Blakes 7 (1978–1981)

A group of convicts and outcasts fight a guerrilla war against the totalitarian Terran Federation from a highly advanced alien spaceship.

Creator:

Terry Nation

Stars:

Michael Keating, Paul Darrow, Peter Tuddenham

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Michael Keating	...	Vila Restal (52 episodes, 1978-1981)
Paul Darrow	...	Kerr Avon (51 episodes, 1978-1981)
Peter Tuddenham	...	Zen (46 episodes, 1978-1981)
Jan Chappell	...	Cally (36 episodes, 1978-1980)
Jacqueline Pearce	...	Servalan (29 episodes, 1978-1981)
Gareth Thomas	...	Roj Blake (28 episodes, 1978-1981)
Sally Knyvette	...	Jenna Stannis (26 episodes, 1978-1979)
Steven Pacey	...	Del Tarrant (26 episodes, 1980-1981)
Josette Simon	...	Dayna Mellanby (26 episodes, 1980-1981)

Storyline

In the third century of the second calendar, a corrupt galactic federation, with Earth at its center, drugs its billions of citizens into placid submission. A rebel named Roj Blake, who once tried to organize a resistance group to overthrow this regime, was caught and divested of his memories. But Blake's revolutionary spirit is revived when he witnesses a mass slaughter by police that is covered up by the federation officials. He escapes exile on board a prison spaceship and, together with a lovable band of outlaws, takes over a vacant alien space cruiser of awesome drive capability. Naming their new ship as "The Liberator", Blake and his group travel the Milky Way to seek any opportunity to undermine the evil federation.

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Plot Keywords:

27th century | spacecraft | futuristic | digit in title | wobbly sets | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 January 1978 (UK)

Also Known As:

Los siete de Blake

Filming Locations:

Bamburgh, Northumberland, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min 50 min (52 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Potential Vila actors were Peter Benson, Forbes Collins and Mike Grady.

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Quotes

[about Blake]
Dr. Havant: Can't he be eliminated?
Alta Morag: No, he's a symbol of opposition to the Administration.
Dr. Havant: So?
Ven Glynd: We've done cross-sectional psych readings, which show that a high percentage of people, particularly the younger ones, believe that Blake's trial was a showpiece, that his statements were rigged.
Alta Morag: His death could be used by the dissidents. They need a hero. Alive or dead, Blake could be it.
Dr. Havant: Difficult. I suppose my department could infect him, some rapidly terminal disease. Would his natural death help...
Ven Glynd:
Alta Morag:
Dr. Havant:
[...]

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Crazy Credits

SPOILER! The final episode ends with a lone Avon, surrounded by Federation soldiers, holding a blaster-type rifle and smiling a devious smile. The program then cuts to the end titles VISUALLY, but several "shots" are heard over the credits before the theme music starts.

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Connections

Referenced in Dead Man's Dream (2002)

User Reviews

Fantastic mix of Dr. Who meets Star Trek.

"Blake's 7", whilst being somewhat of a misnomer, is a great series. The first few episodes (maybe even the entire first season) are rather shoddy and have a *very* low budget look, but it only gets better from then on in.

The most memorable bits of the series are the cynical, sarcastic, clever, and down-right rude comments from Avon, delivered in a beautifully scathing voice, and the equally sarcastic remarks from Orac, the talking fish tank.

Definitely a must-see if you like Dr. Who and can get the entire series (26 two-episode videos) at your local video rental library.