Farscape s01e05: Back and Back and Back to the Future

Series

Farscape^[2]

Season

1^[2]

Episode

5^[2]

Production code

#10105^[2]

First aired (United States)

26 March 1999^[2]

First aired (United Kingdom)

13 December 1999^[2]

Director

Rowan Woods^[2]

Writer

Babs Greyhosky^[2]

Running time

48 minutes 17 seconds^[1]

Summary

While Moya drifts near a ship breaking apart at the molecular level, John Crichton begins having visions of events that have not yet happened, including the apparent destruction of Moya itself.^[2]

Plot

Moya's crew have just watched a ship disintegrate at the subatomic level and are debating whether to flee the area when a distress call comes in from the stricken vessel.^[4] Ka D'Argo orders Pilot to deploy the docking web and bring it aboard.^[4]

Crichton searches the rescued shuttle but finds no other survivors aboard.^[4] He records a message describing himself as a lost astronaut on a living ship full of alien life, hunted by a military commander and looking for a way home.^[4] The two survivors introduce themselves as Matala and Ferrell and claim to be scientists studying gravitational fluctuations in deep space.^[4]

D'Argo declares that the Ilanics have been blood allies of the Luxans for over 1,000 cycles and insists that the crew extend them every courtesy, which prompts Crichton to ask whether Ilanic women use pheromones or psychic abilities to attract men.^[4] Crichton tells D'Argo that he has been having flashes in which he and Matala are together, and he asks whether humans and Ilanics are even physically compatible.^[4]

0:00 Back and Back and Back to the Future The episode as published by the rights holder, from the start.

Memorable quotes

“I just did I just did I changed the future and I made it worse”27:13

“you capture a piece of black hole and you're going to use it as a weapon”33:44

“you can't well I do know and I'm telling you the truth D'Argo matala is the enemy”40:08

“she is Scorpion my word is AXA”42:45

In the episode

1:00 Bringing the damaged cruiser aboard D'Argo and Rygel vote to leave, but Aeryn orders the docking web deployed to rescue a stranded ship.

2:30 John's distress recording plays The crew hears Crichton's pre-recorded message explaining he was shot through space onto a living ship.

3:34 Meeting the elanic scientists Farel and Matala board Moya and explain their phase coupler malfunction to Crichton and D'Argo.

5:33 Farel demands payment for rescue Farel locks in coordinates but presses Crichton for compensation before agreeing to any terms.

11:04 Crichton's first flash to the future Crichton suddenly finds himself in a vision of Matala attacking him and snaps out of it, confused.

12:31 Crichton asks about elanic seduction Seeking help, Crichton questions D'Argo about elanic pheromones and psychic influence over males.

16:44 Warning D'Argo about Matala Crichton bursts in on D'Argo and Matala, urging him away from her based on his future visions.

23:31 The weapon is revealed Farel admits their real mission was field-testing a powerful new weapon against the Scarrans.

26:30 Crichton accuses Matala After another vision, Crichton grabs Matala and demands she confess her plot to kill Farel.

28:30 Planning to confront the elanics Crichton, D'Argo, and Aeryn discuss the best way to force the truth out of the elanic pair.

33:01 A black hole weapon is confirmed Farel explains to Crichton that their shuttle carries a contained quantum singularity, a devastating weapon.

37:33 D'Argo rejects the elanic call Following Crichton's advice, D'Argo tells Matala he cannot join the elanic war and reveals his hidden crime.

41:38 D'Argo holds Matala at gunpoint When an elanic-looking ship approaches early, D'Argo confronts Matala and refuses to lower his weapon.

43:42 Matala seizes the weapon Matala breaks free, declares herself Scarran, and fights to destroy the black hole before the enemy can claim it.

Background

Farscape was created by Rockne S. O'Bannon for the Nine Network and co-produced by The Jim Henson Company and Hallmark Entertainment.^[3] It premiered in North America on the Sci-Fi Channel on 19 March 1999 at 8:00 pm EST,^[3] and its first season ran for 22 episodes, from 19 March 1999 to 28 January 2000.^[2]

Back and Back and Back to the Future was directed by Rowan Woods and written by Babs Greyhosky.^[2] The rights holder's YouTube description says the episode concerns a disintegrating ship whose survivors turn out to be Ilanics, blood allies of the Luxans, and Crichton's sense that something is wrong.^[1]

The episode is watchable on this page because the rights holder uploaded it in full to its own YouTube channel on 25 July 2024; the upload runs 2,897 seconds, or about 48 minutes 17 seconds.^[1]

In the series

Back and Back and Back to the Future is the fifth episode of Farscape's first season.^[2]