Farscape/Recap/S04/E22 Bad Timing

Season 4, Episode 22:

Bad Timing
"And finally, on Farscape..."

Braca's command carrier catches up with Moya and demands the release of Scorpius, which Crichton and the others orchestrates in such a way so that the command carrier has to wait around to collect Scorpius (and Sikozu, who refuses to leave Scorpius) while Moya makes her escape. Braca also has a message for Crichton: a Scarran Stryker has been dispatched to the wormhole that leads to Earth. Crichton believes this is because of his slip-of-the-tongue to Staleek back on Katratzi, when he admitted that crystherium grows in abundance on Earth, and now Staleek plans of conquering the planet in order to harvest enough of the flower to support the Scarran invasion of the galaxy. Scorpius offers a deal: if Earth declares an alliance with the Peacekeepers, the Scarrans will (probably) call off their attack so as not to risk starting a war. Crichton declines, preferring to figure out a solution on his own. As this is going on, Crichton and Aeryn begin to question the future of their relationship again, commenting on what happened the previous year and all their "bad timing".

By the time Moya has reached the wormhole to Earth, Crichton realises that the only way he can protect the Earth is to seal up the wormhole, cutting himself off from his home forever. He decides to go ahead with it, knowing there's no other option, and Pilot agrees to be temporarily disconnected from Moya so that he can operate a transport pod in order to perform the very difficult and pinpoint flying necessary for collapsing the wormhole. Crichton, Aeryn and Pilot head through the wormhole to Earth and park on the moon while Crichton takes care of one last piece of business: visiting the flag that his father placed there decades ago, taking the Crichton family photo pinned there and leaving his tape recorder. And on Earth, Jack Crichton recieves a phone call:

"Crichton: Hey Dad.

Jack: John! Where are you?

Crichton: Serenity Base.

Jack: Serenity Base?

Crichton: Yeah, the moon.

Jack: Why didn't you make Earth orbit?

Crichton: Murphy. Dad, we've got a little problem

Jack: What? Worse than a $300 clipboard that you can put paper in when it's upside-down?

Crichton: Yes. The Scarrans have located Earth. And, they're on their way.

Jack: What can we do?

Crichton: Nothing. I gotta do it.

Jack: What the hell does that mean? Why do you have to do it? You've already done enough, son.

Crichton: I'm going to seal up the wormhole. That'll isolate Earth, but it should protect it.

Jack: Then how do we get into deep space?

Crichton: The old-fashioned way. You build a rocket. I've left you technology and navigation information, here at your flagpole.

Jack: How long do we have?

Crichton: Not long.

Jack: Then take me with you. Take us all, we're ready! Five hundred of the world's best. We can help.

Crichton: There's no time.

Jack: What do you mean there's no time? For Moya to get from the moon to the Earth, what's it take? A blink of the eye? Two seconds? Come on, son!

Crichton: We're down to minutes - Dad. How do you want to spend 'em?

Jack: Son... Listen, the Secretary General of the UN is... He speaks for the planet on all space matters now. We're startin' to come together, just like you wanted.

Crichton: That's good. Keep that up.

Jack: I was lookin' forward to coming with you, boy.

Crichton: Well... sometimes things don't happen quite the way you imagine 'em. [...] Tell Susan and Liv that I love 'em. And I'll contact ya if I can. Tell everyone.

Jack: I will, son. You tell my grandkids about me.

Crichton: That's a no-brainer. They gotta know who my hero is.

Jack: You're gonna find, when you have your own, you want 'em to pass you. Be better. Climb higher. I guess if that's the measure, I'm the greatest dad on Earth.

Crichton: I love you Dad.

Jack: You're the heart and soul of my life, son. I love you.

Crichton: ...good-bye."

With time running out, the transport pod takes off and Pilot begins the manoeuvre under Crichton's instructions. They have to fly the pod into the apex of a "bubble" that forms just prior to the opening of a wormhole, which will collapse the wormhole behind the pod as it flies through. Just as the Scarran Stryker starts heading down the wormhole to Earth, the transport pod comes up the other way, collapsing the wormhole behind it and destroying the Stryker.

To recuperate, Moya lands on a water planet and the crew take some R&R. Crichton and Aeryn row out onto the ocean, a little way out from where Moya is floating, so that they can clear the air and sort out their relationship. Aeryn reveals that when she was on the command carrier, she went to the medical unit and had her pregnancy released: she and Crichton are having a baby. Crichton is overjoyed, and even more enthusiastic than before to get down on one knee and propose using his mother's engagement ring. It's a real, honest-to-goodness happy ending...

...until a ship flies overhead, reporting to his commander that intruders have been sighted on the planet. Realising what's about to happen, Crichton and Aeryn kiss as the ship swoops over them and fires it's weapon. The blast turns the pair into millions of tiny crystals that spill not only across their boat, but over the side and into the ocean, leaving only the engagement ring intact.

Roll the Silent Credits.