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'''Geordie''' refers to a person originating from [[Tyneside]] ([[England]]) and the adjacent former coal mining areas of northern [[County Durham]] or the [[dialect]] spoken by such people. There are a number of rival theories to explain how the term came about, though all accept that it derives from a familiar diminutive form of the name "George".
[[Image:Farscape_cast_season3.jpg|thumb|350px|The main cast of Farscape in its third season, from left to right: Chiana (Gigi Edgley), Ka D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe), Dominar Rygel XVI (voiced by Jonathan Hardy), Commander John Crichton (Ben Browder), and Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black).]]
In recent times Geordie has also been used to refer to a supporter of [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] [[football (soccer)|football]] club no matter their origin, including people from outside the traditional area.
'''''Farscape''''' (first broadcast [[1999]]) is a [[science fiction television]] series produced in [[Australia]] by the [[Jim Henson Company]] with the backing of [[United States|U.S.]] cable broadcaster the [[Sci Fi Channel (United States)|Sci Fi Channel]].
== TheDerivation showof the term ==
One explanation is that it was established during the [[Jacobitism|Jacobite Rebellion]] of 1745. The Jacobites declared that the natives of [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] were staunch supporters of the Hanoverian Kings, in particular of [[George II of Great Britain|George II]] during the [[1745]] rebellion. This contrasted with rural [[Northumbria]], which largely supported the Jacobite cause. If true, the term may have derived from a popular anti-Hanoverian song, which calls the first Hanoverian king "Geordie Whelps", meaning "George the [[House of Guelph|Guelph]]".
Originally conceived in the early 1990s by [[Rockne S. O'Bannon]], [[Brian Henson]] and writer/executive producer [[David Kemper]] under the title ''Space Chase'', the show centers on present day American [[astronaut]] [[John Crichton]] (played by American actor [[Ben Browder]]), who has found himself flung through a [[wormhole]] to a distant part of the galaxy, where he is constantly caught in the middle of conflicts between planets, empires, and the incompatible personalities of the escaped prisoners with whom he has taken refuge.
An alternative explanation for the name is that local miners used "Geordie" safety lamps designed by [[George Stephenson]], rather than the "Davy Lamps" designed by [[Humphry Davy]] which were used in other mining communities.
The term Geordie is often incorrectly used to cover all the peoples of the [[North East England|North East of England]], though this usage is generally confined to people from other parts of the [[United Kingdom]], and is considered an insult by North-Easterners who do not come from Tyneside, due to intense local rivalries. To North-Easterners the term exclusively refers to persons from Tyneside; since about [[1991]] people from [[Sunderland|Wearside]] have been termed [[Mackem|Mackems]]; people from [[Hartlepool]] are known as [[monkey hanger]]s, whilst natives of the [[Teesside]] conurbation are generally referred to as [[Smoggies]]. People from the countryside in between these urban areas are generally referred to as 'farm yackers' or 'pit yackers' (particularly in Northumberland around the Ashington area).
''Farscape'' was one of a new generation of popular science fiction TV shows in which the main concerns are surviving in a hostile, chaotic universe and dealing with interpersonal conflicts, instead of exploration, warfare or law enforcement.
== The Geordie dialect ==
Henson has traditionally specialized in [[puppetry]] (see [[Muppets]]), and ''Farscape'' is no exception; two regular characters are animatronic puppets: the miniature deposed [[Dominar Rygel XVI]] of Hyneria (voiced by [[Jonathan Hardy]]) and the ship's [[Pilot (Farscape)|Pilot]] (voiced by [[Lani Tupu]]), a multi-armed elephant-size creature physically and mentally bonded to the living Leviathan ship, [[Moya]].
'''Geordie''' derives much less influence from French and Latin than does Standard English, being substantially [[Angle tribe|Angle]] and [[Viking]] in origin. The accent and pronunciation, as in [[Scots language|Lowland Scots]], reflect old Anglo-Saxon pronunciations, accents and usages.
In [[2000]] and [[2001]], ''Farscape'' won two [[Saturn Awards]] for ''Best Syndicated/Cable TV Series'' and ''Best TV Actor'' (Browder). In [[2002]], ''Farscape'' won two [[Saturn Awards]] for ''Best Syndicated/Cable TV Series'' and ''Best TV Actor'' (Browder), as well as receiving nominations for ''Best TV Actress'' ([[Claudia Black]] as former-soldier [[Aeryn Sun]]) and ''Best Supporting TV Actress'' ([[Gigi Edgley]] as the pixieish rogue [[Chiana]]). ''Farscape'' had already completed production of its fourth season, with a fifth season contracted, when it was abruptly cancelled, effectively ending the series on a cliffhanger.
Personal pronouns differ markedly from Standard English: Geordies use "youse" for plural "you", "me" for "my", "us" for "me", "wor" for "our". The word "wor" is sometimes placed before the given name of the person being the subject of conversation to denote that they are a family member, for example "wor Allan" or "wor da" (father). It is also quite common for Geordies to use the word "man" for both men and women, as in "howay man" (c'mon you).
== Cancellation and rebirth ==
Vowel sounds are also quite unusual. "er" on the end of words becomes "a" ("father" is pronounced "fatha", both "a" sounds as in "hat"). Many "a" sounds become more like "e": "hev" for "have" and "thet" for "that". Double vowels are often pronounced separately as dipthongs: "boat" becomes "boh-ut". Some words acquire extra vowels ("growel" for "growl", "cannet" for "can't"). This property of the dialect has lead Geordie to be known for ''putting as many vowels as possible into a word''. The "or" sound in words like "talk" becomes "aa", while "er" sounds in words like "work" becomes "or". The "ow" in words like "down" or, most famously, "town" becomes "oo", hence "the Toon" meaning [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]]. In Wearside, the "oo" in words like "cook", "book" or "look" becomes "uu", although this accent has come to be known as [[Mackem]], not Geordie.
In September 2002, the Sci Fi Channel, which was then owned by ailing conglomerate [[Vivendi]], unexpectedly opted to withdraw its funding of the fifth season, cancelling the popular, critically-acclaimed show. Fans mounted a massive letter, phone, e-mail, and advertisement campaign hoping to either pressure Sci-Fi into restoring the show or convince another, more financially solvent, network to take over the series.
Geordie also has a large amount of vocabulary not seen in other English dialects. Words still in common use today include "canny" for "pleasant" (it should be noted that the Scottish use of canny is often somewhat less flattering), "hyem" for "home", "divn't" for "don't", "bairn" and "grandbairn" for "child" and "grandchild", "hacky" for "dirty", and "gan" for "go". "Howay" is broadly comparable to the invocation "Come on!". Examples of common use include "Howay man!", meaning something like "come on" or "hurry up", "Howay the lads!" as an encouragement for a football team, or "Ho''way''!?" expressing incredulity or disbelief. The word "hyem" for "home" is inherited from the [[Old Norse language]]. The word "tab" for "cigarette" is thought to derive from Ogden's Tabs, a once-popular brand of cigarettes.
Early plans to have the sets scrapped after production of the fourth season wrapped and news of the cancellation broke were quickly reversed, partly as a result of the immense fan campaign; the sets were instead put in storage pending future decisions. When it was certain the show would not be renewed, the sets were destroyed.
Geordie commonly uses the word 'Aye' meaning 'Yes', which is also found in most Scottish dialects. As a contrast, a geordie might say the word 'Na' for 'No' however this occurs less frequently.
In May [[2004]], the Sci Fi Channel, now owned by [[NBC Universal]], announced that it would run a two-episode [[miniseries]] titled ''[[Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars]]'' that was intended to wrap up the Season Four cliffhanger and additionally tie up some general elements of the series. The miniseries first aired on Sunday [[October 17]]th 2004 at 9pm. Early fan speculation hoped that high [[Nielsen Ratings]] for The Peacekeeper Wars miniseries would prove the viability of renewing the series. Any continuation as a new weekly series seems unlikely. Miniseries are possible, as are feature films. Brian Henson has stated on many occasions that he would like to bring the Farscape saga to the big screen. Fan efforts are now pointed in that direction.
Much of the vocabulary is a preserved form of [[Old English language|Old English]], the north having not been so affected by the [[Norman conquest]]. Pronouncing Old English with a geordie-like accent, rather than the more commonly recommended German, results in a form more comprehendible to those with knowledge of the meaning of Geordie vocabulary. When a Geordie uses the word "larn" for teach, it is not a misuse of the English word "learn"; the word is derived from the [[Anglo Saxon]] word "laeran", meaning to teach.
'''Beginning in October 2005, Farscape will air in syndication in the US on [[Superstation WGN]] and on a variety of local cable, satellite and broadcast affiliates. Check local listings.'''
Geordie is also sometimes used to describe the distinctive dialect of the people of [[Northumbria]]. However strictly speaking, South East Northumberland (the [[mining]] area bordering Tyneside) has its own similar, but distinctive dialect known as [[Pitmatic]].
== Lingering questions ==
In recent times, the Geordie accent has featured prominently in the national media, arguably more so than ever before. TV Presenters such as [[Ant and Dec]], and [[Marcus Bentley]], are happy to use their natural accents on air. The commentator on the UK edition of [[Big Brother (UK TV series)|Big Brother]] is often perceived by southerners to have a Geordie accent (North-East accents do sound very alike to the untuned ear), however, he grew up in [[Stockton on Tees]]). Brendan Foster and Sid Waddell have both worked as television sports commentators. However, in general, the Geordie accent still tends to be employed for comedy effect as opposed to serious usage.
In [[December 2003]], the [[Jim Henson|Jim Henson Company]] started production of a 4 hour miniseries to wrap up many of the threads dangling at the end of Season Four, episode 4.22 "[[Bad Timing]]". Creator [[Rockne S. O'Bannon]] and Executive Producer [[David Kemper]] wrote the miniseries and [[Brian Henson]] directed it.
The accent was also popularised by the [[comic]] [[magazine]] [[Viz (comic)|Viz]], where the accent itself is often conveyed phonetically by unusual spellings within the comic strips. Viz magazine itself was founded on Tyneside by a couple of Geordie lads, [[Chris Donald]] and his brother [[Simon Donald|Simon]].
Interestingly, Henson refers to the 4 hours as episodes 4.23-4.26, though the New South Wales Film Office refers to the production as a '2 x 2 h. Telemovie'. Production of the miniseries wrapped in March 2004 and, in addition to the announced airing on the Sci Fi Channel in the U.S., was also scheduled to be broadcast in the UK on [[Sky One]] on January 16 and 23, 2005 and by a (currently unnamed) terrestrial broadcaster after that. The miniseries was not shown on [[BBC Two]] as expected, as the [[BBC]] decided the acquisition cost would be too high.
It is said that the Roma influenced much of the Geordies' words eg. "charva" is an old word meaning child in Roma and used by Geordies to describe troublesome people. The word "gadgie" for man is derived from the similar-sounding Roma word for a non-Roma. There is a high percentage of Roma origins in the North East and Newcastle hosts a large Gypsy travelling-fair, the "Hoppins", which has been held annually on the Town Moor every year for over a century.
== Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (miniseries) ==
==Famous Geordies==
On July 14, 2005, [[Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars]] received an [[Emmy Nomination]] for "Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special."
*[[Paul Gascoigne|Paul Gascoigne (Gazza)]], footballer
The miniseries has been released on DVD in the US by [[Lions Gate Films]] and in the UK by Contender, and is available in many retail outlets and online.
*[[Ant and Dec]], television presenters
*[[Peter Beardsley]], footballer
*[[Michael Bridges]], footballer
*[[Catherine Cookson]], author
*[[Steve Cram]], athlete
*[[Bryan Ferry]], [[Roxy Music]], musician
*[[Robson Green]], actor
* Tim Healey, actor
*[[Brian Johnson]], [[AC/DC]] singer
*[[Mark Knopfler]] of [[Dire Straits]]
*[[Jayne Middlemiss]], television presenter
*[[Jimmy Nail]], actor and singer
* Sir [[Bobby Robson]], former footballer, club and England national team manager
*[[Ridley Scott]] and [[Tony Scott]], film directors
*[[Sting (musician)|Sting]], actor and musician
*[[Alan Shearer]], footballer
*[[Paul Smith]], [[Maximo Park]] singer
*[[Andy Taylor]], [[Duran Duran]], musician
*[[Peter Taylor, Baron Taylor of Gosforth]], late [[Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales]]
*[[Neil Tennant]], [[Pet Shop Boys]], musician
*[[Chris Waddle]], footballer
* Kevin Whateley, actor
*[[Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf]], former [[Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales]]
*[[Ross Noble]], comedian extraordinaire
[[Category:Tyne and Wear]]
GEEK DVD NOTE: The US version features both parts on one disc, edited together to make it a three hour movie. This has seriously lowered the quality of the visuals. The UK version is a two disc set with each episode on both discs, and has a far superior visual quality as a result. Both versions contain a making-of documentary (the UK version not bleeping the three F-words, even though it holds a 12 certificate), but only the UK version has deleted scenes.
[[Category:British English]]
[[nn:Geordie]]
== Series plot summary ==
{{spoiler}}
Plot summaries adapted from [http://www.scifi.com/farscape/primer/ Sci-Fi.com's Farscape Primer]
''"My name is John Crichton, an astronaut. A radiation wave hit and I got shot through a wormhole. Lost in some distant part of the universe on a ship, a living ship, full of strange alien life forms. Help me. Listen, please. Is there anybody out there who can hear me? Being hunted... by an insane military commander. Doing everything I can. I'm just looking for a way home."'' -Opening Narration, Seasons 1&2
[[John Crichton]] was an [[International Aeronautics and Space Administration|IASA]] astronaut working on the experimental [[Farscape One|Farscape]] project, testing his own theory of defying atmospheric friction for an extreme slingshot maneuver. During the [[Farscape One|Farscape-1]] test flight, a [[wormhole]] manifested itself, causing John to emerge on the other side of the galaxy (or possibly another galaxy entirely) in close proximity to the [[Leviathan (Farscape)|Leviathan]] [[Moya]], one of a species of sentient spacecraft. [[Moya]] was currently a [[Peacekeeper (Farscape)|Peacekeeper]] slave serving as a prison ship. Onboard, as prisoners, were [[Ka D'Argo|D'Argo]], [[Dominar Rygel XVI|Rygel]], and [[Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan|Zhaan]]. The three prisoners had taken control of [[Moya]] and were in the middle of an escape. [[Aeryn Sun]] was a Peacekeeper pilot serving on a Command Carrier that was attempting to stop the escape. Crichton, who had appeared out of nowhere and physically resembled the Peacekeeper soldiers, was taken aboard Moya for interrogation. The prisoners managed to remove Moya's [[Farscape terminology|Control collar]] and [[Starburst (Farscape)|Starbursted]] away. Aeryn's [[Prowler (Farscape)|Prowler]] was caught up in the Starburst and taken aboard. As a result of her contact with the prisoners, her commanding officer [[Bialar Crais|Captain Crais]] later declared her "irreversibly contaminated". Thus, Aeryn was forced to become a fellow fugitive in order to avoid execution. ''(Premiere)''
The brother of [[Bialar Crais|Captain Crais]], [[Aeryn Sun]]'s former commanding officer, was killed in a collision with Crichton's Farscape module during the first few seconds after he came out of the wormhole. Motivated by revenge, Crais pursued the crew of [[Moya]] through the Uncharted Territories. During their travels, they acquired a political fugitive, [[Chiana]], who joined to escape persecution on her home world. Also, as a result of D'Argo breaking a shield set up by the Peace Keepers, [[Moya]] became pregnant.
At one point, [[John Crichton|Crichton]] saw what he believed to be Earth through a [[wormhole]] and followed it down only to find a race called the Ancients. They implanted the equations and a sort of "sixth-sense" for wormhole travel in Crichton's subconscious mind.
Not knowing of the existence of the knowledge in his mind, [[John Crichton|Crichton]] attempted to embrace his new life, but Crichton was captured by [[Scorpius (Farscape)|Scorpius]] during an attempt to obtain a drug neccesary to save [[Aeryn Sun|Aeryn]]. Scorpius managed to discover the wormhole knowledge, and implanted a [[neurochip]] to attempt to unlock the knowledge. The neurochip manifests itself as Scorpius in Crichton's subconcious, however Crichton refers to him as [[Harvey]].
After escaping from [[Scorpius (Farscape)|Scorpius]], [[John Crichton|Crichton]] returned to [[Moya]], who gave birth, with the assistance of [[Chiana]] to [[Talyn]] (who is also a prototype Leviathan Hybrid Gunship.) [[Bialar Crais|Crais]] returned to join the crew of Moya after Scorpius overthrew his command, but soon left with Talyn.
== Episodes ==
See [[List of Farscape episodes]].
== Characters ==
=== Crew of [[Moya]] ===
* [[John Crichton|John Robert Crichton, Jr.]] ([[Ben Browder]])
* [[Aeryn Sun]] ([[Claudia Black]])
* [[Ka D'Argo]] ([[Anthony Simcoe]])
* [[Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan]] ([[Virginia Hey]]) - through the beginning of Season 3
* [[Dominar Rygel XVI]] voiced by ([[Jonathan Hardy]])
* [[Chiana]] ([[Gigi Edgley]]) - from part way through Season 1
* [[Pilot (Farscape)|Pilot]] voiced by ([[Lani Tupu]])
* [[Bialar Crais]] ([[Lani Tupu]])
* [[Stark (Farscape)|Stark]] ([[Paul Goddard]]) - in parts of Seasons 2 and 3
* [[Jool|Joolushko 'Jool' Tunai Fenta Hovalis]] ([[Tammy McIntosh]]) - from Season 3 to the beginning of season 4
* [[Sikozu Svala Shanti Sugaysi Shanu]] ([[Raelee Hill]]) - Season 4
* [[Utu-Noranti Pralatong]] ([[Melissa Jaffer]]) - from the last episode of Season 3
* [[DRDs]]
=== Ambiguous allies ===
* [[Bialar Crais]] ([[Lani Tupu]])
* [[Scorpius (Farscape)|Scorpius]] ([[Wayne Pygram]])
* [[Scorpius (Farscape)|"Harvey" (neural clone of Scorpius)]] ([[Wayne Pygram]])
* [[Braca|Meeklo Braca]] ([[David Franklin (actor)|David Franklin]])
* [[Furlow]] ([[Magda Szubanski]])
* [[Jothee]] ([[Matthew Newton]] - Season 2 and 3; [[Nathaniel Dean]] - [[Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars]])
* [[Jack Crichton|Jonathan Robert 'Jack' Crichton, Sr.]] ([[Kent McCord]])
* [[Xhalax Sun]] ([[Linda Cropper]])
=== Enemies ===
* [[Mele-On Grayza]] ([[Rebecca Riggs]])
* [[War Minister Akhna]], ([[Francesca Buller]])''Scarran'' Empire
* [[Emperor Staleek]], ([[Duncan Young]])''Scarran'' Empire
==Farscape terminology==
See [[Farscape terminology]]
== Bibliography ==
Scott Andrews' ''Uncharted Territory: An Unauthorised and Unofficial Guide To Farscape'' (Virgin Publishing [[2002]], ISBN 0753507048) covered Farscape's first three seasons exhaustively.
==See also==
*[[Aliens in fiction]]
*[[Space opera]]
*[[International Aeronautics and Space Administration|IASA]]
*[[List of aliens in fiction]]
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*[http://farscape-1.com/ The Farscape Encyclopedia]
*[http://www.farwhat.com/ Far-what?]
*[http://www.farscape.com/ Official site]
*[http://www.scifi.com/farscape/ SCI-FI.COM | Farscape]
*[http://www.whatisfarscape.com/ What Is Farscape?]
*[http://www.watchfarscape.com/ Watch Farscape]
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/farscape/ BBC Online - Cult - Farscape]
*{{imdb title | id=0187636 | title=Farscape}}
* {{ODP | path=Arts/Television/Programs/Science_Fiction_and_Fantasy/F/Farscape/ | name=Farscape}}
*[http://benbrowder-online.net/ Ben Browder Online]
*[http://claudiablack.de/ Unofficial Claudia Black Site]
*[http://www.farscapeprops.com/ The Farscape Props Forum]
*[http://www.neuralcluster.net/ Neural Cluster]
*[http://www.terrafirmascapers.com/ Terra Firma]
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