Fuzzy Dunlop
Banned
Have Blake's 7 be even more successful and mainstream like Star Trek
This could mean more series, and 'TNG', 'DS-9' and 'Voyager' style spin off's
Much obliged!
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Have Blake's 7 be even more successful and mainstream like Star Trek
- Thread starter Fuzzy Dunlop
- Start date
Have Blake's 7 be even more successful and mainstream like Star Trek
This could mean more series, and 'TNG', 'DS-9' and 'Voyager' style spin off's
Much obliged!
Paul Darrow (Avon) tried for years to get another series going but in the end nothing resulted, although we did get the excellent and much needed Big Finish audio dramas, in addition to the BBC and B7 Productions ones and a sort of crossover with Doctor Who in the Kaldor City audios where the psyhostrategist Carnel from Blake's 7 appeared and Kaston Iago was arguably actually Avon. Plus some unofficial fan created material as well.
The show was actually very popular at the time in the UK and some various overseas places where it was shown, but did not get that much exposure in places where it could have guaranteed even more popularity such as the US. It might have just been too dark and dystopian at the time. British SF had a reputation for often having a bloody miserable take on things, but it was great! Remember watching every episode from the very first as they aired and people were always talking about it. The issue is not popularity, at least locally, it's that it was expected to end in Series C, and Series D was hastily done simply because BBC's Head of Television was watching the final Series C episode Terminal, liked what he saw and called up to make sure there was an announcement at the end that it would be returning. The finale of Series D was done in such a way such that those cast members who wanted to come back could do so if they wished to, but of course that was it in terms of TV broadcasts.
So, the first stumbling block is getting past the intention to end it in Series C perhaps. Then you can have the adventures continue on Liberator. And even if that doesn't happen, then perhaps more exposure and popularity of the show in overseas markets anyway making it more attractive for the BBC to continue producing further episodes with those cast members who wish to stay.
J. Michael Straczynski said elements of Babylon 5 were inspired by aspects of Blake's 7. So there's another opportunity to get additional exposure there perhaps if he talks about that much more and gets some old cast members of B7 onto B5 giving the older show more recognition maybe. I do remember there were a couple of joint B7/B5 conventions back in the day. Perhaps this could lead to a sequel series in the 90s getting made.
Alas, with the passing of several cast members now (just like B5 has sadly lost half of its main cast since it ended), all we can really hope for is a reboot or remake, but as long as that is done well, I'll take what I can get and be opened minded enough about it to give it a chance.
Sargon
The show was actually very popular at the time in the UK and some various overseas places where it was shown, but did not get that much exposure in places where it could have guaranteed even more popularity such as the US. It might have just been too dark and dystopian at the time. British SF had a reputation for often having a bloody miserable take on things, but it was great! Remember watching every episode from the very first as they aired and people were always talking about it. The issue is not popularity, at least locally, it's that it was expected to end in Series C, and Series D was hastily done simply because BBC's Head of Television was watching the final Series C episode Terminal, liked what he saw and called up to make sure there was an announcement at the end that it would be returning. The finale of Series D was done in such a way such that those cast members who wanted to come back could do so if they wished to, but of course that was it in terms of TV broadcasts.
So, the first stumbling block is getting past the intention to end it in Series C perhaps. Then you can have the adventures continue on Liberator. And even if that doesn't happen, then perhaps more exposure and popularity of the show in overseas markets anyway making it more attractive for the BBC to continue producing further episodes with those cast members who wish to stay.
J. Michael Straczynski said elements of Babylon 5 were inspired by aspects of Blake's 7. So there's another opportunity to get additional exposure there perhaps if he talks about that much more and gets some old cast members of B7 onto B5 giving the older show more recognition maybe. I do remember there were a couple of joint B7/B5 conventions back in the day. Perhaps this could lead to a sequel series in the 90s getting made.
Alas, with the passing of several cast members now (just like B5 has sadly lost half of its main cast since it ended), all we can really hope for is a reboot or remake, but as long as that is done well, I'll take what I can get and be opened minded enough about it to give it a chance.
Sargon
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Fuzzy Dunlop
Banned
Now that you've said that . . . . it makes sense.
A bit like Communism, as always a utopia that quickly turns into a dystopia!
Would Doctor Who help or hurt here?
The way the original ran out of steam in the late 80's and the lukewarm reception to the American TV-movie would seem to make both the BBC and Hollywood leery of reviving a British Sci-fi show during the latter part of the 20th Century.
But could the 9th Doctor's successful return allow for Blake's Seven to get a second shot. Maybe Jack Harkness winds up at odds with that Federation instead of leading Torchwood? Or that alien prince hiding in Susan's old school is another Rog Blake being exiled in the past rather than the edges of known space. Or better yet just a "new" Blake series replacing one of those Who spin-offs without being tied to the Doctor in anyway?
The way the original ran out of steam in the late 80's and the lukewarm reception to the American TV-movie would seem to make both the BBC and Hollywood leery of reviving a British Sci-fi show during the latter part of the 20th Century.
But could the 9th Doctor's successful return allow for Blake's Seven to get a second shot. Maybe Jack Harkness winds up at odds with that Federation instead of leading Torchwood? Or that alien prince hiding in Susan's old school is another Rog Blake being exiled in the past rather than the edges of known space. Or better yet just a "new" Blake series replacing one of those Who spin-offs without being tied to the Doctor in anyway?
I love this show. It had the best writing and characters. Avon, Servalan, Vila, Cally. Its the grandfather of all modern science fiction. Even Star Wars is cribbing notes from it, since Saw Gerrera and Rogue One's ending were basically worn out ruthless paranoid Blake in the final episode and that episode's end.
I think for mainstream appeal, the problem is is 1: production values, 2: its depressingly realistic. The Federation is oppressive, but its also drab and functional, and most of its officials and soldiers are just regular people that work there. Like when in some episodes Federation troopers take their masks off and have regular conversations. And most real life resistance movements and revolutions are divided into squabbling factions and then end up being about power and profiteering.
Paul Darrow said at one point Firefly was the revival of Blake's 7. I dunno about that. I think a revival is the best way to make it a real franchise but it would have to be done exactly right. Maybe if Farscape or Firefly was actually done as a Blake's 7 remake with the same crew and actors it might work.
Does anyone else other than me actually like series 3 and 4 better? I always thought Avon was a better lead and his love/hate thing with Servalan was pretty intense as a plot engine and Cally and Vila became better characters without Blake around too.
I think for mainstream appeal, the problem is is 1: production values, 2: its depressingly realistic. The Federation is oppressive, but its also drab and functional, and most of its officials and soldiers are just regular people that work there. Like when in some episodes Federation troopers take their masks off and have regular conversations. And most real life resistance movements and revolutions are divided into squabbling factions and then end up being about power and profiteering.
Paul Darrow said at one point Firefly was the revival of Blake's 7. I dunno about that. I think a revival is the best way to make it a real franchise but it would have to be done exactly right. Maybe if Farscape or Firefly was actually done as a Blake's 7 remake with the same crew and actors it might work.
Does anyone else other than me actually like series 3 and 4 better? I always thought Avon was a better lead and his love/hate thing with Servalan was pretty intense as a plot engine and Cally and Vila became better characters without Blake around too.
Or we discover in the last episode that's all a propaganda show of the romulan empire for internal use
Anybody ever speculate about Callan taking place in the pre-spacefaring history of Blake 7?
As the saying goes: I'd rather be lucky than good.
What I mean is: Given how short the original run of Star Trek was, I think Blake's 7 ran long enough to
What it needed was some kind of "Not ASB, but low probability"-event like "The Physician" novel got. For those who don't know it, let me quote the Wikipedia:
Some similar event, say perhaps involving a TV executive from one of NBCs competitors watching a few episodes in the UK, might be all that's needed to make Blakes'7 much more widely known that it is.
What I mean is: Given how short the original run of Star Trek was, I think Blake's 7 ran long enough to
it just didn't work out for it.
What it needed was some kind of "Not ASB, but low probability"-event like "The Physician" novel got. For those who don't know it, let me quote the Wikipedia:
Why was it such a success in Germany? Because shortly after it's US release a German book publishing agent, who was about to fly home made a random purchase of it at the airport bookstore, read it on the flight back, fell in love with it and immediately saw about acquiring the German publishing rights to it. After which he proceeded to promote the S**** out of it. Just some random event made the authors day there.
Some similar event, say perhaps involving a TV executive from one of NBCs competitors watching a few episodes in the UK, might be all that's needed to make Blakes'7 much more widely known that it is.
Its definitely a subversion of Star Trek's Federation. The logo is the same, but turned on its side. I guess Blake's 7 is the Maquis POV of the Feds. If you think about it, they are fundamentally the same. An alleged galactic federation that's really a human dominated government, and despite being an alleged "normal democracy" has a powerful military that attempts coups occasionally (Starfleet/Space Command, Servalan, Admiral Leyton in that DS9 episode) and a ruthless secret police that resorts to creepy tactics to take out external enemies (the Federation secret police torturers like Shrinker, Sloan and the Section 31 virus genocide and the mind control drugs the Federation used on independent colonies in Series 4).
So, if we have the occasional episode from the other side Pow...they are not as bad as Blacke and co. show/believe them and while flawed the government is not a real dictatorship; basically the USA vs some militia scenario only this time we are struck with the plucky local militia for the adventure
There are similarities between Blakes Liberator and the Systems Commonwealth Ships from Andromeda as well. The ship's run on minimum crew primarily by a highly efficient A.I. with it's own personality and moral code. Also the Force Lances from Andromeda are very similar to the personal weapons used by Blakes crew.
So Blakes rebellion against the Federation succeeds in the end and eventually turns into the Systems Commonwealth. The Commonwealth eventually falls and reduced to what it started with, a single ship with a tiny crew against the universe.
So Blakes rebellion against the Federation succeeds in the end and eventually turns into the Systems Commonwealth. The Commonwealth eventually falls and reduced to what it started with, a single ship with a tiny crew against the universe.
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