Information about John Crichton's life before the first episode is only revealed slowly over the course of the series. He was the middle child born to Jack (an astronaut) and Leslie Crichton. He has two sisters, Olivia (his younger sister) and an older sister, Susan. He has a childhood friend named Douglas "D.K." Knox. John's mother died of cancer four years before his Farscape One accident. John Crichton followed in his father's footsteps by becoming an astronaut, flew on two missions prior to the Farscape incident and was Mission Commander on one of those missions.