Farscape – The Complete Series Box Set – DVD Review

photo: a&e

Farscape – The Complete Series Box Set

Brittany Frederick – Staff Writer
brittanyfrederick
@thetwocentscorp.com

I have to confess that prior to this weekend, I had never seen an episode of Farscape. I’d heard of it, and I’d seen the lead actors in other works – namely Stargate SG-1 and an episode of the ill-fated Dresden Files – but I hadn’t been watching. However, this Complete Series boxset has definitely initiated me into what was so compelling about this show.

Farscape is part of that mid-to-late nineties sci-fi crop that included Babylon 5 and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. You either like these big space epics or you don’t, so I’m not going to waste time talking about the plot. What comes across in Farscape, though, is just how much the cast and crew were invested in their show. It’s not the usual “everyone loves everyone” stuff like you see sometimes, either. These are people who talk openly about how shocked and emotional they were when their show got cancelled, about how they grew up on science fiction and appreciate it as a genre, about how they really do appreciate their fans and the campaign to save their show. It’s very clear that they created four seasons of something they grew to love and look back on even six years later with fondness. The sheer number of people who participate in special features shows how much they do care about the show that, in some cases, helped launch their careers. This isn’t one of those sets where people just can’t be bothered.

So, too, has A&E Home Video put some care into this box set. For the most part, it is just a repackaging of the previous releases, but there are some nice touches that I enjoyed. For example, a very obvious spoiler warning on the back of Season One telling that a particular featurette spoils the entire series. For someone who’s never seen the show before, that’s a goldmine. I remember mistakenly watching the special features on Kidnapped: The Complete Series first and wishing someone had told me one featurette spoils the whole show. I still watched it, but it took the excitement out of it. No such problem here. Also, the box art is beautiful and easy to read on every individual season. The cases are sturdy and I had no problem moving discs in and out. I sort of wish the outer packaging for the set had been a bit more durable or unique than just a big cardboard box, but at least it’s a really cool-looking cardboard box.

Chances are, if you’re looking to buy this set you fall into one of two camps: either a fan wondering if it’s worth the upgrade from the individual seasons, or a casual fan or sci-fi junkie wondering if it’s worth a blind buy. The answer to both those questions depends on what you’re looking for out of your DVD box sets.

If you have the existing four season sets already, the only difference appears to be the additional two disks of bonus features entitled “The Archives.” These include some behind-the-scenes interviews which are fairly lengthy and worth watching – it’s clear how the actors truly enjoyed their time on the show and talk at length about all the things they went through while on it – but that don’t include series stars Claudia Black and Ben Browder. There are two video profiles and some music featurettes, and a behind-the-scenes special. I can’t see them being worth the extra $100 to pick up, unless you’re a die-hard fan of every single character.

However, if you don’t own any of Farscape yet, then it’s definitely a bargain to pick up this set over the individual releases. At the time of this article, the individual sets list for about $30 on Amazon, and the complete series for $100, which means you’re going to save about $20 plus get the two bonus disks. Be advised, however, that this Complete Series isn’t entirely complete – it does not contain The Peacekeeper Wars, the series-concluding miniseries. That, however, can be found for $8 on Amazon.

I’m glad to see that A&E and Jim Henson Company still support a show that’s been off the air for six years with a release like this, especially in sci-fi where it’s so hard for a property to find a lasting audience. Anyone who picks this set up will definitely not be disappointed.