The Farscape Character The Cast Loved So Much They Weren’t Allowed To Die
Farscape may not be as big as Star Trek or even, arguably, Babylon 5, but the creative sci-fi series is filled with memorable characters, from the only human in the galaxy, John Crichton (Ben Browder) to the devious Scorpius (Wayne Pygram). But one of them was never supposed to actually join the crew and was going to die in her very first appearance. Thankfully, that didn’t happen, as the cast and crew loved Gigi Edgley’s performance as Chiana, and she became a regular for the rest of the series.
Chiana Was Going To Die
Chiana makes her first appearance in Season 1, Episode 15, “Durka Returns,” as a criminal being escorted by the sadistic Durka (David Wheeler), described as “highly dangerous.” And she is, as during the episode, she manages to escape from custody, hide from Pilot, help take down Durka, and as far as Crichton is concerned, she’s not admitting to any murder. Farscape would have been very different if Durka had killed her off, which was the original plan.
Everyone Loved Gigi Edgley
The cast and crew all loved Gigi Edgley, and watching her perform as Chiana, from the body movements to the interactions with Moya’s crew, made it seem like the perfect pairing of actor and character. Edgley was limited by the contacts she had to wear, which is why she moved her head from side to side while looking at everyone, as the original contacts were highly uncomfortable. Later, when she was promoted to the main cast of Farscape, she was given a more comfortable pair but retained the odd head movement.
The Unoffical Mascot
As for the rest of Chiana’s movements, Edgley was a trained dancer, so she embraced the fluidity of Farscape’s Nebarians by remaining slightly hunched and swaying at almost all times, which was entirely her own idea for the character. The hair and makeup weren’t enough, so the movement and titled speech get across just how alien she is. As the years went by, Chiana became the unofficial mascot for the series, with most of the promotional material prominently featuring her over both Crichton and the real female lead, Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black).
Edgley Brought Her Talents To Moya
That wasn’t the only part of her own background that she brought to Farscape as Chiana started fire-twirling in “Scratch ‘N Sniff” due to Edgely’s experience as a fire twirler. It’s similar to why Harvey (the Scorpius clone living in Crichton’s mind…yes, the series gets weird) did a Ringo Starr impression in one episode because of Wayne Pygram’s talent with drums. Edgely is still performing as a fire twirler today and can be seen in downtown Huntington Beach on the weekends.
Still Involved With Jim Henson
Gigi Edgley and Farscape were always meant to happen. Years later, not only is she still willing to return to the show’s world, but she even hosted Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge for SyFy, as a nod to the company’s involvement with the hit sci-fi series. When a sci-fi show, in particular, finds its footing, the producers usually burn through a few characters, either to establish dangerous stakes or as a fun bait and switch (which is what Lexx did in its very first episode). We don’t want to live in a world in which Edgley and Chiana weren’t gracing our television screens each week, so this time, we’re overjoyed that the original was scrapped.
