Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, or at least that’s how the saying goes. However, it still must be strange to look at another person’s art and see direct correlations between it and past work you’ve done. So it was for actorBen Browder, famous for his role as John Crichton in the Syfy seriesFarscape, when he first sawJames Gunn’sGuardians of the Galaxy.
25 years ago,Farscapewas one of the series that helped launch the then burgeoningSci Fi Channel (now Syfy), and focused on the story of John Crichton (Browder), an American with a southern accent who finds himself on the other side of the universe. There, he is thrown together with a group of rebels and outlaws as they embark on an epic battle to save the galaxy. Throughout the series, this variety of alien lifeforms must work together to battle adversity, in the end forming a beloved found family. There was even a sentient plant who selflessly itself herself for this newfound family.
Sound familiar? While often reluctant to compare his film trilogy to any of the genre programming that came before it, Gunn has admitted wholeheartedly thatFarscapehad a great impact on the series he created. In posts both on X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram, Gunn has admitted thatFarscapewas one of his favorite series of all time, and it wasone of the biggest influenceson his development of the Guardians.
Being a genre fan himself, Browder made a point to see the firstGuardians of the Galaxyin theaters when it was released.“When I went to seeGuardians, I watched it and I went, ‘This is fantastic. That dude stole my show,'“Browder told MovieWeb in a recent interview. Browder then took the opportunity to confront Gunn about this when he ran into him at an event not long after.
“I was at the Saturn Awards in 2014, 15, somewhere in there, and I saw James Gunn. And I had seenGuardians […]So I introduce myself to James, he’s surrounded by his crew, and I walk up to James Gunn, and I go ‘James Gunn, it’s nice to meet you, loveGuardians. My name is Ben Browder.’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, I know who you are,’ and I said, ‘I thought you did. Cause you stole my socks.’ And he went, ‘Yeah, I did.’ At least that’s what he told me.”
We don’t know if “stole my socks” is code for something. Browder did tell us, “That dude stole my show,” but when recounting his specific confrontation at the Saturn Awards a minute later, he clearly used the word “socks.” We’ll leave the interpretation up to you.
The encounter and Gunn’s admiration led him to request that Browdermake a great cameoinGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. In the film, Browder plays the role of the Sovereign Admiral, seen alongside Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha.
Related:11 of James Gunn’s Favorite Movies, Ranked
Farscape Drew on the Science Fiction That Came Before It, Too
Much as Browder might joke that Gunn “stole” fromFarscape, he admits happiness to just be part of such a rich science fiction history.
“Every piece of work that we produce is built upon the work of someone else. We built uponStar Trek, and the originalBattlestar, and[2001: A Space Odyssey]. We built on all of the Henson work over the years. OnStar Wars. They all informed the work that we did, and if anybody — thank you, James Gunn — if anybody was informed by what we did onFarscape, then it’s just passing through the generations.”
He goes on to add, “I’m looking forward to Volume Two ofDune, and that’s a story which was written in the ’60s.” The major anticipation forDuneis a significant example of how far sci-fi has come.
Farscapemade its debut nearly 25 years ago, on a channel that aimed to focus on a genre of storytelling that was maligned and ignored by much of society. In the years since, sci-fi has exploded in pop culture, making up some of the biggest box office films of the last quarter-century. Fromepic space operaslikeDuneto the comic book stories of the MCU, science fiction is no longer something that can be written off as too niche.FarscapeandGuardians of the Galaxymark two major milestones in the genre that worked to bring sci-fi to the masses.
Shout! Studios is preparing something special for the 25th anniversary ofFarscape, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, you can watch it for free through Shout TV! below or purchase the glorious box sethere.
