When Moya brings aboard a couple of scientists from a disintegrating research station things start to get bizarre and a little temporal in Back and Back and Back to the Future. Written by Babs Greyhosky it was actually the third episode broadcast, first airing on 2 April, 1999.

Verell (John Clayton) and his assistant, Matala (Lisa Hensley) bring an uneasy present aboard the ship, and D’argo (Anthony Simcoe) seems to have fallen completely under Matala’s spell. She’s having a different effect on Crichton (Ben Browder) who was exposed to something on the scientists’ escape shuttle.

He’s moving back and forth through time, and no matter what he does, each future he’s exposed to ends in all of their deaths at the hands of Matala.

Can any of the crew figure out what is going on before they catch up to their future? Crichton has seen visions of Rygel (voiced by Jonathan Hardy) murdered, and his and D’Argo’s death at Matala’s hands.

Aeryn (Claudia Black) is less than impressed with the scientists, and Matala moves to neutralize her quickly, rendering her next to lifeless after a workout (or does she?), but Zhaan (Virginia Hey) helps Crichton start to figure things out. Even if he can’t change everything, maybe he can change enough for everyone to survive.

Matala is not who she appears to be, she plans to steal Verell’s work, and it is this very work that has caused Crichton to experience temporal dislocation. A solid enough tale, and it works better here as the fifth episode than the third.

We also learn a little bit more about D’Argo’s past.

Thank God It’s Friday… Again first aired on 23 April, 1999 and was written by David Wilks.

This one is a bit silly, especially considering what is going on with Rygel. But there are some solid character beats as the crew arrive on the planet, Sykar, following D’Argo after a Luxan hyper rage sends him fleeing from Moya. The find D’Argo and the planet’s residents, all laborers are all very happy, all the time.

It has something to with the tannock root they are harvesting. Rygel overindulges and becomes sick leaving Pilot (voiced by Lani John Tupu) and Aeryn working together to find a cure for him. This is new territory for Aeryn, and is a wonderful moment for her (and has some great dialogue as a result).

D’Argo and Zhaan fall under the influence and join the workforce leaving Crichton to go after them, as well as confronting the leader, Volmae (Angie Milliken), after some local rebels infect him with a worm that makes him impervious to the root’s effects.

The effects of the root make the workers constantly believe that the next day is a rest period, and tonight there’s going to be a huge party. And repeat, each and every day, and none of them are the wiser, except the rebels.

The character beats are fun, D’Argo gets to be a bit of a hippie, Aeryn begins to really grow as a character seeing that she can be more, and I love the fact that watching them in order allows you to see the way Crichton is getting used to things, and how he begins to adapt his outfit as needs must.

Crichton’s journey continues next week!