Dana asked:
*Or, for that matter, why there's a vortex or whatever the hell Travis falls into on Star One.
Because he is a creature from the subconscious, Blake's 'dark self' (his ruthlessness, obsession, hatred, need for revenge), and he retreats back down there after Blake has overcome his darkest impulse - to destroy Star One. Look at the number of fantastic creatures in folklore and legends (evil dwarves, dragons, witches) who fall into abyss once they have been defeated.
There's another thing I was thinking about, and this is Jungian idea that you can't really overcome your 'shadow'. You either manage to incorporate it (like Ged in the Earthsea trilogy) or you have to adopt some of its characteristics in order to win. The boy who has defeated a dragon becomes a new dragon after he has touched the forbidden treasure. Blake appears in 'Blake' with a very telling scar.
Yes, Boucher has an excellent feeling for these things and he always sets the story perfectly in terms of archetypes. I hate him.
N.