Relationship Spotlight: John Crichton & Chiana (Farscape)

There’s a lot to love about Farscape – all sorts of goodness – but I think Chiana, Crichton, and their relationship with one another might be my absolute favorites (and I say that as someone who was unsure about Chiana in her early episodes; I very willingly admit I’m wrong when it comes to fantastic characters.)  Today, I’m looking at the gorgeous bond between these two wonderful characters (some Crichton-Chiana-related spoilers.)

Pretty much right from the beginning, when Chiana is brought aboard Moya in chains and tries to trade sexual favors with Crichton in exchange for setting her free, these two have had each other’s backs in a strong but unconventional way.  Crichton sees the potential in Chiana when others can’t, and she believes in him even when she knows he’s being crazy.  In their darkest times – and it’s Farscape, so they both have a crap-ton of dark times – they’re always there for each other.  When Chiana hears word of her brother’s death, Crichton is the one who goes after her to pull her back from the brink.  When Crichton is confronted with vastly different evolutionary incarnations of himself, Chiana is the one who still recognizes him even in his most farflung state.  There’s so much care, affection, and understanding woven through their interactions.  Whether he says it fondly, compassionately, or exasperatedly, I may or may not curl my toes in delight at the sweetness every time Crichton calls Chiana “Pip.”

It’s beautifully heartfelt, but it’s also terrific fun.  Crichton’s heroic recklessness can go toe-to-toe with Chiana’s impulsive recklessness any day, and they feed into one another’s crazy, ill-advised ideas as often as they talk some sense into each other.  Despite Chiana’s periodic lusty come-ons, there’s still such a big brother/kid sister vibe between them.  They tease each other playfully and get on one another’s nerves in the most loving way possible, and when Chiana’s schemes (almost) inevitably go sideways, Crichton is often the one to roll his eyes as he dives in to pull her out of it.

And again, there’s this unconsummated sexual undercurrent between them (coming mostly, but not exclusively, from Chiana,) and yet I love that there’s really never a question of Crichton and Chiana’s relationship coming between Crichton/Aeryn or Chiana/D’Argo.  No matter what’s happening with either of those couples – or would-be couples, given the often tragic-interference-by-fate nature of much of the series – Crichton-Chiana isn’t viewed as a threat to that.  Aeryn doesn’t see Chiana is any sort of sexual/romantic rival when it comes to Crichton, and while D’Argo can lock horns with Crichton in an alpha-male way, it’s nothing to do with Chiana.  Even more so, neither Aeryn nor D’Argo seems jealous of their would-be partner’s closeness to another shipmate of the opposite sex, even platonically; no sense, for example, that D’Argo is suspicious that Chiana confides in Crichton more than she does in him, even though it’s probably true. 

Instead, Crichton and Chiana’s relationship, whatever it is, is allowed to simply be.  Crichton/Aeryn and Chiana/D’Argo are important relationships over the course of the show, but so is Crichton-Chiana, and it’s given the dignity of that (at least, as much dignity as is possible on a show with this much vomiting.)  It doesn’t need to be trotted out as a potential shipper-block, nor does it have inherently less value because it’s not an ultimately romantic relationship.  Its worth comes from what it is, and that’s so much more than enough.