Information AboutBlake's 7 |
''Blake's 7'' is a British Science Fiction television series made by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for their BBC 1 channel. Created by Terry Nation , a prolific television writer best known for creating the popular Dalek monsters for the television series '' Doctor Who '', it ran for four seasons between 1978 and 1981. Popular from the time it was first broadcast, it remains well regarded on account of its dark tone, moral ambiguity and strong characterisation. It is often remembered for the shock ending that concluded the series. CONCEPT ''Blake's 7'' is set in the future, in a time when the Earth and many other planets are ruled by the Totalitarian Terran Federation . Roj Blake , played by Gareth Thomas , is a political Dissident convicted on a trumped-up charge and sentenced to deportation to a Penal Colony on a remote planet. The darker nature of the plotline begins here with the nature of the trumped up charges against him that amount to child abuse. With the help of his fellow prisoners, Blake escapes during transport and gains control of an advanced alien spacecraft, the '' Liberator '' which he uses to strike back against the Federation. He receives somewhat reluctant support from the rest of his crew, who are fellow escapees. Whereas Blake is an idealist freedom fighter, the others are criminals, including petty crooks, smugglers and killers. Above all there is Kerr Avon , played by Paul Darrow , a technical genius more interested in saving his own skin and seeking personal wealth than striking a blow for freedom, ironically a psychopath with a conscience as it turns out. Later on in the series, when Blake is separated from his crew, Avon takes over, confirming the inherent duality in his personality and the loyalty he had for Blake's vision, but he still remains a target for the forces of the Federation. The series was originally set to conclude at the end of its third season, but was unexpectedly renewed for a further season at the last moment. This made some changes to the format of the show necessary, including introducing a new spacecraft, the '' Scorpio ''. Aware that renewal for a fifth season was unlikely, the production team decided to devise a memorable conclusion for the series, leaving the final fate of the main characters highly ambiguous. For this reason, what happened after the final episode has been the subject of much debate and Fan Fiction among aficionados of the series. ''Blake's 7'' has proved to be influential on many science fiction series, including '' Babylon 5 '', '' Farscape '', '' Hyperdrive '', '' Aeon Flux '' (especially Servalan) and '' Firefly ''"Forever Avon" special feature on the Blakes 7 Season 4 UK DVD. It was one of the first television series to end its seasons on Cliffhanger s. The rights to the series are currently held by an independent production company, B7 Productions, who have announced that they are bringing ''Blake's 7'' back as a series of original audio adventures in Spring 2007. They are also pursuing the possibility of a live action return for the series. OVERVIEW Set in the "third century of the second calendar",The reference to ''Blake’s 7'' being set in the "third century of the second calendar" does not appear in the series proper, but is mentioned in the publicity material associated with the series (although the Federation introducing a 'new calendar' is mentioned in the episode Pressure Point). (1) ''Blake's 7'' follows the exploits of Revolution ary Roj Blake as he leads his band of reluctant rebels against the forces of the totalitarian Earth Federation which rules the Earth and many of the planets of the galaxy. The Federation controls its citizens by means of Mass Surveillance , Brainwashing , and pacification with drugged food, water and air. Blake makes his daring strikes against the Federation using the ''Liberator'', a spacecraft far in advance of anything the Federation possesses, with superior speed and weaponry as well as a revolutionary Teleport system that allows crew members to be transported to the surface of a planet without having to land the ship. Although many of the Tropes of Space Opera such as Spaceships , Robot s, Galactic Empire s and Aliens are present, the series is primarily noted for its strong character interaction, ambiguous morality and its dark, pessimistic tone. |
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