Sally Manton wrote:
Orbit is better than average fun, but IMO only gets its classic status because of that lethal kick in the last ten minutes.
Surely that's the whole point? All the rest is comedic misdirection. Unfortunately, it only carries the full punch the first time, which is why I never show it to anyone who hasn't watched the whole thing up to that point.
The main problem I have with his scripts is that, while he writes terrific Avon-Vila, good Travis, and wonderfully memorable guest characters (Jarriere, Krantor & Toise, Bellfriar, Tynus & Gambrill, Egrorian) he shows almost no interest *at all* in the rest of the crew (except Blake in Killer. But *only* in Killer.) Jenna (a bimbette in both of his S2 scripts) Cally (pure wallpaper) and the Scorpio youngsters are barely acknowledged.
The Jenna thing is annoying, but I would put up with the rest for the lovely A-V, and for the guest characters - of course I *adore* Jarriere, and like Bellfriar very much. Krantor and Toise are okay, too. Also, I find the Tynus-Avon-Vila interaction in Killer to be crucial to my concept of Avon and also A-V. I wish Holmes had written more episodes, but then again, I'm a Killer junkie and probably need a 12-step program. (Seriously. Why do I watch Killer more than Shadow, when I *know* Shadow is the better ep, and love it, too? Unless it's the A-V in Killer, and the rotten Cally hallucination sequences in Shadow.)
Maybe it's unfair to compare, since CB wrote more scripts, but I have noticed that oft-mentioned favourites by him include those episodes - especially Shadow, Star One and DeathWatch - in which *all* of the crew get a goodly share of the action;
Curious, I don't see Deathwatch as being very ensemble at all. Tarrant, the Jacket, and that annoying, misplaced clinch. I could cheerfully chuck Deathwatch from canon, were I not such a purist.
Anyone like to throw some thoughts on either scriptwriter? Or maybe muse on how one of the other writers *might* have gone in the role?
Allan Prior might have given us a wider variety of 'splinter' cultures - groups that had left the Federation to pursue their own vision of a perfect society. And not much A-V, though what there was is very good, including my favourite A-V scene in Volcano. He was much worse about leaving regular characters with not much to do than Holmes was, although it seems to be different characters each time.
Mistral