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Farscape Star Claudia Black Discusses Show's Legacy, Reboot Idea

Claudia Black (Spartacus: House of Ashur) discussed Farscape's legacy, making a reboot/revival work, and going from voiceover to live-action.

Claudia Black will always be enshrined in the annals of science fiction pop culture with her legacy on the syndicated series Farscape and MGM's Stargate SG-1. Since making her debut in the Australian drama Home and Away in 1992, the actress has been a staple on TV and video games, while doing the occasional film in live-action and voice-overs, with memorable runs on the Aussie series A Country Practice, New Zealand series City Life, sci-fi classic from the Riddick franchise Pitch Black (2000), fantasy series Hercules and Xena, Bioware's Dragon Age and Mass Effect franchises, Sony/Naughty Dog's Uncharted franchise, Square-Enix's Final Fantasy franchise, Adult Swim's Rick & Morty and Final Space, and Disney+'s Ahsoka. While promoting her Ancient Roman epic action drama Spartacus: House of Ashur, Black spoke to Bleeding Cool about what voiceover role she would be interested in playing her live-action counterpart should the opportunity arise, and what it would take to reprise her role as Aeryn Sun for a Farscape revival/reboot.

Created by Rockne S. O'Bannon, Farscape was an Australian-American sci-fi series that aired originally for Australia's Nine Network and in the US, Sci-Fi Channel (now SYFY), which not only incorporated a mix of practical and CG, but also worked with the Jim Henson Company for creature/alien effects. The show featured an ensemble cast who are initially escaping from corrupt authorities in the form of a militaristic organization called the Peacekeepers. Our heroes reside inside a large bio-mechanical ship called Moya, led by American astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder), who finds his way into that part of the galaxy through a wormhole and is attempting to return home. In his journey, he meets Aeryn Sun, a Peacekeeper, Ka D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe), Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan (Virginia Hey), Dominar Rygel XVI (voice of Jonathan Hardy), Pilot (voice of Lani Tupu), Chiana (Gigi Edgley), Stark (Paul Goddard), Bialar Crais (Tupu), and Scorpius (Wayne Pygram). The series, which ran from 1999 to 2003, lasted four seasons, spawned a miniseries called The Peacekeeper Wars, and inspired comic spin-offs.

Farscape Star Claudia Black Asks If a Revival/Reboot Is Justified to Fit In Today, and Her Dream Voiceover Roles She Could Play in Live-Action

You're so very active in the voiceover world, and I think one of the best characters that you've done is Morrigan in the Dragon Age franchise. I've always wondered if you had the opportunity to play the live-action counterpart of one of your voice roles, which would it be?

I don't think anyone has ever asked me that question before. I mean, Morrigan would be wild to embody, because she's so powerful, interesting, and cheeky. Because of the way the game itself is designed, it feels like there would be a lot of scope to explore who Morrigan is. Since technology has improved, there are some games, books, or things we've grown up with that you know, it's not the right time to make them live-action, because the effects would be so crap it might ruin the whole thing to watch it [laughs]. I think we're at that point now with technology that could come alive in an environment in which we wouldn't be distracted by the additional elements of the effects.

Chloe (Frazer from Uncharted) is also so deep in my heart. They just made this decision late in the process to create a backstory, or bringing in this story for Chloe is from Southeast Asia, and that meant she was no longer a character (I could play). I mean, also age-wise, because they decided to create the live action for her for that franchise, starting when the characters were much younger, to give them room to age through. I had aged out of playing Chloe, I think in that context anyway, but also great to give other actors an opportunity now who fit the role and opportunity to embody her. I always thought she would be an extraordinary role to embody in live action, because she's always been one of my favorites, but I must be Buddhist about it and practice non-attachment about all of these roles since they're all favorites. It's like picking a favorite child. I can't, and part of me wants to see them live on in all kinds of ways.

This is a multi-parter, but some of the franchises I grew up watching are Farscape and Stargate SG-1, and I was wondering, do you still keep up with Ben (Browder) these days? If there's one that you kind of return to, if everyone's into the whole revival, revisits, or something like that, would you be interested in revisiting either one?

I live a very open-minded life. There must be enough elements in it to justify the energy, love, time, and effort that I personally am going to give to something, because I know the sacrifices that I'm going to have to make. It must light me up, and there must be something new to it. As an example. I love going to a convention when I've got a new show to talk about, but I don't like going to conventions when I've got nothing new, because then what am I doing? I'm rehashing old content, and it feels stale for me. Even though a new audience might be discovering that show, I made it 20 years ago. How do I make it fun for both of us? That's how I feel about rebooting these shows and my involvement.

I also don't want to do that type, which, for fans, is so important. It's why we make these shows, but fan service can become really dangerous in storytelling, because if you don't stay true to the DNA of the show itself, it really suffers, right? That's an interesting line to tread, and  Rockne, Ben, Gigi, and I were at a convention in New York a couple of years ago, and people were saying, "Is it going to happen? Are we going to get a new iteration of the show?" (EP) Brian Henson and Rockne have talked to me over the years about where their mind is at. Brian asked me to voice a couple of teaser trailers that he put out to pitch his concept for what the new iteration might be. They've been working hard to get it back up and out there again.

My response to that is just as it has been with Spartacus: the world has changed since we made these shows. Is the new iteration in a space where it's meeting the world as it currently is and what the world is currently shifting into, or are we just digging up dust from something old and not having much of a legitimate road ahead? I mean, just because we paint someone blue doesn't mean we're being inclusive. We're depicting outer space, but are we telling stories that represent who we really are as humans? That's my question.

The way it makes sense for them to bring Farscape up and out again, it's going to be a tough ask to make it relevant, even though it was so. I don't like the phrase "ahead of its time," because how can it be ahead if it's here? I understand it, but I'm not a fan of that phrase. It was always pushing, and it was made on a big Hail Mary. It was innovative, took risks, and we failed gloriously. We picked ourselves up again and kept trying. Those attempts were bold and powerful. If we don't get to do that again, I will be so grateful for the time I had on Farscape. What a dream to work with the innovators behind The Muppets and Sesame Street, just that consciousness was unparalleled in terms of how it informed their art and their process.

Farscape is available to stream on Tubi and Peacock. Spartacus: House of Ashur, which also stars Nick E. Tarabay, Graham McTavish, Ivana Baquero, India Shaw-Smith, Tenika Davis, Jamaica Vaughn, Jordi Webber, Cameron Rhodes, Leigh Gill, and Lucy Lawless, premieres with its first two episodes on December 5th on Starz.

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