The Starburst editions of Farscape are a double-dip, but a welcome one for fans who were unwilling to devote the money or the shelf space to the earlier releases that spread the episodes over more discs. Here, this third volume of episodes for the Season 1 Starburst edition gives us the last eight episodes of Season 1, finishing up a year's worth of adventures involving the stranded astronaut John Crichton. Tossed through a wormhole smack into a conflict that would send him, and his new companions, running for their lives, Crichton certainly hasn't had an easy time of it in the first season of Farscape.

These episodes are largely self-contained stories, though they do make some use of previous story elements and introduce a few characters and plot twists that will be used later. The set starts out with "Durka Returns," in which Moya and her crew encounter a Nebari prison transport with a rather strange twist: Durka, the Peacekeeper captain who had tortured Rygel, is in fact alive and well and supposedly re-conditioned to be humane and peaceful, while the dangerous captive is a young woman named Chiana whose crime seems to be rebelliousness. While the episode itself is fairly run-of-the-mill, it's interesting to see the introduction of what would end up being a recurring character.

"A Human Reaction" is a very interesting episode that seems, at the time, to be strictly a stand-alone story. When Crichton encounters another wormhole, he takes the opportunity to try to make it home to Earth... and seems to make it there safely, although things start getting strange very quickly. In terms of keeping the viewer guessing, this episode handles things quite nicely.

"Through the Looking Glass" is fun but probably one of the less significant episodes on this set. Moya gets "stuck" while attempting to starburst, and she's split into several different dimensions. The main appeal of this episode is the imaginative way in which the different dimensions were conceptualized and presented to the viewer; the plot itself is nothing out of the ordinary (and in fact the script was originally pitched as a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode before being re-imagined for Farscape).

"A Bug's Life" is another reasonable but not exceptional episode. Here, Crichton and Aeryn pose as Peacekeepers on a secret mission to fool another set of Peacekeepers who bring their cargo on board Moya. The only problem is that the cargo is dangerous and (big surprise) it gets out of control.

"Nerve" and "The Hidden Memory" tell one continuous story: this is the highlight of this set of Farscape episodes, and really put the rest of the episodes to shame in terms of how engrossing the story is. As "Nerve" opens, Crichton and Chiana set out to infiltrate a secret Peacekeeper base in order to save Aeryn's life. Everything would have gone as planned, except that this base is being used by Scorpius – an enigmatic, dangerous, and decidedly creepy character whom we'll see much more of later – to do research into new technology. And when Scorpius gets his hands on Crichton, he uses his mind-probing Aurora Chair to look into Crichton's memory, discovering that Crichton's mind contains information below the conscious level... information that Scorpius wants more than anything else. Even without knowing how important this plot thread and set of secondary characters would become later on, it's clear that this two-parter is the highlight of this collection.

The last two episodes end Season 1 on a lower note. "Bone to be Wild" is a fairly routine adventure story involving several suspicious aliens that Crichton, D'Argo, and Zhaan find on a terraformed asteroid. It's set against the backdrop of Moya's attempt to escape from the pursuing Peacekeepers, but it's basically stand-alone. "Family Ties" is the cliffhanger season finale, and also the weakest episode here. It's not that the story itself is bad; here we see deals being made (or contemplated) on all sides, as Crais and a possibly traitorous Rygel try to use Crichton and Moya to get what they really want from Scorpius. That part is reasonably entertaining; however, the episode is puffed out with numerous scenes of the characters expressing their feelings to each other and saying good-byes, possibly forever. Obviously the intent is to make us feel anxious about their future and sentimental about how much we've gotten to like them... but instead it just makes the episode drag. The season ends on a cliffhanger that promises an interesting second season, even if the season finale itself is a little weak.

The DVD

Farscape: Season 1 Collection 3 – Starburst Edition contains two double-sided, dual-layer discs packaged in a single-wide plastic keepcase.

Video

As with the earlier episodes in the season, these episodes appear in their original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and look quite good. Colors are handled well, as is contrast, and the print looks clean throughout the episodes. I noticed very little edge enhancement.

Audio

The Dolby 5.1 soundtrack definitely helps make for an enjoyable viewing experience. The sound is clean and clear, and the music is nicely balanced with the rest of the track. What I liked most is that the surround sound is handled very well, with a lot of action in the side and rear channels.

Extras

The special features here are quite generous. First of all, we get a number of commentary tracks. "A Human Reaction" and "Nerve" both have commentaries from Ben Browder and Claudia Black; Anthony Simcoe provides commentary for "A Bug's Life"; and "Family Ties" has two commentaries: one from Ben Browder and Claudia Black, and the other, which is billed here as a new commentary (presumably done especially for the Starburst edition), features writer/producers Rockne S. O'Bannon and David Kemper.

Quite a few text-only bonus material is included as well. "Cool Farscape Facts" provide trivia about the show across all the discs, and "Alien Encounters" provides summary information about various aliens and clips showing them in the episodes. Of more interest than these is the text information on each episode: called "The Farscape Chronicles," this feature provides a few screens of text about each of the episodes, giving some interesting background information and insights into the making of that show.

The real meat of the special features is on Disc 2, Side B, which is devoted entirely to bonus material. The "Video Profiles" section assembles a very nice selection of interviews with cast and crew, totaling nearly two hours in running time. There's more use of clips from the episodes than I think is ideal, but the actual interview content is excellent, providing interesting behind-the-scenes information. We hear from Gigi Edgley (Chiana), Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Lani John Tupu (Crais/Pilot), costume designer Terry Ryan, writer/producer Rockne S. O'Bannon, and writer/producer David Kemper. Additionally, there's a segment focusing on Moya and Pilot, and another that takes a look at the Jim Henson Creature Shop.

The bonus material wraps up with a set of image galleries showcasing art designs for Chiana, Scorpius, and Crais, and a gallery of concept art. ADV previews are also included.

Final thoughts

The eight episodes on Farscape: Season 1 Collection 3 – Starburst Edition are entertaining, offering us the richly detailed Farscape world and, in the two-part episode near the end of the season, a taste of the richer ongoing narrative that the series would become later. This set isn't as strong as some of the others, as the episodes are a mix in terms of quality: we get some fairly generic adventures, some highly original and effective stories, and one rather badly written one (which happens to be the season finale). The special features are sure to please Farscape fans, with several commentary tracks and nearly two hours of interview featurettes. I'll give this a "recommended" rating.