It took nearly three years for Farscape's lost-in-space lothario, John Crichton, to turn butt-kicking, leather-wearing alien babe Aeryn Sun into girlfriend-worthy material -and all this week at 8 pm/ET, the Sci Fi Channel is replaying every episode in the couple's unorthodox mating dance.
"It was never two normal humans having a conversation," Claudia Black, who plays the modern-day Barbarella, explains to TV Guide Online. "Rather, they had exchanges which carried the strain of couples whose languages and cultures are not the same -let alone the fact that they are from different planets!"
Ironically, the Farscape love story only began to feel strange to the Pitch Black bad-ass when it at last began to seem normal to everyone else. "I get creeped out when it feels too Earthbound," the actress admits, "when Aeryn could be walking around in rollers and fuzzy slippers, and at any moment, Crichton's going to walk in and say, 'Honey, I'm home!'"
While fans were taken aback by the warrior's turn as a housefrau ("They were glad to see she was smiling, if a little untrusting of the sticking power of those smiles"), the Aussie has enjoyed the challenge presented by dueling personality traits. "Aeryn's tough, yet extraordinarily vulnerable at the same time. She'll be a hard role to beat."
Despite the series being more popular than ever, the actress already is contemplating the end of both Aeryn's affair with John, and her own working relationship with his portrayer, Ben Browder. "He and I have a natural synchronicity," she says fondly. "When I look back in years to come, I'll always be extremely proud of what he and I achieved on this show."