I began watching Blake’s 7 on YouTube a few months ago as my regular bedtime iPad viewing, a habit I’ve been indulging in for some time now. I find it helps me, like a bedtime story, go to sleep faster, especially if it’s an older show that’s a bit slow and not too action packed. This show seemed to fit the bill pretty well. It’s a BBC series which ran in the UK from 1978 to 1981 for 4 seasons of 13 episodes each. I was surprised I’d never heard of it before coming across it on YouTube since I’m a pretty avid science fiction fan and am very familiar with most of the significant properties of the past 60 years of TV and film. However, it must have never aired on any Canadian accessible outlet within my viewing range growing up, so it was fun discovering something unfamiliar of this vintage.
When I began watching it, the low budget aspect of it immediately brought to mind Doctor Who of the same era, which I’d seen quite a bit of over the years, particularly in the 1980s when the classic Tom Baker shows were airing late nights on a local TV station. The production values are pretty similar, but I was soon to discover that the major distinction between the two would turn out to be the writing style and quality. Doctor Who is simply a better written show, with a more focused point of view. Blake’s 7, on the other hand, while written entirely by show creator, Terry Nation, for the first season, would fall into the hands of many other writers in subsequent seasons and, even under Terry’s hand, had a certain inconsistency which would, in turns, make it either unexpected and atypical, at best, or muddled and ethically questionable, at worst. In that sense, it was a kind of anti-Star Trek. Where that series offered a sense of hopefulness and optimism about humanity’s future, Blake’s 7 was far more cynical and tended towards a deep vein of pessimism. This trait helped it carve out a distinctive niche in the ream of science fiction, though it often plowed these furrows without having a clear point or message to deliver in the end product.
WARNING - SERIES SPOILERS GOING FORWARD
The series opens with the titular character, Roj Blake (Gareth Thomas), being set up in a “sting” operation where he faces trumped-up charges of conspiracy as an anti-government rebel and is sentenced to life incarceration on a far off prison planet. While on route, his transport vessel encounters an abandoned spaceship which happens to offer the perfect getaway opportunity for Blake and a ragtag collection of various other miscreants. It turns out this ship, which they christen “The Liberator”, is one of the most powerful battle ships in the galaxy, loaded with advanced technology such as matter teleportation (like in Star Trek) and a top notch AI. It’s armed to the teeth, heavily fortified and faster than any pursuit ship sent by the Federation, the fascist, totalitarian Earth based government currently in control of much of the galaxy. The builders of this ship are unknown, but this band of criminals and cons somehow manages to obtain control of its systems and embarks on a campaign to undermine the Federation whenever possible.
When I began watching it, the low budget aspect of it immediately brought to mind Doctor Who of the same era, which I’d seen quite a bit of over the years, particularly in the 1980s when the classic Tom Baker shows were airing late nights on a local TV station. The production values are pretty similar, but I was soon to discover that the major distinction between the two would turn out to be the writing style and quality. Doctor Who is simply a better written show, with a more focused point of view. Blake’s 7, on the other hand, while written entirely by show creator, Terry Nation, for the first season, would fall into the hands of many other writers in subsequent seasons and, even under Terry’s hand, had a certain inconsistency which would, in turns, make it either unexpected and atypical, at best, or muddled and ethically questionable, at worst. In that sense, it was a kind of anti-Star Trek. Where that series offered a sense of hopefulness and optimism about humanity’s future, Blake’s 7 was far more cynical and tended towards a deep vein of pessimism. This trait helped it carve out a distinctive niche in the ream of science fiction, though it often plowed these furrows without having a clear point or message to deliver in the end product.
WARNING - SERIES SPOILERS GOING FORWARD
The series opens with the titular character, Roj Blake (Gareth Thomas), being set up in a “sting” operation where he faces trumped-up charges of conspiracy as an anti-government rebel and is sentenced to life incarceration on a far off prison planet. While on route, his transport vessel encounters an abandoned spaceship which happens to offer the perfect getaway opportunity for Blake and a ragtag collection of various other miscreants. It turns out this ship, which they christen “The Liberator”, is one of the most powerful battle ships in the galaxy, loaded with advanced technology such as matter teleportation (like in Star Trek) and a top notch AI. It’s armed to the teeth, heavily fortified and faster than any pursuit ship sent by the Federation, the fascist, totalitarian Earth based government currently in control of much of the galaxy. The builders of this ship are unknown, but this band of criminals and cons somehow manages to obtain control of its systems and embarks on a campaign to undermine the Federation whenever possible.
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| It may look like a sophomore science project, but Orac is the most powerful AI in the galaxy! |
With this setup baked into the premise, the moral ambiguity of the show was also set firmly in place. While this cadre of outlaws purports to be some kind of interstellar “ANTIFA”, attempting to rally support for rebellion and offer aid to rebel groups opposed to the Federation, they’re also driven by entirely selfish motives, taking advantage of any and all opportunities to acquire either riches or more powerful technologies, and they’re not averse to leaving a corpse or two (or more) in their wake in order to achieve those ends. It isn’t uncommon for the deaths of those who try to help this lot to be marked with little more than a smirk and a shrug as they move on to their next adventure. A perfect example of this is the season 4 episode, Stardrive. The crew manage to procure a new drive system to help beef up their salvaged second ship, Scorpio, so it can outrun the Federation. Tragically, it becomes necessary to sacrifice the drive’s inventor along the way. Avon knowingly kicks her to the curb as she tries to install the system during an attack and, when the crew inquire as to the fate of poor Dr. Plaxton, he responds with a callous, dismissive “Who?”. Roll credits. On the one hand, it’s a bold response in a situation which would have been handled with far more hand wringing and consternation in another show, but it’s also damn cold blooded and it doesn’t make any excuses for that.
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| Kerr Avon (Paul Darrow) was not only the most interesting character, he was usually the best dressed |
The cast, which goes through a number of key changes over the duration of the series, ranges from the intriguing to the indifferent to the infuriating. On the “intriguing” end of the scale is the previously mentioned Kerr Avon (Paul Darrow), who is ostensibly the “Spock” type character of the crew: shrewd, detached, emotionless, logical, but he’s also completely self-serving and aloof. He’s meant to be a computer expert who was arrested for attempted fraud. The only relationship which ever seems to pull at his heart strings is the one with his “lost love”, who only turns out to be a traitor eventually anyway. He’s pragmatic to the extreme and has no problem leaving anyone behind, should the situation seem like cutting his losses might be the most expedient option. He’s more like the “evil” Spock from the “mirror” universe of Star Trek in that regard. But he’s played with some panache by Darrow who gives him a bit of style and swagger which makes him the most engaging member of the crew.
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| Gareth Thomas in his final appearance as Blake |
In the middling, indifferent category is the title character, Roj Blake. Blake never seems to wear the mantle of “leader” very confidently and often completely neglects his crew when it comes to keeping them informed of his plans or intentions, something which inevitably leads to people getting in trouble or worse, killed. This was the case with the poor, haplessly lovable lunkhead, Olag Gan (David Jackson). He meets an untimely demise in the middle of the second season (episode 5, Pressure Point) due to Blake’s poor planning. Gan was always an underused character, however, so his sacrifice served a similar function as the death of Tasha Yar on Star Trek - The Next Generation. It raised the stakes for the other characters and introduced a sense they were expendable. But the fact Blake goes AWOL after the end of the second season doesn’t actually mean much for the series other than making the title something of a misnomer. Avon manages to fill his boots quite easily and you barely blink at his disappearance. The fact is that Gareth Thomas was so low key and lacking in charisma, he just wasn’t necessary to carry on the show. He does show up again twice before the end of the series; once as a synthetic duplicate in a plot by the evil Servalan that accomplishes nothing, and again in the series finale, but I’ll comment on that later.
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| Michael Keating as the always irritating Vila |
In the “infuriating” category is Vila Restal (Michael Keating), who, along with Avon, manages to survive the duration of the series and is intended to provide comic relief and be the “Yin” to Avon’s “Yang” in the sense of being a complete fool. Cowardly and self-indulgent, he’s mostly prone to getting pissed whenever possible and mucking up plans as a general rule. His character is the kind you expect to see in a low-brow British sitcom, full of smug jibes and self-deprecating quips. He’s usually the butt of jokes and insults from the other crew, but he’s not very amusing and just gets on your nerves whenever he opens his mouth to whine about something. His value only comes from his ability to finesse pretty much any locking system he encounters. If you need to get past some security or into some place or thing, he’s apparently your man.
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| Josette Simon as Dayna Mellanby |
The female members of the crew tend to come and go much more frequently and with much less fanfare than the male cast members. I do appreciate the inclusion of Josette Simon as Dayna Mellanby, who brings in some much needed diversity to the cast and who’s character lands her much more on the “intriguing” end of the spectrum than most of the others. She’s a weapons expert/inventor who enjoys putting her work to use and joined the cast for the 3rd & 4th seasons. She’s just as morally challenged as the rest, but she’s also charming and brings a good energy to the crew. Poor Cally (Jan Chappell) a telepathic humanoid who joins the crew in the 4th episode of season 1, winds up dying off-camera with only a disembodied voice calling for help in the first episode of Season 4. Jenna Stannis (Sally Knyvette) merely disappears off the show along with Blake in the season 3 premier.
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| Some of the many moods of the fabulous femme fatale, Servalan |
Their adversaries fall into a similar spectrum, starting with the one eyed Travis, played by two different actors across the first two seasons, first by Stephen Greif and then Brian Croucher. His hatred of Blake is obsessive, but somewhat lacking in true gravitas or justification. He helps drive most of the conflict in the first two seasons before being usurped by someone far more fabulous. The ever nefarious Servalan, played with drag-queen like melodrama by Jacqueline Pearce, is like an evil version of Liza Minnelli. Servalan is always lurking behind virtually every ploy and plot to entrap our fateful “heroes” and, though they generally suspect her presence whenever circumstances lure them into some intrigue or another, that foreknowledge never seems to dissuade them from pursuing her bate, no matter how obvious the trap may appear. Her motivations seem pretty thin as well, most of the time, but she at least flounces about with some passion for her job. She seems to deeply relish being a bitch and murdering people at the drop of a hat. I often wonder how villains like this manage to keep finding henchmen and allies when they’re so notoriously fickle and faithless when it comes to their collaborators. Who would ever want to partner up with someone like this, knowing full well they’re more than likely to end up dead in the end anyway, even if things do go to plan?
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| John Savident in his second appearance on the show |
When it comes to guest stars, the most memorable for me was John Savident, who I know for his portrayal of the bombastic, I SAY BOMBASTIC, Fred Elliot on Coronation Street (1998-2006), He appears in two episodes, season 2’s Trial, as a fairly nondescript judge, and season 4’s Orbit, where he plays a renegade scientist who turns out to be in league with Servalan and suffers the fate of so many of her cohorts when things don’t exactly pan out. This second appearance lets him unleash his extravagant style which was so iconic on Corrie, though he does have to endure the most hideous hair piece in the process. But Savident is the only significant actor I can recognize in the cast as far as guest stars go, but I’m sure that others are more known to the British viewing audience.
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| The Liberator ship. Which end do you think is the front? |
Stylistically, the show is riddled with bizarre and inexplicable choices. Everything from spaceship design to costumes to props leaves you scratching your head at one thing or another, trying to fathom the creative decisions that went into arriving at that final form. For the first three seasons, the crew operate out of the Liberator spaceship, which looks like a microphone that’s had a bunch of darts glued to it. It’s weird looking and one gets the distinct impression that the prop department handed it to the camera crew without explaining which end was the front. I swear it always looks like it’s flying backwards, with the pointy bits sticking out the front and the round stuff at the back. Intuitively, I can’t help but feel like this was meant to be the other way round! This ship gets replaced by a far less stylish craft in the final season, Scorpio, though they do get a pretty spiffy base station that would make Gerry Anderson fans perk up when they see its miniature model glory.
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| Weapon, power pack and holster, a device you might mistake for a curling iron |
When it comes to hand props, the “guns” on the Liberator are another strange design choice. They look like oversized ice-pop sticks or handles from a bicycle that have been pulled off or maybe even futuristic sex toys! They eventually get replaced by more traditional looking firearms when they have to switch to the new spaceship in the final season. The computer systems are a bit more interesting as they offer some more thoughtful design. Zen, on the Liberator is represented by a large, bulbous, illuminated spheroid like protrusion on the bridge of the ship, probably inspired by HAL 9000 from 2001. Slave on the Scorpio is a bit like someone salvaged the “robot” from Lost in Space and retrofitted it into the bridge with its round, rotating sections. Both are far more visually appealing than Orac, the portable AI which looks like an unfinished grade 10 science project. It’s basically just an open box frame made from plexiglass with some wires clumped together inside. All three AI systems are voiced by Peter Tuddenham, who apparently caused a bit of controversy when it became known that he was being paid more than some of the actors due to having to perform multiple roles. But he manages to imbue each with a distinctive character, so he pulls off a bit of a Mel Blanc hat-trick.
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| Blake spreads his pleather wings and then there's Gan! |
The wardrobe department is where the questions start piling up fast and furious, however. Something particularly seems to go off the rails in season two as some of the most outrageous outfits appear during that season. It seems like they couldn’t decide on a look as they all had different outfits almost every episode, though some notable recurrences did appear. Most notorious is Blake's “puffy” shirt, the kind of thing that would have Jerry Seinfeld recoil in horror, pleading “But I don’t wanna be a pirate!” It looks like it’s made out of cheap "pleather" and that it was recycled from an empty beanbag chair. The sleeves are so huge, the proportions look ludicrous against Gareth Thomas’ pudgy physique. Poor Gan got stuck with this floor length vest that looks like it was borrowed from Bea Arthur's "Maude" wardrobe. Then there were the mysterious “Michelin” men in the season 2 episode, “Killer”, which featured some of the most misguided and ill-conceived wardrobe choices ever created for TV. This same episode also showcases a collection of costumes seemingly made from gymnastics mats, crudely cut into triangles and draped over people’s shoulders. The clumsy, bulky awkwardness of it all is quite astonishing to behold. But Servalan, again and throughout the series, always shines with a collection of Las Vegas ready outfits featuring feathers and sequins that would put Cher to shame.
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| Michelin Men are ready for action! |
In terms of the stories, there’s a consistency to them in that the plots and ploys they concoct usually amount to naught. This is where the “anti-Trek” theme becomes most apparent. Whereas Star Trek offered hope and triumph over adversity and reasoned conflict resolution, Blake’s 7 offered abject failure, despondency and disappointment. Occasionally they manage to swipe some tech like the Orac AI or the new drive system for their spaceship or even their ships themselves, but when it comes to thwarting their sworn enemy, the Federation, things usually end up back to square one with no one the better for their efforts. In fact, it usually costs someone’s life, so the people they try to “help” often end up worse off. The one time the Federation is dealt a crippling blow, it only comes at the hands of an alien invasion, completely disconnected from any so-called “rebel” efforts. This invading force is never explained or explored and disappears after decimating their adversary. Blake’s “crew” never seem to forge any meaningful relationships with effective allies and they can barely stop squabbling among themselves long enough to decide on where to take their damn ship.
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| Scorpio replaced the Liberator as the ship in the 4th season |
This all culminates in the series finale where, SPOILER ALERT, after 4 seasons and countless loss of life, our “heroes” triumph and… wait… what? Oh, they don’t triumph? They all die? Every one of them? So all this effort for the entire series was for nothing and they all lose? Well, okay then. I suppose it was good that they brought back Blake for one more go, even though they ended up killing him too before getting binned themselves. I mean, as series endings go, I supposed it’s better than The Sopranos. At least it’s in character, seeing as losing has been their trademark throughout the series.
I know it sounds a bit critical of me, but in reality, it’s what makes the show so distinctive in that it perversely refuses to follow basic tropes and trends in the genre and ends up offering something distinctive, if somewhat morally reprehensible at times. I can’t see anyone looking at these people and thinking, “Well, that’s who I’d like to be when I grow up.” Blake, while he was on the show, was mostly indifferent to what was going on. Avon was only ever in it for what he could get out of it, as was Vila. The others just went along for the ride and, as a viewer, that’s pretty much where I was with this. I was along for the ride, just to see where this thing would end up going. Along the way, I got some entertainment from some questionable stories, dubious special effects and often ludicrous fashions. It didn’t fire my imagination in terms of creativity, but it kept me amused just enough to help me relax while I was in bed and trying to go to sleep, so mission accomplished I say!
I know it sounds a bit critical of me, but in reality, it’s what makes the show so distinctive in that it perversely refuses to follow basic tropes and trends in the genre and ends up offering something distinctive, if somewhat morally reprehensible at times. I can’t see anyone looking at these people and thinking, “Well, that’s who I’d like to be when I grow up.” Blake, while he was on the show, was mostly indifferent to what was going on. Avon was only ever in it for what he could get out of it, as was Vila. The others just went along for the ride and, as a viewer, that’s pretty much where I was with this. I was along for the ride, just to see where this thing would end up going. Along the way, I got some entertainment from some questionable stories, dubious special effects and often ludicrous fashions. It didn’t fire my imagination in terms of creativity, but it kept me amused just enough to help me relax while I was in bed and trying to go to sleep, so mission accomplished I say!
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