== BLAKE'S  7 ==

 
 

Science Fiction             Aired: Variously 1986-94 in UK/Europe, Aust., NZ & US 
Primary Characters
Roj Blake -- A freedom fighter who rebels against the oppressive Federation. 
Kerr Avon -- Alpha Grade genius/computer expert who becomes Blake's unwilling accomplice. 
Vila Restal -- Delta thief and pickpocket with a lot more up his sleeve than he admits. 
Jenna Stannis -- Former "freetrader" (smuggler) who signs on as Blake's pilot. 
Servalan -- Ruthless President of the Federation who'll stop at nothing to catch Blake & co. 
Cally -- A freedom fighter from the planet Auron. 
Gan -- A prisoner convicted of murder and brain-implanted to curb his violent tendencies. 
Travis -- Federation commander with a longstanding grudge against Blake. 
Del Tarrant -- Liberator's pilot after Jenna's disappearance. 
Dayna Mellanby -- Weapons expert who joins Avon after Blake's departure. 
Soolin -- A hired gun who also joins Avon's crew after Blake's disappearance. 
Orac -- A temperamental super-computer capable of reading (and overriding) all others. 
Premise
Blake's 7 is often (accurately) described as "the Dirty Dozen in outer space."  Escaping from a Federation prison ship en route to a penal colony, Roj Blake steals the alien deep-space-vehicle Liberator and sets out to overthrow the corrupt government that now rules Earth and most of the galaxy.  His crew consists of fellow prisoners and other misfits, many with their own agendas, and the character conflicts are legion.  Is Blake a freedom fighter or a terrorist?  It all depends on your point of view... 

The primary strength of Blake's 7 was unquestionably its strong characters and the conflicts between them.  As with Spock on Star Trek, the show's secondary lead (Avon) eventually emerged as the fannish favorite -- though unlike Spock, Avon was the quintessential, no-nonsense anti-hero, renowned for lasering the opposition and then delivering such Dirty-Harryesque one-liners as, "If you didn't want the answer, you shouldn't have asked the question!" 
 
 
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