Rockne S. O'Bannon

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Farscape originated from a specific directive given to O'Bannon by the head of the Sci-Fi Channel: "Just make it as weird as you can, because I just don't want a kids' show." O'Bannon later described these as "the greatest words I've ever heard" because they removed all restraints. A pivotal turning point was the decision to shoot in Australia, which O'Bannon credits with making the show a classic due to the incredibly creative Australian crew who embraced the show's insanity. The series concluded its four-season run when business conflicts arose after The Henson Company was sold to foreign investors. This occurred before an already-ordered fifth season could be produced, leading to fan campaigns that resulted in the three-hour mini-series Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, directed by Brian Henson and written by O'Bannon and David Kemper.

In Their Own Story

O'Bannon's path to creating Farscape was influenced by his earlier work on Alien Nation, which developed a strong fan following that resulted in television films, comic books, and novels. The cancellation of Farscape was noted as a blunder for the Sci-Fi Channel, yet it demonstrated O'Bannon's ability to create shows with dedicated legions of fans. Following this event, he sold The Triangle to the Sci-Fi Channel, which aired to stellar ratings. He also attempted to sell Cult to The WB before its merger with UPN, and later rewrote the pilot for Warehouse 13. In 2012, O'Bannon revived Cult after nearly seven years, noting that watching fans mobilize to save Farscape inspired him to create a darker, edgier show about people watching a show called Cult, designed to break the fourth wall.

Reader's Guide

O'Bannon's career began with spec scripts submitted to ABC's Darkroom, which was canceled before production. He subsequently sold material to NBC's Amazing Stories and CBS's The Twilight Zone in 1985, becoming a Story Editor on the latter where he wrote more original episodes than anyone else, including "The Storyteller," nominated for a Writer's Guild Award. His first feature film, Alien Nation (1988), garnered critical attention before his next notable achievement, seaQuest DSV, which ran for three seasons starting in 1993. In the 2010s, he helped with ABC's reboot of V and created Defiance on Syfy, a project combining a TV series with an MMO developed by Trion Worlds Online. He also served as executive producer on Revolution and consulted on Constantine before becoming an executive producer for Evil on CBS as of 2019.

Did You Know?

• O'Bannon wrote more original episodes for The Twilight Zone than anyone else during his time as Story Editor.
• The Sci-Fi Channel head explicitly told O'Bannon to make Farscape "as weird as you can" to avoid it becoming a kids' show.
• Farscape was shot in Australia, a decision O'Bannon credits with making the series a classic due to the local crew's creativity.
• The cancellation of Farscape led to fan campaigns that successfully secured the three-hour mini-series Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars.
• O'Bannon performed an uncredited rewrite on the pilot for Warehouse 13 in 2009.