Farscape s01e04: Throne for a Loss

Series

Farscape^[2]

Season

1^[2]

Episode number

4^[2]

Production code

#10104^[2]

First aired (US)

9 April 1999^[2]

First aired (UK)

6 December 1999^[2]

Running time

48 minutes 17 seconds^[1]

Upload title

Throne For a Loss^[1]

Summary

A group of Tavleks boards the living ship Moya, takes Rygel prisoner and drops a drug-dispensing gauntlet in the scuffle.^[1] With D'Argo also seized and Moya unable to leave orbit, the crew must work out how to ransom their shipmates without the resources the Tavleks are demanding.^[1]

What happens in "Throne for a Loss"?

The episode opens with D'Argo already a prisoner aboard the Tavleks' ship.^[4] Rygel, hoping to make himself valuable to his captors, introduces himself as the sixteenth Dominar of the Hynerian Empire and sovereign of more than six hundred billion subjects.^[4] A Tavlek is injured when a gauntlet is removed from him: its needles sink into the wearer's arm and inject a stimulant, so the weapon is as dangerous to its user as to any opponent.^[4]

The Tavleks then send their demand to Moya: enough cinium of Purity 9 to fill the transport hangar, in exchange for Rygel and D'Argo.^[4] On Moya, Pilot reports that propulsion control is completely out and excess super coolant must be vented, so the ship cannot leave orbit until the fault is fixed.^[4] The cause is traced to a crystal Rygel took from Moya's control circuitry to decorate his scepter, a problem his absence makes worse.^[4]

D'Argo is later knocked out by the gauntlet and sleeps off its effect, with no clear time given for when he will wake.^[4]

0:00 Throne for a Loss The episode as published by the rights holder, from the start.^[1]

Memorable quotes

“now you challenge my command do it to my face so we see left standing”10:05

“what I wonder is what you alone are capable of”33:21

“because we're not enemies this is your enemy contemplate that in solitude”39:46

In the episode

0:00 Crew debates the risky job Rygel, D'Argo, and Crichton argue over whether to meet the aliens to negotiate payment for their D'Argo.

3:01 Crichton records his situation Crichton speaks into a recorded message describing how a radiation wave sent him through a wormhole.

4:30 A strange gauntlet attaches itself Rygel involuntarily boards Moya and a metallic gauntlet clamps onto his arm and injects him.

5:30 D'Argo suffers gauntlet withdrawal D'Argo shows signs of agitation while the others discuss how to remove the addictive weapon from him.

7:00 A ransom demand arrives The aliens contact the ship demanding payment for Rygel's release, and the crew debates their options.

9:00 Crichton improvises a maneuver Crichton devises a plan to vent coolant so Moya can move, causing Rygel to fall into the mud.

12:02 Rygel confesses to taking the crystal The crew discovers that Rygel borrowed a vital navigation component from Moya to decorate his scepter.

13:00 Crichton plans a ground mission Crichton and Aeryn prepare to fly a Prowler to the planet to retrieve the crystal and find Rygel.

17:38 Tavlek guards grope Aeryn A Tavlek captor harasses Aeryn while she and Crichton work on reconfiguring Moya's sensors.

19:33 Crichton asks for directions Crichton approaches the Tavlek camp posing as lost in order to locate Rygel and D'Argo.

23:31 Aeryn confronts a gauntlet-wielding Tavlek Aeryn engages a Tavlek leader wearing a gauntlet while D'Argo remains too weak to help.

25:30 Crichton executes the captive Crichton uses Aeryn's Qualta blade to kill the Tavlek leader after arguing about courage.

42:30 Bech releases the crew After learning the crew has no riches, Bech frees the captives and tells them to leave.

Air date, credits and where to watch

Throne for a Loss first aired in the United States on 9 April 1999 and in the United Kingdom on 6 December 1999, and carries the production code #10104.^[2]

The episode can be watched here because the rights holder published it on its own YouTube channel on 24 July 2024.^[1] The upload is titled "Throne For a Loss", a spelling that differs from the episode's title, and runs about 48 minutes and 17 seconds.^[1]