From: blakes7-d-request@lysator.liu.se Subject: blakes7-d Digest V98 #82 X-Loop: blakes7-d@lysator.liu.se X-Mailing-List: archive/volume98/82 Precedence: list MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/digest; boundary="----------------------------" To: blakes7-d@lysator.liu.se Reply-To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se ------------------------------ Content-Type: text/plain blakes7-d Digest Volume 98 : Issue 82 Today's Topics: Re: [B7L] epitaph Re: [B7L] epitaphs [B7L] Caste testing Re: [B7L] Vila's accepting nature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 19:52:16 +0000 From: Katharine Woods To: Kathryn Andersen Subject: Re: [B7L] epitaph Message-ID: <35083CF0.443822AB@whitecrow.demon.co.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > --------------------------------- > Here lies Blake, bullets in his chest > Shot by a friend who was somewhat stressed. > --------------------------------- LOL. > What can I say? That was what the Muse told me. Fast traveller that Muse. Down went Vila, heroic at the last. Felled untimely by a trooper's blast. Katharine (Woods) kjw@whitecrow.demon.co.uk PS Katharine replies to Kathryn - let confusion reign. :-) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Mar 98 12:18:00 PST From: "Taylor, Steve [MIS]" To: "Blake's 7 list" , Katharine Woods Subject: Re: [B7L] epitaphs Message-ID: <350994CC@courier.lmu.ac.uk> Away went Cally, buried underground Like all telepaths,with hardly a sound Off went Jenna, lost without a trace Never to be seen again, such a pretty face Gan, but not forgotten As for the end of Blake - all I can say is 'Don't answer the door if you hear "Ding, Dong; Avon Calling"' SteveT ---------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Mar 1998 16:44:31 +1000 From: Tim Richards & Narrelle Harris To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: [B7L] Caste testing Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19980314164431.007ac9c0@wire.net.au> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I had always assumed that VIla, if not lying, was certainly stretching the truth somewhat. It struck me that a testing system wasn't unlikely and had probably been introduced early on (a hundred or more years previously) in a truly egalatarian attempt to match intellect/personality with a suitable job. in time this evolved into a marked class system. I expect the testing system was deeply flawed - or became so - as any attempt to pigeonhole humanity will usually end up backfiring on someone somewhere. Of course, once the "smartest" folks, the Alpha Grades, estabalished their control in admin, politics and law, there was no way they would let *their* kids, however average or even downright stupid, end up in the labour grades. How embarrassing! Social death! So... some forms of the testing were kept, mostly to capture potential troublemakers... oops... bright young things, I mean, from the lower grades and bring them into the Beta grades (at most) to keep an eye on them. Only exceptional Betas might be conscripted upwards into Alpha. My latest theory on Avon's tortured background :-) is that he was actually Beta grade born and shifted up into Alpha, but always a second class Alpha in the view of the Alphas around him. SO there he was - given up to the State by his family, taken in by people who resented his new grading, without wealth or security. Just his intellect. Awwww. By the way, I've read a very amusing story in which Vila actually *did* purchase his grading in a way. He scored very highly and was likely to have been graded into the armed services - a pilot or the like - dangerous stuff - so he bribed the tester to switch his scores with an Alpha lad who'd scored a particularly low grade. A blue-eyed, curly-haired young thing named Del. :-) (Relle now seeks asylum from the Tarrant Nostra. Anyone out there willing to hide me in their attics for a while???) Narrelle ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tim Richards and Narrelle Harris parallax@wire.net.au http://www.wire.net.au/~parallax "Look, he's winding up the watch of his wit; by and by it will strike." - Shakespeare ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 17:19:34 +1030 From: "Ophelia" To: Subject: Re: [B7L] Vila's accepting nature Message-ID: <01bd4d83$04291e20$LocalHost@waltersmith> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit [Carol K] wrote, re my loving tribute to a certain adorable thief's better qualities: >The way he was concerned about Dayna and Tarrant when he tried to convince Avon >to leave them behind in "Traitor"? The way he was concerned about Avon, Blake, >and Calley in "Star One" when he tried to convince Jenna to run, and leave them >behind. The way he was concerned about the entire crew in "Shadow" when he left >his post to go to Space City and get drunk and enjoy? > >Villa *is not* a complete sweetie, who cares about people. He's no better and >no worse than any of the rest of our beloved motley crew(s). How *could* you say that about my baby? All I can say is that I don't for one minute believe that Vila seriously meant to abandon them. You notice he didn't actually *do* it, just whined that they should. Normal venting, I'd say. Whenever some act of heroic self-sacrifice was actually *needed* (e.g. "Aftermath," "Breakdown," "City") he generally came through with flying colours. Protective cynicism should be distinguished from actuall hard-heartedness. As for "Space CIty" and "Gambit," I guess he saw it as a little bit of harmless hedonistic fun. I doubt he *really* thought they'd all get killed - he would have been stuffed if they did, for starters. >Except, of course, for Avon -- who is totally misunderstood and really has a >caring heart of gold and a genuine love of humankind -- and who would, without >hesitation, gladly sacrifice himself to save his crew. - XXX Lindley Ophelia - ophelia@picknowl.com.au "The girl has beauty, virtue, wit, Grace, humour, wisdom, charity and pluck." -------------------------------- End of blakes7-d Digest V98 Issue #82 *************************************