| Farscape episode | |
|---|---|
| “PK Tech Girl” | |
| |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 7 |
| Writer(s) | Nan Hagan |
| Director | Tony Tilse |
| Production no. | 10107 |
| Original airdate | April 16, 1999 (US); January 24, 2000 (UK) |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Thank God It's Friday... Again" | "That Old Black Magic" |
"PK Tech Girl" is the seventh episode of the first season of Farscape.
Synopsis[]
The hulk of the legendary Peacekeeper ship, the Zelbinion, holds a pleasant surprise for Crichton, but Rygel must confront the time spent on the ship where he was tortured by the sadistic commander Captain Durka, while the crew work to reactivate the ship's shields to defend themselves from an attack.
Plot[]
Moya comes across a Peacekeeper ship lying dead in space. John Crichton and Zhaan wish to leave while they have the chance, but Ka D'Argo wants to check their data for possible charts back to their home worlds, and Aeryn Sun says she needs to know who she is. Rygel says it's the Zelbinion – the most feared ship in the Peacekeeper armada. They dock with it and Aeryn, Crichton and D'Argo go over to investigate. They search around the ship, but at the same time Rygel is bothered about having it docked, because it was the first ship he was tortured on.
Crichton comes across a console with the lights on, and Aeryn says someone must have turned it on recently. He spots a young woman who tries to run, but Aeryn and D'Argo attack until Crichton stops them. The "PK" (Peacekeeper), Gilina Renaez, recognizes them as Officer Aeryn Sun and the other escaped prisoners. Crichton asks how she knows, and Aeryn replies that she's a tech, from Crais' ship, the ship she used to be on.
Aeryn questions her in usual brute Peacekeeper fashion, but Crichton says to give her a break. Aeryn says she's a tech, she's from Crais' ship – he is nearby and she will only lie to them. Crichton agrees, but says that if she drops her she won't get her answers. Aeryn says it's her world, and he should not interfere. Meanwhile, Rygel still refuses to go over to the Zelbinion, so Zhaan tells him it would do him good to confront his demons. Gilina tells the others that Crais sent her unit over, and two days later another ship appeared and incinerated their Marauder. D'Argo says it's the Sheyangs, but they couldn't have done it all. There are no records though because the ship's data stores were scavenged. Gilina then thanks Crichton for stopping Aeryn from killing her.
Rygel then appears on the Zelbinion, and spits in Gilina's face, showing his hatred of Peacekeepers. He goes off looking around and sees an ominous figure that says hello, and welcomes him home. The others come across a dead body – a Sheyang victim, who was part of Gilina's unit. Aeryn recognises him and asks what he was doing guarding the likes of her. She says that Aeryn's whole unit was demoted after her defection and can only be reinstated upon her death. Pilot meanwhile has spotted a ship, which Zhaan confirms as a Sheyang vessel hiding just outside sensor range.
Aeryn asks Gilina why the Sheyangs are back, and calls her a traitor because she knew they would return. Gilina says she is no traitor, and Crichton breaks it up, telling Gilina that Aeryn is no traitor either – but Crais gave her no chance like the one they are giving her. She tells them that she hid while the Sheyangs scavenged everything.
D'Argo returns to Command where Zhaan is anxious to leave since Moya has no offence. D'Argo says that the Sheyangs are cowards, where they see strength they flee, where they see weakness they destroy. Crichton, Aeryn and Gilina are trying to get the Zelbinion's defense screen operational, and Crichton seems to understand what Gilina is trying to do. The Sheyangs begin their weapons countdown, and Pilot says he and Moya are afraid of fire. D'Argo is enraged though, and Zhaan gets Pilot to transmit the image of him screaming to the Sheyangs. When they see the Luxan, they terminate the countdown. Crichton informs everyone that they can get the defence screen working in four arns since he can do half the work. D'Argo tells Zhaan he doesn't want to continue lying to an enemy in battle. Zhaan says he is just misleading them and it can only be him who continues the charade.
Gilina mentions that Crichton killed Crais' brother, but he tells her it was really an accident. The Sheyangs do not believe that D'Argo has soldiers with him who are aboard the Zelbinion. Zhaan helps by prompting him, but the Sheyang says he's trying his patience and D'Argo believes their next conversation will spawn an attack.
Crichton and Gilina are getting close, whilst Rygel is still hiding on Moya having visions of his torturer: Captain Selto Durka. Zhaan tells him Durka is dead, but Rygel says he is not dead to him; Zhaan says he must find Durka's corpse because it will set him free. One of the Sheyangs overthrows the leader, Teurac, and orders them to fire on Moya. Crichton, Gilina and Aeryn manage to get the defence screen active just in time so repel the weapon's penetration, so it has no effect.
However, Pilot informs them that the screen is not fully operational, it has weak spots, because it's really two systems overlaid and they only managed to get one operational. At first reluctant (as she's been sworn never to share Peacekeeper technology), Gilina agrees to help them as they helped her, and will help install the other part of the screen on Moya. Later she and Crichton are talking, when they end up kissing just as Aeryn walks in! She is clearly jealous and angered but tries not to show it. Crichton, seeing her reaction, goes after her and asks her if she's never just "clicked" with someone. She replies that yes, at first she found him quite "interesting", but only for a moment! An admission that clearly surprises Crichton (but a revelation that seems to please him no end.)
The Sheyangs launch a load of pods, trying to breach the holes in the defense screen. They managed to get it active just in time but one Sheyang pod managed to breach it. Aeryn finds him, but he shoots a fireball from his mouth! Aeryn manages to avoid it, but it also means she's cut off from reaching Crichton and needs to go around the long way, which means she might be too late to help. Meanwhile, the Sheyang attempts to burn down the door to the room where Crichton and Gilina are working, and manages to get in. He shoots a fireball which Crichton manages to evade, then just as he's about to shoot a second Aeryn manages to get there in time to shoot him, which makes him explode and rain down in flaming body parts.
Back on Moya, Crichton wants the others to let Gilina stay and get picked up by Crais, but the others don't want to give Crais another reason to come after them. Crichton says he's going to come one day anyway, and promises D'Argo and Zhaan that Gilina will keep their presence a secret, and Aeryn surprisingly agrees. She says that Gilina could also be deemed irreversibly contaminated, the penalty for which is death, or worse – exile, like she was. Aeryn says she's smarter than letting Crais know.
The Sheyangs detect that Crais' command carrier is on its way at maximum speed, and D'Argo tells them he is sorry they are leaving – his officers were preparing revenge. Sheyang says he knows he has nothing, but he used it well.
Aeryn tells Gilina that Crais will ask her many questions, and she says she will lie to him. Aeryn mutters under her breath she wishes she'd been that smart. Gilina shakes her hand, and Aeryn is clearly upset at thinking about the life she once had. Gilina says to Crichton that she will never see him again, but he insists; yes, they will see each other again someday, and they have a nice big kiss.
Crichton goes to see Aeryn, who says she hates to be ambushed. He says she got him in the end, but she says she didn't mean the Sheyang. On her world, showing pain is a sign of weakness, and he should not presume to understand her. He says that though she always bashes him for being weak all the time, this time it's an advantage – he knows how she feels. After she insists that it's impossible for him to know how she feels, Crichton asks what it would be like for him if one day he finally gets to return home to Earth, and upon walking into his home, found his dad, friends, and all his family lying there dead. Aeryn says she stands corrected and walks out of the room, leaving John alone with his thoughts.
Memorable quotes[]
- Aeryn: When you told me endless tales of your home, you spoke of forests, and rivers, and valleys. Well, I was thinking of walls not unlike these.
- John: Well, I'm sure it looks better with carpeting.
- D'Argo: This ship is legendary, even in my culture... it was thought invincible.
- John: Yeah, well, just ask Leonardo DiCaprio: even the big ones go down.
- Gilina: I can't believe you're not Sebacean.
- John: Human. It's kind of like Sebacean, but we haven't conquered other worlds yet, so we just kick the crap out of each other.
- Gilina: Thank you for stopping her from killing me today.
- John: Well, I try to save a life a day. Usually it's my own...
- D'Argo: For a priest, you certainly have a very flexible morality.
- John: They spit fire? How come nobody tells me this stuff? How come nobody tells me they spit fire? Aeryn! Come on, Aeryn, come on.
- Aeryn: (Calmly walking away after rescuing Crichton & Gilina) Sorry about the mess.
- Teurac: You had nothing, but you used it well. Evran, there is no shame in losing to a clever opponent. And Ka D'Argo, I make it a point to someday kill my clever opponents.
- John: On my world, they say that loss is the hardest emotion to deal with.
- Aeryn: In my world, showing pain is a sign of weakness.
- John: How can you not feel pain, after what you've been through?
- Aeryn: Don't presume to understand me, John.
- John: If I somehow, someday, get a chance to return to my world, walk around my old neighborhood, see my old house, Dad's truck, best friend's bike on the lawn, and then I get a chance to go inside...I walk through the living room, upstairs to my room...and then I think, what if everyone were dead? What if all my friends and family were lying there, dead? Now, what would it be like to go home then?
- Aeryn: I stand corrected.
Background information[]
- This was the first episode filmed on its own. The change was made partly due to an upcoming holiday. Rockne S. O'Bannon noted that "shooting episode 7 by itself became the only viable way to shoot and not lose days. When the film came in, it was much better. The crew was less harried and stressed. The actors were less stressed, because they weren't having to learn two scripts and weren't having to carry two stories around in their heads. It immediately became apparent that it made a lot more sense to shoot the episodes individually." ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v1.1, "Farscape Chronicles" - Starburst Edition DVD v1.1)
- Gilina was originally meant to die aboard the Zelbinion, but David Kemper wanted a love story. He stated, "This isn't just a science-fiction show, it's a show about people." ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v1.1, Farscape: The Illustrated Companion)
- This episode was the first ever broadcast. It was shown as a sneak preview by the Sci-Fi Channel on March 12, 1999, just before the series began. ("Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v1.1, Farscape: The Illustrated Companion)
- The Sheyang made their first appearance on the commerce planet in "Premiere" in the background talking with Zhaan. David Kemper had seen it and said "those are so cool, I'm gonna write an episode for it." (Farscape: The Illustrated Companion, "Cool Farscape Facts" - Starburst Edition DVD v1.1)
- Matt Carroll noted that "PK Tech Girl" was a stylistic milestone for the series stating, "Farscape lay somewhere between Star Wars and Alien. So, in other words, it wasn't the complete fantasy that Star Wars is [...] and it wasn't as dark and grim as Alien. But it had to have an adventure edge that was somewhere in between those two. We found it in 'PK Tech Girl'." (Farscape: The Illustrated Companion)
- Like a number of first-season episodes, "PK Tech Girl" was partly shot at the White Bay power station near Sydney. (Farscape: The Illustrated Companion, "Farscape Chronicles" - Starburst Edition DVD v1.1)
- Claudia Black had to re-dub her lines after she interrupted Crichton and Gilina. She said "I was able to fix the scene in post-production, and was able to create that moment of vulnerability. When I had to lift the heavy object, I needed to physicalise it in the ADR booth, so I actually lifted Tony Tilse as my heavy object as I rerecorded that line." (Farscape: The Illustrated Companion)
Links and references[]
Starring[]
- Ben Browder as John Crichton
- Claudia Black as Aeryn Sun
- Virginia Hey as Zotoh Zhaan
- Anthony Simcoe as Ka D'Argo
Guest star[]
Guest cast[]
- Peter Astridge as Lomus
- Peter Knowles as Evran
- David Wheeler as Captain Selto Durka
Puppeteers[]
- with
Voice artists[]
- Jonathan Hardy as Rygel
- Lani Tupu as Pilot
- Peter Astridge as Lomus
- Phillip Hinton as Teurac
- Christopher Truswell as Evran
Uncredited co-stars[]
- Derek Amer as Teurac
References[]
arn; cock fighting; command carrier; comms; Crais, Bialar; Crais, Tauvo; Crichton, Jack; cycle; data spool; deep space physics; defense screen; DiCaprio, Leonardo; doctorate; Dominar; DK; DRD; drill sergeant; Eastwood, Clint; five-line conduit; frak; frotein; gappa; grot; Hyneria; Kalack gland; Karanda; Kkore cannon; Lethal Weapon; Leviathan; Luxan; maintenance bay; Marauder; metra; microt; movie; Moya; opera; Peacekeeper; Peacekeeper Armada; Peacekeeper Tech; plasma conductor; plasma generator; polaric disc; prowler; radiant chamber; Sebacean; Sheyang; Sheyang vessel; solar day; star chart; starburst; The Good, The Bad And The Ugly; Titanic; Tranco Support; Uncharted Territories; warp; weapons control room; wetox missile; wire collar; Zelbinion
External link[]
- Farscape World Synopsis by Dani Moure