Farscape's FX are state-of-the-art and flawless; the company Animal Logic has gotten a ton of work since doing the show. I thought the puppets were cheesy, but the writing was the key to the show. "Pilot" was a puppet but an interesting one, and well written. The worst Farscape is better written than any Star Trek I've ever sen; the relationships are more honest and interesting; the plots more bizarre and "science fiction-y" while ST is so overburdened by history and its crowded universe that there isn't a breath of spontaneity in it. FS is more imaginatively scored and art directed, too. It's a wile gourmet meal compared to the crackers and tap water of ST. (I don't say that in a mean way; it's just that Trek is sooooo boringly photographed and acted and written.)
Everyone has their own tastes. UPN was stupid for putting it on against the other scifi shows.