Farscape s03e10: Relativity

Series

Farscape^[3]

Season

3^[2]

Episode number

10^[2]

Running time

44 minutes 15 seconds^[1]

Published by

The Farscape channel on YouTube^[1]

Summary

"Relativity" follows the crew as the warship Talyn lands on a planet whose vegetation helps him heal, while John Crichton, Aeryn Sun and Crais search for Xhalax and confront a Peacekeeper retrieval squad.^[1] At its center is Aeryn's relationship with her mother, the senior officer commanding the squad sent to reclaim Talyn.^[4]

What happens in "Relativity"?

In the recap of the previous episode, Aeryn tells Pilot that there is no answer from Crais and that Moya is getting no response from Talyn.^[4] Talyn has powered down all systems to status level to aid his recovery, leaving the ship unable to move.^[4] On the planet's surface, Crichton tells the others that, according to Stark, the planet's vegetation has restorative power for Talyn.^[4]

Talyn identifies the approaching ship as a Vigilante, the Peacekeeper ship that has been pursuing them.^[4]

On the surface, Crichton and Stark find pulse rifles and a trail leading toward them, signs of Peacekeepers.^[4] Crichton learns that the Retrieval Squad is using Colartas, expert trackers, against them.^[4] Crais is wounded on the planet: one of his hearts has burst under the heavy gravity.^[4] Aeryn suggests they cover themselves with orisk fruit to mask their scent from the Colarta trackers.^[4]

Back aboard Talyn, Stark tells Aeryn that the others are up against a Peacekeeper retrieval squad and may not return.^[4] Aeryn is brought back to Talyn, where Stark reports that Talyn is almost completely healed.^[4]

Memorable quotes

“They are hoping that my mother's presence will divide my loyalties, but I will not let them get Talyn back, even if it means I have to kill her.”1:39

“My corruption began the moment I was conceived.”36:22

“I will hunt you down and I will kill you.”38:14

In the episode

2:02 Rygel's cramped quarters Rygel complains from his small room about noise coming through the bulkhead from neighboring crew quarters.

4:31 Retrieval squad confirmed The crew identifies the approaching ship as the peacekeeper pursuit vessel, and Aeryn reveals her mother is leading the retrieval squad.

6:34 Plan to distract pursuers Crichton and Aeryn volunteer to head down to the planet's surface to draw the retrieval squad away from the sleeping Talyn.

7:31 Mercenaries advance The peacekeeper retrieval squad, consisting of three mercenaries on their final missions, treks across the high-gravity terrain toward Talyn's location.

9:37 Vines entangle Talyn Stark notices that the same restorative vegetation helping heal Talyn has grown through the ship, potentially preventing its takeoff.

12:36 Mother and daughter reunite Officer Sun finds Aeryn in the jungle and the two confront each other face to face after years apart.

15:00 Aeryn tends her mother Aeryn treats her mother's injuries and confirms her identity while Zhalax demands to know why Aeryn has joined Crais.

22:22 Trapped inside Talyn Zhalax gains entry to the dormant Talyn and begins operating on its neural systems to prepare it for a control collar.

25:01 Crichton confronts Crais Crichton accuses Crais of secretly needing their help, revealing that the peacekeepers are after Crais as much as Talyn.

26:04 Talyn begins to awaken Aeryn and Zhalax argue over their shared past and the procedure being performed on Talyn as the hybrid starts to stir.

29:00 Chiana uses Crais as bait D'Argo reveals he intentionally used Crais as a lure to draw out the tracking squad, leaving the captain tied up and abandoned.

36:01 Aeryn refuses to shoot Aeryn lowers her weapon and declares she will not kill her mother, overriding the rest of the crew's demand that Zhalax be executed.

41:34 Crais merges with Talyn Aeryn explains that Crais is splicing his neural engrams into Talyn to restore the ship's ability to navigate on its own.

Air date, credits and where to watch

"Relativity" is the tenth episode of Farscape's third season.^[2] Episodes from the second through fourth seasons run 44 minutes, and the series premiered in North America on the Sci-Fi Channel on 19 March 1999.^[3]

The full episode can be watched on this page because the rights holder, the Farscape channel on YouTube, published it on its own channel on 4 June 2025; the upload runs 2,655 seconds.^[1] The video here is that upload, and its machine-generated captions serve as the transcript.^[4]

1. 1999-03-19 Farscape premieres on the Sci-Fi Channel.^[3]
2. 2001-07-06 YouTube automatic captions state that Aeryn tells Stark she will not let the retrieval squad take Talyn back, even if it means killing her own mother.^[4]
3. 2001-07-06 According to YouTube automatic captions, Crichton and Stark reach the planet's surface and find pulse rifles and a trail left by Peacekeepers.^[4]
4. 2001-07-06 YouTube automatic captions record that Crais is wounded on the planet; one of his hearts bursts under the heavy gravity.^[4]
5. 2001-07-06 Stark reports back aboard Talyn that the ship is almost completely healed.^[4]
6. 2025-06-04 YouTube (Farscape) states that the full episode is published on YouTube by the Farscape channel.^[1]