[January, 1996. This revision updates the April 1995 Blake's 7 FAQ. Several changes have been made: the directions on acessing files via ftp, gopher, and the web are gone but addresses remain; the netiquette section has been dropped; some addresses in the on-line and other resources sections have been changed; most importantly, the information about subbing and unsubbing has changed. Please save that portion of the FAQ for future use. Copyright 1996 by Susan Clerc except where other contributors are noted.. Please send comments to sclerc@bgnet.bgsu.edu.] I. INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Blake's 7 mailing list! This FAQ file is meant to answer some of the Frequently Asked Questions about the series, the list, and B7 fandom, not necessarily in that order. Please read the file and save it for later reference, even if you already know it all. Make that *especially* if you know it all. The file is divided into 6 sections: [* indicates something new or different from the last version of the FAQ] I. Introduction II. Administrivia: A. About the list B. Subscribing* C. Unsubscribing* D. Problems and help* E. Spoilers F. Topics and posting guidelines 1. Why isn't there a newsgroup 2. The slash/anti-slash debate III. Series basics and some FAQs about the series: A. When was it on? B. Who played who (and how do you spell it)? C. How many episodes are there? 1. Episode list 2. On-line episode guide* 3. Print episode guide D. How can I get copies of the episodes? 1. U.S. and Canada 2. U.K. 3. Australia 4. Elsewhere 5. Asking on the list E. Will there be a sequel? 1. The odds are against it 2. What would it be about? 3. So who survived the final shoot out? 4. Why did Avon have to kill him and where was Servalan? 5. Avon ducked and other survival tips F. Other FAQs IV. List of lists and the dates they were last posted V. On-line resources* A. What's out there? 1. General* 2. Lysator* 3. Web sites* 4. Space-City mailing list* VI. Other resources* A. Fan clubs* B. Conventions* C. Fan fiction and other merchandise* D. Books connected to the series* ----------- PART II. ADMINISTRIVIA A. About the list: The Blake's 7 Internet list is for discussion of any and all topics relating to the British science fiction series, Blake's 7. The list is owned and maintained by Calle Dybedahl through Lysator, a computer society in Sweden. The list has been in existence since November, 1992. B. Subscribing: To recieve the list in single-mail form, Send e-mail to blakes7-request@lysator.liu.se with the word SUBSCRIBE as the subject. To receive the list in digest form, send e-mail to blakes7-d-request@lysator.liu.se with the word SUBSCRIBE as the subject. To change from single-mail to digest or vice versa, unsubscribe from the undesired form and subscribe to the desired form. C. Unsubscribing: Send e-mail to blakes7-request@lysator.liu.se with the word UNSUBSCRIBE as the subject if you get the list in single-mail form. Send e-mail to blakes7-d-request@lysator.liu.se with the word UNSUBSCRIBE as the subject if you get the list in digest form. 1. Do NOT send unsubscribe requests to the list. 2. blakes7-request@lysator.liu.se and blakes7-d-request@lysator.liu.se are the only addresses that will work. 3. Do NOT send unsubscribe requests to the list. 4. Your request will be read by a automated server. It is not very clever, but it does respond fairly quickly. If you have not gotten any response at all after 24 hours, send polite mail to calle@lysator.liu.se about it. Calle is a real human being, and will (hopefully) respond more intelligently than the robot, although quite possibly not as quickly. 5. Do NOT send unsubscribe requests to the list. D. Problems and help: Address questions and help requests to Calle (calle@lysator.liu.se). E. Spoilers: We don't use them. Lists and newsgroups devoted to current series like Deep Space Nine and Babylon 5 usually include a spoiler notice on posts about new episodes. That way, people who haven't seen the episode can either avoid the post or read it at the risk of having plot points "spoiled" by premature revelation. B7 is different: it has been out of production since 1981 and there is no reliable way of knowing who is seeing it for the first time now. Conversation on the B7 list generally assumes that everyone has seen all or most of the episodes. If we didn't, we'd have to announce SPOILER at the start of virtually every post. F. Topics and posting guidelines: Anything even tangentially linked to Blake's 7 is fair game. We discuss the series, things related to the series, and sometimes things completely unrelated to the series. If you're new to Blake's 7, you might find some of the discussions a bit too involved at first. B7 has been a round a long time and so have some of the people on the list. That is to say, they've been talking about B7 for a long time and they've given a lot of thought to profound issues like where Dayna was hiding that wind-up toy in "City at the Edge of the World" and whether Avon had a difficult childhood or was just born ornery. So their posts can be a bit much at first. Fortunately, there are also a lot of people new to the series, too, and they're in the enviable position of seeing it all with fresh eyes and maybe coming up with some fresh twists. There are two topics that resurface quite often--whether to create a newsgroup for the series, and slash fan fiction. To prevent repetitious posts about them, summaries of the issues are presented below. 1. Why isn't there a newsgroup? by Michelle Moyer (MichelleM1@aol.com) Why isn't there a newsgroup? This question gets posted in some incarnation every few months, stirring up a fair bit of discussion. Proponents of a newsgroup point out that mailing list traffic is frequently heavy and that a newsgroup would draw far more people in. Many of them prefer their newsreader to their mail program, as well, or would like to be able to use killfiles to delete subjects that don't interest them. And, of course, we wouldn't get 20 "unsubscribe" messages every term. However, many people on the mailing list prefer it to be kept as a mailing list, for equally valid reasons. Some people aren't able to access newsgroups. Some are concerned that the discussion would turn into a series of flamewars, which has happened on some Usenet newsgroups. Some have found that it's cheaper for them to download their e-mail than to read a newsgroup. And some just prefer that format, for whatever reason. It's impossible to set up an either-or situation that will please everyone. However, it's fairly obvious that the newsgroup proponents don't hate the idea of a mailing list (or why would they have subscribed?) and most of the mailing list supporters don't object to a newsgroup as long as it is in *addition* to the mailing list. If you really want a B7 newsgroup, the best thing to do would NOT be to post messages complaining about the lack of a newsgroup or berating list members for having chosen to conduct their discussions via e-mail. Instead, research what it would take to create a B7 newsgroup and decide whether or not you think it's worth pursuing. If it is, post a message to the mailing list explaining what you are doing and asking people to e-mail you if they're interested. And once you *do* have a newsgroup operational, be sure you post the news to the list so that interested list members can participate! 2. The slash/anti-slash debate a. The anti-slash position by Kathryn Andersen What is Slash? Slash is fan fiction which portrays characters in a homosexual relationship, and derives its name from the slash '/' character used in describing such stories, such as "a Kirk/Spock story". Most of the time, a slash story is explicitly sexual, but a story does not need to contain sex scenes to be considered slash. Arguments against homosexual/homoerotic fiction I'll try here to lay out the various reasons I think people would object to homosexual fiction. I think there's a spectrum of views... (1) Those who object to homosexuality, full stop. (2) Those who object to the explicit portrayal of homosexual acts. (3) Those who object to the particular characters engaging in homosexual acts. (4) Those who wish to support the author's right to say "no". Reason #1: (the "religious" reason) Homosexuality is wrong, it is unnatural and perverted, therefore homoerotic fiction is wrong. Here, it is not a matter of taste, it is a matter of morals. The motivation here is to if possible prevent the corruption of other people's morals, and indeed, the duty to point out where people are going astray, like a watchman on a city who warns of enemy approach: to remain silent is to fall down in one's duty. This, however, is the weakest reason, because there is no common ground for discussion, and persons of religious persuasion are treated like madmen: they get humoured, and everything they say is ignored. Reason #2 is the pornography reason, and arguments usually get bogged down over the definition of pornography. My dictionary says: "Writings, pictures, films etc designed to stimulate sexual excitement". One person's pornography is another person's erotica. Erotica: "explicitly sexual literature or art". As you can see, the difference is merely in the connotations of both words. The people who hold to reason #2 usually don't like "adult" zines either. This again, is a matter of morals. Thus the debates can get very heated. Reason #3 is the character reason; that you consider it an unacceptable distortion of the characters for them to engage in homosexual intercourse. Of course, people who hold reason #1 would probably hold reasons #2 and #3 as well. For people who don't care about homosexuality per se, they might find it still unacceptable, from the context of a series, to make a *particular* character homosexual, because there is no evidence to support it. Mind you, with BBC shows there's no evidence to support anything except celibacy, so arguing from the show is usually fruitless, because those who want sex say "well, its the BBC, of course there wasn't any sex, but if it had been realistic, there would have been." It's not the sort of logic you can really argue with. However, if a person only holds reason #3, then there could exist homosexual fiction that they wouldn't object to, simply because it was so well and persuasively written that the (change in the) character was believable. This reason falls into a matter of taste, rather than morals, I think. 4) Author's rights This is a sub-category or corollory of reason #3. That a character could not be homosexual because the author says so. This generates a heated debate about the nature of fanfic: some say, well, the author has no rights, I can interpret it however I like, and anyway, we have the implicit approval of the author because nobody's been sued yet. And the counterargument is that if an author says it aint so, then it aint so. This can get quite tricky because (a) with a TV show such as Blake's 7, there is no one author, unlike with a book. One could consider at least two primary sets of authors: the script-writers, who wrote the words, and the actors, who "became" the characters. (b) taking the implications far enough it could be argued that all fanfic is wrong, and many people disagree with that: even the ones who don't like homosexual fiction usually like fanfic. Strangely enough, this one again is a moral issue (thus generating yet more heated debate). The moral question is: do I have the right to be completely inconsiderate of others' (the author's) wishes, or will I just do what I want because *I* want to do so, and damn anyone else who might be hurt by it. Hurt by it? Yes, because having one's creation misused/abused by others is hurtful. A minor footnote to this is the objections to stories that portray, not the characters, but the actual actors, in homosexual situations. Such stories *have* been written, and the actors in question would have every right to object to them. So in what category does sexually explicit illustrations fit? COUNTER-ARGUMENTS Here I try to counter some of the arguments from the pro-homosexual fiction side of the debate. 1) "Nobody forces anyone to read slash" Spurrious argument. It is impossible to force anyone to read anything, so of course no one can be *forced* to read homosexual fiction. There are, however, such things as peer pressure, and misinformation. Peer Pressure: this isn't conscious at all, it's just that if one's peers consider homosexual fiction to be the thing that all tolerant and fun-loving people ought to be reading, it will be hard for some people to say no. Given the predominance of homosexual fiction in USA fan culture, it is only fair to give people an alternative view. Misinformation: it is very easy to mail-order a homosexual (or adult) fiction zine without having the faintest idea that it is erotica, until you start reading the first story in the zine. (This has happened more than once to friends of mine) By that time, it is too late: my right *not* to read homosexual fiction has been violated; my brain has been polluted with images I would rather not have been there. It is like going into a movie that one thought was rated 'G' only to find it is an 'R' rated movie. 2) "Why don't you go away and stop bothering us?" We don't wish to be censored any more than you do. I'm sure you would be a lot more comfortable if everybody agreed with you, but life isn't meant to be comfortable. 3) "Why don't you worry about the starving in Africa instead?" Spurrious argument. The starving in Africa, or whatever other issue you care to mention is a fine thing to worry about, but hardly the thing which is appropriate to discuss on a Blake's 7 mailing list. Homosexual fiction is, because it is so widespread in Blake's 7 fandom. 4) "Anti-slash people have been really nasty to me" This is a measure of the hot-headedness of the proponents, and how strongly they feel about the issue. Being insulted does not justify insulting others, and insults have no bearing on the validity of the arguments of either side. They just serve to stir up mud. Remember: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me." -- Kathryn Andersen, March 1995 ******************************************** b. The pro-slash position by Susan B. Schnitger (sbs@world.std.com) Slash fiction, the pro side "Slash" (stories that posit that characters of the same sex from a media show are sexually involved with each other) is simply one of the subgenres of fan fiction, but easily the most controversial. Many object to slash, usually for reasons based on ethics, morality, religion or taste. Obviously these are all subjective matters: what one person finds offensive the next finds acceptable or even delightful. Since there is no absolute judgement possible, debating slash on those terms is as futile as trying to settle which is the "best" flavor of ice cream or the "true" religion. What can be said objectively is that the writers of slash are taking someone else's creations and playing with them, extending their adventures and exploring the possibilities that they find intriguing. This is *exactly* the same thing that *all* writers of fan-fiction do. The main difference is that, as a generalization, slash is more concerned with exploring the personalities of the characters and how they interact and less concerned with the "hardware" of the B7 universe or creating another "could have been an episode" type action-adventure story. Reading slash, like reading fan fiction of any type, is an entirely voluntary diversion. Zines must be sought out, ordered and paid for. Those of us who like slash would never dream of forcing anyone who doesn't to read it. We simply wish those who dislike slash would be equally as respectful of our rights to enjoy it. [The "Generic Slash Defense Form Letter" is a very long, reasonably comprehensive listing of the objections to slash and specific arguments that have been posted to answer them. It can be found as a file called slash.defense in the B7 archives at ftp.lysator.liu.se.] ---------------------------- PART III: SERIES BASICS A. When was it on? January 2,1978 - December 21,1981. Since 1986, it has been making the rounds of PBS stations in the U.S. The Sci Fi Channel (cable network) reportedly bought exclusive airing rights in 1993, but the series has not yet appeared. B. Who played who (and how do you spell it)? The main cast of characters were, roughly in order of appearance: Character Episodes Actor Roj Blake (1-26,39,52) Gareth Thomas Vila Restal (1-52) Michael Keating Jenna Stannis (1-26) Sally Knyvette Kerr Avon (2-52) Paul Darrow Olag Gan (2-18) David Jackson Zen (Voice) (3-39) Peter Tuddenham Cally** (4-39) Jan Chappell Servalan* (6-51) Jacqueline Pearce Travis 1* (6-13) Stephen Greif Orac (Voice) (13) Derek Farr Orac (Voice) (14-52) Peter Tuddenham Travis 2 * (14-26) Brian Croucher Dayna Mellanby (27-52) Josette Simon Del Tarrant (27-52) Steven Pacey Slave (Voice) (40-52) Peter Tuddenham Soolin (40-52) Glynis Barber * Not in every episode ** Voice heard in episode 40 Trivia: Vila is the only character to appear in all 52 episodes no matter how hard some people try to convince themseves that's really Avon in the corner of the cell. Glynis Barber played a mutoid in the first season episode "Project Avalon." C. How many episodes are there? Fifty-two. It ran for 4 seasons (or series, if you're British) of 13 episodes each. 1. Episode titles for the four seasons: Series A Series C The Way Back Aftermath Space Fall Powerplay Cygnus Alpha Volcano Time Squad Dawn of the Gods The Web Harvest of Kairos Seek-Locate-Destroy City at the Edge of the World Mission to Destiny Children of Auron Duel Rumours of Death Project Avalon Sarcophagus Breakdown Ultraworld Bounty Moloch Deliverance Death-Watch Orac Terminal Series B Series D Redemption Rescue Shadow Power Weapon Traitor Horizon Stardrive Pressure Point Animals Trial Headhunter Killer Assassin Hostage Games Countdown Sand Voice from the Past Gold Gambit Orbit The Keeper Warlord Star One Blake 2. On-line episode guide An episode guide with brief summaries and biased (IMO) character sketches is available through anonymous ftp and gopher at src.doc.ic.ac.uk in the directory media/tv/collections /tardis/uk/sci-fi/Blakes7. The URL is http://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/ public/media/tv/collections/tardis/uk/sci-fi/Blakes7. 3. Print episode guide Attwood, Tony. TERRY NATION'S BLAKE'S 7: THE PROGRAMME GUIDE. London: Virgin, 1994. ISBN 0 426 19449 7. This is the revised version of an earlier edition published in 1982 and reprinted in 1987. D. How can I get copies of the episodes? All 52 episodes have been released on professional videotapes with two episodes per tape. (NB: At least two episodes have been edited: "Space Fall" is missing part of a fight scene between Avon and the computer room technician. The scene does appear on the tapes supplied to PBS stations so if you taped off the air, you would have the scene. In "Rescue," a brief shot of Vila looking longingly at the wine bottle after he kicks the Federation rifle is missing. Aired versions of the episodes have also been cut when shown on commercial networks. Here's how to get them: 1. In the U.S. and Canada: Until recently, Video Catalog (1-800- 733-2232) and Science Fiction Continuum (1-800-232-6002) had all 26 professional tapes. Current stock varies. The current price via catalog is $19.95 per tape. SFC usually has a table at major conventions, like Visions. 800-Trekker also sells them for $24.95 per tape at last report. Some Suncoast Video and Borders bookstores also carry the tapes but availablility of particular episodes varies store to store. 2. In the U.K.: The tapes may or may not be available, and they may or may not be released at a lower price later in the year. If you look around at enough video or bookstores, you will probably be able to find them. Horizon (see address in Part VI) may also have some copies available in PAL format. 3. In Australia: ABC Shops, most department stores and video outlets sell them for $29.95. 4. Elsewhere: If you are not in the U.K., North America, or Australia, you might have to get copies from the BBC. 5. Strapped for cash? You can ask on the list for someone to take pity on you and copy a few episodes. E. Will there ever be a sequel? 1. The odds are against it. When B7 first hit the U.S., there was already an active fan community. Conventions with Terry Nation, Paul Darrow, and Michael Keating were held in Chicago and Newark and elsewhere. At that time, only 5 years after the series went off the air, a sequel seemed possible. Nothing grew out of the early excitement, however, and right now--more than a decade after the series stopped production-- it is unlikely there will ever be a sequel. 2. What would it be about? What Terry Nation had planned for a sequel is a bit vague, but clues dropped in interviews indicate that Avon would have been in exile since Gauda Prime, living under some kind of truce with the Federation. (Darrow likened him to Napoleon at Elba, poised for the 100 days.) Rumors of someone using Blake's name and creating trouble reach him, as do Federation officials who want him to check out these rumors. To prove his loyalty (or something like that) he is told to kill an old friend who turns out to be Vila...It would go on from there. 3. So who survived the final shoot-out? Both Chris Boucher, who was in charge of the series at that time, and Terry Nation have repeatedly said that the finale was meant to be a cliff-hanger in case there was another season. If there had been, whoever wanted to come back would have been alive and whoever wanted to leave would have been dead. 4. Why did Avon have to kill him and where was Servalan? Gareth Thomas had it stipulated in his contract that Blake had to die in the episode. Paul Darrow has said at conventions that he suggested that Avon be the one to kill him. Janet Lees Price, Darrow's wife, wanted to have a part in the finale and took the role of Klyn (so her husband shot her). Jacqueline Pearce was contracted for a specific number of guest appearances for the season and they had already been used up by the time of "Blake," furthermore, the budget didn't extend to the cost of a voice-over (like they used for Cally's death). That is the official reson that Servalan is not in the final episode. At conventions the actors have sometimes referred to it as "Boucher's Revenge," but, to paraphrase Vila in "Volcano," "they say a lot of things. That doesn't mean you have to believe them." Darrow has voiced complaints several times about the entire crew getting shot/killed at once; he would've preferred killing them off one at a time over the course of several episodes. 5. Avon ducked and other survival tips: There are many, many ways to explain the survival of various characters. Fan fiction is rife with stories that let Our Heroes live to fight another day. Here's a brief list of some of the more common ploys, each of which has a myriad of variations. (Partly derived from a longer version posted Jan 22, 1994 by Nicole Vifian): Avon ducked and the troopers killed each other in the crossfire. Vila was shot in the back but fell the wrong way, ergo he wasn't shot. Avon-and-Blake-set-all-this-up. Servalan-set-all-this-up. Orac-set-all-this-up. Something-else-set-all-this-up. It was the clone. The Dallas version: the 4th season was all a dream. F. Other FAQs/observations: Certain questions seem to come up again and again. They reappear because there is no official answer other than "oops! the writers goofed," and that leaves the door open for us to speculate and offer our own theories. Remember: there is no such thing as one right answer, but everyone thinks their answer is the one right one. A few of the much-discussed topics (a longer list of Frequently UnAnswered Questions is posted periodically by its compiler, Kathryn Andersen): Why is Vila the only man called by his first name? Why do the stories about Auron in the first and third season conflict? Why didn't Blake just kill Travis when he had the chance(s)? What happened to the 4 months between taking Liberator and arriving at Cygnus Alpha? Hey, the Federation symbol is a lot like the one from Star Trek turned sideways! Travis was marked so why didn't he die when Servalan used Imipak on the guard? What is the difference between time distort and standard by whatever? Was Avon a bubble off plumb in season 4? Was Blake a terrorist or a freedom fighter? Hey, it could have been Blake's clone on Gauda Prime! Is it true Paul Darrow deliberately hammed it up in "Timelash" as revenge for Colin Baker's performance in "City at the Edge of the World"? A few questions that routinely create long discussions on the list are: How did you get hooked on the series? How do you get others hooked on the series? Anything about slash. --------------------- PART IV. LIST OF LISTS AND WHEN THEY WERE LAST POSTED. This is a list of lists that have been posted. It is not exhaustive and it will be updated as new lists are posted or as the mood takes me. There is often a discrepancy of a few days between the date the post went out on the list and the date of the digest in which it is included. For this reason, and to catch any follow-up discssuions/corrections, you may need to recover the archive digests for a few days after the dates given below. Actors' other roles: Nov. 20, 1992 Frequently UnAnswered Questions: January 14, 1995 Recurring Themes in Fan Fiction: July 10 and 11, 1995 Costume Index: available from Jean Graham (jeanb7@aol.com) and the ftp files (pub/blake7/misc) Gauda Prime blue print of the final shoot-out: May 18, 1994 Morbidity rates: May 20, 1994 Characters' Ages: June 2, 1994 Reappearing guest actors: June 6, 1994 B7 Avatars in professional fiction: March 18, 1995 (also a separate file in the ftp files) Errors, bloopers, etc: June 14, 1994, with ongoing sporadic additions Recycled props: June 15, 1994 Disembodied voices (uses and abuses of telepathy): June 15, 1994 Filming sites: June 18, 1994 Lions and tigers and bears, oh my (animals): June 21, 1994 Games people play: June 21, 1994 In search of...(3rd and 4th season Blake references): June 21, 1994 Address list (gen zines, merchandise, clubs): March 12, 1995 Drinking Game: September 12, 1994 Adult/Slash zine address list: September 7 and October 8, 1994 Food, glorious food (and alcohol): January 17, 1995. ----------------------------------- PART V: ON-LINE RESOURCES A. What's out there? 1. General Among the many goodies you can find on-line are episode guides, transcripts of the episodes, pictures, sound files, and backlogs of the list. The files at Lysator are accessible through anonymous ftp, gopher, and web browsers. Other web sites are listed below. 2. Lysator a. ftp.lysator.liu.se (ftp is part of the address, don't omit it) b. http://www.lysator.liu.se/universe/ then click on LSFF c. ftp://ftp.lysator.liu.se/pub/blake7 (note there is no S in blake7) d. http://ftp.lysator.liu.se/pub/blake7 Lysator's main directory [explanatory notes in brackets]: archive [backlog of list mail] images [pictures in .jpg or .gif format] incoming [stuff for Calle to add to the files] misc [fanzine addresses, pictures, credits for the series, round robin stories, Blake Revisited] scripts [episode transcripts] sounds [to play on your computer] 3. Web sites Lee Butler's Blake's 7 Page http://hawks.ha.md.us/blake7/ Pictures, sounds, the last version of this FAQ, a link to Lysator's files, episode summaries, and more. Kathryn Andersen's Home Page http://connexus.apana.org.au/~kat Blake's 7-fanzine-address listing which is updated periodically. It also contains some Blake's 7-related articles, such as instructions on how to build a teleport bracelet out of cardboard. Collection of Blake's 7 quotes and links to other Blake's 7 web pages. Sue Clerc's Blake's 7 Page http://www.bgsu.edu/~sclerc/Blakes7.html FAQs, the drinking game, recurring themes in B7 fan fic, a partial bibliography of books and articles, and links to other sites. Pcitures never before seen on the net will be added as time and toys allow. Horizon (fan club. For more information see Part VI) http://www.dircon.co.uk/horizon The web page includes info about the club, newsletter, and merchandise. ORAC (Fan club. For more information see Part VI) http://rampages.onramp.net/~jisham/orac.htm. It's mainly publicity for the club, meeting time information, and so forth but more links will be added in time. Who's 7 1996 - "Who's 7 Strikes Back" Web Site http://www.ftech.net/~whos7/ Who's 7 is a combined Blake's 7 and Doctor Who convention that's taking place in October 1996 in Kent, England. The web page is full of convention information, but it also has links to other B7 sites. There are many other web pages with Blake's 7-related material on them. Lycos and Webcrawler, two of the more popular search engines, are good ways of keeping your bookmarks up to date as new URLs appear. If you have a web page you would like listed in the next version of the FAQ, e-mail me at sclerc@bgnet.bgsu.edu. 4. Space City mailing list Although discussion of sexual relationships among the B7 characters is permitted (and welcomed by most) on the B7 list, an alternative mailing list for such discussion also exists. It's called Space-City and the listowner is Susan B. Schnitger. To subscribe: a. send a message to: sbs@world.std.com b. include the word "subscribe" in the subject line c. the body of your message *must* include the essential equivalent of the following: I understand that the messages on the Adult Blake 7 mail list may include explicit sexual subject matter. I am over the age of 18, which is the age of majority in my locale, and I consent to receive messages of this nature. Signed: Susan Schnitger Email address: sbs@world.std.com Date: 8/21/95 ---------------------------- PART VI: OTHER RESOURCES B7 fandom has been around since the series started. In the U.S., fans were already flocking to the series before it even aired on PBS in 1986. There are many fan clubs, tons of fan fiction, and lots of souvenirs to spend your money on. A. Fan clubs and newsletters: Kathryn Andersen's long list of fan club and fanzine editors' addresses can be found in the ftp files at lysator in the misc subdirectory (pub/blake7/misc)under the file name "addresses" and at her web page (see above ) Rather than repeat all that, I've listed the names and addresses of organizations who have members on the list. Horizon: the Blake's 7 Appreciation Society Dues include the big, glossy, irregularly-published newsletter. E-mail: horizon@lehman.com Web: http://www.dircon.co.uk/horizon ORAC (Organized Response to Avon's Call) Dues include the newsletter, Tarriel Cell. E-mail: Jisham@onramp.net Web: http://rampages.onramp.net/~jisham/orac.htm Revel Times Newsletter Jean Graham 5417 Streamview Dr. San Diego CA 92105 E-mail: jgraham@pnet01.cts.com B. Conventions There used to be conventions just for B7 but there haven't been in the last few years. If you want to see any of the cast, your best bets are Visions and Who's 7. VISIONS is held annually over Thanksgiving weekend in Chicago. The con specializes in British sf series like Dr. Who, Blake's 7, Red Dwarf, and so on. Recent B7 guests include Paul Darrow, Gareth Thomas, and Jacqueline Pearce. For information write to Her Majesty's Entertainment, P.O. Box 1202, Highland Park IL 60035-1202. Phone: 708 405-9461. Web: http://www.xnet.com/~tardis WHO'S 7 is a British con for Dr. Who and B7, and will next be held in Ashford Kent the last weekend of October, 1996. E-mail: lexin@cix.compulink.co.uk Web: http://www.ftech.net/~whos7 C. Fan fiction and other merchandise Eager to find out how other people would write the crew off GP? Desperate for photos of the actors/characters? Dying for your own Liberator handgun and teleport bracelet? Longing to sip tea from a mug with the Federation logo? Unable to start your car without wishing for an Avon keyring? Of course you are! For one stop shopping, I suggest you send SASEs or SAE and IRCs (internation reply coupons, available at better post offices everywhere) to Horizon or Bill Hupe. Both have extensive lists of fanzines and stuff for sale--Hupe is apparently the U.S. agent for Horizon. If sending from the US overseas, many fans suggest sending a dollar for postage rather than using IRCs. For more fan fic addresses, check out Kathryn's list of gen sources (at her web site) and Ann's list of slash and adult sources (in the Lysator archives somewhere around September 7 and October 8, 1994). You might also consider going to MediaWest, a media con held annually in Lansing, MI (http://home.aol.com/MdiaWstCon). Many media zines debut there every year and it's an excellent place to find cheap, used zines. If you're in contact with other fans online, you might also ask them to lend you a zine or to copy a specific story. Bill Hupe and Peg Kennedy 916 Lamb Rd. Mason, MI 48854 Horizon E-mail: horizon@lehman.com Web: http://www.dircon.co.uk/horizon D. Books connected to the series: A number of books related to the series exist. There are 3 novelizations of episodes, an "official" sequel, a book about Avon by Paul Darrow, the program guide, and the recent book about the making of the series. Attwood, Tony. AFTERLIFE. London: Target Books, reprinted 1987. ISBN 0 426 19924 3. [This is the widely reviled official sequel. Not official in the sense that this is what Terry Nation had planned, only in the sense that Attwood had permission to use the names] Attwood, Tony. TERRY NATION'S BLAKE'S 7: THE PROGRAMME GUIDE. London: Virgin, 1994. ISBN 0 426 19449 7. This is the revised version of an earlier edition published in 1982 and reprinted in 1987. [The most comprehensive guide to the series at the moment. It contains some inaccuracies but is invaluable for dates and episode credits. It also has some photos and a few brief interviews] BLAKE'S 7 MONTHLY MAGAZINE [Twenty-two (?) issues of this were published by Marvel beginning in 1981] BLAKE'S 7 ANNUALS [Three of these were published] Darrow, Paul. AVON: A TERRIBLE ASPECT. NJ: Carol Paperbacks, 1989. ISBN 0 8216 2503 9. [Darrow's fan fiction about Avon's family and pre-series life. Like AFTERLIFE, the novel is held in very low esteem by the vast majority of fans who have read it] Hoyle, Trevor. BLAKE'S 7: THEIR FIRST ADVENTURE. NJ: Citadel, 1988. ISBN 0 8065 1103 6. [Novelization based on the first four episodes of the series] Hoyle, Trevor. PROJECT AVALON. NJ: Citadel, 1988. ISBN 0 8064 1102 8. [Novelization based on "Seek-Locate-Destroy," "Duel," "Project Avalon," and "Orac" with a little touch of "Deliverance"] Hoyle, Trevor. SCORPIO ATTACK. NJ: Citadel, 1988. ISBN 0 8065 1082 X. [Novelization based on "Rescue," "Traitor," and "Stardrive"] Rigelsford, Adrian. THE MAKING OF TERRY NATION'S BLAKE'S 7. London: Boxtree, 1995. ISBN 0 7522 0891 8. --------------------------