Season 4, Episode 2:
What Was Lost, Part 1: Sacrifice
Elack brings Crichton, Chiana, Rygel and Sikozu to the planet Arnesk, where D'Argo and Noranti are helping Jool and her people to excavate the home of a long-lost civilisation of galactic peacemakers. The planet's magnetic fields are weakening to dangerous levels, giving the archaeological team a limited amount of time to excavate, and worse, the Peacekeepers are on their way, led by Commandant Grayza, her new second-in-command Braca and their tortured captive pet, Scorpius.
Tropes present in this episode include:
- And This Is for...: Braca when changing the rod keeping Scorpius under control."This is for all the times I've had to say yes."
- Call-Back: Clips of Scorpius' childhood from "Incubator" are seen when he's being tortured in the Aurora Chair.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Jool reveals she was actually a thief on the run before being frozen.
- Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: The priests' chanting is the vocal part of the show's theme song.
- Didn't See That Coming: It was hoped that Jool was on Arnesk, but Crichton is openly surprised that D'Argo is also there.
- Fantastic Racism: Interions in general don't think much of Luxans. Vella doesn't even bother trying to mask her contempt for D'Argo, while Jool begrudgingly admits she thinks he's unusual for a Luxan.
- Foreshadowing: The setting and Crichton discovering proof that humans and Sebaceans are related will be revisited.
- Gone Horribly Right: Noranti only intended to use her vision-enhancing abilities to show Crichton the peace which had once existed on Arnesk, so that he would aid her in stopping Vella from finding and using the three probes. Unfortunately, something about the magnetic field of the planet takes her powers a step further, causing the vision to become reality (specifically, by making the artifact he saw appear buried in the earth)...and allowing him to see just where the third probe landed, thus making the very thing she was trying to prevent more possible. Which leads to...
- He Knows Too Much: Noranti decides the only way to keep Grayza and the Peacekeepers from learning about the last probe is by killing Crichton.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Tarnat doesn't trust Crichton, having heard stories about his past actions.
- Humiliation Conga: Scorpius is on the receiving end of this—tortured in an Aurora Chair and reduced to crawling around on a leash like a dog...in front of Crichton.
- Man Hug: D'Argo gives one to Crichton.
- Meaningful Name: D'Argo has given his ship from last season a proper name, Lo'Lah."It's short for Lo'Laan. In memory of my wife."
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Chiana is bewildered by how D'Argo is enjoying a quiet archeological dig with Jool.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Grayza tries to portray herself as this to Crichton, both via her interrogation methods (pheromones and seduction rather than torture) and her willingness to offer him what he wants, freedom from the Peacekeepers—she even displays the cowed and humiliated Scorpius to him as a peace overture, promising he'll never have to worry about him again. Although Crichton clearly enjoys seeing his enemy like this, it's only her pheromones that make him give in. The fact Grayza was revealed to have placed a price on the heads of Moya's crew in the previous episode, and that she tells Braca in this one how she plans to use Crichton against the Scarrans, puts the lie to any reasonability on her part.
- Red Alert: D'Argo rigged his ship to emit a proximity alarm in the event of a ship approaching the planet, which is how those at the dig were able to hide before Crichton and Chiana arrived. It goes off again when the Peacekeepers arrive and D'Argo attempts to warn everyone, but he's too late.
- Red Herring: Just before Vella is shot, D'Argo is shown to be in the area and to have picked up one of the special archaeology digger guns; although Noranti and Jool are both also in the area or unaccounted for, and have possible motives for killing Vella, Tarnat immediately assumes it was D'Argo. Whoever the killer was is clearly known to and trusted by Vella. It isn't until the next episode that the truth is revealed.
- The Reveal: Crichton discovers an artifact shaped like a pyramid that proves three species are linked. Each side has a particular symbol: one is Interion, another early Sebacean, but the third?Tarnat: Do you recognize any of the symbols?
Crichton: One maybe. Egyptian. From my home world. - Stealth in Space: D'Argo's ship is revealed to have a cloaking device, if only for a short time. He used it to successfully avoid Peacekeepers and any bounty hunters.
- Underestimating Badassery: Grayza cops to this. She thought Crichton was a minor league fugitive her predecessors were just incapable of dealing with, only for him to destroy a Command Carrier.
- Visible Invisibility: Averted when D'Argo's ship cloaks.
- What the Hell, Hero?: D'Argo condemns Jool for not defending him to Vella when he would've gladly defended her to anyone.
