A peacekeeper beacon goes off and Moya has to land on an alien planet to prevent its signal being intercepted and Moya being discovered.A peacekeeper beacon goes off and Moya has to land on an alien planet to prevent its signal being intercepted and Moya being discovered.A peacekeeper beacon goes off and Moya has to land on an alien planet to prevent its signal being intercepted and Moya being discovered.
- Pilot
- (voice)
- (as Lani Tupu)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe production team originally intended "I, E.T." to be the second episode in the series. For various reasons, networks in the UK and the US aired it as the 4th and the 7th episode, respectively.
- GoofsWhile Crichton should be able to understand the unnamed inhabitants of the planet well enough because of the translator microbes, they do not have them and so should not understand Crichton.
- Quotes
John Crichton: You okay?
Dominar Rygel XVI: Okay? No I'm not okay. We're in the mud. Under the mud.
Aeryn Sun: You're Hynerian. You're aquatic, what's your problem?
Dominar Rygel XVI: Aquatic? That's water, not mud. Mud is... mud. You can't breathe in it, you can't move in it. It holds you, it grabs you, it sucks you down. You wanna know about mud? I know about mud.
John Crichton: Guy knows mud.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Farscape: Bad Timing (2003)
Many mistakes were made in the filming of "I, E.T.", but nevertheless the episode succeeds with its beautiful visual effects and simple, enjoyable premise. "I, E.T." is far from a fan-favorite, but it deserves credit for competently relating its basic plot line. The background interaction is much more interesting, especially in the scenes involving Zhaan and Rygel.
The main plot line concerns Crichton's capture by a Denean mother and her son. The Denean's are yet to encounter extraterrestrials, and a menacing military chief nearby seems especially xenophobic. Crichton, after being convincingly zapped by a somewhat unconvincing zapper-thing, convinces the family to hide him from the military.
The makeup used for the Deneans is underwhelming to say the least. Only three Deneans are ever shown in full makeup; other's are conveniently wearing masks or are obscured in shadows. The Deneans that we do see look just like people with the exception of a strangely-shaped ear. Wild, original, and impressive alien makeup has consistently been a trademark of Farscape, but he aliens in "I, E.T." are unusually unimpressive.
As mentioned above, Rygel and Zhaan have the best scenes in the episode. Zhaan, apparently, has the ability to absorb another's pain, which she uses on Moya while Rygel tries to remove the beacon. Rygel is very convincing in his scenes, and the other cast members successfully treat him like a person rather than a prop. Even earlier episodes like "I, E.T." manage to bring puppet/animatronic/digital characters like Pilot and Rygel to life, one of Farscape's greatest strengths.
D'Argo is less fortunate. He fulfills his typical function in early Season 1 of Farscape: he gets beaten/captured/proved wrong/rescued. Aeryn is in the background of the episode, but she and Crichton get some good dialogue. Ben Browder is as good as ever as Crichton. Crichton is a little less confused than he usually is in early Season 1, perhaps due to the simplicity of this episode's plot. He has some great references to pop culture, especially his "Dagobah" comment.
The visuals, water effects, and sets are impressive in "I, E.T.", but it is the storyline, makeup, action, and pacing where this episode disappoints. By no means is it a total failure, or even a bad episode at all; it's just that little in it excels or is particularly interesting. The episode is peaceful and refreshing, but, unlike the "Premiere" it is totally unambitious. "I, E.T." seems content with mediocrity. I don't mean to sound harsh, because "I, E.T.", is a good episode, better than much of what's on television, with some interesting character interaction and dialogue. Despite its drawbacks, "I, E.T." is a worthy entry in the Farscape series. 2.5/4
- BSHBen
- Apr 7, 2007
Details
- Runtime50 minutes
- Color