Farscape s03e03: Self-Inflicted Wounds, Part 1: Could'a, Would'a, Should'a

Series

Farscape^[3]

Season

3^[1]

Episode

3^[1]

First aired (United States)

30 March 2001^[2]

Part

Part 1 of a two-part story^[1]

Running time

44 minutes 16 seconds^[1]

Summary

While John Crichton is inside a wormhole inspecting it, a small spacecraft comes out of the wormhole and crashes into Moya, the living ship that carries the crew.^[1] The impact fuses the two ships together, and Crichton is stuck in the wormhole, unable to return to his friends.^[4] Two aliens from the small ship, who carry needle-shooting gills, are now aboard Moya, and they begin to cause trouble for the rest of the crew.^[1] The episode sets up a standoff that the following episode continues, and it keeps Crichton separated from Moya for most of its running time.^[4]

What happens in "Self-Inflicted Wounds, Part 1: Could'a, Would'a, Should'a"?

Ka D'Argo and Rygel XVI argue about whether the plan is safe, and Pilot warns that the wormhole readings are unstable.^[4] Crichton enters the wormhole in his module and begins his inspection, describing what he sees to the others over the comm.^[4]

Without warning, a small ship flies out of the wormhole and collides with Moya.^[1][4] Meanwhile, Crichton is trapped inside the wormhole in his module, cut off from the others.^[4]

Pilot and Aeryn Sun work on a plan to separate the intruder ship from Moya and to bring the module back through the wormhole before it closes.^[4] Alone in the module, Crichton talks to himself and tries to keep his nerve while his air runs down.^[4]

When no one admits to it, the two aliens begin using their needles on the crew to force a confession.^[4] As the situation grows worse, Aeryn finds a way to bring Crichton's module home, but the wormhole begins to close before she can finish.^[4]

The story is resolved in the next episode.^[1]

0:00 Self-Inflicted Wounds, Part 1: Could'a, Would'a, Should'a The episode as published by the rights holder, from the start.

Memorable quotes

“Pilot Moya to die. John, take the wormhole. Knowledge has fallen in your lap and call it a day.”31:30

“There's nothing wrong with a decision of the heart, child. In the time that is left, use your mind to satisfy your soul that it is correct.”34:40

“We will go with Nala and we will abandon Moya.”39:12

“I cannot take you back, Janna, but I won't leave you alone in pain.”40:18

In the episode

0:30 D'Argo and Chiana clash over romance D'Argo tries to talk with Chiana about Jool, and she shuts the conversation down before suggesting a different ship should be jettisoned.

2:01 Pilot detects something near Moya Pilot picks up an approaching signature too fast to identify and prepares to launch his module while the crew debates the readings.

4:30 Two ships collide on reentry Moya collides with the alien research vessel Rodos Lana, and the crew scrambles to assess hull damage.

6:02 John meets Pathfinder Nala John Crichton introduces himself and meets Nala, the commander of the alien ship, after Pilot begins reacting badly to the sensory overload.

9:08 Stark describes his darkness Stark confesses that absorbing traces of the dying has left him with an inner reservoir of evil, fearing his own death.

10:36 Stark warns they are in the wall Aeryn and Rygel discuss Stark's cryptic talk, and John pushes to wake Pilot so Moya can starburst at the next gap.

12:59 Jool awakens in a chamber John finds Jool, a Sebacean woman who has been in suspension for twenty-two cycles, and helps bring her out.

16:02 Pilot collapses from overload Pilot remains unconscious and in pain, forcing John to take over opening the hanger doors from the pilot console.

19:03 Nala asks John to repair the generator Nala explains the generator is leaking phasic ions and asks John to expose himself briefly to record positional data inside the wormhole.

20:01 Jool reveals her cousin is dead Jool confronts D'Argo about what happened to her cousin, admitting only two pods were saved and one cousin survived only briefly.

22:01 John identifies a critical zone Pilot comes back online and John recognizes the Epin zone, realizing the alien gizmo could move them through space instantly.

25:32 Rygel sabotages the escape plan At the next gap, Rygel tries to take control and escape, breaking John's nose before docking clamps secure the ships.

38:04 Crew decides to abandon Moya After touring Moya's failing systems, the crew accepts that she and Pilot are beyond saving and commits to transferring to the alien ship.

Air date, credits and where to watch

Self-Inflicted Wounds, Part 1 is the third episode of season 3 and the first half of a two-part story that concludes with the next episode.^[1][2] It first aired in the United States on 30 March 2001.^[2] Farscape is an Australian and American series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon; it premiered on 19 March 1999 and ran until 21 March 2003, ending after its fourth season, before the follow-up miniseries Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars.^[3]

The episode can be watched on this page because the rights holder published it in full on its official Farscape YouTube channel on 12 April 2025.^[1] The upload is titled "Self Inflicted Wounds: Part 1 - Could'a, Would'a, Should'a", with the colon and the capital "I" set differently from the episode's own title.^[1] The upload is 2,656 seconds long, about 44 minutes and 16 seconds.^[1]

1. 1999-03-19 Farscape premieres on television.^[3]
2. 2003-03-21 Farscape ends its original run after its fourth season.^[3]
3. 2025-04-12 The full episode is published on the official Farscape YouTube channel.^[1]