Farscape terminology

Terminology from the universe of the American science fiction television series Farscape. Most words are needed to name things not known to humans, but the terminology also comes in handy to use rough language without actually using it. The words 'dren' and 'frell' are used so liberally that their meaning soon becomes clear. Another set of words are measurements, which often sound very similar to equivalent human measurements.

A
arn
 * An interval of time slightly longer than one Earth hour.

B
brandar tile
 * A form of currency possibly equivalent to a Credit.

boll-yotz
 * A close equivalent to "bull shit".

budong
 * A massive, spacefaring fish-like creature that eats spaceships, believed extinct until the episode "Green-Eyed Monster". Considered to be "one of the biggest things there is" in the Farscape universe. Budong corpses are often mined for minerals, though the particular physiology of the budong makes such mining a risky enterprise with many fatalities. Living budongs, though very rare, are extremely dangerous. Budongs appear to use electromagnetic currents in place of (or addition to) peristalsis to push food through the digestive tract. A budong's stomach burns at 5000 klances; &mdash; enough to liquify most metals and obviously far hotter than the temperature a typical spaceship can withstand.

C
Chakan Oil
 * A dense and highly volatile compound derived from the Tannot root. It is the power supply/ammo of pulse weapons, such as those used by Peacekeepers.

control collar
 * A Peacekeeper device that is used to subdue captured Leviathans. They override most key systems making the Leviathan unable to Starburst or even navigate against the Peacekeepers' wishes. It can also be used to inflict pain in order to torture rebellious Leviathans into obeying Peacekeeper orders.

credit
 * The most general term for currency in the universe.

crindar
 * The Scarran form of currency.

Crystherium
 * The crystherium utilia is the name given to the real flower strelitzia or the "bird of paradise flower" on the science fiction television show Farscape. In the Uncharted Territories, the flower is rare and considered a delicacy among the Scarran Empire.  Consumption of the flower also has the effect of increasing the Scarran's brain capacity, allowing their ruling class to advance to the same intellectual level as other sentient species such as humans and Sebaceans.


 * Crystherium can only be grown in certain conditions, forcing the Scarrans to cultivate them in a limited number of locations. Because of this handicap, the Scarrans can only expand their power from certain locations, one of which is the hidden base Katratzi where the flowers are heavily protected.  With the destruction of the Katratzi flower supply by the crew of Moya, the capability of the Scarrans to rule that region is set back by hundreds of cycles.

currency pledge
 * The official Peacekeeper currency, believed to be the equivalent of a post-dated cheque; a financial promise. At one point the Peacekeeper bounty on John Crichton was reported to be an unprecedented 15 million currency pledges.

cycle
 * An interval of time roughly equivalent to 1 Earth year.

D


Dam-Ba-Da is a planet in the Uncharted Territories. Its surface is dominated by an arid, desert terrain. It is home to the Dam-Ba-Da Depot run by Furlow.

The surface of Dam-Ba-Da is harsh, and the planet's residents must take a number of precautions to survive. Special goggles are required to protect the user's eyes from the frequent solar flares, as exposure to even one flare can lead to temporary blindness.

dench
 * A unit of length roughly equivalent to 1 inch.

dentic
 * A small larva-like creature that is used for oral hygiene. It can be used by virtually all species, as opposed to species-specific dental tools. They feed off excess bacteria and food remains in the mouth and excrete a fresh "minty" flavor while they work. They are not intended to be swallowed, but the consequences have never been detailed. When cooked, the creature has a repulsive taste rendering them virtually inedible.

displacement engine
 * A wormhole weapon that the Ancient alien Jack and John built on the planet DamBaDa. It worked by opening up a wormhole linking one end in space and the other end into a star. This had the effect of freeing the stellar plasma from the star towards a Scarran Dreadnaught, thus destroying it.

docking web
 * A kind of tractor beam used drag ships and other objects into a vessel's docking bay. There is a contradictory depiction of the docking web in Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars. In one of the penultimate scenes it is depicted as a large umbrella-shaped construct that "sweeps up" objects to bring them aboard.

Dominar
 * Title given to the rulers of the Hynerian Empire. Examples include Dominar Rygel XVI and his cousin Dominar Bishan.

Diagnostic Repair Drone (DRD)
 * A device about the size of a terrier that performs various functions aboard a Leviathan.

drannit
 * A vile, noisome, or uncouth creature

drad (slang)
 * rad, cool

draddest (slang)
 * most rad, coolest

dren (slang)
 * shit

dren-faced (slang)
 * drunk, (shit faced)

E
Eema
 * ass

F
fahrbot (slang)
 * crazy; insane; demented

fekkik (slang)
 * stupid waif; naive fool; dipshit, arse

fellip nectar
 * A popular drink, similar to beer

fennik
 * A form of currency used in the Uncharted Territories (cf: German Pfennig).

flibisk
 * A ten legged creature that is extremely tasty, if prepared right. However if prevented from mating it becomes very disagreeable.

flot
 * A unit of length that may be roughly equivalent to a centimetre or an inch (established in the episode Promises).

Food cube
 * Produced by the Peacekeepers, it is food in the form of a small cube containing all of the nutrients needed to sustain Sebaceans, and are often used as food rations in the absence of more tasty fare.

frell (slang)
 * equivalent of the word fuck; or sometimes simply "hell". The word has both senses of the f-word, as is exemplified in the episode 'Meltdown', when, while John and Aeryn are getting frisky, a bang is heard, followed by the following short conversation: "Frell." "Yeah." "No, bad frell."

G
Greebol (slang)
 * Nebari word for a daft, foolish, or inexperienced person.

H
hamman
 * starboard (the right-hand side of a Leviathan ship when facing forward)

hazmot
 * bitch; "son of a hazmot"

henta
 * A unit of length roughly equivalent to 1 centimetre.

hetch
 * The universal unit for spacecraft speed used in Farscape. No reference is ever given to exactly how fast a hetch is, but it can be used to compare the speed of different crafts. For example, a Marauder has a top speed of hetch 7, while Moya can achieve hetch 9 on a good day. Early in the show when Moya is weakened by the brutal removal of her control collar she only manages hetch 2 by comparison. Hints throughout the series have indicated that a hetch is some degree faster than the speed of light, such as during season 4, when John returns to Earth he tells D.K that it is FTL (faster than light). This would make a great deal of sense, since all other race's ships, such as the Peacekeeper Command Carrier, lack starburst ability, and without FTL a galactic civilisation would be impossible (it would also be impossible for them to even consider catching Moya in their lifetimes if they had no FTL, given Moya's ability to starburst).

hyper-rage
 * A Luxan state of mind marked by extreme violence, memory loss, and blackouts. Very similar to berserker rage.

Hezmana
 * Hell (Luxan term)

I
International Aeronautics and Space Administration (IASA)
 * An Earth-based space agency, and, presumably, successor to NASA. The agency was responsible for John Crichton's ill-fated Farscape project, and had facilities in Australia.

K
kalvo
 * A Scarran unit of energy. At high levels, the energy can be fatal.

kelvoy level
 * A system used to measure levels of energy. The Kelvoy Levels are used by Sebaceans and are similar to the Scarran Kalvo.

klance
 * The universal unit for temperature. For example, a budong's stomach is an inferno; it burns at 5000 klances.

kretma
 * A form of currency in the Uncharted Territories, more widely used than the Fennik.

L
lenart
 * A unit of weight or volume. For example, it is used to measure chromextin, a drug that was used to heal Talyn.

Leviathan
 * A sentient, space-faring creature that can be accommodated for smaller, man-sized creatures to live in and travel with, usually through the aid of creatures from a crustacean species called 'Pilots'. Peacekeepers additionally use control collars, such as on Moya, the living ship that the main characters of the series travel in.

loomas (slang)
 * breasts

M
mallot
 * A unit of volume that may be close in size to a litre.

metra
 * A unit of length roughly equivalent to 1 kilometre, although no confirmation has been given to this length.

micron
 * A length of time slightly longer than an Earth minute.

microt
 * A length of time equivalent to 1 and 1/3 Earth seconds (established in the episode The Flax).

milon
 * A unit of length roughly equivalent to a mile.

mivonks (slang)
 * testicles; gonads

motra
 * A unit of length equivalent to about 1/1000 of a metra, that is, roughly one metre.

N
nano moment
 * A very short amount of time; a small fraction of a second.

narl
 * a child; an immature or childish person. baby.

P
parisim
 * A unit of length roughly equivalent to 2 miles.(unconfirmed)

phase-negative shield deployment
 * A means of combating the problem of Rantath flux in wormhole travel, as suggested by the Peacekeeper scientist Linfer. However, it was proven that phase-negative shield deployment does not work, and simply delays the effects of tissue liquification.

phase stabilizer
 * The phase stabilizer is device invented by the engineer Furlow. It could be used to influence the properties of a wormhole itself, thus preventing the dangers of Rantath flux.

phaztillon generator
 * A device used by Pathfinder Neeyala to stabilize wormholes. It works by using non-thermal dimensional forces (forces that don't include electromagnetic heat) to change the phase resolution in order to rectify the "phase presences" found in unstable wormholes. The Phaztillon generator works by using a particle known as "phasic restin ions".

pulse pistol
 * A peacekeeper sidearm firing bolts of undefined energy. A longarm pulse rifle is also available.

Q
Qualta Blade
 * A traditional Luxan sword, which can then be converted to a Qualta rifle by moving a few pieces. When he's not actually using it, D'Argo carries his Qualta Blade strapped to his back for quick access. It's a little over three feet long and is perfectly balanced. It once belonged to D'Argo's grandfather who used it during the siege of Reqmek. It was the only thing that D'Argo had that his new ship would accept as the key to shut down its self destruct sequence.  See episodes: Throne for a Loss; Revenging Angel

R
Raslak
 * A strong alcoholic beverage. Similar to hard liquor.

Rantath Flux
 * A property of unstable wormhole travel. While Rantath flux can be used to identify how unstable a wormhole can be, it can also cause a very serious side-effect: complete tissue liquification of biological organisms.

S
samat
 * A unit of length roughly equivalent to a foot.

shliznat
 * Supposed combination that means shithead or stupid-fuck.

shlock
 * To relieve oneself of a bowel movement.

snurch
 * To borrow or take without permission. Steal.

solar day
 * Equivalent to one day

T
Tannot Root
 * A turnip-like plant that can grow in most ecosystems. When it is consumed by most sapient species, it induces a euphoric state similar to cannabis. However, when it is processed and mixed with the right chemicals(like in the digestive tract of a Hynerian), it becomes Chakan Oil-the fuel for Peacekeeper weapons. Also, the plant's growth has the side-effect of leeching nutrients from the soil, leaving it useless for future crops.

Tarkan shield belt
 * A portable shielding device worn like a belt by the user, the shield belt is activated by pulse weapon fire and once it is active it protects the user against virtually all types of damage. However, the shield belt deactivates after a period of time to save power, unless it is hit by additional pulse fire, and once inactive it will not protect against thermal or kinetic damage (i.e. fire or rocks).

thoddo
 * an unintelligent person; a dimwit

tissue liquification effect
 * This is caused by a failure in negative-phase shield deployment upon entering/exiting an unstable wormhole. The known causative factor behind tissue liquification has been attributed to the cellular degeneratative effects of Rantath flux, a pervasive form of unstable-wormhole radiation that causes the affected person(s) to undergo complete cellular liquification.

trad
 * The universal unit for power. 250 Trads is the equivalent to a Transport Pod's power capacity.

translator microbes
 * These microbes, when injected into nearly any species' bloodstream, will make their way to the brain and colonize, forming a symbiotic relationship with the host. Translator microbes re-wire the brain so that an "infected" individual can instantly understand almost all forms of verbal communication. They are similar to the universal translator from Star Trek; the babel fish from Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy.
 * The standard injection allows for comprehension of most common languages, but obscure or archaic languages (such as Ancient Luxan) may require a specially prepared strain. Some species, such as the Kalish, cannot harbor translator microbes and must instead learn languages individually, though at least some members can do so at a very accellerated rate.

tralk (slang)
 * whore

Traskan
 * name of an alien race. Utu-Noranti Pralatong is a Traskan.

treblin
 * port (the left-hand side of a Leviathan ship when facing forward)

U
Uncharted Territories
 * The Uncharted Territories are a section of the Milky Way that act as the primary setting for Farscape. While the Uncharted Territories appear to be a part of our galaxy, they seem to be quite far from Earth. The trip would take a Peacekeeper fleet around 60 cycles to complete. The Peacekeepers have no jurisdiction in the Uncharted Territories but have been known to operate there regardless.

unrealized reality
 * Unrealized realities are alternate universes, which are created and can be reached using wormhole travel, or more specifically improper wormhole travel. Though any traveller can enter and exit a wormhole, they have no control over where the wormhole will deposit them. Those who can navigate wormholes, an ability given to John Crichton by the Ancients, can find the exit that takes them to where they want to go. If done incorrectly, however, the navigator can end up in one of many skewed, alternate destinations that surround their true, intended reality.

V
Vent
 * To fart, flatulate

W
weeken
 * An interval of time roughly equivalent to 1 Earth week.

wormhole
 * A wormhole is a "shortcut" or an "abbreviation" through space-time. A wormhole has at least two aperatures which are connected to a single throat. If the wormhole is traversable or "stable", matter can 'travel' from one aperature to the other by passing through the throat.

Y
yotz
 * An all purpose swear word (probably Hynerian, e.g. Rygel is constantly saying "what the yotz" or "you stupid yotz," also used in 'boll-yotz'), possibly derived from a deity (as in usage "by the yotz," as in English usage "oh, God.").

yotza
 * An exclamation of pleasurable surprise equivilant to "hot-damn" or "holy shit".

Z
zacron
 * Another unit of length. The Flax is 75 billion Zacrons long.

zark (slang)
 * Another curse along the Earth English translation of the curse Fuck (e.g: "Zarking asteroid! It nearly hit us!" See above, Frell). This swear was most likely taken from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series of books, where Zaphod Beeblebrox commonly uses the term (see above).

Zelbinion
 * A renowned Peacekeeper command carrier under the command of Captain Selto Durka. Although widely believed to be indestructable, the Zelbinion disappeared without trace, its fate unknown for over 100 cycles until its wreck was discovered in the Uncharted Territories. It was later revealed that the ship had been defeated by the Nebari.