Blake's 7 

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, 1978-1981
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 centre, Narcotises its billions of citizens into placid submission. A rebel named Roj Blake, who once tried to organise a resistance group to overthrow the regime, was caught and his memories wiped. But Blake's revolutionary spirit is revived when he witnesses a mass slaughter by police which is covered up by officials. He escapes on-board a prison ship, and together with a lovable band of outlaws, takes over a vacant alien space cruiser of awesome drive capability. Christening their ship, "The Liberator", Blake and his group travel the Milky Way to seek any opportunity to undermine the corrupt regime.

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Plot Keywords:

outer space | good versus evil | spaceship | british | british science fiction | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nick Tate, Duncan Preston, Paul Seed and Andrew Ray were amongst those looked at to play Tarrant, as the character was originally conceived as an older captain figure than was eventually used.

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Quotes

Roj Blake: Where are we?
Vila Restal: In a transit cell.
Roj Blake: I don't understand.
Vila Restal: You're on your way to the penal colony on Cygnus Alpha. Or you will be when the prison ship's refueled. Try to look on the bright side. It must have something. None of the guests have ever left early. In fact, none of them have ever left at all.
Roj Blake: Why are you going there?
Vila Restal: They didn't give me a choice. I steal things. Compulsive, I'm afraid. I've had my head adjusted by some of the best in the business. But it just won't stay adjusted.
Roj Blake: A professional ...
[...]

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Connections

Edited into Hollywood Burn (2006)

User Reviews

Not of this earth!

This has to be one of the best--perhaps THE best science fiction serials ever produced. It is a true serial in that the story goes, stage by stage, through a complete, novelistic sequence. Even though the fourth season was not planned when they finished up the 3rd (originally designed as the finale), the ideas, themes, and characterizations continued as a logical (if sometimes twisted) culmination of the history that had preceded it. Blake's 7 inspired what is undoubtedly the finest American sci fi series ever--Babylon 5, which in some ways surpassed B7, certainly in terms of quality effects and production values. If you look carefully, I believe you can spot a ship closely resembling the Scorpio in some of the battle formations in Season 4 of B5.

My personal favorite performer on Blake's 7 was the extraordinary Jacqueline Pearce--surely one of the most gifted actresses of our day. In one way it is a shame that she will always be remembered for his work on this series, but, from another perspective, her creation of Servalan has a truly legendary quality, larger than life and yet intensely human. Jackie imbued Servalan with a wit, grace, and elegance that made her absolute evil all the more intriguing. Paul Darrow as Avon provided the perfect complement to Servalan's infamy. Coldly self-aggrandizing and exquisitely poised in his own right, Darrow's performance is often tinged with streaks of frighteningly believable psychosis, especially during the memorable final season.

If this series had had a wider airing in the US, it would have attracted a massive cult following over here. Grab this on tape if you can find it!

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 January 1978 (UK)

Also Known As:

Blake's 7

Filming Locations:

BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min (52 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1