by Sherry Ginn
And, in a twist of gender stereotypes, the absolutely ruthless Peacekeeper Commandant Mele-On Grayza repeatedly rapes Crichton; she will do anything to possess the secret Crichton holds, the knowledge of how to create a wormhole. Powerless to stop her, Crichton is aware of these repeated rapes and suffers greatly because of his helplessness (“What Was Lost” Parts I & II [4.2 and 4.3]). Crichton refers to her as Commandant Cleavage because of her extremely low-cut uniform. A gland that secretes Heppel oil has been surgically implanted in her chest. Her low-cut uniform allows easy access to the gland, whose oily secretion makes her sexually desirable and irresistible. Noranti’s drugs allow Crichton to resist the Heppel oil, but we eventually learn what Crichton thinks of Grayza’s actions. When Grayza realizes that she will not be able to prevent a Peacekeeper-Scarran war and has been betrayed, Crichton asks her if she feels raped, a clear reference to his revulsion at what she has done to him. Her response: She would do anything to further the alliance with the Scarrans. Her motives are not necessarily altruistic: if she is successful in her negotiations then she will become very powerful indeed.6 However, the Scarrans, a reptilian species who scheme for control of the universe, have ulterior motives and cannot be trusted. In a scene where Grayza and Ahkna, the Scarran War Minister, discuss a peace treaty between the two races, Ahkna makes a scathing comment about Grayza’s methods, referring to the Heppel oil she uses for seduction. Grayza replies: “If you had a powerful weapon, would you refuse to use it because of squeamishness?” (“Bringing Home the Beacon” 4.16).
Because of their intense xenophobia, Peacekeepers, with the exception of Grayza, apparently do not use rape as a weapon of terror. Sexual relations with non–Sebaceans would be considered a disgrace, if not downright disgusting, to them, hence Macton Tar’s murder of his sister for not only marrying a Luxan, but also mating with him and bearing a child. This is not the case with the Scarrans. Scorpius, Crichton’s arch-nemesis, is the result of the Scarran rape of a Sebacean woman; the woman apparently died giving birth to him.
Scorpius: Looking for Power and Control
Scorpius’ early life was terrible.7 He is considered repellant by his Scarran masters, and in order to remove all trace of Sebacean from his “self,” they repeatedly torture the boy. The Scarrans believe that Scorpius is one of them though and that, although he is rather powerful in the Peacekeeper command structure, he is actually working for Scarran political interests. Little do they realize that Scorpius is playing a double-game and only pretending to be a Scarran spy. Scorpius wants nothing more than revenge against the Scarrans for the rape of his mother and the brutal way in which he was raised. Scorpius is barely tolerated by many of the Sebaceans with whom he comes into contact. He is tolerated because of the knowledge that he possesses about the Scarrans and the fact that he is ruthless and merciless. His physical appearance is ghastly. Farscape’s costumers created a black leather suit that molded to the actor’s shape. His entire body was encased; only a small part of his face was visible, and it was made-up to be extremely thin, with shrunken cheeks and shriveled lips (Ginn, “Exploring”).
Scorpius also appears to have a preference for sexual activity of a rather “kinky” nature.8 Being part Scarran, Scorpius needs heat for bodily comfort. Unfortunately, being part Sebacean means that too much heat will send him into a heat delirium, and he could die. He cools himself by inserting cooling rods directly into his brain. Despite Scorpius’ role as the villain, and his ghastly appearance, he is attractive to a certain type of female. His sexual acts with his lover Natira (“Liars, Guns, and Money Part I: A Not So Simple Plan” 2.19), who also prefers to wear black leather and is distinctly spider-like, as well as those with the bioloid Sikozu (e.g., “Bad Timing” 4.22) are decidedly on the kinky side, with each encounter involving an attempt to see which partner can “hold out” the longest before experiencing orgasm. The sexual act itself apparently involves BDSM. Part of the danger for Scorpius is the heat generated during the sex act. Scorpius cannot hurt or harm Natira or Sikozu; he is equally matched with respect to the sex play he has with both females, indicating that inflicting pain in his partners is not what is motivating his actions. However, it is doubtful that affection is directing his actions. The only component of love which Scorpius exhibits is passion and that may only be a means to an end, rather than an emotion reflecting some type of genuine connection with another being.
Screening Sex and Its Variations9
As I have mentioned above, the sexual acts portrayed on screen in Farscape are typically heterosexual, although it is hinted that Chiana may be bisexual. Nevertheless, the sexual acts themselves, with a few exceptions, would qualify as “vanilla,” as indicated above. Generally the few sexual acts depicted on screen show the female on top of the male. Examples include Aeryn and Velorek (“The Way We Weren’t”), Chiana and D’Argo (e.g., “Look at the Princess, Parts I–III”), and D’Argo and Nilaam (“Vitas Mortis”). Other variations on sexual behavior were also illustrated, such as Zhaan’s photogasms. Dominar Rygel mentions his many wives and progeny. His hairy eyebrows are an erogenous zone and Zhaan strokes them repeatedly in a seduction attempt, but he tells her that he is not a body breeder. Since Rygel does have a “sexual” encounter with a female Hynerian on one episode later in the series (“Fractures” 3.18), it certainly makes one wonder what they were doing, and how Hynerian physiology operates. Obviously interspecies matings are not unheard of in this universe, although as in our society, prejudice occurs and children born of such matings may experience discrimination, as witnessed by the trials which Jothee, D’Argo’s son, undergoes in his short life, before rescue by his father. Interestingly, Crichton and Aeryn’s sexual encounters are not depicted “on camera.” Rather their encounters are generally depicted in “cut-away” scenes, whereby a passionate kiss leads to a fade-away camera shot, or a new act in an episode begins with the characters in partial dress, in bed. The chemistry between the actors portraying the parts of Crichton and Aeryn (Ben Browder and Claudia Black) cannot be denied, and even scenes in which they only kiss are considered “hot” by many fans.
Conclusions
It should come as no surprise that Robert Sternberg’s theory as to how people develop and display love could be portrayed in a television series such as Farscape. It should be easy to speculate that Sternberg’s theory would apply to non-human beings of our own planet as well as beings on undiscovered worlds in other universes. Given that non-human animals, such as cats and dogs, appear to display affection for their owners as well as their offspring, why should we not consider that alien species might also develop emotional attachments to members of their own as well as other species? Again, just as humans display affection toward other humans, they also display affection toward those aforementioned cats and dogs. Thus liking is not necessarily an emotion only displayed by human beings. The same can be said for the other components of love as outlined by the Triangular Theory. Non-human animals appear to experience passion, albeit within the parameters of their mating strategies, and there are numerous examples in the animal kingdom of animals mating for life—that is, displaying commitment to one mate—such as wolves and Canadian geese.
Moya’s crew members display affection towards each other in both overt and subtle ways. They also mourn the loss of those members who die in their mutual quest. Indeed, Aeryn and Crichton name their son D’Argo in honor of their fallen comrade after his heroic death in The Peacekeeper Wars. Crichton also honors his childhood friend and colleague, DK, by calling the boy by this diminutive.
It should also not surprise us to learn that other species have vested interests in the survival of their species. Thus, evolutionary theory may provide one explanatory principle underlying species mating strategies. However, it is not the only one. If evolution were the only impetus propelling species to mate, then mating would not be such a happenstance circumstance. For example, the impetus to mate might take a back-seat to morality, compelling males to mate with females even
when the females were unwilling. Sexual attraction to members of the same sex would be unheard of as there would be no biological reason for such attraction. The same could be said for attraction to non-human partners as well as partners too young to reproduce. Nevertheless, (most) humans do not force themselves upon unwilling partners, some people are sexually attracted to members of their own sex/gender and, unfortunately, some humans make inappropriate sexual object choices, such as being compelled to engage in sexual behavior with children and non-human animals. The beings on Farscape do not necessarily show complete adherence to the principles of evolutionary psychology.
Throughout the series we see two examples of a species that attempts to dissociate sexual activity from reproduction. Sebacean Peacekeepers as well as the Sebaceans on the un-named Royal Planet developed ways to propagate the species while also allowing members of the species to engage in sexual activity with those of their choosing. Thus, Princess Katralla is able to use Crichton’s DNA to produce a child that would ensure her ascension to the throne, but she is also able to marry the man she loves because of the unique way in which power is transferred on her planet.10 Aeryn is able to give birth to her child in the way she wishes, and her marriage to Crichton in The Peacekeeper Wars ensures that her child will grow up knowing both of his parents, unlike her, who knew neither.
Although only fictional characters living in a fictional universe, Farscape provides the viewer with many exemplars of how psychological theories can provide a framework for analyzing the emotional and sexual relationships depicted on the series. It is doubtful that the writers of Farscape meant to create characters that so clearly illustrate these concepts. Nevertheless, Farscape can be analyzed using the basic tenets of evolutionary psychology as well as Robert Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love, providing an example, not of life imitating art, but rather art imitating life.
Notes
Portions of this essay were originally published in my monographs, Our Space, Our Place: Women in the Worlds of Science Fiction Television and Power and Control in the Television Worlds of Joss Whedon, and an article in Foundation. Used with permission. See Works Cited for complete publication information.
1. See Works Cited for a list of my publications. Portions of this chapter were presented at the Popular Culture Association conferences in 2006 (Atlanta) and 2008 (San Francisco) as well as the Popular Culture Association in the South conference in 2008 (Lexington, Kentucky).
2. All quotes in this section are to be found in Robert J. Sternberg’s book Cupid’s Arrow. See Works Cited for the complete citation.
3. Of course, some writers of speculative fiction, such as Octavia Butler, are more imaginative than others. Cinematic portrayals typically depict alien species engaging in “human” sexual activity given that the aliens are just humans in make-up. Yet, even characters rendered in CGI are decidedly human, with human sexual preferences. “Print” writers seem to be much more imaginative with respect to reproduction.
4. We never learn whether homosexuality occurs among Peacekeepers. It is simply never mentioned in the entire series. However, it is not unheard of in this part of the universe and apparently not considered odd or abnormal when one considers a conversation between Crichton and D’Argo in the episode “Look at the Princess Part I: A Kiss is but a Kiss” (2.10). Crichton asks D’Argo to be his best man at the wedding. D’Argo, not knowing about Earth customs, replies that he is “with Chiana now.” His reply indicates that he perceives Crichton’s statement to be a sexual overture. It also indicates that he practices monogamy and that he is not offended by Crichton’s “suggestion.”
5. When Crichton and crew travel back to Earth in Season Four, a teen-aged Crichton loses his virginity to Chiana (“Kansas” 412).
6. When we see Grayza in The Peacekeeper Wars, she is heavily pregnant. A cryptic reference is made to the child’s father. One of the comics also makes cryptic references to Grayza’s child, a daughter. Rebecca Riggs was asked about this at the 2012 Dragon*Con in Atlanta. She replied that in her heart of hearts, she knows that the child is Crichton’s. If so, then why didn’t Grayza utilize her daughter’s DNA to obtain the wormhole knowledge? After all, that is why Aeryn was kidnapped by the Scarrans in Season Four.
7. Scorpius reveals his back story in several episodes of the series. The comics that feature Scorpius also provide more of the story. See Appendix C for complete publication details on these graphic novels.
8. Kink sexual practices are those that extend beyond what is generally considered to be conventional sexual practices. Kink includes acts such as bondage, dominance and submission, and sadomasochism (BDSM), spanking, cuckoldry, and sexual fetishism. Practitioners of kink consider it to be a means of heightening the intimacy between sexual partners.
9. One of the most unique plotlines during the first season revolves around Moya’s pregnancy, certainly the first time of which I am aware that a space ship breeds. While Leviathans are physically bonded to a pilot, who controls their internal functions and provides navigation, the ships can breed. Moya, we learn, was part of the Peacekeeper experiment designed to create a hybrid, a Leviathan gunship. A male, the hybrid was named Talyn by Aeryn in honor of her father. Unfortunately for Moya, Talyn becomes increasingly unstable, eventually going insane.
10. Immediately after Crichton’s marriage to Katralla, they are rendered into statues, destined to remain in that state for 80 cycles while learning to rule the planet as Empress and Regent. Crichton is able to escape from the statue and change places with Tyno. Given that no one who knows Katralla or Tyno will be alive in 80 cycles, no one will know of the switch. Crichton gets away, and Tyno and Katralla will live happily ever after.
Works Cited
Battis, Jes. Investigating Farscape: Uncharted Territories of Sex and Science Fiction. London: I. B. Tauris, 2007. Print.
Buss, David M. The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating. New York: Basic Books, 1994. Print.
Buss, David M., Randy J. Larsen, Drew Westen, and Jennifer Semmelroth. “Sex Differences in Jealousy: Evolution, Physiology, and Psychology.” Psychological Science 3 (1992): 251–255. Print.
Buunk, Bram P., Alois Angleitner, Viktor Oubaid, and David M. Buss. “Sex Differences in Jealousy in Evolutionary and Cultural Perspective: Tests from the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States.” Psychological Science 7 (1996): 359–363. Print.
Darwin, Charles. The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex. London: Murray, 1871. Print.
_____. On the Origin of Species by the Means of Natural Selection, or Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. London: Murray, 1859. Print.
Ginn, Sherry. “Exploring the Alien Other on Farscape: Human, Puppet, Costume, Cosmetic.” The Wider Worlds of Jim Henson: Essays on His Work and Legacy Beyond The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. Eds. Jennifer C. Garlen and Anissa M. Graham. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2013. 228–240. Print.
_____. “For Women it’s Love, for Men it’s Sex: Evolutionary Psychology meets Science Fiction.” Foundation, the International Review of Science Fiction 39 (2010): 28–38. Print.
_____. “Human, Alien, Techno—What Next? Evolutionary Psychology, Science Fiction, and Sex.” The Sex Is Out of This World: the Carnal Side of Science Fiction. Eds. Sherry Ginn and Michael G. Cornelius. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2012. 221–237. Print.
_____. Our Space, Our Place: Women in the Worlds of Science Fiction Television. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2005. Print.
_____. Power and Control in the Television Worlds of Joss Whedon. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2012. Print.
_____. “Sexual Relations and Sexual Identity Issues on Torchwood: Brave New Worlds or More of the Old One?” Essays on Torchwood: Reading the Rift. Ed. Andrew Ireland. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2010. 165–180. Print.
LeVay, Simon, and Janice I. Baldwin. Human Sexuality, 4th ed. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer, 2011. Print.
Simpson, Paul, and Ruth Thomas. Farscape: The Illustrated
Season 2 Companion. London: Titan, 2001. Print.
Sternberg, Robert J. Cupid’s Arrow: The Course of Love Through Time. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Print.
Sternberg, Robert J., and Michael L. Barnes, eds. The Psychology of Love. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. Print.
Yarber, William, Barbara Sayad, and Bryan Strong. Human Sexuality: Diversity in Contemporary America, 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.
Joining the Conversation
Ben Browder Writes John Crichton
Jessie Carty
How do most people picture a writer? Perhaps as an eccentric old man with unkempt clothes and hair? Or a drunken young woman with black fingernails? These images have two primary things in common: abnormality and singularity. Those images, however, are not what I know of writers, most of whom are pretty “normal.” They are mothers, chefs, golfers. Most of them started out as avid readers who wanted to do what their idols—authors—did. Granted, my writing circle is an admittedly small and unscientific pool, but I cringe at the notion that writers automatically operate on the fringes of society.