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Home ¤ Is Farscape Clichéd?: Section 1: Overused Plots and Storylines

Is Farscape Clichéd?

Introduction
Section 1: Overused Plots and Storylines
Section II: Overused Settings and Characterizations
Section III: Overused story events and plot devices
Section IV: Silly Science

Note: ¤NA¤ indicates that particular element doesn't apply in the Farscape universe... so far.

Section I: Overused Plots and Storylines
Intro ¤ Section 1 ¤ Section II ¤ Section III ¤ Section IV ¤ Send a Comment ¤

  1. Post-cataclysmic rag-tag armies struggle to kick the Rooskies out of the good ol' US of A. ¤NA¤
  2. Post-cataclysmic rag-tag armies struggle to survive against gangs of bandits, mutants, cyberpunks, bikers, etc.
    Well, Moya's crew isn't post-cataclysmic, but they have struggled to survive against nearly all of the above: bandits (Tavleks, 1.4, "Throne for a Loss"); mutants (NamTar & co, 1.9, "DNA Mad Scientist"); and bikers (Zenetan pirates, 1.13, "The Flax"). So far, thank God, they've been spared any encounters with cyberpunks. Each of the other encounters occurred in episodes dealing with other powerful themes (drug addiction and forced rehabilitation; genetic engineering and homelessness; loyalty and family), and therefore avoided the dread cliché designation.
  3. The rag-tag rebel army/fleet struggles valiantly to overthrow the Evil Empire.
    Ah, yes, the Evil Empire. That would be The PeaceKeepers. Up until the very end of "Fractures" (3.18), though, the focus has been on running, and not overthrowing in any sense of the word. Post 3.18, it remains to be seen; so far, so good.
  4. The Good Guys travel through time to stop a historical Bad Guy, usually Hitler.
    Farscape's     take on time travel, the superlative "Different Destinations..." (3.5), did involve the Good Guys going back in time, but the execution and resolution of the plot were exquisite. Frankly, it doesn't get much better than "Different Destinations..."
  5. The Bad Guy travels through time to kill the Hero in his childhood, or to prevent him from ever being born. ¤NA¤
  6. The Chronocops travel in time to catch a Bad Guy who escaped into some other era. ¤NA¤
  7. Scientists work feverishly to develop a cure for the Supervirus or a weapon to stop the Invincible Bad Guys.
    Cliché alert: Scorpius and his staff are working feverishly to develop wormhole tech to enable the Peacekeepers to defeat the Scarrans. However, it could be worse. This particular point is not the primary focus of the series, nor does it ever threaten to become it.
  8. An alien:
    1. Is stranded on earth;
    2. Befriends a human child or falls in love with an earth gal;
    3. Is pursued by shadowy malevolent Pentagon officials under the pretense of national security;
    4. Uses his/her/its alien powers to defeat the shadowy malevolent Pentagon officials, making them look foolish without really harming them;
    5. Makes teary farewell and returns to its home planet.
      ¤NA¤, Thank God.
  9. A virtual reality program is activated, and the distinction between reality and the program becomes confused or indistinguishable.
    Cliché alert! We've actually seen this a few times, mostly with the head-games episodes "A Human Reaction" (1.16), when the Ancients go all-out to reproduce John's Earth, and again in "Won't Get Fooled Again" (2.15), when the Scarran is playing fast-and-loose with John's memories. However, the most egregious use of this type of thing (not an exact match) is in "Scratch'n'Sniff" (3.13), when the Hangis lets Crichton and D'Argo enter scenes he "saw" with his disembodied eyes. Ewww.
  10. People connect their brains directly to computers and get dependent on them. ¤NA¤
  11. Aliens travel a zillion miles to loot the earth of resources which exist in far greater and much more easily exploitable quantities on the many uninhabited bodies they pass on the way to earth. ¤NA¤
  12. A complex computer system spontaneously becomes self-aware. ¤NA¤
  13. A couple files an application to the government for permission to conceive a baby.
    Maria P. suggests that the Peacekeeper's "assigned procreation" comes dangerously close to this cliche.
  14. A human falls in love with a robot. ¤NA¤
  15. A robot falls in love with a human. ¤NA¤
  16. UFO abductions. ¤NA¤
  17. Brain-controlling parasites attempt to wrest control of human race.
    Not quite, but in "Beware of Dog" (2.14), the brain-controlling parasites did get control of Rygel. Fortunately they were exposed by the Vorc before any real harm could be done. The focus of the episode was the interaction with the crew with the Vorc. Add in the many layers of misdirection, and the episode misses cliché with a bit of margin to spare.     Cliché alert? Joan C. adds the Intellant Virus from "A Bug's Life", which comes a lot closer to the definition -- I think the Virus wanted to take over everything.
  18. Aliens put someone on trial for the sins of humanity.
    Another near miss. We got a trial episode, "The Ugly Truth" (2.17), but the crew was simply on trial for Talyn's crimes.
  19. A high-tech amusement park goes lethally berserk. ¤NA¤
  20. Death from old age turns out to be due to some simple, single cause, leading to an easy immortality treatment, with consequent catastrophic social implications. ¤NA¤
  21. A great hunter decides that humans are the most entertaining prey of all, and visits Earth to bag a few. ¤NA¤
  22. Psychedelic drugs give somebody magical power over space, time and reality.
    Not drugs... Unity with Zhaan ("The Locket", 2.16)! Another near miss.
  23. Aliens with completely incomprehensible motivations make war on the human race/invade earth. ¤NA¤
  24. The bureaucratic/reactionary mindset stands in the way of scientific progress. A researcher overcomes it through ability, purity of heart, and use of the scientific method. Or not. ¤NA¤
  25. Two hostile factions colonize a planet within walking distance of each other. ¤NA¤
  26. The government ships criminals off to other planets.
    Oh, yeah. How do you think all this started in the first place? Moya was a prison transport, after all. However, this fact is so buried at this point that it's hardly worth mentioning.
  27. A human male becomes pregnant.
    Um, no, but, equally odd, the ship becomes pregnant. However, this was handled with such realism and grace, not to mention anxiety and violence, that it never even comes close to hackneyed.
  28. An android discovers emotions and loses control. ¤NA¤
  29. A young researcher:
    1. Gets a job at a Mega-huge Corporation or Ultra-secret Government Agency;
    2. Learns that the employer's latest discovery has a Nasty Side Effect or involves some obvious human rights abuses;
    3. Confronts the employer, who casually dismisses the researcher's concerns and chides her/him for not being a "team player";
    4. Tries to blow the whistle to avert disaster;
    5. Gets hounded by Shadowy Malevolent Goons;
    6. Attempts to meet with inside sources, and finds them either dead or with just enough life left to utter a cryptic clue;
    7. Watches the disaster overtake the CEO;
    8. Testifies before Congress;
    9. Enters the Witness Protection Program;

    in roughly the order given above. ¤NA¤

  30. Aliens invade earth in order to eat humans. ¤NA¤
  31. An AI turns on its creators. ¤NA¤
  32. A person from the past goes into suspended animation and wakes up in modern times, or a person from modern times goes into suspended animation and wakes up in the future.
    Our Sleeping Beauty is Jool, but she was only in suspended animation for 22 years. Just the faintest hint, here.
  33. A person travels back in time to meet a major historical personage and winds up either becoming that person or taking that person's place at a critical juncture. ¤NA¤
  34. The rightful monarch or long-lost heir is restored to the throne.
    Rygel's dearest wish is to see this particular idea come to fruition. Alas, we're not there, yet.
  35. A sexually selective plague kills off or sterilizes almost all of the men, or almost all of the women.
    Not a plague, but deliberate sabotage, damaged the DNA of the heiress in the "Look at the Princess" (3.11,3.21, 3.12) trilogy.
  36. A human discovers that the human race is being controlled by aliens. ¤NA¤
  37. The alien invasion that flounders because their technological advantage is perfectly neutralized by their lack of resources, compared to the humans. ¤NA¤
  38. Earth is threatened by an asteroid, and a space mission is mounted to save the planet. ¤NA¤
  39. Humans are seen as a menace to galactic society, having developed technology over a few short centuries compared with the thousands it took the other races. ¤NA¤ I love this one. Humans are at the tail end of the galactic food chain in this series, Crichtons protestations ("Humans are superior!") notwithstanding.
  40. The government bans music, painting, dancing, or some other art form; only the hero seems to care enough to do anything about it. ¤NA¤
  41. A technological innovation prompts a large portion of society to violently suppress it. ¤NA¤
  42. "Single female monster ISO single human male. Object: Mating
    Dangerously close, here: it's not a monster come-a'calling, though, it's Princess Katralla in "Look at the Princess"; Maria P. is also reminded of Matalla's lust for Crichton in season one's "Back and Back and Back to the Future."
  43. An entire society is run by a computer. ¤NA¤

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