I was about to start my annual rewatch of DS9, but I might just go for that instead.
It's a great watch, honestly one of my favorite shows of all time. It's a nice departure from tone and aesthetic of Star Trek, it's a lot grittier and grimier but in a way that's really fun when you get ahold of what they're going for tonally. It takes a while to find its footing but once it does it manages to do a lot with its premise: Star Trek style ethical dilemmas and space encounters, but instead of a Starfleet crew dealing with the problem, it's a band of violent, morally dubious, drug/sex addicted transient freaks dealing with it.
Beyond the Henson quality makeup/puppets, the aesthetics and tone of the show are probably my favorite things about it, especially in direct comparison to Star Trek. Farscape was filmed in Australia, which I think helps tremendously when every other science fiction show was being shot in the greater California area, and unlike Star Trek, I think Farscape's alien worlds manage to feel more alien more often than not. There's a really strong through line of brutalist and tribalist aesthetics throughout the show, if it's not a concrete and metal brutalist megastructure it's a tribal village or junk favella. They also have this weird contrast of feeling both empty and lived-in at the same time in a way that I can only really summarize as 'Garry's Mod Map-esque'. Unreal Tournament is the closest thing that comes to mind that I'd say is comparable in terms of the breadth of different settings in Farscape.
I think the main cast is really unique and well done, like I said, these aren't Starfleet officers, they're borderline anarchistic freaks living out of their van while on the run from the state troopers. If the crew of the enterprise or command staff of ds9 supposed to be coastal elite intellectuals, the cast of Farscape is Portland Oregon hipster hillbillies. The main cast is really unlikable and annoying at times but in ways that feel shockingly realistic. If you have been around the blue city druggie musician hicklib punk scene at all, you have met the main cast of Farscape probably a dozen times over. Chiana is probably the most realistically written BPD hoe in all of fiction. They cause their own problems more often than not, most episodes are the result of a bad/selfish/idiotic/drunk/high decision by one character, and even when it's not evidently someone's fault they still manage to make things worse through their own terminal self interest. I can understand why some might find it annoying or hard to watch but I enjoy seeing how petty and pissed off at each other they all can get. When the character conflict is at its best and they're all each others throats and split into groups working against each others' interests it really does feel like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia or Trailer Park Boys in space, and at times things just get so weird and retarded and the characters become such assholes to each other it borderline feels comparable Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Not to say they never have their competent or badass or heartfelt moments, there are episodes with plenty of that, but I do enjoy the episodes where it's them effectively getting into a white trash fight outside an intergalactic gas station.
Apologies for the effort post, I just really Farscape and haven't had a chance to share my thoughts in a non-tranny occupied space. Jool best girl btw.
