* Id: BlakesSeven * Revision: 1 * State: edited * * Log: * Revision 1 1997/01/24 Aaron Rice * Edited by Roel. * * Withdrawn 0000/00/00 * Will be rewritten and resubmitted. Aaron, I've added the suggestions you made and the approvals to my editorial comments of last edit. The article looks good as it is, but it would be even better if you would find time to execute what you said in the reply at the end of this article. Roel 1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456 %t Blake's Seven * Formatted/Saved by WinPGG v1.1 (1997/01/24) %n 8R %s The British Sci-Fi Television Series %a Aaron Rice (a.rice@ukonline.co.uk) %d 19970124 %i Science Fiction: Blake's Seven %i British Sci-Fi: Blake's Seven %x Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction %e The Story ========Blake's 7 was first transmitted in January 1978. Since then, a total of fifty-two episodes, each of fifty minutes duration, were transmitted before the series finished with the episode "Blake" in December 1981. The series was split into four series. The basic story line involved the rebellion of a small band of people, against the cruel and oppressive Terran Federation, sometime in the future. Series One ---------- The story begins in the future, on Earth, a short while after freedom-fighter Roj Blake has been drugged and brainwashed, and placed back into society, a society where everyone is drugged to stop them from rebelling. We join the story initially as Blake is summoned to meet an unknown character, who informs him that they know someone who has news of his family. After illegally breaking out of the habitation dome, they make their way to a meeting place. Upon arrival, Blake is recognised by the rebels, who claim he was the man who used to lead them, but while thinking this over, Federation troops approach, then massacre the rebels. When he tries to leave, Blake is caught, and later put on trial for other serious crimes, though not those that he committed. He is found guilty, and sentenced to life imprisonment on the penal planet of Cygnus Alpha. As he appeals against the verdict, he is injected with a substance to render him unconscious, but he just has time to notice a man enter the room; a man who was at the meeting, a man who betrayed his friends. The man who was ordered to defend Blake, learns of the frame-up, and seeks to find the evidence he needs to finally bring down the corrupt government, but is killed before he can tell anyone. Before the prison ship leaves, Blake meets Jenna and Vila, the first of which is a smuggler, and the latter a thief. They board the ship, which departs Earth. During the initial stage of the flight, the three meet Avon and Gan. It is during the journey to Cygnus Alpha that Blake, Avon, and Jenna escape, when they were sent to investigate a strange ship that was left drifting in space. They name the ship the Liberator, discover the ships computer, Zen, and start out to Cygnus Alpha to rescue the others. After rescuing Vila and Gan from the planet, they proceed with their adventures, which take them in pursuit of recognition. To this end, they decide to attack a communications post, and end up gaining another crew member, Cally. It is shortly after this that we discover the representatives of the corrupt Earth Federation, who are their enemies: Supreme Commander Servalan and Space Commander Travis, the latter of whom was once wounded by Blake. This series ends with the discovery of the computer Orac, who is able to tap into any computer in the Federation, and beyond. Right at the end, he makes a prediction that the Liberator will be destroyed. Series Two ---------- This series begins with the reclamation of the Liberator by the System who created it. The crew eventually escape, and are pursued by the Liberator's identical sister ship, which is destroyed. This conforms to Orac's prediction. A short while later, Gan is killed during an attack on what is believed to be the Federation's command centre, Star One. In fact, Star One was moved many years before, and its location is now secret. But the hunt begins for any news of its location. They eventually discover that the secret of Star One's location could be known to the cyber-surgeon, Docholli, as it was he who performed the operations on the construction team, to induce amnesia. They track down Docholli, but he has also been discovered by Travis and Servalan, who also want the secret. It transpires that Docholli doesn't have the information, but it turns out that he did fake the final operation, and that one man may still be alive, and hold the location of Star One. They then proceed to the planet Goth, where the brain print of the last holder of the secret is said to be. They fail to recover it, as Travis had arrived there first and took it, but the secret is discovered by the Liberator crew, as it has been implanted into the mind of another. The series ends with a show down on Star One, as Travis got there first and opened the way to an invasion force from another galaxy. Travis shoots Blake, but is then killed by Avon. The Federation fleet is informed, and joins in the battle. The last episode ends as the Liberator begins to attack. Series Three ------------ With the ship damaged, the crew depart, and end up in separate places. A short time is spent regaining most of them, but they are unable to reclaim Blake or Jenna. They do, however, gain two new crew members: Dayna and Tarrent. Avon takes effective command of the ship. They spend much of the season pursuing Blake and fighting the reduced Federation. This culminates in the final episode, in which Avon follows a series of messages which leads the ship to the long-lost artificial planet, Terminal. During the journey, they pass through a cloud, which causes the gradual disintegration of the ship. At Terminal, Avon is captured, but discovers Blake. Shortly afterwards, he discovers the mind behind it all: Servalan. She had fooled Avon to lure him here, and reveals that Blake was never there, and that he had died some time before. She claims the Liberator as her prize, and the crew are transported to the planet's surface. As Servalan moves the ship away, it begins to break up, and explodes. Avon smiles. Series Four ----------- This series begins with the death of Cally, in an explosion, and the rescue of the crew, in the planet-hopper, Scorpio. Avon, and the others, are unable to take the ship for themselves, and end up back at the home of the ship's owner, Dorian. It is there where they gain another crew member, Soolin, and they gain Scorpio, as Dorian is destroyed, after trying to amalgamate the ex-Liberator crew into a single entity, capable of absorbing his combined anger. Deciding to stay on the planet, and use the Scorpio for occasional journeys, they spend much of the season trying to form an effective alliance against the increasingly expanding Federation. This ends with a meeting of many of the leaders of Federation-bordering alliances, who don't want to be taken-over. They are betrayed to the Servalan, by the one who was hoped to be the figurehead of their cause, Zukan. He destroys all exits from the base, and releases an radioactive virus. The crew are eventually rescued by Avon and Soolin, who were previously sent off to Zukan's home planet, to pick up supplies, though this was a trap. They finally depart the base, believing that Zukan must have informed Servalan of their location. They then proceed to find themselves a new figurehead for their cause. Vila guesses correctly that Avon intends to find Blake. They trace Blake to the planet, Gauda Prime, where he is found to be working as a bounty hunter. Blake captures Tarrent, after he manages to crash-land the Scorpio on the planet's surface, and interrogates him, to discover for himself if Tarrent is right for his real cause, which is still the destruction of the Federation. Unfortunately, Tarrent escapes before he can be told this, and he believes that Blake has betrayed them all. The rest of the Scopio crew enter the base, and the alarm is started as they kill a guard. Blake enters the room, and Avon confronts him. After repeatedly telling Blake to stand still, Avon shoots Blake several times. Federation guards then enter, as Blake was betrayed by another of his recruits. Vila then falls to the floor as a shot is heard. This is followed by Tarrent, Dayna, and Soolin, who all appear to die. It is only Avon who remains. He stands astride Blake, as the Federation soldiers surround him, and with a smile, he raises his gun... After the Series ===============There has been much prediction as to what actually happened after the end of the series, and one book has been written, surmising that both Avon and Vila escaped. In any case, the death of Blake was final; the actor said that the only way he would return is if he could finally and definitely die, beyond any doubt. The Crew =======There was always a lot of tension between the character of Blake, and that of Avon. Avon always objected to Blake's caring attitude, and always hoped to command the crew, himself, which he achieved when Blake left. Despite this, he still pursued Blake, and fought for the same cause. Avon was also played off against Vila, as Vila was generally regarded as a less-intelligent character [1]. They had a grudging respect of each other, as Vila was a useful addition to the crew, but in a series four episode, Avon tried to kill Vila, and would have if he could find him, just to save his own life. The Future =========It is generally thought that there isn't really much of an official future, as far as the story goes, though fan clubs continue, as does fan fiction. As with all these things, there is the occasional rumour, though never more than that. [1] Though this wasn't necessarily the case. %e *EOA* }>Although I must admit I haven't read the whole document very carefully }>during one edit session, I think a comment is in place about the }>Federation. What *is* this federation? Who do they represent and }>why are they powerful? Through different seasons they seem to be }>loose their power, only to suddenly regain it again. And what happened }>to the alien invaders? } }I have tried to cover the first part of that in this edit. As for the }other...well, it isn't really chronicled. I think they just went away }again, 'cause they lost. Or they were "repelled". I'll have to think }about }that one again, and maybe watch the episode once more (I've got all 52 :)) } }>Why is there a rebellion anyway? }>The whole galaxy seems to revolve around these few characters. }>What does their universe look like. A few colonies, or many, many }>densely inhabited worlds. Some words about the style of their special }>effects, and the atmosphere of the series... } }Hmmm, I'm going to need to give that some more thought. Yeah, I think I }definitely need to expand on it, though. Okay, I'll try for a rewrite when }I get some time