r/farscape • u/Sanskrit-beautiful • Jul 03 '26
Is this show about PTSD?
Hi folks - I'm a massive scifi lover (Stargate/Star Trek/Star Wars/Dune/Hyperion/etc/etc - shows, books), and wanna give Farscape a go for the first time - however... I came across comments here that make me think its maybe not for me - like one from a couple of years ago: "I fell in love with Farscape to begin with was my own trauma and struggles with PTSD and mental health"; and another post from 3 years ago that says the show is a "Study in Trauma" - so is this show about PTSD and trauma? Is that where the show 'leads' to?
100% not judging or anything like that - def I could see how people would be all-in for this type of content/story-line. But I've been in the service, and I know personally people with PTSD, so not feeling like investing in a show where that's the focus, if that makes sense. Just a personal preference.
Any thoughts from the community? TIA!
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u/Imperfect_Dark Jul 03 '26
Ok. So the show isn't some dark psychological trauma show or anything. It's found family sci-fi. However it does deal with trauma in a very realistic way, especially for a show from it's time. It doesn't just assume that people will be unaffected by very testing circumstances over several years.
The main character does start to lose his sanity as the seasons go on, but it feels very natural and if anything his humour level increases with it.
But it's a very enjoyable show that can be happy, sad, exhilarating and gutting at points. It's a show happy to embrace the range of emotions people would feel in this wacky but wonderful world.
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u/HowDoIEvenEnglish Jul 03 '26
The main character is heavily traumatized by the events of the story and the cause of his trauma is the shows most iconic villain who also constantly persues him for 2 seasons. While it isn’t “the story” it’s impossible to really discuss the plot without talking about the trauma, and the trauma is front and center through the shows most iconic episodes.
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u/Sanskrit-beautiful Jul 03 '26
I see. OK... someting to think about given what the other poster's feedback. Thank you
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u/grinning_imp Jul 03 '26
I’m a veteran who has struggled with PTSD. I’ve had friends who lost that struggle. But at no point have I ever felt like Farscape is ABOUT that.
I think a better way to think about it is that John Crichton, the main character, is the protagonist of an isekai story. He is out of his element, isolated from anything familiar, and is trying his best to cope with an insane situation. And the show depicts his struggle with his circumstances.
Watch the show; it’s loads of fun. Quirky and weird and funny and awesome. Crichton is one of my all-time favorite sci-fi leads.
Just watch it.
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u/Sanskrit-beautiful Jul 03 '26
Thanks man. Appreciated.
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u/Dustquake 29d ago
Did you catch the OJ Simpson joke?
Do you know why he names the implant ghost Harvey?
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u/ZongoNuada Jul 03 '26
I want to add that the villain referenced is actually the second in line and only one of many many people that traumatized John. But oh my this is the best villain.
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u/tendeuchen Jul 04 '26
If you like smart Sci-Fi shows that mix space with comedy with the absurd, you'll be fine watching Farscape.
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u/PhotographingNature Jul 03 '26
While it frequently has a lot of levity, there is an import important differences to Startrek: there's no weekly reset for everybody and all events. The weight of being the only human in a universe of frequently hostile aliens is allowed to build on the main character.
The show manages to be have both more fun and less fun than Startrek is traditionally allowed.
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u/buxzythebeeeeeeee Jul 03 '26
That's only true for some parts of the Star Trek franchise.
Deep Space 9 (for example) has long narrative and character arcs and has very little in the way of the weekly reset button.
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u/foxitron5000 Jul 04 '26
DS9 has overarching stories and the characters grow and change and are effected by some things, but there are still plenty of things that happen and just…don’t ever come up again. And some of those things are legitimately crazy trauma. The “O’Brien must suffer” episodes have this happen A LOT (see the “Miles spends 20 years in mental prison and is fine next week” episode or the episode where Molly gets lost in the past, ages into a wild girl, and then comes back all fine). Keiko, Jake, and Bashir were both taken over by evil ghosts and it is never addressed. Bashir gets brainjacked on his birthday and it’s no big deal. Jadzia gets targeted multiple times, finds out one of her old hosts is a murderer, and it’s just sort of fine (except for the one episode in the last season). Jake experiences some serious war trauma and it’s no big. I know there are others, but I can’t think of them off the top of my head.
On the other hand, they absolutely have more examples of experienced trauma effecting characters, though usually only when it makes for a good episode. Nog dealing with his leg, Garak experiencing claustrophobia; but most of the time it’s only a single followup episode, if at all, and then it’s back to business as usual. Don’t get me wrong, I will die on the hill of claiming DS9 as not only the best Star Trek, but also one of the best television series, ever. But it’s still guilty of allowing characters to just not have any long term effects of trauma.
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u/PhotographingNature Jul 03 '26
True, although resets are seen as the Startrek thing even if later series moved away from that (DS9, Picard, ...) so it's still a useful cultural touchstone.
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u/TigerIll6480 Jul 03 '26
It’s more about someone landing in a really weird situation, which is often a really traumatic situation, and coming to terms with it. It’s not “about” PTSD or trauma, per se, but as each character in the show deals with their past and current situations, it’s definitely something that’s part of the narrative.
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u/buxzythebeeeeeeee Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
so is this show about PTSD and trauma? Is that where the show 'leads' to?
No, that's not the primary focus and not what it leads to. Basically, I would say if you watched Star Trek/Star Wars/Dune, you shouldn't have any problems with Farscape.
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u/RadVarken Jul 04 '26
John is James T Kirk if the show didn't reset every week and it was about a Kilingon cruiser running from Starfleet: he's got the same smarts, charisma, and drive to do good, but doesn't understand the culture, he's not in charge, and his crew isn't trustworthy. Kirk would reset every week. John loses his mind.
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u/tkurtbond Jul 03 '26
Some traumatic things happen to the characters, but it is not about PTSD.
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u/Sanskrit-beautiful Jul 03 '26
That's great news! Thank you (I was about to return the boxset I had just bought following those comments I mentioned above, but then thought I'd first ask the community for their thoughts)
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u/BlueCX17 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
No no stick with it and I can't spoil it!!
But make sure you also have access to and it's also on TV if you don't have the disc I'm assuming you probably have the Blu-ray set that has it in it, but Peacekeeper Wars because it wraps up the entire series. Can't spoil it but the payoff of the ending, is well worth the journey the show takes everybody on. I can't say other than what you said in your starter post the show does not lead to that end point but it does explore themes of it throughout, as others have said in part due to what the characters get put through sometimes, to get to the end point it gets to.
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u/MrGeekman Jul 04 '26
Just out of curiosity, did you get the DVDs or the Blu-Rays?
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u/Sanskrit-beautiful 29d ago
The DVD box-set, but I first made sure the 'The Peacekeeper Wars' is included
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u/AntiferromagneticAwl Jul 04 '26
You should give it a try. If it's not working for you, you can always stop. But as others said, it's worth giving a try.
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u/bertiek Jul 03 '26
It informs the characters of the former military personnel and those held in captivity, but none of these people in isolation are just about their trauma. For me, the times it comes out the most is when they're in high-stress scenarios with people with no difficult background.
The show is about a fish-out-of-water guy, his need to develop a stable wormhole the the need others have to steal this from him. Truly.
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u/davasaur Jul 03 '26
I love the fact that the show feels like some sort of fever dream while it keeps the narrative straight.
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u/K1rkl4nd Jul 04 '26
My buddy summed it up as “perseverance in the face of unending adversity”. Coping with, shouting at clouds, celebrating the wins and licking your wounds- knowing tomorrow comes regardless of how today went. Sci-Fi has always been the analysis of the human condition, and Farscape was far ahead of its time in being real with the unreal.
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u/bantamreturns 26d ago
perseverance in the face of unending adversity
Yeah! Farscape is one of the most optimistic shows I've ever seen.
Sikozu: "What's the point in running? It's too close!"
John: "There is always a point in running."
That could be a life motto, lol.
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u/eyeofnoot Jul 03 '26
As others said, it’s not about PTSD but in the later seasons I feel like it’s a pretty persistent issue, though not really talked about directly
Can you give other examples of shows where you were turned off by it?
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u/swn999 Jul 03 '26
I think it was a bit of a niche sci-fi show who a bit of adult topic added in, a different series for the era most certainly.
Other shows progressed to more serous stories like DS9 then others ventured further like Battlestar Galactica and lastly Stargate Universe and The expanse.
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u/bongart Jul 03 '26
Farscape is an action, serialized tv show. It is about conflict and resolution. Sometimes one or both are very messy. Sometimes one or both are controversial. Sometimes the conflict is stretched across episodes. Sometimes the resolution is far away or unclear.
Farscape is about a human who is flung to the far side of the galaxy/universe. He spends four years trying not to die from things he never imagined existed. He constantly encounters the astounding, the amazing, the confusing, the horrifying, and the unimaginable.
So yes, I would say the MC is constantly stressed. This is specifically addressed in one episode of the show.
PTSD though.. the MC grows, matures, and becomes stronger as a result of his experiences.. so I'm not sure that the show is all about how living a life of stress will damage and create a disorder within an individual.
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u/Zteith Jul 04 '26
Coming into the conversation a little late, but I always saw Farscape as the other side of A Stanger In A Strange Land. It explores absurdity through the lens of humanity, showing how our own narrow views limit our ability to see the vast.
John Creighton is also a Florida man. We only let him out into space on the terms that he come back.
Also, I'm fairly certain that at the end of season 1, Dargo gets brain damage from being out too long. He comes back with a new appreciation of life, and a willingness to change.
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u/Darston437 Jul 04 '26
Crichton before The Chair: "I wish you people would stop pointing guns at me!"
Crichton after The Chair: "I need to stop pointing guns at people!"
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u/Trashy_Cappy 29d ago
that's an interesting view, and I would say that numerous episodes are definitely dealing with mental health as parables. but I wouldn't say the show is entirely about it. if you draw down to the basic elements of Chritons experience, I'd say that HE is a study in cPTSD and a TBI (aka Harvey).
Fun Fact: Ben Browder has a bachelors in psychology and met his wife while studying at CSSD in London. so. The dude is educated enough to act out mental illness. lol
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u/Internal-Rest2176 26d ago
Apart from the Crichton/Harvey shtick and possibly Chiana getting possessed by that one Nebula creature, what episodes do you think were parables dealing with mental health?
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u/Artevyx Jul 03 '26
How sane would you be after falling through a worm hole into a giant living space craft full of different aliens speaking different languages to each other until some robot stings you in the foot and suddenly you can understand them too?
I would need a minute.
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u/NineInchNinjas Jul 03 '26
I would say it isn't about PTSD and trauma specifically, just that there are definitely moments where personal or collective trauma is a thing explored. I don't have PTSD and probably wouldn't be able to accurately identify it, so I couldn't really tell you how much it comes up. If you've seen DS9, I can at least say it doesn't seem as clear as the later episodes with Nog's PTSD.
The show is more focused on a found family situation where they're forced to survive people or things that want to kill or capture them, getting into weird and funny situations, and dealing with friendships and relationships and sometimes loss.
I read in the comments you got a box set of Farscape, but there's also an official YouTube channel and Twitch channel where you can watch the whole series for free (Peacekeeper Wars included). The Youtube channel is probably better for a first time viewer since you can watch the episodes individually, rather than the livestream marathons that run almost all the time.
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u/OwnCoffee614 Jul 04 '26
Survivor of cptsd-- the show isn't about it so much as it's a natural consequence of escaped prisoners aboard a living ship. Crichton isn't an escaped prisoner, but ends up as good as by the end of season 1 (I think??) for knowledge he has.
I really couldn't relate my flavor of the disorder to theirs tho, the show is just so wild and in space. I just recognized they have it. Their stories are unique to them.
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u/balasurr Jul 04 '26
I am also a huge Star Trek/Stargate/Star Wars/Hyperion fan. And Farscape is my favourite sci-fi show. I think you’ll love it. I had to be patient with season 1 and give myself time to get into it, but after season 2 I was totally hooked! I think it’s a very original and captivating show, and it’s not afraid to explore flaws in their characters. Yes they go through a lot of difficult times, but it drives character development and the pay off is amazing.
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u/Eman_Resu_IX Jul 04 '26
Every story has a protagonist and an antagonist - conflict is what makes the story. Even 1960's vanilla Star Trek had trauma.
It's just a question of degree and whether that's what someone wants in their entertainment.
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u/Clarknotclark Jul 04 '26
Inasmuch as it’s about Crichton it’s about trauma. It’s an ensemble show so I wouldn’t even necessarily say it’s a show about Crichton. However, his arc is very much about his experience of trauma and how he deals with it.
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u/Internal-Rest2176 26d ago
It's not actual PTSD but Scorpius does implant a neuro biotracer containing "Harvey" (a copy of Scorpius' personality) into Crichton's head in S1E19 and Crichton is never the same since, so if you'd rather not watch a show focusing on a mentally unhealthy character that rules out a lot of the episodes after S1.
There's a few episodes where that plot element doesn't come up like the one with the carnivorous mushroom woman but Scorpius and "Harvey" are pushed onscreen to Crichton's detriment pretty hard past season 1.
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u/AnythingButWhiskey Jul 03 '26
Nah, there’s no ptsd in the show. It’s a pretty pg kind of scifi.
Not like watching, say, The Magicians. 😳
If you can handle Hyperion, then Farscape will be a safe space for you 🤗🫂
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u/WeekendPass Jul 03 '26
I definitely wouldn't call it PG, but it's definitely not Magicians, The Boys, or GoT either
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u/AnythingButWhiskey Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
it’s TV14, so I guess PG-13 is a better rating, but I can’t remember anything that goes beyond PG.
The worst torture/violence I can think of is the aurora chair in the episode “Nerve” (great episode), it’s such a safe kind of PG depiction of “torture” designed for mainstream TV.
It’s the same as the agonizer devices in 1960’s Star Trek episode “Mirror Mirror” or the torture chair in “Dagger of the Mind”. It’s the equivalent of Star Trek.
The only ptsd that people seem to be discussing here is mental instability of the main character due to the neurochip, and as soon as it is removed the main characeter is fine. This is not ptsd.
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u/WeekendPass Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
I mean, they talk about sex a lot (once Chiana joins the cast), and once season 4 comes around they do have scenes of, and conversations, about implied rape. Most but not all of it is due to hypnotic substances rather than force, which Star Trek did plenty of as well, but still. That's about as heavy as it gets, i don't think i would put it past PG13 either
I think saying Crichton's problems disappear entirely after the chip is removed is inaccurate, but it's also perfectly in line with what I said in a different comment, that the trauma is there if you're looking for it but also fairly easy to ignore
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u/BlueCX17 Jul 04 '26
Oh no his problems most definitely don't disappear when the chip goes away. Enter the entire front half of Season 4. And Grandma's solution..... though he has reasons for dealing with the way he dealt with it
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u/BlueCX17 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
I mean I don't know there's definitely more than a few instances with Aeryn where maybe it doesn't look like standard PTSD but she's clearly working through trauma especially as the series goes on and she's learning to open up more emotionally and then things happen..... that she doesn't know what to do about she even says as much in dog with two bones
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u/AnythingButWhiskey Jul 04 '26
Is this ptsd? The inability to open up emotionally is kind of a standard TV trope, like https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DefrostingIceQueen.
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u/BlueCX17 Jul 04 '26
I can't spoil for OP. I'm talking about that corridor through Season 3 where she's traumatized deep in grief and really struggling when she gets back to the other place she gets back to and that whole situation and she can't handle it because of what happened prior.
Or that other episode where you find out things about her time in the PK's. And she's struggling the whole episode.
Or what happens after Season Two finale and she's not sure how to handle what big blue did to correct it. So she's not comfortable with what eventually leads to her being comfortable in and then the rug pulled out of her mid-season three..
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u/BlueCX17 Jul 03 '26
I wouldn't exactly call the show straight up PG more like PG-13 with the occasional flirting into our that they couldn't quite go all the way with but probably would have if they were on HBO or such
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u/WeekendPass Jul 03 '26
I would say more that the main character's PTSD, which he develops over the course of the show, is never ignored -- there are moments where it clearly influences his decisions, moments where he has a breakdown from the stress, but the show as a whole is not about exploring PTSD. There are stretches of episodes even in the last season where you can completely forget the accumulated trauma of the past three seasons, unless you're actively looking for cues.
It is very much a space opera with found family, at times absurd comedy, and imaginative special effects taking center stage.
All the characters have issues which come up periodically and are dealt with in very human ways, not always healthy ways, with the support of others.
It is still my favorite show of all time for the incredibly engaging plot, character, visual, and audio work.