Farscape s01e09: DNA Mad Scientist

Series

Farscape (season 1, episode 9)^[2]

Production code

#10109^[2]

Broadcast length

Roughly 44 to 50 minutes^[2]

Running time

48 minutes 17 seconds^[1]

Summary

"DNA Mad Scientist" is the ninth episode of the first season of Farscape, the four-season science fiction series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon and co-produced by The Jim Henson Company and Hallmark Entertainment.^[3] It centers on a goatlike scientist who offers the crew of the living ship Moya star charts to their home worlds in exchange for DNA samples, then raises the price by demanding one of Pilot's arms.^[2]

What happens in "DNA Mad Scientist"?

The episode opens in the middle of the action: the goatlike scientist is already extracting a sample from Zhaan with an eye-needle, and he tells those who hesitate that the procedure will take only moments.^[4] He presents himself as a cartographer whose genetic database holds information on nearly eleven million species, and claims that a single sample is enough to locate any being's world of origin.^[4]

When the scientist reveals that his true price is one of Pilot's arms, the crew must decide whether to accept the trade.^[2] Pilot, whose species bonds itself to a Leviathan and serves the ship and her passengers in exchange for the chance to travel through space, agrees to the loss so that the rest of the crew can get the charts.^[4]

In a quieter scene, Aeryn Sun tells John Crichton that she has never been on her own and has only ever belonged to a unit, and he replies that if he ever finds a way home, he will take her with him.^[4]

0:00 DNA Mad Scientist The rights holder's full upload of the episode, from opening to end.

Memorable quotes

“when one of my species is bonded to a leviathan we give our lives to the service of others ship first then those who travel aboard her no matter what those aboard do to you”9:37

“you expect credit for using innocent life forms as specimens in your research you of all people should understand the horror in that”40:31

In the episode

0:32 Eyeball procedure begins John and the others sit in chairs while Namtar presses needles into their eyes to collect genetic samples.

4:31 Crichton's distress signal plays A recording of John shouting into the void echoes through the chamber as he struggles with what Namtar has done.

6:31 Pilot's arm is taken Aeryn argues that trading Pilot's arm for the home world maps is too high a price.

8:30 Crystal arrives on Moya Namtar's messenger Kata brings the data crystal containing the three home world maps to the ship.

12:34 Aeryn confesses her loneliness Aeryn tells John she has never been alone in her life and asks if he would really take her to Earth.

14:30 Aeryn revisits Namtar Aeryn returns to Namtar and offers her own DNA in exchange for help finding a Sebacean colony where she belongs.

17:32 Aeryn gives her sample Namtar presses needles into Aeryn's eyes and she gasps as the procedure begins.

19:00 Map dispute explodes The crew argues over whose home world is closest and discovers the crystal will only yield one intact map.

21:34 Rygel hides the crystal Rygel locks himself in a cell with the data crystal and refuses to hand it over.

24:36 Aeryn feels strange Aeryn winces in pain as phase one of Namtar's genetic modifications begins altering her body.

27:30 D'Argo and Rygel negotiate D'Argo flirts with Rygel over food in a crude attempt to convince him to surrender the crystal.

32:04 Rygel offers a deal Rygel emerges from the cell and offers to return them to Hyneria if the crew takes him home first.

37:31 Crystal is booby-trapped Pilot warns Crichton that the data crystal has been rigged to wipe Moya's memory if loaded into the ship.

40:01 Namtar reveals his evolution Namtar presents his mutated form to John and explains that he is drawing genetic traits from a thousand species to approach perfection.

Air date, credits and where to watch

Like other episodes of the series, it runs roughly 44 to 50 minutes in broadcast length.^[2] Farscape was created by Rockne S. O'Bannon, co-produced by The Jim Henson Company and Hallmark Entertainment, and originally aired on the Nine Network in Australia and the Sci-Fi Channel in the United States.^[3] The episode can be watched here because the rights holder published it on its own YouTube channel, the official Farscape channel, on 24 August 2024; the upload runs 2,897 seconds, or roughly 48 minutes.^[1]