Farscape

I wasn't a huge fan of Farscape. While I liked the concept of being ported into another galaxy or reality through a black hole, I think the whole plot could have been executed a whole lot better. The creatures John encountered were too bizarre for my taste. To me, they all seemed a little too campy; it was almost like they detracted from the plot instead of painting the image of this insanely different way of life. I think that the show would be a lot more interesting and compelling if the characters seemed a little more believable; maybe it's just me, but I have trouble taking a two-foot-tall, purple haired creature seriously. In the show's fairness, I've only seen one episode. However, my impressions of that single episode weren't exactly positive.

In my eyes, Farscape seemed most similar to Star Trek. For one, the creatures John encountered operated a ships control booth that had an eerily similar layout to that of the Enterprise. Also, Star Trek and Farscape both carry a theme of different species and creatures working together. I think that concept is more abstract than we realize, as different creatures and their priorities are so divided on our own planet. I don't think Farscape ripped off Star Trek or anything like that, but perhaps the creators of both shows had a similar vision of a future society.

All in all, I'm glad that I was forced to branch out and watch so many different shows in this class. I would have never watched Buffy, Star Trek, BSG, or any of the other shows we watched for that matter, had they not been assigned. But, because I did watch these shows, I feel like I understand the appeal of Science Fiction. There's a weird sense of escape when you watch some of these shows; it's refreshing to see creatures and life forms completely different than humans deal with the same sort of problems we do. I don't necessarily like the genre myself, but at least now I understand why others would.