Hollow legs: Sikozu's irritation at everyone's need to eat at once a day becomes understandable once you know she only eats ten times a cycle. Where on earth does she put it all in that slim little frame though?

This little piggy: One of Sikozu's other talents - the ability to reattach stray appendages - comes in handy when the women's libbers decide to start snipping bits off. Makes you wonder just how big a piece she can spare before it's all over for her.

Men are from Khurtanan: The theme of female oppression has been dealt with by sci-fi several times. The best is probably Margaret Atwood's 1986 novel The Handmaid's Tale, made into a movie starring Natasha Richardson in 1990. Another notable genre film tackling the battle of the sexes was 1975's The Stepford Wives.

Foxtrot Doc: Barry Otto, who plays snotty blackmailer Doctor Tumii, appeared in 1992 smash Strictly Ballroom. He played Doug Hastings, the father of lead character Scott. His daughter, Miranda Otto, has followed him into the acting profession - she's shortly to be seen in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as Éowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan.

Strong Scarran stomach: It's a good job for everyone that Scorpius has such great control over his stomach muscles. After he's saved all their lives, you'd think one of them would at least go and pat him on the back.

The John Crichton guide to pop culture.

Dog's dinner: Complementing the clam's taste - on the basis that at least it's not like chicken - John compares it to a bowl of of Alpo he once ate. Hopefully, he ate it for a bet, because Alpo is a US dog food. It does offer 100% complete and balanced nutrition though, according to their website, if you're of the canine persuasion.

Brilliant bivalve: John describes the killer clams' luminous pigmentation as Day Glo, after the flourescent ink made by the Day Glo company. Founded by Bob and Joe Switzer in the 1930s, the Day Glo Colour Corp is the world's largest manufacturer of "daylight flourescent pigments," according to their rather gaudywebsite.

Holding back the tide: Sadly, the early evening transmission of this episode meant that John's list of things to think about in order to, ehem, prolong his staying power, as told to D'Argo, was cut. Here it is now:

"Baseball. Math. Isoceles Triangle. Rusty razor blades. Gravel."

Camping out in Sherwood: Refusing to put on the lovely purple dress Rygel has bought him, John says he's not going to play Maid Marian, referring to Robin Hood's female sidekick and true-love.

He also complains that the colour isn't slimming. But according to one explanation of what colours mean in clothing, purple should suit him right down to the ground, evoking characteristics such as charm, imagination, individualism and non-conformism.

Molluscs-2-Go: "Arrived in less than thirty minutes. Don't forget to tip the driver," says John. Presumably he thinks the molluscs were delivered by a seventeen-year-old on an underpowered moped. Do you want garlic bread with that?

Let me tell you what I want: The female liberation movement is summed up as "girl power" by John - or "jirl power" if you take Aeryn's version. Could this be a reference to Britain's own feisty fivesome, the Spice Girls?

Elementary: "That's brilliant, Holmes," John sarcastically compliments Rygel, referring to the master detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Despite being a fictional character, Sherlock Holmes still receives masses of fanmail, sent to the famous 221B Baker Street. Which, rather unromantically, happens to be the headquarters of Abbey National Plc.