Blakes7 September 2001

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56 participants
222 discussions

Re: Blake, Federation and religion (was: I, Claudius)
by Natasa Tucev 09 Sep '01

09 Sep '01

Kathryn wrote: > >I don't really think Blake has studied religion at all seriously... he's >a man of his time in that respect, absorbing Federation attitudes >unconciously. I agree that Blake is not religious, but he may have studied religious principles of the past and translated them into corresponding rational terms (e.g., if people in the past thought God would punish them for taking vengeance, it may have been their primitive way of expressing the feeling that vengeance is … [View More]morally wrong). In this way, he could have embraced some of these principles without actually becoming religious. >Though it's a bit hard to know what the Federation's educational stance >is on religion -- yes, religion is illegal in the Federation, but >religion, being at its heart an idea, is impossible to stamp out, so >they've got to be fighting it somehow. Now, would they be fighting it >with censorship (e.g. Gan not knowing what a church was) or with >anti-religious propaganda? (e.g. "faith is the capacity to believe what >you know isn't true") Or both? I don't know the exact answer to your question, but I agree the need for religion would be very difficult to erradicate. Mircea Elliade calls man 'homo religiosus', referring to our deeply ingrained need to impose some organising principle and some sort of meaning upon the Universe. Vico defined myth as the primitive man's attempt to project the structures of his mind upon his chaotic experience of the natural forces. Peter Shaffer's Equus (one of Gareth Thomas's theatrical roles) is an excellent and profound study of the human need for passionate worship. I suppose the totalitarian regimes misuse this psychological need for their purpose, for instance, to inspire the worship of the dictator's 'father-figure', such as Stalin-worship or Big Brother worship in 1984. (On a less serious note, Huxley in Brave New World proposed Ford as the deity of the modern age. 'Orgy-porgy, Ford and fun'). Servalan, however, is not such a figure, or at least we don't have any evidence of Servalan-worship in the series. (Although someone in Rumours says that 'for many people, Servalan is the Federation'.) 'We are the Priests of Power', O'Brian says in 1984. He derives his feeling of power from his identification with the immortal entity of the Party. People can be destroyed, but the Party will exist for ever. Perhaps we could assume that some such feeling is inspired by the authorities in B7, for instance, the belief in the immortality of the Federation and the invincibility of its military? N. [View Less]

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Re: I, Claudius
by Natasa Tucev 09 Sep '01

09 Sep '01

Some time ago, Dana suggested a parallel between Hamlet-Claudius and Blake-Travis dynamics. When asked why Hamlet refrains from killing his uncle, I usually resort to the explanation Nietzsche gave in 'The Birth of Tragedy'. Nietzsche compares Hamlet to 'Dionysian' heroes who do not act because they have realized the complexity of the world, seen beyond the idealistic half which the culture normally perceives. Initially Hamlet is a 'happy prince' within a perfectly functioning patriarchal … [View More]structure. His father, likened to Jove, Apollo, Hercules, is the epitome of all the virtues valued by this structure; his mother likewise performs dutifully all functions assigned to her within the structure. Then Claudius, likened to Satire, bursts upon the scene. Hamlet has to deal with much more than just a single villainy committed by a single villain - he has to deal with his own realization that there are human actions prompted by dark, instinctive urges beyond rational control. Women are especially 'dangerous' and unreliable in this respect: Hamlet is shocked by the fact that his mother can have fun indiscriminately with Apollos and Satires alike. To conclude, Hamlet delays his revenge because his world has been irrevocably changed and he knows that killing one man won't restore his lost innocence or bring back his 'paradise lost'. Finally he decides to act because he accepts it is his human duty, a part of his destiny. 'Readiness is all.' With Blake, the situation is somewhat different. I don't think he's ever had any illusions regarding the Federation (except while he was brainwashed) or the Universe he lives in, but he may have had some regarding his own soul. Blake has lost the 'innocence' of his soul after his capture and the death of his family and friends - when his initial, altruistic and rather abstract motives for fighting against the Federation were joined by other, private and not so impeccable ones. Blake is not a completely 'healthy' hero fighting an evil opponent: all the while he has to grapple with his own dark urges, most of all with his desire to indulge in personal revenge. Like Hamlet, Blake knows that killing one villain won't change or annihilate this deeply disturbing experience of the self, help him get rid of the 'Travis' part of his own psyche. Hamlet is shocked by his revelation that the world is an unweeded garden; Blake is, I think, more disturbed by discovering this garden within his own soul. Realizing they cannot go back to the original state of innocence, they both proceed to do what they consider their human duty. Some more traditional interpretations of Hamlet also emphasize the religious aspect of his dilemma, the fact that the vengeance in Shakespeare's time was considered a deadly sin (since God said, 'Vengeance is mine'), and the avenger was condemned to Hell. Given that all sorts of religion were banned within the Federation, I wonder if Blake's refusal to kill Travis could also be related with some remnant of those forgotten teachings. We know that Blake was interested in history and it's possible that he also studied various ethical systems of the past, trying to establish the principles upon which post-Federation world might be organised. His own feeling of morality is often at odds with his age, and although I like to think it is innate, it may have been acquired by studying as well. I agree with what Ellynne said about Avon's part in this matter. Avon can 'solve Blake's problem for him', as he says in the Keeper, unlike Blake, he can kill Travis in a cold and impersonal manner ('I'm the one with brains and no heart', as he says to Travis in Star One). It's not until S3 and Shrinker that we get to see Avon dealing with the issue of personal revenge. His animosity towards Servalan, I suppose, also becomes more personal after he gets the Terminal disease. N. [View Less]

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expensive GT video collections at Critics Choice
by JEB31538＠cs.com 09 Sep '01

09 Sep '01

Critics Choice at http://www.criticschoicevideo.com offers various NTSC collections which Gareth Thomas is in. Paul Darrow is in one. The phone number to call is 1-800-367-7765. US postage is $5.95 no matter what your order is. Gareth's "Murdersville" is in The Avengers' 67: Collection 2. It is available in NTSC VHS video and DVD. This collection has 13 episodes. NTSC is $59.95 HSCCV100707 DVD is $69.95 HSDVD001015 *** Gareth's "Maigret on Home Ground" is … [View More]

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Re: B7 encounters
by Helen Krummenacker 09 Sep '01

09 Sep '01

Jacqui wrote: >Dev Tarrant and Anna Grant were both involved in 'Security' - would they have met? I think the applicatble quote is "Small world." "Big project."

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Hermit Library passes 300 stories
by Judith Proctor 09 Sep '01

09 Sep '01

We just linked in story number 300 to the Hermit Library. For anyone who didn't read the short stories relating to 'Logic of Empire' in Horizon, they are now up on the web courtesy of Alan Stevens. We have also added two more stories by Helen Parkinson (helpfully typed in by Sally Manton), several stories by Calle, some from Philippa Watts and more besides. If you have stories on the web that you'd like to be included in the index (or stories looking for a site to host them) then visit the … [View More]

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Re: [B7L] Rescue script notes
by Steve Kilbane 08 Sep '01

08 Sep '01

Harriet: > While touring the Caribbean, my editor said he'd finally worked out what > time zone my body was living in. I thought they only had two times in the Caribbean: asleep and drowsy.

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Crew of the Liberator
by jacquispeel＠netscape.net 08 Sep '01

08 Sep '01

There were thirty-odd teleport bracelets, and from the arrangement of escape pods in 'Aftermath' probably 6 x 6 'sets' of pods - so one can assume that this was the 'standard' crew. (But as there is a possibility that it was an exploratory ship & it could take one (or more) smaller ships - as in Aftermath - there might well have been room for more) Any comments? Jacqui __________________________________________________________________ Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and … [View More]

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RE: Re: [B7L] Encounters
by jacquispeel＠netscape.net 08 Sep '01

08 Sep '01

"Marian de Haan" <maya(a)multiweb.nl> wrote: >Jacqui wrote: >>Dev Tarrant and Anna Grant were both involved in 'Security' - would they >have met? > >They could have been lovers, for all we know :-) > >Marian > > Interesting story - if anyone wants to do it (g). Jacqui __________________________________________________________________ Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift ideas. Experience the convenience of buying online with Shop@… [View More]

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Re: [B7L] Encounters
by Marian de Haan 07 Sep '01

07 Sep '01

Jacqui wrote: >Dev Tarrant and Anna Grant were both involved in 'Security' - would they have met? They could have been lovers, for all we know :-) Marian

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Rescue script notes
by padme＠bantha.org 06 Sep '01

06 Sep '01

I had the pleasure of winning one of Chris Boucher's eBay auctions last month, and today the item arrived in the mail: a camera script of Rescue. It's in shooting order rather than story order, but I'm piecing together the differences between it and the transcript. If anyone wants to know details of the shooting order or anything else, just ask! If it went as the script indicates, it proceeded in quite a jumble from a story perspective, starting with Dayna and Tarrant going down the stairs … [View More]through the end of the episode, then taking Dorian's earlier scene in the cave, then some scenes on the base... although, the *original* end of the episode was scheduled to be shot at the end. ;-) I don't know, of course, what if any missing scenes were actually shot and what were cut before shooting. So here's the transcript from Lysator, trimmed down (because you can get the whole thing for yourself if you want); my cuts for length are marked with [snip], and additions from the camera script have "#" down the left side. Enjoy! Claudia -=-=-=- Here are what I consider significant changes, dropped scenes, etc.: [Planet Terminal. Exterior. There is a continuous background sound, a throbbing, much like a heartbeat. Avon is kneeling on snow covered ground. He scans the terrain below with binoculars. Dayna is squatting beside him, a federation assault weapon on the ground beside her.] Dayna: Servalan told us it was an old ship. Avon: It's what she didn't tell us that interests me. [snip] Cally: (v.o. scream) Blake. [Scorpio. Interior, flight deck. A blonde man is the only occupant of the flight deck. His name is Dorian. He bends over to check something on the ship's instruments. Finished, he moves around the flight deck.] Dorian: Slave. Slave: Yes, Master. [snip] Slave: Thought is beyond my humble capacities, Master. Dorian: True. # Increase speed by twenty percent # Slave: Yes, Master. # Dorian: Scan for wreckage. Analyse anything associated # with the explosion pattern. # Slave: Of course, Master. I would most respectfully point out however that there is unlikely to be anything worth salvaging. # Dorian: You're thinking, Slave. # Slave: I'm sorry, Master. I meant to disrespect. I am # your most humble slave, in all - # Dorian: Enough! # Slave: Yes Master. # Dorian: I expect a positive identification of the cause of that explosion within the hour Slave. # Slave: I will do my poor best. # Dorian: You will indeed. If it was the Liberator the crew # may still be alive, and helpless, down on that planet. # Slave: A rescue mission, Master? # Dorian: Not exactly, Slave. [Space. Terminal is visible.] [Planet terminal. Exterior, night. A crude camp has been made. A small fire burns in the center. Dayna, Tarrant and Avon are seated around the fire. Avon has Orac in his lap and is attempting to repair it.] Tarrant: Vila rescued me? Avon: You were injured trying to rescue Cally. He rescued you. Suddenly I am hip deep in heroes. [snip] Vila: (enters carrying wood for the fire) Orac got a bit dented. For which he blames me. It seems I rescued the wrong one. # Avon: Nothing personal. It's just that Orac could have # sent for help. You can't. # Tarrant: Nobody's perfect. What about the ship Servalan left? # Dayna: That's a bit dented too. # Vila: We're stuck on this miserable planet for the rest of # our lives. # [ANIMAL NOISES] # Vila: Not that that's likely to be for very long Avon: First light, we'll make for the high ground to the south. # Tarrant: Is it worth the effort? # Avon: Are you ready to lay down and die? # Tarrant: (RUBBING HIS HEAD) I think I already have. # Vila: Liberator destroyed, Cally dead, no way off this # armpit of a planet. He may have the right idea. # Avon: Well, you must please yourselves of course. # But tomorrow morning I head south, and I'm taking # the gun with me. # [The snarling scream sounds again.] # Vila: You talked me into it. [Planet Terminal. Exterior, morning. Avon, Vila and Dayna move single file across the snow covered ground. Dayna is carrying Orac. Avon is in the lead. He carries the Federation gun. They halt.] Avon: Where's Tarrant? Vila: He was right behind us. [snip] Tarrant: What? While something is eating me you can get away? Avon: Or visa versa. [I'm pretty sure this should be 'vice versa'. -- Claudia] Tarrant: (grins) I'll drink to that. [There is the sound of a weapon discharging some distance from them.] # Avon: Can you walk? # Tarrant: Not as fast as I can run. # Avon: Let's do it. [Planet Terminal. Exterior, top of the cliff. Dorian assists Dayna, then Vila. Vila groans and rubs his arms.] Tarrant: (enters) You all right? [snip] Avon: (smiles) You know what they say. No good deed goes unpunished. [snip] Avon: I want it flown, not cataloged. Tarrant: No problem. Dorian: Uh, one problem. It happens to be my ship. Avon: (points the gun at Dorian) No problem. # DORIAN SUBSIDES AND, LOOKING BEATEN, SLOPES OFF TO ONE OF THE # AUXILIARY CRASH COUCHES. UNSEEN BY AVON AND THE OTHERS HE SMILES # TO HIMSELF. [Tarrant sits at the primary flight position. He activates a control. The flight deck seals. Dayna appears to be nervous.] Vila: It's all right. On these old cargo ships only the main deck is pressurized in flight. [snip] Tarrant: Listen, if I get it wrong, you'll be as dead as the rest of us. Dorian: You're the pilot. You work it out. # (GLANCES AT AVON) I don't give much for my chances # either way. [The ship lurches suddenly. There is the sound of explosions outside the ship.] [snip] Dayna: Cheer up, Vila. You've got a lot of very bright associates too. Vila: Oh yeah? Name six. [Exterior. Scorpio in flight.] [Planet Xenon. Interior. Control room, Xenon base. An alarm is sounding. A blonde woman enters. She is Soolin. She shuts down the alarm and opens a comm channel.] Soolin: Scorpio. Scorpio this is base. Do you copy? (waits for a response) Scorpio. Scorpio this is base. Do you copy? [Exterior. Scorpio in flight.] # Vila: Perhaps we should answer. # Dayna: Terrific idea Vila. Let's warn them we're coming. # Vila: They might be friendly. # Dayna: You want to take the chance? # Vila: He did save our lives. # Tarrant: He could be a bounty hunter for all we know. Soolin: (v.o.) This is Xenon base calling Scorpio. Do you copy? [snip] Dorian: You're going to kill me anyway. Sooner or later. Avon: You would prefer it sooner? Dorian: (reaches for a control and presses it) Xenon base, this is Scorpio. Do you copy? Soolin: About time, Dorian. I have satellite visual confirmation. Orbit and landing sequences are green. Confirmed? Dorian: (v.o.) Confirmed. # Dorian: Sorry I kept you waiting Soolin. Small problem... # (AVON IS READY TO KILL HIM) # Dorian: ... with the communicator. # Soolin: Apology accepted. Out. [Interior. Scorpio flight deck.] Dorian: (turns to Avon) You'll never get away with it, you know. [snip] Dayna: Beneath that cold exterior, beats a heart of pure stone. Dorian: Shall we go? (exits) Avon: Why not? [Interior Xenon base lounge. Soolin sets out glasses on a tray. She stops, regards the tray and then takes another glass from the shelf. She begins to pour wine into the glasses. Dorian leads the group into the lounge. Dorian grabs her and kisses her.] ## Here's a nice bit from the camera script: # DORIAN PUTS ORAC DOWN # AND MOVES TO KISS # SOOLIN LIGHTLY ON THE # CHEEK. # IT IS A GESTURE OF # GREETING RATHER THAN # AFFECTION Soolin: Are you all right? Dorian: A little tired. It took me longer than I expected. (to the others) May I present Soolin. My... companion. [snip] Tarrant: What do you think? Avon: I think his taste in wine and women is impeccable. # Tarrant: Why do I get the feeling he's been in complete control # of everything we've done right from the beginning? # Avon: Because you're not as stupid as you look Tarrant. # None of us are, with one possible exception. # (THEY LOOK TOWARDS VILA WHO IS PROFERRING HIS EMPTY GLASS # FOR A RE-FILL) # Soolin: I see you're a connoisseur. # Vila: I appreciate the best, whenever I can get it. # (CONFIDENTIALLY) Tell me Soolin what exactly # does a ... companion ... do? # Soolin: Nothing you could cope with. # Vila: (DISCOMFITED) Ah. # (SOOLIN MOVES AWAY) # Dayna: (TO VILA - GRINS) Next question. # Vila: Can I help it if I've got a weakness for lady gunfighters. # Dayna: You've got a weakness for ladies of any description. # Vila: I'm just naturally affectionate. # Soolin: If you'd like to follow me. # (SOOLIN MOVES TO EXIT. THE OTHERS MOVE TO FOLLOW. # FEATURE ORAC WHERE DORIAN LEFT HIM. # IT IS CLEAR THAT THEY HAVE FORGOTTEN HIM) [Planet Xenon. Interior. A room below the base. There is a circular staircase leading upward. A mist hangs near the floor. There is a constant sound rising and falling. The walls of the room seem to glow with a dim, bluish light. A hatch opens in the ceiling above the staircase and Dorian descends. His appearance is altered considerably. He seems to have aged. He moves with difficulty.] Dorian: Are you there? I have them. They're here. [snip] Creature: Soon. It must be soon. [Dorian convulses, screams and collapses on the floor. Opposite him, the creature writhes in pain.] # CREW ROOM. NIGHT. # (THE ROOM IS DESERTED, THE MAIN LIGHTING SWITCHED OFF. # AFTER A MOMENT AVON ENTERS WARILY. HE HAS CHANGED INTO HIS # NEW COSTUME. HE STILL CARRIES ONE OF DORIAN'S HANDGUNS. # HE CROSSES TO WHERE ORAC WAS LEFT. IT IS NO LONGER THERE. # ON AVON'S REACTION) [Interior, corridor Xenon base. Vila is attempting to open the door to the landing silo. Tarrant and Dayna stand watching him.] Tarrant: Get on with it, Vila. Vila: Will you keep your voice down. Dayna: Well, can you get it open or not? [snip] Vila: I'm going to give up drinking, you know. It'll be pink asteroids next. END # CREW ROOM. NIGHT. # (AVON AND VILA SIT WITH DRINKS. # TARRANT ENTERS) # Tarrant: No sign of her anywhere. # Avon: As long as she can't get to the ship. # Vila: No-one can get to the ship. # Tarrant: You've got time to work on that now. # (DAYNA ENTERS WITH MAGAZINES FOR THE GUNS) # Dayna: I found the armoury. # Avon: You know this base could be quite useful to us. It's outside Federation territory. It's well hidden. # Vila: (RAISING HIS GLASS) Well equipped. # Dayna: And there's a lady gunfighter running around loose. Not to mention a very weird basement. # (AVON PICKS UP A SMALL REMOTE CONTROL DEVICE AND THUMBS THE BUTTON. # AFTER A MOMENT THERE IS THE DISTANT MUFFLED SOUND OF AN # UNDERGROUND EXPLOSION) # Avon: Strike one basement. (TO VILA) Now I suggest you get that landing silo open. (TO DAYNA AND TARRANT) And you find Soolin. (HE RISES) While I get the teleport system working. # Tarrant: Do you think you can? # Avon: Yes. # Tarrant: Do you want us to kill Soolin? # Avon: Do you think you can? # Tarrant: (GRINS) No. # Avon: Then don't. # (AVON PAUSES IN THE DOORWAY AND LOOKS BACK AT THEM) # Avon: Dorian might have beent elling the truth about himself # and that room, but he was insane you know, quite insane. # (AVON EXITS) # Dayna: What brought that on? # Tarrant: (GRINS) Something Dorian said. Avon belongs to us, as we belong to him. # Vila: Oh well I agree with him. # Dayna: Dorian? # Vila: Avon. Dorian was obviously insane. [View Less]

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Blakes7 September 2001