--- Neil Faulkner wrote:
No. A death is a death is a death. If we ascribe particular importance to one killing in an environment when killing takes place on a regular basis (no episode can claim to be entirely deathless) then we diminish the significance of all the others. In effect, we end up condoning killing as a whole and condemning one particular killing. All of the regular characters have participated in violence, even Vila. To exonerate them from the act of killing, we would have to deny the actuality of the violence inherent in the premise of the series.
Hmmm. I'm really not sure about this. Undeniably all of the regular characters have killed people. Whether or not these killings should be condemned is rather more questionable. In Project Avalon, for example, if Avalon is not rescued then thousands of people will be murdered by the Federation. That might make Avalon's rescue with it's attendant deaths defensible. Or in Rescue the crew have a choice between killing Dorian or being turned into the creature in the cellar. Again, possibly defensible. Episodes, on the other hand, like Harvest of Kairos or Gold show the crew being prepared to kill others for their own personal profit - I don't think that the fact that the others are Federation Troopers makes this morally acceptable. (But the moral ambivalence of their actions makes for more interesting drama and is probably more "moral" than a portrayal in which the taking of life by the protagonists is invariably justified).
As far as Blake's death is concerned it is of importance to Avon and Vila, at least, because Blake was their friend. Psychologically it is more important to them (and by implication to the viewer) because of this. From a strict moral point of view the death of Blake is no more or less significant than, any other death, but within the context of the drama it is an event of the utmost significance. And the significance of any event lies within it's context.
Just my (probably wrong) opinion.
Stephen.
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