Blake's 7 Fanfic Overview

A quick look at Blake's 7, for those of you who haven't been fortunate enough to see the series (I'm leaving out a *lot*):

List of Characters

A Little History

This story, and the tv series it is based on, are set in the far future. Most of the explored universe is ruled from Earth by one central government, the Federation. This government is thoroughly corrupted and oppressive. For instance, to keep Earth's billions placid, all the drinking water and food is dosed with "suppressants". One of the leaders of the rebellion (Roj Blake) is framed as a common criminal and sent to a prison planet, along with real criminals. From these, he recruits his followers (some more eager than others for justice) and begins a new revolt. They aren't very successful, unfortunately, and at the end of four years, most of the original rebels are killed. In a moment of extreme stress and confusion, Blake's reluctant deputy Avon shoots Blake, moments before he and his crew are surrounded and shot down by Federation troopers. Thus ended the series.

The Good Guys

Kerr Avon - Computer genius, would-be embezzler, professional paranoid, very cold blooded. The only woman he ever allowed to get close was Anna. He thought she'd died under Federation torture, protecting him. Years later, he found her, but discovered that she had been a Federation agent (alias Bartolomew) and that she had never loved him. She tried to kill him, but he shot first. She died in his arms.

Vila Restal - Master thief, comic relief. Also enjoys womanizing and booze, almost never taken seriously. He's about the only crew member that Avon tolerated; their "friendship" consisted of constant and mutual verbal abuse. Late in the series, Avon comes close to killing Vila to save his own life (on a shuttle that was just a little too heavy to reach escape velocity), and Vila knows it.

(pic is of Avon & Vila, 4th season;
Avon's the one with the gun.)

Orac - A cranky supercomputer, able to tap into almost any other computer in the Federation. Blake picked it up in the original series, and it became Avon's because he got along with it the best.

The Bad Guy

Servalan - She used to be the Supreme Commander of the navy. At the end of the second season, she promoted herself to President. A season later, due to an elaborate plot against Avon, she disappeared for a while. At series end, she was working to regain her power. She and Avon are very similar, and, on one level, are attracted to one another. The main difference is that while Avon would commit genocide only to save his own life, Servalan does it for fun.

The Culture

This society has a fairly rigid class system. The Alpha grades are best fed, best educated and get the best jobs, and the scale descends down to the Beta, Gamma and Delta grades. There is limited mobility, due to some form of intelligence testing, but corruption is rampant. The Alpha grades are assumed to be arrogant, and the Deltas to be worthless drunks.

(Overview written by Pam Jernigan; series is owned by Terry Nation and the BBC)