******46-YEAR OLD SPOILERS!******

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, I remember reading about a British TV show called “Blake’s 7” in the pages of the late, great “Starlog” magazine (my geek bible in those days). Written by Terry Nation (1930-1997), the novelist/screenwriter who created the Daleks for “Doctor Who,” the space opera “Blake’s 7” followed a group of escaped prisoners who commandeer an advanced spaceship, the self-named “Liberator,” in hopes of eventually freeing the galaxy from the oppressive rule of the ‘Terran Federation’ (insert Star Trek shade here).  

At the time, I was deeply curious about “Blake’s 7,” since I’d just began watching the occasional Tom Baker-era “Doctor Who” serials on US public TV (PBS) at about the same time. Unfortunately, this was deep in the dark ages when VHS tapes were prohibitively expensive, assuming you could even find import tapes (no Amazon yet, either), let alone streaming (decades away). So, my hopes of seeing this show quietly faded until recently, when BBC finally released a Region-1 compatible Blu-Ray set of the show’s first season/series (tomato/tomah-to); now digitally remastered, including an option to watch with all-new visual FX.

Naturally, I preordered it, and this week, I binge-watched the entire first series. A British mate of mine advised me that the show’s freshman season wasn’t necessarily the strongest of the four, but it sets the table nicely. Well, after enjoying the first 13 adventures of Roj Blake (Gareth Thomas) and the motley crew of the Liberator over the past week, I’ve become more or less hooked, though I understand my friend’s cautionary advice as well…

Series 1/A

One of the Blu-Ray set’s biggest new selling points is its all-new CGI visuals, which can be viewed in place of the original outdated models and opticals.  For this review, I decided to watch the series as “raw” as I could; though I did sample the remastered visual FX afterward, and to be honest, they didn’t add or detract from my overall enjoyment of the series, at all.  

Having grown up on shows with cheesy visual FX (“Land of the Lost,” TOS “Star Trek,” “Logan’s Run,” et al), I stand by my choice to see “Blake’s 7” more-or-less as it was presented in 1978.  Though the lower resolution late-1970s videotape and grainy 16mm film for exterior shots are cleaned up for the Blu-Ray set, with clearer audio quality as well; similar to the Beeb’s restoration work on the early “Doctor Who” box sets (younger me used to wonder if the two shows were set in the same Whoniverse).

For the purpose of brevity in this lengthy recap/review, I will be using the shorter synopses (in quotes) for each episode from the Blu-Ray set, with my own notes added for each, below the photos.

Episode 01: “The Way Back.”

“Roj Blake discovers shocking secrets about his past, pitting him against the tyrannical Federation.”

Note: Such a harsh and brutal introduction to our titular character that isn’t what one might expect from a space opera series. It feels more George Orwell and Philip K. Dick than Star Trek. At first, Gareth Edwards’ Roj Blake seems a benign, ineffectual milquetoast who only slowly ascends to his forgotten leadership role. Blake’s unjust arrest on falsified charges of child molestation is very dark and atypical subject matter for this kind of show. The spaceship Liberator doesn’t even make an appearance in this almost entirely Earthbound, “1984”-style opener. “The Way Back” grabbed my attention by the larynx. 

Episode 02: “Space Fall.”

“Aboard a prison colony transport, Blake meets future comrades and encounters a mysterious space vessel that could liberate Earth from the grip of the Federation.”

Note: Taking place mainly aboard a tense, claustrophobic prison transport ship, the series now leaves Earth, and introduces us to other members of the crew, including the cold, almost-serpentine Kerr Avon (Paul Darrow), and strongman Oleg Gan (David Jackson); a character reminiscent of Robin Hood’s “Little John.” We also see the perverse sadism of the Terran Federation, as embodied by the sneering, vicious Commander Raiker (Leslie Scofield), who also played Chief Bast; an Imperial officer stationed aboard the Death Star in 1977’s “Star Wars” (aka “A New Hope”).  This episode marks the first appearance of the Liberator—the crew’s ticket to freedom, which idealist Blake plans to use as an instrument for galactic justice.

Episode 03: “Cygnus Alpha.” 

“Blake and his crew uncover more of the Liberator’s secrets, then follow the prison ship to Cygnus Alpha to mount a bold rescue mission.” 

Note: Blake’s counterintuitive move to return to Cygnus Alpha allows him to recruit other prisoners from his prison transport who weren’t in the Liberator boarding party, including muscleman Gan and wily trickster Vila Restal (Michael Keating), who’s an ace at picking locks and overriding security protocols. The guest cast includes Brian Blessed, a two-time guest star of “Space: 1999” who also played Gungan Boss Nass in “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” (1999). The episode also introduces us to the mysterious Liberator’s teleportation chamber (a version of Star Trek’s transporter), which requires transponder bracelets to guarantee a transportee’s safe retrieval (much like Star Trek’s communicators). We also learn about the Liberator’s energy blasters, which require a power pack and can only be handled one at a time.

Episode 04: “Time Squad.” 

“Blake plans his first strike against the Federation, recruiting an extra crew member in the process…”

Note: En route to strike a Federation communications complex on Saurian Major, the Liberator takes aboard a capsule containing mysterious aliens in suspended animation called Guardians, who are preserving ‘race banks’ aboard their craft. This episode wouldn’t be terribly memorable, if not for the introduction of telepathic resistance fighter Cally (Jan Chappel), the last of her kind on Saurian Major, who then joins the Liberator crew. Mercifully, her telepathy isn’t overused as a gimmick, though her increasing role in later episodes seems to usurp the character of Jenna just a bit. 

Episode 05: “The Web.”

“Inhabitants of an uncharted world threaten the lives of the Liberator crew.”

Note: A race of shoulder-high Zygon-looking creatures called Decimas are being rounded up and slaughtered by haughty genetic engineers of Cally’s lost race, who consider the pitiful beings to be genetic mistakes which need to be rounded up and eradicated.  A somewhat so-so episode that suffers from being topically better suited to classic “Doctor Who” or even “Star Trek.” Nevertheless, it emphasizes the basic humanity and decency of our hero, Blake; even if his moralizing seems like a luxury, given the circumstances and urgency of his own mission. Hindered by its simplistic eugenics story, “The Web” is largely a time filler.

Episode 06: “Seek-Locate-Destroy.” 

“Ruthless Supreme Commander Servalan enlists Space Commander Travis to track down and eliminate Blake and his band of freedom fighters.”

Note: Using the captured Cally as bait, the series introduces us to recurring villains Commander Travis (Stephen Greif) and his cooler-headed boss, Commander Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce). This episode picks up a thread from Blake’s missing past, as we learn Travis was left for dead in one of Blake’s earlier missions, and is now missing an eye and fitted with a bionic arm. Travis and Servalan give the series an “Inspector Javert” element that puts a fire under Blake’s freedom flight aboard the Liberator, even if they’re too often portrayed as comically incompetent. Jacqueline Pearce also played a hideous reptilian snake-woman in the 1966 Hammer Horror movie, “Reptile.” Her makeup in that film scared the absolute piss out of me as a kid.

Episode 07: “Mission to Destiny.”

“Blake and his crew stumble upon a murder mystery aboard a drifting freighter.”

Note: The story is basically an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery set aboard the abandoned freighter Ortega. One of the main issues I had with “Mission to Destiny” is that it gets too involved with its guest cast while we’re still in the process of getting to know our main cast. As a result, both casts suffer, and the episode is largely forgettable. Noteworthy mainly for putting Avon’s cold, clinical, Sherlock Holmesian logic to work at solving the murder. Other than that, this is another weaker entry of series 1 (or series A; I have no idea why the show’s series/seasons were labeled numerically, but I can’t/won’t get used to it). 

Episode 08: “Duel.”

“Travis hunts down the Liberator and Blake must face his arch-enemy in hand-to-hand combat.”

Note:  Yes, I enjoyed this episode. It was nice to see Jenna back in the thick of action again, and I liked the mano-a-mano combat between Blake and the returning Travis, even though this episode is embarrassingly similar to the classic “Star Trek” episode “Arena”; right down to the paralyzed spaceships, and the combatants forced to fight each other using only crude, locally-made weapons. How this one squeaked by the lawyers I don’t know, but nevertheless, I liked it. “Duel” is another case of the show’s characters overcoming a weak story.  Oh, and the Mutoid vampire pilot, played by Carol Royle, is both creepy and oddly sexy; like a younger version of Florence Marly’s green space vampire from Roger Corman’s “Queen of Blood” (1966). “Duel” is a guilty pleasure.

Episode 09: “Project Avalon.”

“Travis holds a resistance leader captive prompting Blake to launch a rescue mission.”

Note: Series 1 begins to rebound after a lull in its midsection, giving us an entertaining prison break caper involving a captured young resistance leader named Avalon (Julia Vidler), who is the Princess Leia of the story, and is being held and interrogated on an icy planet by… you guessed it, Travis and Servalan. The ending with Avalon’s android doppelgänger being discovered by Blake’s crew and returned with a deadly virus in hand to ensure the real Avalon’s release is a banger, and I loved it. We also get to see the meek, wily Vila’s talents as a locksmith put to good use, along with actor Michael Keating’s understated comedic chops.  Other then the inept Travis and Servalan once again left with mud on their faces (“Curses! Foiled again!”), there’s a lot to like about “Project Avalon.”

Episode 10: “Breakdown.”

“The behavioural limiter implanted in Gan’s brain begins to malfunction, threatening the lives of everyone onboard the Liberator.”

Note: Another memorable episode sees an inhibitor chip in Gan’s head malfunction, causing the ship’s normally affable strongman to lapse into fits of psychotic rage (a nice spotlight for actor David Jackson). Even the advanced medical technology aboard the Liberator is unable to help, forcing Blake and company to recruit Federation doctors to assist. One of the doctors is played by longtime character actor, Julian Glover, whose career includes roles in “Quatermass and the Pit” (1967), Doctor Who (“City of Death”), “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) along with “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989), as well as many others. My wife and I had the pleasure of meeting Glover at a convention in Los Angeles about nine years ago, and despite his many villainous roles, I’m pleased to report he couldn’t have been nicer.  Wonderful man. The episode also sees devious Avon unsuccessfully attempting to bribe his way off the ship by appealing to the visiting doctors’ greed.

Episode 11: “Bounty.”

“While Blake attempts to prevent a civil war, a bounty hunter takes control of the Liberator and deliver its crew to the Federation.”

Note: Blake and Cally transport down to a Federation planet to enlist exiled president Sarkoff (T.P. McKenna) and his over-protective daughter Tyce (Carinthia West) to their cause. Loved the eccentric exiled ruler’s taste in antiques, including an old victrola turntable and what appears to be a repainted version of the Third Doctor’s antique Ford Popular 103-E, “Bessie” (though I can’t confirm that). The episode is marred and practically carbon-dated by the Amagon bounty hunters, who are dressed like stock Arab clichés. This reminded me of the bad 1940s African stereotype-aliens seen in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Code of Honor,” though “Bounty” is not quite as blatant. 

Episode 12: “Deliverance.”

“Stranded on an alien planet, Avon, Vila and Gan discover an ancient space capsule, while Blake discovers that the Federation are hunting for a device called Orac.”

Note: Our favorite antiheroes are exposed to deadly levels of radiation on an alien planet that puts an expiration date on them, as the Liberator is hijacked by Ensor the Younger (Tony Caunter); the desperate son of a dying genius who’s created a powerful new device called “Orac” that is all the rage in the Federation, and they’ll stop at nothing to possess it. Oh, and Blake is mistaken for a savior by Meegat (Susan Farmer), the lone survivor of a dead civilization. The race to stop the crew and the unseen Ensor the Elder from dying, along with safely locating the Orac, is already story enough. However, “Deliverance” piles it on a bit high with Meegat’s prophecy and the return of our favorite bumbling bad guys, Travis and Servalan.  If nothing else, this first of two-parts is certainly not a lazy outing for Blake and the gang…

Episode 13: “Orac.”

“The Liberator crew converge on the planet Aristo to find the mysterious Orac, but Servalan and Travis are also on its trail…”

Note: The final episode of series 1 sees Blake and Cally arriving to save Ensor the Elder (Derek Farr), and to keep his Orac device—a new supercomputer/AI—out of Federation hands. However, Ensor is killed during the escape, as Travis and Servalan close in on Blake and the Orac.  However, the baddies are once again felled, as Avon arrives to put a serious crimp in their plans. The coda sees Blake and the crew safely aboard the Liberator (for now), as they get to know their newest crew member, Orac (also voiced by Derek Farr; like father, like creation). The coveted power the device possesses is the ability to accurately forecast the future in visual playback; and its first forecast shows the inevitable destruction of the Liberator… bummer.  A dark foreshadowing of things to come, as I’ve read ahead, and learned that is indeed the ship’s fate in series 3. A tantalizing way to end this first series of the show.

So, I guess I need to order BritBox after all…

The End.

Summing It Up

The first two episodes of the first series were surprisingly dark and mature for a TV space opera, with false charges of child molestation being brought against Blake, as well as the implied sexual abuse of female prisoner Jenna. This is not kid-vid fare. The scenes of Blake fighting to regain his rewritten memories have a strong, Philip K. Dick/George Orwell-vibe to them, and are almost uncomfortable to watch. It’s a fascinating arc to see this seemingly milquetoast protagonist quickly becoming the take-charge revolutionary he once was over the course of the first three episodes (“The Way Back,” “Space Fall,” “Cygnus Alpha”). This was some seriously heavy sci-fi shit for 1978…

Over the course of the show’s freshman year, we see these characters—and actors—evolve into a genuine crew. Gareth Thomas’ “Roj Blake” becomes the conscientious captain, though natural-born scene-stealer Paul Darrow’s cynical “Kerr Avon” draws viewer attention like a magnet (it’s no wonder Avon takes charge later on). Sally Knyvette’s “Jenna Stannis” sees her onscreen business later supplanted a bit by Jan Chappel’s telepathic “Cally.” Comic relief for the crew is supplied by Michael Keating as affable trickster/safecracker “Vila Restal,” while David Jackson plays the likable, Little John-style strongman “Olag Gan.” Like “HAL 9000,” the seventh Liberator crew member is the ship’s own sentient computer, “Zen,” voiced by Peter Tuddenham.

Once Blake and his “Dirty Dozen in Space” take firm control of the Liberator, the series begins to resemble a more traditional spaceship-bound sci-fi series, though with a less-than-conventional crew. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Joss Whedon’s “Firefly,” with its own crew of rebellious anti-government outlaws, was directly inspired by “Blake’s 7” (Malcolm Reynolds could be Roj Blake’s earthier American cousin).  Like the crew of the Serenity, the Liberator crew must also outrun and outwit the dogged pursuit of the feds, as embodied by the mutilated, grudge-holding Travis (Stephen Greif), and his cooler-headed boss, Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce). These pursuing baddies provide a “Moby Dick”/“Les Misérables” vengeance element to the show. 

In its first year, “Blake’s 7” offers a virtual medley of familiar space-opera elements, with aliens, robots, space battles and overbearing galactic governments; it even gives a nod to Star Wars’ rebel leader, Princess Leia (“Project Avalon”). In fact, the late Terry Nation managed to slip in a near-carbon copy adaptation of Frederic Browne’s short story “Arena” for the episode titled “Duel.” 

Note: “Arena” was previously adapted for “The Outer Limits” (“Fun & Games”) and for TOS “Star Trek,” where the script initially went into production without Brown’s consent (“Arena”), only to pay him off afterward.

While I miss the more adult, “1984” tone of the first few episodes (I gather it returns later on), the series that emerges from it is still very watchable. This remastered Blu-Ray set is also packed with bonus content, including a documentary on the making of the series (a must-watch), as well as deleted scenes and the aforementioned updated FX. The new FX make for nice eye candy, but are entirely unnecessary for me. Hell, I’d just-as-easily enjoy “Blake’s 7” in an audio drama format (which, I understand are available, via Big Finish and other labels).  This is a show driven by characters, not visual FX.

Overall, “Blake’s 7” is a series worth investing in for fans of the genre. What the series may lack in production value or originality, it makes up for with solid characters and earnest storytelling. 

Where to Watch

Here in the US, the only sites I can find for streaming “Blake’s 7” are BritBox and Amazon Prime Video (via a Britbox link). Aside from this newly released Blu-Ray set for series 1/A, there are physical media sets of the entire series available overseas, but be sure you have a multi-region DVD/Blu-Ray before you invest in them.