Defense screen

From Farscape Encyclopedia Project

A defence screen is a defensive energy shield.

[edit] Peacekeeper Defence Screens

The primary shielding technologies witnessed in Farscape were utilised by Peacekeeper Command Carriers. Upon activation, a reddish-coloured oval-shaped 'bubble' surrounds the ship, protecting it and any nearby vessels. On many Command Carriers the system is maintained powered-up due to the progressive power up system required to achieve full shield charge.

Peacekeeper defence screens consist of two overlapping energy fields which can protect the ship from kinetic and energy based attacks and can even resist the effects of extreme gravitational forces. Single energy fields suffer from numerous imperfections, with some gaps being large enough for shuttles or fighters to pass through, but with two energy fields operating simultaneously the majority of these imperfections are resolved, and the ship can be protected completely.

The crew on Moya managed to salvage parts of a defence screen from the destroyed Command Carrier Zelbinion, and installed it on Moya. This old and damaged system was only capable of generating one of the two energy fields required to maintain a completed defence screen, and the limited energy reserves of the Leviathan were incapable of operating the field for extended periods of time. Nevertheless, the system did successfully protect Moya on numerous occasions.

When not used properly however the defence screen installed on Moya had some unusual side-effects. During a confrontation with a Halosian ship, an energy beam was fired at Moya while the defence screen was charged to 62 percent. For unclear reasons this caused the crew to switch bodies, and they required the Halosian ship to fire upon them two more times to restore them to normal.

The crew also used the defence screen to prevent Moya from being pulled into a dimensional tear being formed by an alien science craft that had become trapped within her hull. The defence screen resisted the intense pull of the alien craft long enough for the crew to remove it from Moya.

[edit] Lo'La

Ka D'Argo's ship Lo'la was equipped with an energy shield of an unknown type, which as well as protecting the ship from damage also functions as a security device when the ship is left unattended. Unlike Peacekeeper defence screens, Lo'La's shield is form-fitting, invisible to the naked eye except for when taking fire, and does not suffer from the same sort of imperfections.

The shield was still active when D'Argo first discovered the ship, and it wasn't until Jool fired a pulse rifle at it by mistake that he found a gap in the shield. This gap provided access to a hand control which deactivated the shield.

[edit] Tarkan Shield Belt

A portable shielding device worn like a belt by the user, the shield belt is activated by pulse weapon fire and once it is active it protects the user against virtually all types of damage. However, the shield belt deactivates after a period of time to save power, unless it is hit by additional pulse fire, and once inactive it will not protect against thermal or kinetic damage (i.e. fire or rocks).

While on a supposedly uninhabited planet, D'Argo, John Crichton, Chiana, Rygel, Noranti and Sikozu discovered a robbery in progress of a Tarkan stronghold. The thieves utilised Tarkan shield belts which made them impervious to the crew's attacks. However, it was demonstrated that when the shield belts were inactive, the thieves were unprotected against fire and rocks. Crichton and D'Argo bludgeoned two of the thieves over the head with rocks in order to acquire their shield belts.

John Crichton used a Tarkan shield belt to rescue an encased Rygel from a pool of molten lava. Because the belt was not triggered by the effects of lava, Crichton had to repeatedly shoot himself with Winona (his pulse pistol) in order to keep the shield active.

The crew of Moya was given a Tarkan shield belt by a group of Tarkan Freedom Fighters, in exchange for protecting their stronghold of valuables from thieves. This belt was used to great effect several times afterwards.