Ratings
1.2 (US)
2.24 (UK)

Lani Tupu..................Capt. Bialar Crais
Wayne Pygram...............Scorpius
Francesca Buller...........M'Lee
Marton Csokas..............Br'Nee
David Franklin.............Lt. Braca

Wassup?

Admiring someone's bone structure was never quite so sinister before.

Hiding (with her baby) from Crais and Scorpius in an asteroid field, Moya picks up a distress call from an asteroid. John, Zhaan, and D'Argo take a transport pod to the highly vegetated asteroid; they find Br'Nee, a leaf-covered botanist, who claims that M'Lee, a young quill-covered female, is a monster, while she claims the same of him. Aeryn goes aboard Moya's baby, and discovers him to be a hybrid of PK and Leviathan technology, able to communicate directly with her, without a Pilot. Zhaan is captured by Br'Nee, then rescued by John. When the crew returns to Moya, M'Lee, a calcium eater brought to the asteroid by Br'Nee's people, remains on the asteroid, laying in wait for the Peacekeepers.

Backstory

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Annotations

The title is a play on the phrase "born to be wild", which could be a reference to several different things, including the classic rock'n'roll tune by 1960s rock band Steppenwolf.

John: "One, two, three, four to beam down, Pilot."

YASTR.

John: "Swamp Thing here ain't the Mr. Rogers scientist we thought he was."

Dr. Alec Holland was a scientist who was killed while working on a "bio-restorative" formula in his lab out in the Louisiana bayous. The formula combined with muck from the swamp turned him into...Swamp Thing. This DC Comics character was created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson, but later achieved notice for a highly regarded run in the early 1980s by British writer Alan Moore.

The character was also the basis for two films (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0084745 and http://us.imdb.com/Title?0098193) and a TV series (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0098919).

"Mr. Rogers" is Fred Rogers, host of the PBS children's show MR. ROGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD. He's been both praised and satirized for his mellow demeanor.

Translator Microbe Report

Quotables

Comments from Cast & Crew

Claudia Black ("ChickwithGun") & Anthony Simcoe ("Ploppy"), July 28, 1999

• Moderator: I'll repeat that last question: <Sparrowhwk>: which episode did both of you enjoy making or was just your personal favorite?
  

  Ploppy: My favourite episodes are 5, 9, 16 and 21. I had the most time in ten because D'Argo went through and incredible journey
  Ploppy: Most "fun" time in 10 that should have been

Richard Manning & Andrew Prowse, January 6, 2000

• Moderator: <Gmmas> to <Moderator>: Andrew: so how was it working with Ben's wife in episode 21? Did Ben have advice for you? (or did she have advice about Ben?)
  

  Andrew: Ben has left the room so i can be completely frank.
  Andrew: She is a superb actor in her own right and I think you'll be stunned by the performance she gives in ep 21. As far as advice goes, she and Ben used to go into a huddle occasionally. As for her advice about Ben, no comment!!
  Andrew: :-)
  Andrew: Ben was extarordinarily supportive of Fran's work and kept away - he had complete trust in her talent.
  

Virginia Hey, January 25, 2000

• Question: Virginia: We all thought its pretty neat that Zhaan is evolved from plants. What was your reaction to that development? And does Zhaan breathe oxygen or carbon dioxide?
  

  Virginia Hey: Very good question! I think you've got us here....I'm going to have to go ask the writers no....whatever is in outer space is what I breathe. Since we don't know...we'll have to keep wondering. She's not comparable to any plant life we have on earth. That question is something we'd have to think seriously about. I'll put the answer on the FAQ page of my site. About being a plant...I love it! I'm now in the flora and fauna category. I was a little bit insulted last week when I was reading a posting on the sci-fi fi board..one of the fans referred to me as a turnip, LOL. I'm not sure I can relate to that..but I love that Zhaan is unlike anything we've heard of. We can reinvent her constantly since there is no comparison to anything that exists. Just wait until episode 8 of season 2 "Home on the Remains"....for some earth shattering revelation.....I can't tell you what it is.....
  

Claudia Black, January 26, 2000

• Question: Claudia: why do you think Aeryn has formed such a close bond with the baby? Residual pilot DNA, being a former PK, maternal instincts, or all of the above?
  

  Claudia Black: It's her first pure relationship that has started from scratch, without any baggage or mistakes. It's Aeryn's first understanding of parenthood, and the residual DNA is connected to that concept. Due to Aeryn's close relationship with Pilot, Aeryn is honored that Pilot would endow her with so much responsibility, where the baby is concerned.It's a chance for her to get things right... for a change. :)
  

David Kemper, January 27, 2000

• Moderator: <Sci-junkie>: Was Zhaan's ability to "camouflage" herself on the latest episode due to the high concentration of plants?
  

  DK: Bingo. She used the background and merged into it like a chameleon.
  

• Moderator: <terr> : I noticed that Moya (and Baby Moya) don't seem to have translator microbes, yet Baby Moya has just shown us he speaks. Are Leviathans allergic to the microbes?
  

  DK: Leviathans don't have mouth-organs for speech. Talyn (Rock's very cool name) "communicates"
  DK: using light and sound and action.
  DK: However -- huge TEASE -- look for a startling bit of communication from Moya during the middle of
  DK: 2nd year.
  DK: Gonna be good! (Andrew Prowse is currently directing the Ep.)
  

• Moderator2: <Gmmas> to <Moderator2>: David: there was a jump in time between eps 20 and 21. Was that for dramatic purposes, or not enough time to fit more in ?
  

  DK: Ep. 20-and-a-half had them sitting quietly in the cold and dark in the hopes of eluding Scorpius and Crais.
  DK: We just picked up the storyline when we felt the network wouldn't cough up blood because we spent their
  DK: $$$ on a totally snoresville hour.
  DK: Then I'd lose my job, and have to go get a real job.
  

• Moderator2: <LadyJade> to <Moderator2>: Mr. Kemp, Can you tell us what is in store for Moya's new born. I mean it's half leavathan and half Peacekeeper tech. Willl he help the crew of Moya?
  

  DK: Definitely. Remember that promised 3 parter?........
  

Anthony Simcoe, January 27, 2000

• Question: What is your favorite episode so far?
  

  Anthony Simcoe: In Series 1 my favorite episodes are 9, 21 and 22.
  

Ben Browder, January 28, 2000

• Question: Hi Ben. What was it like playing opposite your wife in "Bone to be Wild" and will she be a semi-regular on the show now that she's with Scorpy?
  

  Ben Browder: I hear that she is coming back. David Kemper has promised her, and if he doesn't make good on that promise, he'll have to live in fear... My wife is a tremendous talent, a fantastic actress, and drop-dead gorgeous. I love working with her. It had been... nine years since we had last worked together. For her to come on the set knowing the show and knowing everyone who works on the show and turn in the wonderful performance that she did is a credit to her talent.
  

Virginia Hey, April 27, 2000

• Moderator: <Kieriahn> to <Moderator> Virginia {hugs to you!}, did it change your opinion of Zhaan and how you interpreted her once you found out she was flora instead of fauna? :)
  

  Virginia: Ha Ha Ha
  Virginia: Hello darling Kieriahn
  Virginia: Who's to say I didn't know from the beginning!!! LOL
  

  Moderator: (check the last transcript if you doubt virginia's word... :)
  

  Virginia: No, I love playing a sentient floran life form, it gives us all a myriad of directions in which to go as far as characterisation is concerned
  

• Moderator: <Thinkum> to <Moderator> Virginia, do you find yourself "stuck in character" when you're on the set, in makeup, etc.? Or do you pop in and out of character over the course of the shooting day?
  

  Virginia: Hello Thinkum, good question.
  Virginia: I'm not a method actor, so I'm out of character in between takes and I'm just my goofy self. XXXX
  Virginia: If I was a method actor I'd have to go outside and commune with the garden in between takes. ROFL
  

• Moderator: <Qs-Likes-Pau-Zotoh-Zhaan> to <Moderator> Virginia, are u a fruit or a vegetable?
  

  Virginia: LOL LOL LOL ... a fruit in Australia has rather and controversial meaning, and no I am not a fruit, I am straight..LOL LOL, not that there is anything wrong with that..LOL LOL nor am I a vegie as this also has a rather uncomfortable ring to it, here in Oz it means that the brain cells aren't bouncing brightly!
  Virginia: Zhaan is unlike any fauna or flora as we know it, she is closer to the human species relatively speaking XXX
  

• Moderator: <Misfit> to <Moderator> Virginia, since zhaan is a plant, and has no bones, can she regenerate lost "limbs"?
  

  Virginia: Thank you for your question Misfit, we haven't taken any cuttings yet. XXX
  

Richard Manning, June 1, 2000

• Moderator: <BoreasZephir>: Richard, The characters on farscape are some of the most well developed characters I have seen on any scifi show ever, the fact that you acomplished this by the end of your first season is amazing, my question is, how far in advance do you plan little "quirks" in the characters' profiels in order to keep continuity (for instance Zahn's being a plant) do you find it dificult to keep this continuity? thanks!

  FrooniumRicky: It Depends.
  FrooniumRicky: Some stuff is indeed "planted" (sorry) far in advance, but an equal amount just pops up as we go along.
  FrooniumRicky: We do "retcon" now and then if a cool new idea comes to us and makes it worth it...
  FrooniumRicky: Other times, we'll toss something in that we MIGHT pay off later...
  FrooniumRicky: Sometimes we do, other times we just let it sit there, like money in the bank,
  FrooniumRicky: knowing we can always come back and revisit it IF a story idea makes it worthwhile.

• Bouncer: Preface: is it fair to say you're the "keeper of the continuity, the Farscape universe's coherence?"

  FrooniumRicky: Me? Good heavens, no.

  Bouncer: Why I'm asking is: I really want to know who's responsible for losing Stark.

  FrooniumRicky: I put in my 2 cents, as do everyone else.
  FrooniumRicky: Stark who?
  FrooniumRicky: Oh, HIM.
  FrooniumRicky: He's not lost.
  FrooniumRicky: We simply decided not to bore you with explanations of what happened to him.
  FrooniumRicky: (That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.)
  FrooniumRicky: Well... okay.
  FrooniumRicky: WE SCREWED UP!
  FrooniumRicky: We did have a line in "Bone to be Wild" covering Stark's having moved on, but somewhere along the line it got lost.
  FrooniumRicky: I take full responsibility.

• Bouncer: a pair for you:
  Bouncer: *dionisio* Will Scorpius be back any time soon? Will that bone eating alien come around?
  Bouncer: *Ooshati* Will the Nebari pop up this season?

  FrooniumRicky: Oh, you can count on Scorpius...
  FrooniumRicky: He's not letting Crichton off THAT easily.
  FrooniumRicky: As for M'Lee and the Nebari...
  FrooniumRicky: You will see at least one of 'em.