Again from Natasa's very good post: <Blake's friends in the Freedom Party were massacred because of a traitor; Bran Foster's people were massacred because of a traitor; so were Avalon's people. Blake may have witnessed even more betrayals and gory scenes in the span of time between Star One and GP.>

"In trust I have found treason" ...

might be the motto for the entire series. Trust (whether given or withheld, whether a good thing or a dangerous risk) and treason are an important part of the overriding themes of the series, whether deliberately planned or not.

With Avon, it's a core part of his storyline and character; with Anna of course, with Tynus and Keillor, with Vila (in reverse - Orbit is Avon betraying him). With Jenna there's the *mistrust* thread to their relationship, something that I do think is lightly touched on with Soolin as well (Warlord and her snarl at him in 'Blake') though with them trust may have come had they a few more millenia to work through. With Servalan, who he mistrusts totally (oddly enough, except when she tells him Blake is dead). With his quite overt need to prevent people trusting *him*.

With Blake, the ability to trust and to give that trust even when it looks like a bad idea (as with Avon and Vila, Jenna in Bounty etc) is a central part of his characters, *and* an indicator of how badly he's been damaged in Blake.

With the entire crew, there's the constant and wearing risk of giving even limited trust - to each other (Terminal/Rescue are especially good examples of this) or to outsiders - running alongside the desperate need, in this universe - to be *able* to trust *someone*.

And on the Other Side, of course - betrayal and lack of trust is a constant theme in the Federation scenes. Servalan's betrayal of Travis, and his subsequent attempt to betray the whole human race; her deadly dance with the President, which ends when she betrays and deposes him; her inability to find close, trustworthy intimates (witnessed by the constant changing on her staff, her bitter "he's so much better than anyone I've got left"; her poisonous exchange with Joban, who supported her and uses that support to threaten her; the two coups against her; the fact that the only people we hear *were* loyal to her were outside her court (Traitor) and her total lack of loyalty to anyone except herself.

And then of course, there's Avon and Blake themselves; the issue of trust and belief, unwilling, probably illogical but undeniable, is an integral part of their storyline, to a point where its importance - and the unthinkable and at the same time *un*-unthinkable dangers of betrayal - leads both to that wonderful last scene in Star One *and* that dreadful last scene in Blake ...

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