pure genius

[adelaidesean]

Over at io9, in a list of the "10 Greatest Science Fiction TV Show Endings Ever", Blake's 7 appears at #2. Deservedly so too, I reckon. It's been decades since I've seen it, and it still brings me out in goosebumps.

So here it is, the scene that inspired me and Shane Dix to write our very first space opera series, in all its gory glory:

Almost Shakespearean, isn't it?

Comments

[murasaki-1966.livejournal.com]

What was no 1?

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

Life on Mars (UK). The question is: will BSG top that? And will Lost top that in a couple of years?

[murasaki-1966.livejournal.com]

LOst interest in Lost. Haven't started BSG. The finale of Blakes 7 still keeps me awake at night. Must finish the Prisoner...

If you want something great to watch See Leverage. The best theives and conmen show on tv.

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

That's a shame about Lost. Best SF series ever made, and getting better as we get closer to the end, I reckon. Best way to watch it is to buy the box sets as they come out and settle back as you would with a big fat book. Then you're not left waiting so long for the answers, which are coming, bit by bit. Mind-blowing stuff.

Leverage sounds good. We'll take a look when we get through The Wire. Are you going to watch the Prisoner remake?

[aidandoyle.livejournal.com]

I'm a fan of Lost too. I wait until the entire season is out, then watch it all in one go. Much better that way.
I just finished watching season 3 of Dexter. Not as good as the first two seasons.
Haven't started watching BSG or The Prisoner yet.
Lots of things to watch...

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

Dexter 3 just gets better and better. We loved it! I have the fourth book here to read too, but it'll have to wait. The new Lee Child pips everything at the post.

Too much to watch/read, too little time...

[ashamel.livejournal.com]

When does the SF become apparent? Because I got half way through season 1 and became disinterested.

As for endings, most of the great ones I remember aren't SF. American Gothic, Forever Knight, Dead Like Me and such. As someone on the comments there said, if we ignore season 3 completely, we can count Millennium as well.

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

The hints of weirdness in season one become time-travel, immortality, probably nanotech, and possible aliens by season five. You should give it a go.

Ah, Dead Like Me... I loved that show. Can't wait for the movie!

[aidandoyle.livejournal.com]

The final episode of Blake's 7 probably made more of an impact on me as a kid than any other TV episode. I could still remember it 20 years later.
I actually rewatched the entire series last year. Was surprised at how good a lot of it still was.

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

Ditto! Hence my willingness to rip it off wholesale for Evergence. :-)

Also, the Liberator was the coolest space ship EVER.

[aidandoyle.livejournal.com]

I'll have to track down a copy of Evergence. :-)
I was never a Star Trek fan, even as a kid, Blake's 7 just struck me as a lot more realistic.

I'm off for 3 weeks vacation tomorrow. Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Taking the train from Perth to Sydney. Not quite as fast a way to travel as the Liberator. :-)

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

I didn't like Star Trek either, but I'm careful which crowd I admit that to. :-)

Remind me of your address and I'll send you a set of Evergence. (Found some in a cupboard last week and have been wondering what to do with them.) They'll be waiting for you when you get back. Bon voyage!

[aidandoyle.livejournal.com]

Cool. Thanks for that! I emailed you the address.

I suspected our tastes were very similar - my biggest childhood influences were Doctor Who & Star Wars. And we both liked Blake's 7 and didn't like Star Trek. :-)
When I was 9, my parents let me take the day off school and took me to meet Peter Davison when he came to Melbourne.

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

You met Davison? That's very cool! I am jealous.

One of the greatest thrills in my career was that Third Doctor story I got to write a couple of years ago, set between Jo and Sarah Jane. I am such a nerd!

Evergence is Star Wars meets Blake's 7, so I'm sure now that you'll like it. :-)

[aidandoyle.livejournal.com]

As a kid I lined up to meet Peter Davison. My brother lined up to meet Elle MacPherson. We had different priorities when we were kids. :-)

I didn't know you wrote a Doctor Who story. Where was that published?

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely on your side where priorities are concerned. :-)

My story, "Midnight in the Cafe of the Black Madonna", is the lead story in Destination Prague, an anthology depicting the Doctor's adventures in that other great European city. It's kinda hard to get the book here, but I'm hopeful the story will be reprinted in the bushfire relief fanzine, Hope (pardon the pun). Watch this space!

[ariaflame.livejournal.com]

I've seen the book in Perth, but at an OMG price (which I don't think was the fault of the booksellers)

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

No, it's expensive already OS, then freight and exchange rates kick in. Sigh. I'm really proud of that story, but hardly anyone's read it. :-)

[stephen-dedman.livejournal.com]

It's not my fault! All I can say is that I don't know of anyone selling them for less... and our remaining copies have already been signed by Sean.

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

You are definitely not to blame! We need you to make money and stay in business. :-)

[snorefish.livejournal.com]

I've found a great site for buying European books.

www.bookdepository.co.uk

Not only are their prices reasonable, but they have FREE airmail shipping worldwide.

I've ordered many books from the over the past two years, and the longest any book took was 10 days - in December.

Fabulous

AND they have Destination Prague (The Dr. Who thing Sean is in) for £13.49. (cheaper than Amazon)


That's 28.45 in Aussie DOllars.

p.s. - they have other Sean books too.

p.p.s. - Usual disclaimer, not connected with this company, just a very satisfied customer who has saved money on postage.

[bluetyson.livejournal.com]

Well, you might not get the creepy ending of that out of your head afterwards! I haven't!

[snorefish.livejournal.com]

The Liberator was indeed a great ship. My favourite.

I always wanted a plastic model of the Liberator but never found one.

Until recently - Titan Find make them, but their webpage is currently down. They are available from:

http://www.thecomicguru.co.uk/item.php?product=8145&sessionid=570272&pagetitle=Blake%27s%207%20The%20Liberator%2014%20Inch%20Model%20Kit%20(European%20Comic%20Guru%20Exclusive!)

Hmmm, if only I had AUD $286!!!

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

God, yes. I'd love one of these. Next advance, maybe...

[(Anonymous)]

Found an alternate link to the manufacturers site:

Also shows the Federation pursuit ships, Scorpio and others they have

http://homepage.mac.com/szarchie/titanfind/products.htm

(and no, I have nothing to do with this company!)

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

*drools*

Luckily the Liberator is out of stock, or I'd order it right now.

[possbert.livejournal.com]

At the end of the B7 episode, the ABC voice over person said, "Well! Weren't expecting that, were we??"

And we weren't.

[ashamel.livejournal.com]

My favourite ABC announcement was after one episode of Genesis of the Daleks, when Sarah Jane Smith is picking her way through an apocalyptic wasteland.

"Well, at least she remembered her yellow raincoat."

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

Ha! TV just isn't the same any more.

[tallaudrey.livejournal.com]

I loved this show. It rocked. Even Tanith Lee wrote for it.

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

Hey, I'd forgotten that. Thanks for the reminder.

[tallaudrey.livejournal.com]

I saw her talking about it last year at Orbital. And there was a panel about the radio plays the Beeb had been doing ... and the remaking of the tv series ...

[treefern.livejournal.com]

I loved Tanith Lee's episode - I've been getting as many of my friends as possible hooked on the whole series. Gritty writing, groundbreaking stuff (even with the occasional wobbly set!).

[tallaudrey.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm, wobbly sets.

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

And appalling hand-to-hand fight scenes. The lamest I've ever scene. I'm sure I used to think they were dramatic, but they're dead to me now. Buffy and Alias has ruined all TV combat pre-1997.

[tallaudrey.livejournal.com]

But then there was always the gracious and evil of Servalan to distract from many of the other issues. I want to be her when I grow up.

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

She was amazing, wasn't she? Probably the best female TV SF character ever.

I love that she designed her own costumes instead of being stuck in a crappy Federation uniform, as was the original plan. That and Travis's horrid patch made the villains as distinctive as the heroes, in their brown jumpsuits and wood-finished bridge. There's never been a show like it!

[tallaudrey.livejournal.com]

I *still* want her wardrobe.

[treefern.livejournal.com]

Totally gorgeous.

- and what about the two or three locations that were *all* the alien planets? There was the power station, the disused quarry, a bit of forest - what else??

[firenzekat.livejournal.com]

I loved this show and still do. there have been so much fan-fiction written about what happened after the final scene...
but this capture cuts off all of the gunfire after Avon's smile and the lights dim....
My friend ran through that video so many times, counting shots and trying to distinguish Federation from other...
sigh..
must go watch it again!

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's a shame the video cuts the final moment. Burned in my memory, though. I'm not sure I completely understood how amazing it was, the first time I watched it. Arguably it's influenced the ending of every space opera series I've written.

[(Anonymous)]

Almost Shakespearean Sean, but not quite. The whole thing to me smacks of having to finish things of in a hurry. Why after all this time and after going to considerable effort and risking death on numerous occasions in order to locate Blake does Avon shoot him dead without even hearing him out? Furthermore, why, after four seasons of consistently losing every shoot-out they have ever been in, do the Federation forces suddenly improve their marksmanship such that they can blow away the entire cast in about two minutes flat?

Don

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

Well, a lot of people die. That's something.