Farscape/Recap/S05/E02 The Peacekeeper Wars: Part 2

The Peacekeeper Wars, part 2

As gas pumps into the Scarran cell, Scorpius confirms that it's flammable, Sikozu uses her pyrokinesis to light the gas on fire and blow the doors open, and the group grab weapons and start fighting their way towards the exit. At the same time, D'Argo, Chiana, Jothee and the Luxan commando team use Lo'La's targeting data to disable the Decimator before boarding. The two groups head towards each other, and during this time, the baby enters its second quadmester and they transfer it back into Aeryn. The two teams meet up, return to the Luxan ship, get back to Moya and starburst away before the Decimator can restore functions. The Luxan commandos head off, but Jothee decides to stay on Moya and help the crew. Meanwhile, on Grayza's command carrier, she assumes temporary command of the Peacekeeper Battle Group after Maryk's death, and sets course for Qujaga. And on the Decimator, Ahkna receives word from her spy that Qujaga is populated by more Eidolons; fearing more of their "trickery", Staleek redirects a Scarran armada with orders to kill every single Eidolon.

Sikozu is growing impatient that she and Scorpius haven't begun "imposing their agenda" on Crichton, but Scorpius believes that the pressure on him and the impending birth of his child will soon force him to yield. Sure enough, Crichton leaves Moya in his module, visits Einstein and requests the knowledge to build wormhole weapons. Einstein grants the request, and when Crichton returns to Moya, Scorpius and the rest immediately realise what he's done. Aeryn is pissed that he's lost faith in their plan to use the Eidolons and that he'd make a decision this immense without consulting her. Half crazed with the knowledge, Crichton is determined to make peace and make the galaxy safe for his family, whether that means using the Eidolons or using the wormhole weapon. He asks for Pilot and Moya's help in constructing the apparatus and Pilot is initially hesitant about helping to build something that could kill tens of thousands, but a later conversations with Aeryn turns him around.

Moya comes out of starburst in orbit around Qujaga -- and in the crossfire of an all-out battle between Peacekeeper and Scarran fleets. To avoid being shot, Moya descends into the atmosphere and into the ocean, not stopping until she reaches the ocean floor. Water floods in through the hull breaches caused by the Tragan harpoons and the crossfire, and Stark panics and runs off. The crew search for him, and it's D'Argo who finds him in one of the maintenance bays. They're almost drowned by a wall of water flooding in, but the rest of the crew manage to revive the pair. Crichton realises that Stark's "light" has changed colour as a result of absorbing the knowledge of the Eidolons. It starts to affect Stark, calming his psyche, and he says that he's not afraid anymore. D'Argo and Chiana get a chance to talk about what they plan on doing after the war is over. D'Argo wants to go with Rygel to Hyneria and start his farm, and this time, Chiana is ready to go with him.

The crew make one of the transport pods watertight and head for the Qujagan city, leaving Moya to recuperate on the ocean floor. Meanwhile, Emperor Staleek's Decimator arrives in orbit, and he sends Ahkna to personally hunt down Crichton and bring back his head. In the city, the crew make contact with Braca, who has a squad of Peacekeeper soldiers and is defending one of the few groups of Eidolons that haven't been slaughtered by the Scarran or Charrid squads that are roaming the city. They also find Grunschlk and the Diagnosian, and hole up with Braca's Peacekeeper squad to defend the Eidolons while Moya recuperates, which will take until the morning. Stark imparts the knowledge of the Eidolons to Muoma, the Qujagan leader, and she begins to teach the others, while elsewhere in the city, Noranti, Jothee and his Luxan commando squad rescue another group of Eidolons (at least one hundred) and get them out on the Luxan ship. At this point, Aeryn's water breaks and she starts going into labour as Ahkna orders the Charrids to begin their attack, having recieved word from her spy that it's where Crichton is. The Diagnosian helps with Aeryn's labour, but he's shot by the Charrids and Chiana takes over, followed by Crichton. Scorpius takes Sikozu on what he claims is a recon mission, but really he throws her out of their fortified position, having realised that she's the Scarran spy. In the moments before the baby is born, Aeryn asks Stark to finally marry her and Crichton: he does, and they deliver the baby, a healthy boy.

As the morning approaches, the group (not one bigger with Crichton and Aeryn's son) blast their way out of the siege. Ahkna orders the Charrids to fall back and ambush them in the street. The Charrids manage to pin the group down, but Jothee's ship provides some cover for the group to move and break the ambush: Aeryn kills Ahkna personally. However, a Scarran manages to stab D'Argo, and the wound is fatal: he can't make it to the crew's rendezvous with Moya, and volunteers to hold off the Charrids while the others escape. Aeryn, Rygel and Stark say their silent but no less heartfelt goodbyes. Crichton and D'Argo reaffirm their strange and awesome friendship:

Crichton: You're the closest friend I have.
D'Argo: You could've done better.
Crichton: Nowhere in the universe.

Chiana says her last goodbyes, wishing they could go to Hyneria together, and D'Argo gives her his Qualta Blade. Crichton has to drag Chiana away as the Scarrans approach, leaving D'Argo with a pair of blaster rifles and some very clear instructions:

Crichton: First Scarran you see, you tell him who his daddy is!

As the crew head to their rendezvous, D'Argo makes his last stand.

D'Argo: I'm your daddy! [opens fire]

As the sun rises, the crew make their rendezvous at a cliff overlooking the rest of the city. Moya, having recovered enough from her water landing, flies over the city and deploys the docking web, and as she swoops in over the rendezvous, the crew leap off the cliff and land in the web. Moya heads back out into space, but she's too damaged to flee the battle. As Crichton scrambles for something to do, he walks into command and discovers the wormhole weapon apparatus, built to his specifications by the DR Ds. Pilot is still wary about using it, but he's even more distraught when he learns that D'Argo is dead.

As Scorpius looks on gleefully and the rest watch with apprehension, Crichton uses the apparatus to create the wormhole weapon in the middle of the Peacekeeper and Scarran fleets. As first it's tiny, but every few seconds it doubles in size and in its black hole-like effects. Once it's begun to grow, Crichton opens a comm channel to Staleek on the Decimator and Grayza on the command carrier.

Crichton: Okay, boys and girls, here are the rules. Find a penny, pick it up. Double it. You've got two pennies. Double it again. Four. Double it twenty-seven times and you've got a million dollars and the IRS all over your ass. Round and round and round it goes, where it stops, nobody knows, but it all adds up... quick.

None of the ships in range of the weapon are able to escape it's pull. It quickly grows large enough to destroy several Peacekeeper and Scarran ships, and then starts to pull Qujaga apart. Even Scorpius realises just how insanely destructive the wormhole weapon is when Crichton claims that it'll grow large enough to destroy the entire galaxy, and possibly the whole universe. Crichton's demands are simple: he wants Grayza and Staleek to agree to a peace accord, the signing of which is to be presided over by the Eidolons. If they don't, he won't stop the wormhole weapon, but either way, the war will be over. Grayza and Staleek don't think Crichton will go through with his threat, but Aeryn and the rest of the crew support him completely. Reluctantly, Grayza and Staleek agree, and Crichton gets in the apparatus. He manages to stop the wormhole weapon, but as he does, Einstein appears, reaching into Crichton's mind and removing his wormhole knowledge. The experience sends Crichton into a coma that the others can't wake him from.

Later, the peace treaty is signed aboard Moya, with both the Eidolons and an extremely satisfied Scorpius watching over the proceedings. Chiana decides she's going to go to Hyneria with Rygel anyway and offers D'Argo's Qualta blade to Jothee, but he doesn't take it. Stark visits Crichton, who is still in a coma, and reveals that since his experience on Qujaga, his "light" is gone:

Stark: Crichton, whenever we cross paths, I leave the encounter transformed. And no more so than on this occasion. Thanks to you, I have found my own internal peace. Remember me, John. [He places the mask under John's hand.] Till we meet again. [He leaves.]

In Crichton's mind, he has a final conversation with Harvey, who is auto-deleting now that his objective of seizing the wormhole knowledge is impossible. Finally, Aeryn visits the comatose Crichton and places their son in his arms: it finally wakes Crichton up.

Crichton: Boo. Did I scare you? 'Cause you scared me. Shh... Crichton's don't cry... Often... Or for very long.

Crichton and Aeryn take their son up to Moya's observation deck for a naming ceremony.

Aeryn: Your father and I want you to have the name that means courage and strength. So we have chosen D'Argo Sun Crichton.
Crichton: Little D, we don't know what life has in store for you, but whatever it is, you'll figure something out.
Aeryn: But you will never walk alone.
Crichton: And God willing, you'll never know war. Instead... Your mother was right.
Aeryn: Your mother is always right.
Crichton: Get used to that. You ready? [He holds the baby up, facing the stars.] This is your playground.

And with that, Moya flies off into the stars.