulates Scorpius on his plan to marry the princess, but D'Argo tells him that they despise Scorpius. He tries to use his power to get the truth about Crichton's condition and whereabouts from D'Argo. D'Argo says that he thinks Chiana knows and Scorpius then offers Cargn a deal, but he instead says he'll race Scorpius to Chiana.

Aeryn is dragging Dregon inland to try to find help. Meanwhile, D'Argo asks Rygel if he knows where Chiana is, but Rygel says they split up and agrees to help find her.

Cargn has Chiana and knows that she knows nothing but has another use in mind for her. Clavor arrives and tells him that their alliance has done nothing to benefit him, and his mother will never let him take the throne while he's in league with a Scarran. Therefore, he tells Cargn their partnership is over and advises him to get off the planet as Novia is going to execute all off-worlders. Cargn tells Klavor he has no way to escape and instead kills the duplicitous prince by hitting him with his heat projection.

Jena asks Crichton if she can trust him, and he says that she can. Scorpius goes to D'Argo and tells him that they both needed to kill Cargn who has Chiana. D'Argo says that Crichton will die before going to Scorpius, but he says that D'Argo underestimates the strength of their relationship; even Crichton doesn't understand yet. Meanwhile, Jena and Crichton are skinny-dipping in a lake, and she gives him a weapon saying that she may not be able to protect him after tomorrow then they kiss.

Dregon apologises to Aeryn and talks to her about being scared of emotional pain and that it's all worth it for the days when they are truly in love. He says that it's a shame that she can't get back to tell Crichton that she loves him.

Jena and Crichton prepare for show time and just before she offers him the test, but he says they're not compatible. Jena goes in, asking him to give her time. In the Barren Lands, someone finds Aeryn and Dregon and goes to get help. Jena is in the room with Clavor's body and Tyno offers his condolences. Rygel says that it's the Scarran's doing, but Tyno says the Empress knows that but nonetheless they'll all be put to death. Crichton enters, says hello to Rygel, and asks about the others, then leaves, presumably to join them.

Scorpius and D'Argo find Chiana hanging over the acid pit with Cargn protecting her. Cargn wants to kill them, but Scorpius tells him he's been defeated by his own suspicions. However it is becoming clear that Scorpius is struggling in the hot chamber, and Cargn reveals to D'Argo that this is Scorpius' weakness; his Scarran half thrives on the heat, however the same heat is deadly to his Sebacean half hence he wears a thermal regulator suit with a cooling rod inserted directly into his brain to maintain his temperature. A fight ensues with Cargn getting the upper hand until Crichton comes in and shoots him a number of times and dumps him in the acid. Chiana falls, but D'Argo does a huge leap and carries her to safety. D'Argo and Chiana leave and Crichton grabs Scorpius' head to dump it in the acid. He stops, remembering when Scorpius was leaving something to remember him by and Crichton says that he's not his enemy or his friend and if he doesn't leave him alone, the next time they meet one of them will be dead. Crichton leaves and Scorpius, seemingly having known he wasn't in any real danger, gets up with a grin and cockily flicks the acid.

Crichton is refusing to be a statue, but the Empress says that Katralla is already pregnant; they used DNA samples. Crichton does a 180 and says that the child deserves two parents – make him a statue. Novia agrees, but Tyno says that it's not possible. Since Crichton is not Sebacean, he would die if he were made a statue again. Crichton says that he won't live for another eighty cycles, and suggests that Tyno takes his place. The Empress says that they're not compatible, but Crichton says that it doesn't matter – Katralla's already pregnant. Crichton says that they love each other and asks Katralla if it works for her. She says yes and thanks him and says she'll never forget him. The Empress says that as long as the secret does not escape, it can be done. He says the good guys win for once and goes to leave, but Katralla asks if he wants to see his offspring. He does and cuddles the young girl.

On Moya, Chiana asks D'Argo why Crichton didn't kill Scorpius. They apparently don't know what happened to Moya while she was gone. D'Argo is upset because Crichton will never see his daughter again – it hits close to home.

Aeryn is exercising in the maintenance bay. Crichton enters and says that he's glad she's OK. She gets up and without words she offers him the test. They take it, and after a passionate kiss, Aeryn turns and leaves. They both look confused, or perhaps upset. As the scene closes they both smile, and look happy.

Memorable quotes[]

Dregon: You're not trained to deal with emotions, so you're afraid of them. Emotional pain, you wear like a badge, it means you've been there and it can't get callused because each fresh hurt stings like the first.
Aeryn: Why would you want that?
Dregon: Because of all the days before it hurts. The good days when you're in love. It's too bad you can't get back to at least tell Crichton how you feel.
Aeryn: What difference would it make? He's a frelling statue.
Dregon: But he can hear, he can see, he'll know Aeryn, at least he'll know.
John: Ahh my body, my body.
Jenavian: I'm working on it.
John: Working on it, that's impossible.
Jenavian: Strangely not. If I do this right your current state is not terminal.
John: And if not done right?
Jenavian: Terminal.
John: Get experts.
Aeryn I know, it hurts. You want it to not hurt? Well, next time, hold on to the frelling wall!
John: How Batman was that?

Background information[]

  • The title comes from the book and films The Maltese Falcon. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.2)
  • The bronze Crichton statue remained at the top of the stairs at Jim Henson's Creature Shop at Homebush Bay for the rest of the series. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.2)
  • It took two hours to get Ben Browder out of the body cast after he posed for the statue because the wrong material was used. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.2)
  • The love scene between Jena and Crichton took four hours to shoot. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.2) Rockne S. O'Bannon said about the scene, "This was something the network wanted us to do – make the show as sensual and sexy as we could. We didn't want to do soft porn, but we did want to push the limits. We weren't trying to draw people for prurient reasons, but there are things you can do on cable that you can't do on regular networks. That's something that science fiction on television didn't often do before Farscape, because when it's on a regular network, like the Star Trek shows are, they have to deal with a broader audience." ("Farscape Chronicles" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.2)
  • Browder was surprised there wasn't more reaction from the fans about Crichton's involvement with Jena. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.2)
  • Claudia Black and Aaron Cash took an indoor rock-climbing lesson before shooting their climbing scenes. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.2)
  • The rock-climbing scenes were filmed in Darling Bay and in an area north of Sydney named Kurnell, notorious as a body-dumping ground. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v2.2, "Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v3.2)

Links and references[]

Starring[]

Guest stars[]

Guest cast[]

Puppeteers[]

Voice artists[]

References[]

arn; Aurora Chair; Barren Lands; Batman; boy scout; Breakaway Colonies; Cholak; command carrier; coolant rod; Counselor; cycle; Devastated Reefs; Disruptor; DRD; dren; Empress; frell; garden gnome; Goddess of the Delvian Seek; Human; Ka Jothee; King; Kragg; Luxan; maintenance bay; Moya; Nebari; Pa'u; Peacekeeper; Peacekeeper Special Directorate; Prince; Princess; prowler; Regent; Royal Planet; Scarran; Sebacean; solar day; Sparky; surgical reconstructor; thermal regulator suit; transmutation process; transport pod; Uncharted Territories; wormhole technology; yotz

External link[]

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