OK, you know I like to type this up from time to time.

I still find it interesting that all of the human members of the crew except Gan and Vila can have their names translated as black, dark, pale, or white - and Blake can mean either.

Blake - same root as black or same root as blank (which meant white, apparently)

Kerr - Can mean dark or speak (related to the ger root in Roger, which means noble spear, so Roj and Kerr have first names that make up a single name - and the elements they get suit them. Blake is the 'noble' idealist [which is why Avon claims to despise him] and Avon claims to have a personality any spear would be proud to own up to. It also seems to suggest Avon as Blake's scapegoat or proxy, literally embodying a darker half that Blake needs but must also deny as part of himself).

Cally - Kali means dark.

Jenna - Possible form of Gwenivere, meaning white wave. Jen is also Mandarin for truth, but jenna means "Truly?" or "Is it true?" (I'm so sure the guys working on the show didn't know any Chinese, and yet it so suits the ambiguity of the show).

Del Tarrant - Del can mean day (shortened form of Delbert, meaning bright day). Tarrant means thunder.

Dayna Melanby - Melan is Greek for dark. Also, although Dayna probably is a form of Diana (meaning lady), it is _Day_-na. Oh, and the by in Melanby probably means road or way (as in highways and byways).

Soolin - Could be from Szu, meaning pale, and lin, a type of jade (no, I don't know what kind). Soo could also be from Susan, meaning lily (as in 'lily white' and all that).

And I'm so willing to bet the writers weren't thinking about most of this.

Servalan - Servilis was a Roman family name. As far as I understand it, an adopted member of the family might be Servilian or Servilan, so maybe Servalan is named after an obscure historical person? Unfortunately, I can never twist it over to the passive form of 'I serve' to become 'I am served,' which would fit perfectly.

Travis - So ironic that they guy with the same name as one of the defenders of the Alamo would be the one to sabotage the small fort and let the enemy in. Then again, maybe they decided Bowie, the inventor of a type of two sided blade, was too obvious.

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