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blakes7-d Digest Volume 99 : Issue 159
Today's Topics:
[B7L] 2 New B7 Fanzine Issues
Re: [B7L] Re: Banning SF
Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 5/6
Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 4/6
Re: [B7L] Caption Contest
Re: [B7L] Caption Contest
Re: [B7L] Caption Contest
Re: Drink (was Re: [B7L] Re:Plan B, O ye Muses of filking..)
Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 5/6
Re: [B7L] Horizon News Bulletin
Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 5/6
[B7L] The Way Back\Gambit question
Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 5/6
[B7L] OT: Refractions #6
Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7
Q-study: 5/6
[B7L] B7 videos for sale (NTSC)
[B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 6/6
Re: [B7L] Horizon News Bulletin
Re: [B7L] Horizon News Bulletin
Re: [B7L] Horizon News Bulletin
Re: [B7L] B5:Crusade (was Horizon News Bulletin)
Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 5/6
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 09:42:23 EDT
From: Bizarro7@aol.com
To: Blakes7@lysator.liu.se, space-city@world.std.com
Subject: [B7L] 2 New B7 Fanzine Issues
Message-ID: <eca2d58.2465993f@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Good news, everbody. It looks as if Annie Wortham's going to be able to have
SOUTHERN COMFORT 10.5 (and possibly SOUTHERN COMFORT 11.5) out in time for
MediaWest*Con on Memorial Day Weekend (end of May). The layouts are almost
done and whether or not she makes it will be in the hands of the printers, so
if you've been looking forward to the next adult issues, cross your fingers.
I'll post notification when they become available through the web page.
Leah
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 15:25:07 +0100
From: "Una McCormack" <una@q-research.connectfree.co.uk>
To: <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] Re: Banning SF
Message-ID: <010b01be995e$99536eb0$0c01a8c0@hedge>
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charset="iso-8859-1"
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Julia said:
> That's what's so funny about it :-) I occasionally wonder if the English
> enthusiasm for claiming the great non-English British writers (and
> before anyone bitches, Ireland was part of Britain for many such) has
> become so convincing that even the Irish forget where the Irish ones
> came from.
>
> IIRC, I've only encountered this particular example of lack of
> understanding of the concept "irony" in person once, but I don't think
> it's just an urban legend.
It's the people who don't realize it's irony but who think it's a good idea
that you've really got to worry about.
Una
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 17:14:32 +0100
From: "Una McCormack" <una@q-research.connectfree.co.uk>
To: "lysator" <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Cc: "Space City" <space-city@world.std.com>
Subject: Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 5/6
Message-ID: <002401be996d$e1e615b0$0c01a8c0@hedge>
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Account 4: Universal Constancy
Exemplifying sorts here were provided by Steve Rogerson, Meredith Dixon and
Andrew Moul (a non-list member). Non-exemplifying sorts were provided by
Katharine Woods and Lindley.
Central to this account is the view that there is a Blake's 7 'universe'
into which some episodes fit well and which others fail to live up to.
Internal consistency of episodes within this universe is essential, and an
overarching structure, a 'story arc', is seen in the narrative of the show.
Those ranked well include:
+5 The Way Back; Star One
+4 Mission to Destiny; City at the Edge of the World; Blake
+3 Space Fall; Project Avalon; Aftermath; Orbit
The Blake's 7 universe is predominantly to be found in seasons 1 and 2. As
one respondent put it: '['Star One'] is the culmination of the first and
second season plot of Blake's 7, what I think of as the *real* Blake's 7.'
Favourite episodes provide the essential narrative to the story arc:
'Space Fall': 'The beginning of everything.'
'Seek-Locate-Destroy': 'The introduction of Travis, Blake's evil
counterpart.'
'Redemption': 'This episode was essential to the overall plot: before this,
the ship wasn't *really* theirs.'
'Star One': 'Perfectly in the B7 universe, once again, when they reach their
goal, it fades away like a mirage.'
On the selection of his favourite episodes, one respondent said: 'You have
to have all these because the programme doesn't make sense otherwise.'
In general, this account gave higher ratings to season 1 episodes than any
other account:
IV I II III V
Space Fall +3 +1 +3 -1 +2
Time Squad +2 0 -1 0/-1 +1
Seek-Locate-Destroy +2 0 +2 +1 0
Duel +2 -1 0 -2 0
Mission to Destiny +4 0 +2 +1 -1
Project Avalon +3 -3 0 +1 -1
Scenes which allow side-lined characters such as Jenna and Travis to emerge
are praised. The B7 universe consists not just of single crew members or on
a key relationship, but the broader crew dynamics:
'Bounty': 'Great Blake-Jenna interaction.'
'Space Fall': 'The start of the 'Man of La Mancha' pattern (with Avon as
Aldonza and Jenna as Sancho).'
'Cygnus Alpha': 'The plot's terrible, but there's strong furtherance of the
Blake-Avon-Jenna 'Man of La Mancha' dynamic, and some great scenes between
Avon and Jenna.'
'Trial': 'Great Travis episode.'
'Star One': 'Everyone gets to do well.'
The Liberator is another key component of the 'real' Blake's 7:
'Space Fall': 'I love it because we get to meet the best space ship ever.'
'Rescue': 'They're replacing the Liberator, the most beautiful ship ever,
with *that* thing?!?'
Episodes from later seasons were appreciated for various reasons, but
essentially flawed:
'Aftermath': 'No more Jenna or Blake. Waaaaah!'
'Powerplay': 'How dare that murdering curly-haired thug try and steal Avon's
ship away? I want my Jenna back!'
'Orbit': 'I wanted to place it higher, but it's Season 4 and suffers from
lack of too many good things.'
'Blake' provides a dilemmas. As a strong episode which contained one of the
key characters from the start of the show, it was liked. However, it was a
fourth season episode, and therefore in violation of some of the show's main
attractions. Respondents used one of two strategies. Firstly, it was
integrated into the whole arc by providing a consistent end to the whole
series: 'The epitome of B7 epitomes. Now Avon will never be free of Blake
even though it is finished, because their deaths are so inextricably linked.
' Other respondents tried to minimize its effect on the overall arc: 'I
believe the 'Dallas Theory', that the whole fourth season is set on Terminal
and is an attempt by Servalan to break the still-unconscious Avon.'
Poorly-rate episodes included:
-5 Sarcophagus; Ultraworld
-4 Voice from the Past, Power, Headhunter
-3 The Web, The Keeper, Sand, Warlord
'Sarcophagus': 'Just doesn't fit into their universe.'
'Ultraworld': 'Wait a moment while I suspend my disbelief. Oops - it
snapped.' And: 'Pervert voyeur alien clichés plus Dayna being crap.'
'Voice from the Past': 'It's all fake and nothing more than Travis' accent.'
'Headhunter': 'Trip trap went the billy goat gruff over the rickety bridge -
bleagh!' And: ''Spock's Brain' meets B7.'
Major complaints are the sexism in 'Power' and 'The Keeper' (particularly as
Jenna is seen to be out of character) Other character inconsistency is also
disliked, e.g. in 'Sand': 'Tarrant flirts with Servalan. *Tarrant*, whose
brother was killed by Servalan, flirts with *Servalan*. Yeah, right.'
However, internal inconsistency is the major failing of episodes. Note, for
example, the -1 ranking for 'Rumours of Death': 'I hate this because it
completely ruins 'Countdown'.'
If episodes are too inconsistent with the respondent's view of the universe,
they will be dismissed from that universe:
'Children of Auron': 'Completely invalidates 'Dawn of the Gods' and
everything we know about the Auronar, too. I don't consider it canonical.'
'Voice from the Past': 'Pulls off the neat trick of completely, in one fell
swoop, invalidating not just 'The Way Back', but the entire first and second
seasons. I don't consider it canonical. I think it's Federation propaganda
that has somehow insinuated itself into the broadcast.'
In summary, this account views B7 as a continuous narrative, which
particular episodes play an essential part in constructing. Consistency of
the B7 universe is paramount, and the 'real' B7 is made up of seasons 1 and
2. Episodes which violate this internal narrative are strongly criticized
and even completely dismissed.
Una
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 04:07:59 +0100
From: "Neil Faulkner" <N.Faulkner@tesco.net>
To: "lysator" <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 4/6
Message-ID: <001101be9902$819a25e0$1d438cd4@default>
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charset="iso-8859-1"
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>Account 3: A Little Bit of Politics
Yeah, at last. Put me down as an Account 3 person.All you Acc1s and Acc2s
can go fry:)
>The criteria on which episodes are judged are straightforward enough -
>script (both plot and dialogue), and performances from cast and guests
>alike. Top-rating episodes are:
>>+5 Rumours of Death; Blake
>+4 Gambit; Games; Gold
>+3 Pressure Point; City at the Edge of the World; Star One; Orbit
Four out of my five 'all-time favourites' are there - Rumours, Terminal,
City and Star One. The 5th is Sarcophagus, interestingly (or not).
>'Star One': 'The episode that got me hooked. The first scene on the
>Liberator is perhaps the defining moment for the series.' And: 'Best blend
>of action, suspense, characterization and plot.'
That is probably what makes for a good episode - a combination of all four
vital elements, and no single one of them significantly more important than
the rest. But I would also demand continuity with the pre-existing
background (or at least a plausible extension of it) and, if not Good
Science, then at least an absence of Bad Science. (Some eps, like Bounty,
or Rumours, work particularly well because they don't contain any science at
all.) And decent production standards, which basically means
sensible-looking costumes, sets, props etc.
>What constitutes a bad episode? 'Awful standby cliched SF plots, and done
>badly at that. Suspension of disbelief is impossible, and the characters
>that I love so much are acting out of character. A stunning lack of thought
>and originality.' Low-rated episodes were:
>-5 Ultraworld; Animals
>-4 The Web; Dawn of the Gods; Headhunter
But only three of my all-time worsts - Animals and Dawn. What about
Volcano, Stardrive and Assassin?
>Again, the main criteria by which episodes are judged are plot, dialogue,
>acting - and the *overall effect* of these when making up the whole
episode.
I would also consider how well the various elements fit into a blanket
coherence, considering the series as a whole. I much prefer background
continuity to character continuity, because whilst individuals can be
unpredictable and are prone to variation, things are much more static on the
macrocosmic scale. So if anyone mucks around with the background (such as
Allan Prior and his ludicrously short detector ranges) it shows up much more
glaringly than Avon being a bit nicer than usual. DotG is the #1 Prime
Offender here - it doesn't belong in the B7 universe at all.
Gripping stuff - well done that Una
Neil
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 08 May 1999 15:21:43 -0700
From: kalazar <kalazar@earthlink.net>
To: "Blake's 7 list" <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] Caption Contest
Message-ID: <3734B8F7.ECABE9D7@earthlink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
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Hi! I'd love to see this but all I get is "file not found" from SNET!!!
Anyone else have this problem?
Sue Clerc wrote:
>
> The April responses are up and the May photos are ripe for captioning.
> This month's selections are from Gareth Thomas's appearances on
> Bergerac and Silver and are Not For The Squeamish.
>
> http://pages.cthome.net/CCurrent.html will take you right to the
> Caption Contest.
>
> Sue
> http://pages.cthome.net/Blakes7.html
>
> _________________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 15:56:43 -0700 (PDT)
From: Sue Clerc <blake4fr@yahoo.com>
To: kalazar <kalazar@earthlink.net>, "Blake's 7 list" <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] Caption Contest
Message-ID: <19990508225643.29147.rocketmail@web214.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
--- kalazar <kalazar@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi! I'd love to see this but all I get is "file not found" from
> SNET!!!
> Anyone else have this problem?
D'OH! Sorry, my fault--I was in such a hurry I mistyped the
url. It's http://pages.cthome.net/blakes7/CCurrent.html and
the main page is http://pages.cthome.net/blakes7/Blakes7.html
or that's the story I'm currently backing...
Sue
_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 08 May 1999 18:11:22 -0500
From: Lisa Williams <lcw@dallas.net>
To: <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] Caption Contest
Message-Id: <4.1.19990508180443.009b55d0@mail.dallas.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
kalazar wrote:
>Hi! I'd love to see this but all I get is "file not found" from SNET!!!
>Anyone else have this problem?
The URL was mistyped. Try <http://pages.cthome.net/blakes7/CCurrent.html>.
Also, the server for that site seems to be *incredibly* slow at the moment
-- I'm getting responses, but it takes forever. Your browser may time out
waiting for it.
- Lisa
_____________________________________________________________
Lisa Williams: lcw@dallas.net or lwilliams@raytheon.com
Lisa's Video Frame Capture Library: http://lcw.simplenet.com/
From Eroica With Love: http://lcw.simplenet.com/Eroica/
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 07:58:09 EDT
From: AdamWho@aol.com
To: kat@welkin.apana.org.au
Subject: Re: Drink (was Re: [B7L] Re:Plan B, O ye Muses of filking..)
Message-ID: <cd294fd4.246580d1@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
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In a message dated 99-05-07 17:54:04 EDT, you write:
<< Mr-Uptight-in-black-leather definitely wouldn't.
Jenna might do something on a dare, depending on who dared her. >>
Orac would probably do something if someone dared him do...if he counts as a
regular crew member. I can imagine one of the crew telling him he was
incapable of doing what they asked, and that would cause him to immediately
say he was capable and do it.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 01:44:33 +0100
From: "Neil Faulkner" <N.Faulkner@tesco.net>
To: "lysator" <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 5/6
Message-ID: <001b01be99b5$900c2d40$b018ac3e@default>
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charset="iso-8859-1"
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Bloody typical, huh? I declare myself an Acc3 and then promptly discover
I'm even more of an Acc4. At least I now know I'm not the only one.
<Those ranked well include:
The Way Back; Star One
Mission to Destiny; City at the Edge of the World; Blake
Space Fall; Project Avalon; Aftermath; Orbit>
I'm not so sure about City, since it hinges on a lot of generic skiffiness
that doesn't integrate all that easily with the wider B7 universe. Bloody
good script, though.
A list of strong Universal Constancy epsidoes ought to include Bounty, I
think, along with S-L-D, Breakdown, Shadow, Pressure Point, Hostage,
Countdown, Gambit, Rumours, and Traitor. It's not so much how good they are
as episodes in their own right, more how easily they slot into a dynamic,
inter-related whole.
<Poorly-rate episodes included:
-5 Sarcophagus; Ultraworld
-4 Voice from the Past, Power, Headhunter
-3 The Web, The Keeper, Sand, Warlord
'Sarcophagus': 'Just doesn't fit into their universe.'>
So it needs some squeezing. I like it enough to want to squeeze.
<If episodes are too inconsistent with the respondent's view of the
universe,
they will be dismissed from that universe:
'Children of Auron': 'Completely invalidates 'Dawn of the Gods' and
everything we know about the Auronar, too. I don't consider it canonical.'>
I do this the other way round - CoA invalidates DotG. It's the episode that
tells us most about the Auronar.
It would be interesting to know if there's any obvious split in
preferences - male vs female, Brit vs American, whatever. Or maybe that's
to come in the final gripping instalment. Not that it isn't tempting to
make a few guesses.
Neil
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 01:11:36 +0100
From: "kevin mahoney" <kevinpatrickmahoney@msn.com>
To: <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] Horizon News Bulletin
Message-ID: <000101be99b7$65e7af60$765495c1@MSNKevinPatrickMahoney>
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
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Brian Lighthill has told Horizon that he and Paul Darrow independently hold
>the rights for this planned movie, with the full support and co-operation
of
>Terry Nation's widow, Kate, and her family.
>
As long as they stick to Terry Nation's story. I do hope that Paul won't
contribute to the actual writing of the script. I've read 'Avon: A Terrible
Aspect', and I think it's quite aptly named (being the worst novel ever).
Perhaps someone a bit grittier than Barry Letts?
Kevin Mahoney
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Nook/1082/subculture.html
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 09 May 1999 03:22:52 GMT
From: dixonm@access.mountain.net (Meredith Dixon)
To: space-city@world.std.com
Cc: "lysator" <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 5/6
Message-ID: <3735fb5b.261447417@access.mountain.net>
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On Sat, 8 May 1999 17:14:32 +0100, Una McCormack wrote:
>Exemplifying sorts here were provided by Steve Rogerson, Meredith Dixon....
Intriguing. The only thing I've ever previously noticed myself
having in common with Steve was a fondness for crossovers (though
I usually just daydream about mine rather than trying to write
them up). I wonder if that is especially characteristic of this
group, or whether it's just coincidence.
>Central to this account is the view that there is a Blake's 7 'universe'
>into which some episodes fit well and which others fail to live up to.
>Internal consistency of episodes within this universe is essential, and an
>overarching structure, a 'story arc', is seen in the narrative of the show.
That's a very good description, Una. I can tell because my
reaction is just like Susan Beth's was to "Beautiful Suffering",
her category -- "Well, obviously, how *else* could anyone
view B7?" Except that, not being in category 1, I already know
how. :> I still don't see why Cat.4 had so few members,
though. Ah, well.
--
Meredith Dixon <dixonm@access.mountain.net>
Check out *Raven Days*, for victims and survivors of bullying.
And for those who want to help.
http://web.mountain.net/~dixonm/raven.html
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 00:02:23 EDT
From: AdamWho@aol.com
To: Blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: [B7L] The Way Back\Gambit question
Message-ID: <743004b4.246662cf@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
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Is the man at the beginning of Gambit (who wants to kill Klein because he
ruined his leg), the same actor who played Blake's lawyer during The Way
Back?
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 09 May 1999 04:44:51 GMT
From: dixonm@access.mountain.net (Meredith Dixon)
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Cc: space-city@world.std.com
Subject: Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 5/6
Message-ID: <3736ff92.262526832@access.mountain.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
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On Sun, 9 May 1999 01:44:33 +0100, Neil Faulkner wrote:
>'Children of Auron': 'Completely invalidates 'Dawn of the Gods' and
>everything we know about the Auronar, too. I don't consider it canonical.'>
>
>I do this the other way round - CoA invalidates DotG. It's the episode that
>tells us most about the Auronar.
Even if you throw out the Thaarn myth in "Dawn",
dismiss Cally's comments about the Lost in "Web" as
legend, and assume that Cally was talking about
foster parents in "Harvest", you're still left with the
contradictions relating to why Cally could not return to Auron.
In "Time Squad," of course, she says she was sent from Auron to
aid the Saurian freedom fighters, and she cannot return because
she failed in her mission. Likewise, in "Bounty", Lehan
has been sent from Auron to talk Sarkoff into resisting the
Federation, and he too cannot return to Auron unless he
succeeds.
But then CoA tells us that Cally was exiled from Auronar
for violating Auron's neutrality.
Now, Cally's statements in "Time Squad" can be shoehorned
into this (with considerable difficulty) by reasoning that
Cally was thinking that she had failed to convince the other
Auronar of her mission's importance, not that she had failed
at her job on Saurian Major. That turns what she actually
said on its head, but you can *just* make it fit. But "Bounty"
just won't fit that mold. Lehan would be no more able to
return to Auron that Cally, yet she tells him that he can return.
How do you account for that, Neil? Or do you throw out "Bounty",
too?
--
Meredith Dixon <dixonm@access.mountain.net>
Check out *Raven Days*, for victims and survivors of bullying.
And for those who want to help.
http://web.mountain.net/~dixonm/raven.html
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 15:40:24 +1000 (EST)
From: kat@welkin.apana.org.au (Kathryn Andersen)
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se (Blake's 7 list)
Subject: [B7L] OT: Refractions #6
Message-Id: <m10gMK8-000TbVC@welkin.apana.org.au>
Content-Type: text
Those of you who are interested, Refractions #6 is now available.
Unfortunately the only Blake's 7 in this issue is one poem.
Check out the Refractions web page for more info.
http://home.connexus.net.au/~kat/refract/
I have just put the story previews for #6 up, so you can take a taste
and see if you like it. (-8
Kathryn Andersen
--
_--_|\ | Kathryn Andersen <kat@welkin.apana.org.au>
/ \ | http://home.connexus.net.au/~kat
\_.--.*/ | #include "standard/disclaimer.h"
v |
------------| Melbourne -> Victoria -> Australia -> Southern Hemisphere
Maranatha! | -> Earth -> Sol -> Milky Way Galaxy -> Universe
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 14 Mar 1998 22:19:36 -0700
From: "Ellynne G." <rilliara@juno.com>
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7
Q-study: 5/6
Message-ID: <19980314.221938.9622.0.Rilliara@juno.com>
On Sun, 09 May 1999 04:44:51 GMT dixonm@access.mountain.net (Meredith
Dixon) writes:
>On Sun, 9 May 1999 01:44:33 +0100, Neil Faulkner wrote:
>
>>'Children of Auron': 'Completely invalidates 'Dawn of the Gods' and
>>everything we know about the Auronar, too. I don't consider it
>canonical.'>
>>
>>I do this the other way round - CoA invalidates DotG. It's the
>episode that
>>tells us most about the Auronar.
>
>Even if you throw out the Thaarn myth in "Dawn",
>dismiss Cally's comments about the Lost in "Web" as
>legend, and assume that Cally was talking about
>foster parents in "Harvest", you're still left with the
>contradictions relating to why Cally could not return to Auron.
>In "Time Squad," of course, she says she was sent from Auron to
>aid the Saurian freedom fighters, and she cannot return because
>she failed in her mission. Likewise, in "Bounty", Lehan
>has been sent from Auron to talk Sarkoff into resisting the
>Federation, and he too cannot return to Auron unless he
>succeeds.
>
>But then CoA tells us that Cally was exiled from Auronar
>for violating Auron's neutrality.
Not necessarily. Suppose Cally was a loud spokesperson against
neutrality (prominent enough her world's leaders know her by name [first
name, if Aurons have last names]). She won't back down but is obviously
part of a minority. The government agrees to send her on mission to help
another world. Part of this is giving in to those groups who feel
something should be done, but Cally eventually realizes she was sent with
the expectation or hope she would fail, requiring her to remain in exile.
If it didn't involve making a plague, the Federation was fairly weak in
the biological sciences (they fell for all sorts of impossible biological
theories all the time). Servalan's knowledge of cloning on Auron might
therefore have been colored by her own assumptions and ignorance (what
her research department hadn't passed on in the way of common knowledge
about Franton suggests a great deal). What she called cloning may have
actually been a more complex process. Actually, it would have to be,
given that the Aurons had a monopoly on the technology after the loss of
the Clonemasters.
My solution: the Aurons had used artificial wombs for a long time
predating Franton. While they had not identified all the genetics
involved in telepathy (if it was a single gene trait, it shouldn't have
taken as long), they could identify various contributing factors
including environmental ones (I'm working with the theory that telepathy
is like other traits which need to be developed, rather than merely
innate). Growing up around active telepaths could be one factor.
Growing up with a twin (since embryos can be frozen, they wouldn't have
to have the same birthday) could be another.
Getting embryos to split is, according to my understanding, something our
own technology can pull off, as is freezing them.
In this situation, parents would have their children artificially
conceived (possibly with some genetic modifications) and gestated at the
replication plant, probably favoring at least one set of twins. Cally
should have been raised in a family. Mass training centers, such as
orphanages, just don't have as high a success rate for proper
socialization.
So, the Thaarn myth can be kept because it is discussing the mixed level
of telepathy among Aurons preceding Cally's generation. She was raised
by her biological parents, so no problem there. She couldn't return
because of a code of conduct involving loss of face which was being
exploited by those who found her politically inconvenient. Anything
else? Oh, yes, Franton Sr. was responsible for perfecting the
development of telepathy (100% or close enough success rate) and probably
for making major technological improvements in the replication plant.
Servalan, being a self-centered egotist, couldn't imagine Franton not
wanting a clone child, but the Aurons probably knew the dangers of too
many genetically identical people running around (inbreeding, lack of
diversification, and [especially with the Aurons] ethical
considerations). This also explains why, on a planet of telepaths, they
still relied on making radio contact with landing ships, and why none of
the telepaths Servalan killed could warn anyone (she'd lucked out and
gotten a bunch of nontelepaths) (I _know_ it's unlikely, but the
radiation / telepath cutoff thing begs the question why no one was
suspicious when they suddenly couldn't hear these people's minds
anymore), etc.
Ellynne
___________________________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 02:16:42 -0700
From: "Paul E. Curtis" <pecurtis@teleport.com>
To: <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: [B7L] B7 videos for sale (NTSC)
Message-ID: <002e01be99fc$a7b1ac80$50031ad8@pecurtis>
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Hello!
I'd just like to announce that I am selling my complete collection--all 26
volumes--of _Blake's 7_ on BFS Video. I'm asking $10 per volume, or $225
for the complete set. These prices include the cost of shipping within the
United States, via USPS special standard delivery. (If you live elsewhere,
or require a different method of delivery, please enquire.)
And in case anybody's wondering, I haven't gone off _Blake's 7_ or
anything...it's just that, since I recently bought a multistandard VCR and
monitor, I've decided that I'd rather import the Contender releases, and
watch B7 in glorious PAL. ;-)
Thanks very much!
--Paul Curtis
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 11:33:43 +0100
From: "Una McCormack" <una@q-research.connectfree.co.uk>
To: "lysator" <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Cc: "Space City" <space-city@world.std.com>
Subject: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 6/6
Message-ID: <015501be9a07$b9b8fef0$0c01a8c0@hedge>
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Account 5: Kiwi Separatism
This account is completely impossible to interpret! Only one person provided
any loading on this factor, with a whopping great level of significance, and
did not load on any other factor at all. Nicola Collie - please step
forward! Actually, at a pinch, Jenni's sort provides a fair level of loading
on this, so I'm going to give it a shot. This is *hugely* interpretational,
so you can wade in at your pleasure!
It's tempting to characterize this account as 'Carry On Up The Rebels', in
that it hugely enjoys aspects of B7 which are funny and camp. However,
there's
also significant enjoyment of the more poignant aspects of the series. As
it's summed up:
'Basically, episodes that feature a particular character, tweak the
hormones, and/or are different in some way to the run-of-the-mill spaceship
sci-fi rank higher... And anything that raises a laugh scores well!'
This is borne up by the rankings:
+5 Bounty; Sarcophagus
+4 Aftermath; City at the Edge of the World; Sand
+3 Cygnus Alpha; Mission to Destiny; Gambit; Children of Auron
And the reasons are eclectic:
'Bounty': 'Jenna's strong role'
'Sarcophagus': 'the funky alien, the exploration of the relationship between
Avon and Cally (and that kiss!)'
'City': 'It scores because Vila does.'
'Aftermath': 'More snogging and those eyelashes'
'Gambit': '*That* gown, the catfight, and lots of camping around.'
In common with account 1, almost all of the episodes are enjoyed for
different things: 'There weren't any I could say I really disliked. Some get
bumped down, rather than being actively ranking 'em low on their own lack of
merits.'
So, the final account - one that enjoys B7 on as many levels as it can
possibly manage.
That's all, folks. I'm now off for a big VAT of coffee. I never ever want to
talk about B7 again (yeah, right).
Una
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 08:17:17 EDT
From: Bizarro7@aol.com
To: Blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: Re: [B7L] Horizon News Bulletin
Message-ID: <66024b8c.2466d6cd@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
In a message dated 5/8/99 9:02:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
kevinpatrickmahoney@msn.com writes:
<< As long as they stick to Terry Nation's story. I do hope that Paul won't
contribute to the actual writing of the script. I've read 'Avon: A Terrible
Aspect', and I think it's quite aptly named (being the worst novel ever).
Perhaps someone a bit grittier than Barry Letts? >>
Terry's script was complete, if I recall (that's the one that begins with an
Avon in Waterloo-type supervised Federation exile, gazing morosely out over
the ocean, and the Feds dump a trashed Vila at his feet). What it's going to
resemble after Darrow and the others are done with it is anyone's guess. I'll
watch it out of curiousity, but I'm looking forward to the US debut of JMS's
Babylon 5 spin-off, CRUSADE, on June 8th a lot more.
Leah
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 13:25:32 +0100
From: "kevin mahoney" <kevinpatrickmahoney@msn.com>
To: <Blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] Horizon News Bulletin
Message-ID: <001301be9a17$09a6bc40$5c4595c1@MSNKevinPatrickMahoney>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0010_01BE9A1F.69E17700"
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>Terry's script was complete, if I recall (that's the one that begins =
with an=20
>Avon in Waterloo-type supervised Federation exile, gazing morosely out =
over=20
>the ocean, and the Feds dump a trashed Vila at his feet). What it's =
going to=20
>resemble after Darrow and the others are done with it is anyone's =
guess. I'll=20
>watch it out of curiousity, but I'm looking forward to the US debut of =
JMS's=20
>Babylon 5 spin-off, CRUSADE, on June 8th a lot more.=20
>
>Leah
What's happening with CRUSADE? Last I'd heard, it had been cancelled =
after a few episodes.
Kevin Mahoney
Buy books from Genre
------=_NextPart_000_0010_01BE9A1F.69E17700
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charset="Windows-1252"
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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3Dtext/html;charset=3DWindows-1252 =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<STYLE></STYLE>
<META content=3D'"MSHTML 5.00.0910.1309"' name=3DGENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>>Terry's script was complete, if I recall (that's the one =
that=20
begins with an <BR>>Avon in Waterloo-type supervised Federation =
exile, gazing=20
morosely out over <BR>>the ocean, and the Feds dump a trashed Vila at =
his=20
feet). What it's going to <BR>>resemble after Darrow and the others =
are done=20
with it is anyone's guess. I'll <BR>>watch it out of curiousity, but =
I'm=20
looking forward to the US debut of JMS's <BR>>Babylon 5 spin-off, =
CRUSADE, on=20
June 8th a lot more. <BR>><BR>>Leah<BR></DIV>
<DIV>What's happening with CRUSADE? Last I'd heard, it had been =
cancelled=20
after a few episodes.</DIV>
<DIV>Kevin Mahoney</DIV>
<DIV>Buy books from <A=20
href=3D"http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Nook/1082/subculture.html">Genre</A=
></DIV></BODY></HTML>
------=_NextPart_000_0010_01BE9A1F.69E17700--
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 11:23:36 +0100
From: Julia Jones <julia.lysator@jajones.demon.co.uk>
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Cc: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: Re: [B7L] Horizon News Bulletin
Message-ID: <xQJ7cBAoIWN3Ewrf@jajones.demon.co.uk>
In message <000101be99b7$65e7af60$765495c1@MSNKevinPatrickMahoney>,
kevin mahoney <kevinpatrickmahoney@msn.com> writes
>Perhaps someone a bit grittier than Barry Letts?
Perhaps someone a bit more familiar with B7 than Barry Letts?
Perhaps someone a bit more familier with more than a couple of season 4
episodes than Brian Lighthill?
Perhaps someone like Chris Boucher, script editor for every episode,
credited writer for some of the most highly regarded episodes,
uncredited rewriter for some of the other best bits?
--
Julia Jones
"Don't philosophise with me, you electronic moron!"
The Turing test - as interpreted by Kerr Avon.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 08:38:12 EDT
From: Bizarro7@aol.com
To: Blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: Re: [B7L] B5:Crusade (was Horizon News Bulletin)
Message-ID: <e4a38e2b.2466dbb4@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
In a message dated 5/9/99 8:28:20 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
kevinpatrickmahoney@msn.com writes:
<< What's happening with CRUSADE? Last I'd heard, it had been cancelled
after a few episodes. >>
Last I heard, this tribute series to B7 discontinued filming after episode 13
because TNT Network had been pressuring JMS very heavily to turn the show
into something incredibly tacky and stupid to attract a different
demographic. Rather than compromise the integrity of the show, JMS halted
production and began trying to find an alternative backer so the show could
continue. The most promising candidate for a while was the SCI-FI channel,
which desperately wanted it...but try as they did, they couldn't afford to
produce it. They'd already used up their production budget for the other
original series they were producing this year. Last I heard, while TNT will
begin showing the 13 existing episodes on June 8th, no more are being
made--for now. There's always the chance that if viewership is big enough,
they'll change their mind or something.
Leah
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 08:41:22 +0100 (BST)
From: Judith Proctor <Judith@blakes-7.demon.co.uk>
To: Lysator List <Blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 5/6
Message-ID: <Marcel-1.46-0509074122-b49Rr9i@blakes-7.demon.co.uk>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
I suspect a lot of us have layers of ranking. For instance, all my favourite
epsiodes will be ones that develop the relationship between Blake and Avon, but
although bad comntniuity will not totally wreck an epiosde for me, it will
always severely downrank it and greatly spoil my enjoyment.
Thus, Sand is spoilt because Tarrant is sleeping with the woman who killed his
brother, one of the many annoyances in Animals is the naff time line, I get
irked by the inconsistencies in Tarrant's age. One of my gripes with the radio
plays is the sudden introduction of hyperspace (may be logical, but it isn't
Blake's 7). I would have loved a more consistent background for the Auronar,
though I can just about reconcile things to my own satisfaction.
A really good plot (like the key scene in Orbit) will make me forgive an awful
lot, but if an episode is weak already, then bad
science/continuity/characterisation will finish it off totally.
Judith
--
http://www.hermit.org/Blakes7
Fanzines for Blake's 7 and many other fandoms, B7 Filk songs, pictures, news,
Conventions past and present, Blake's 7 fan clubs, Gareth Thomas, etc.
--------------------------------
End of blakes7-d Digest V99 Issue #159
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