To think people harp on about Babylon 5's weak premiere. Actually, Farscape's premiere is on par, with the added issue of completely botching Aeryn's origin. She really had no reason to stick her neck out for Crichton, nor did Crais have cause to declare her 'contaminated', nor was there any point in not executing both on the spot, etc. This is stuff which forms the foundation of everything that happens to the characters. It's like walking into Andromeda and then having everything suddenly turn Battlestar Galactica. Continuity didn't really matter when Farscape was being episodic and silly; then, once Characterization Marches On, you start to get annoyed by the inconsistent tonality.
I'm a skeptical squirrel
Fair points. Now, Crais may have had ulterior motives for wanting Aeryn out of his command (see 2.05 "The Way We Weren't) but there is no explanation of why exactly. Maybe he was looking to get rid of her as a possible turncoat but that's just conjecture. Let's be honest though. The first two seasons suffered from changes in tone from episode to episode-particularly in season one. It wasn't until the end of season two that things really started coming together completely. Season three by comparison is a well oiled machine of story telling with very few flaws (although I could have done without 3.02 "Suns and Lovers").
My beef is with the "irreversibly contaminated" thing, primarily. The show continues to throw that point out there every now and then, despite it being demonstrably untrue. Everybody tolerates Scorpius, and it's acceptable to have sex with Nibari hookers. Maybe the Peacekeeper brass is being hypocritical in the interests of keeping the grunts in line. That makes sense. However, I don't recall it ever being explicitly stated. I just get the feeling they kept the 'xenophobia' angle just for the sake of continuity, rather than admitting that the premiere makes absolutely no sense and retconning it further down the line.
I'm a skeptical squirrel
I think that like a lot of things the irreversibly contaminated label is more honored in spirit than in actual practice. As you point out, there are numerous examples of Sebacean/other crossbreeds (D'Argo's son and Scorpius being obvious examples). At one point Braca starts grumbling about all the half-breeds popping up and Scorpius shuts him up very quickly. The Peacekeepers are at this point big fat hypocrites who no longer stand for anything. It is possible that the xenophobia was bred into them in order to maintain their neutrality-which is why humans were chosen to be Peacekeepers in the first place. After 27,000 years, it's become a bit of a joke.
On the part of Aeryn's reason for running off with D'Argo and Crichton, bear in mind that she's only got one other option, and that's death. Plus, it was Crais who decided to follow this rule in the first place, so it's really his fault, not John's. Plus, the contempt she shows for Crichton early on suggests some resentment for what happened. But honestly, I really just chalk it up to knowing that it's either run or die, even if it's with people she's been bred to dislike. Being faced with the certainty of death can make a person do strange things, after all.
I'm a geek.
Crais specifically says contamination is an issue with "unclassified alien lifeforms." It's not a total ban on contact (or breeding) with non-Sebaceans; and presumably Nebari, Luxans, and other species they've had contact with have been classified.
Aeryn's speaking up for John in the face of Crais's anger is pretty hard to explain. Maybe you can put it down to her guilt over her actions with Velorek. Also, we do see in later seasons that she had at least one friend among the Peacekeepers, so she may have been faking the "I hate compassion" act somewhat out of fear.
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1.01 Premiere
It must be said that while the very first "Farscape" episode is quite stunning visually, it's pace and overall theme are pretty choppy. The main problem, and most critics and fans agree on this point, is that at 49 minutes, it is just too short. Not enough time is given to the relationship between John and Aeryn, and yet by the end, we are expected to believe that she would just run off with Crichton and D'Argo even though they are the reason that she's been 'irretrievably contaminated.' As brainwashed with Peacekeeper indoctrination as she is, I find it hard to believe that she wouldn't blame them more than Crais-who's technically acting within Peacekeeper doctrine, even if it is for very personal reasons. The big scene that is missing is one in which Crichton does something to make Aeryn's defense of him far more plausible. If the episode had been 50 minutes longer, then the writers could have added a scene where he saves her life-or at least endears her to him in some other way. As it stands, it is a major plot hole.
Another problem I have is with the very quick introduction to the Crichton character, although to be fair the acting really does sell the scene between John and his father. A few more minutes of background would have improved the overall quality I think.
All that having been said, it's still not a bad episode. The visuals, as previously mentioned are quite impressive. I always love the scene on the commerce planet where Crichton is mezmorized by the fact he's on an alien world-while Aeryn thinks it's a hellhole and wants off ASAP. The nice thing about watching the episodes on the season one dvds is that you can also see the extra five minutes which were chopped out of the Sc-Fi airing. The scene between D'Argo and Zh'aan talking about their captivity and past lives is a beautifuly little slice of life moment, that the show became famous for in later years.
Overall I'd rate it a 6 out of 10.