From: blakes7-d-request@lysator.liu.se Subject: blakes7-d Digest V99 #159 X-Loop: blakes7-d@lysator.liu.se X-Mailing-List: archive/volume99/159 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 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: 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" To: Subject: Re: [B7L] Re: Banning SF Message-ID: <010b01be995e$99536eb0$0c01a8c0@hedge> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Julia said: > That's what's so funny about it :-) I occasionally wonder if the English > enthusiasm for claiming the great non-English British writers (and > before anyone bitches, Ireland was part of Britain for many such) has > become so convincing that even the Irish forget where the Irish ones > came from. > > IIRC, I've only encountered this particular example of lack of > understanding of the concept "irony" in person once, but I don't think > it's just an urban legend. It's the people who don't realize it's irony but who think it's a good idea that you've really got to worry about. Una ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 17:14:32 +0100 From: "Una McCormack" To: "lysator" Cc: "Space City" Subject: Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 5/6 Message-ID: <002401be996d$e1e615b0$0c01a8c0@hedge> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit 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" To: "lysator" Subject: Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 4/6 Message-ID: <001101be9902$819a25e0$1d438cd4@default> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit >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 To: "Blake's 7 list" Subject: Re: [B7L] Caption Contest Message-ID: <3734B8F7.ECABE9D7@earthlink.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 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 To: kalazar , "Blake's 7 list" Subject: Re: [B7L] Caption Contest Message-ID: <19990508225643.29147.rocketmail@web214.mail.yahoo.com> 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? 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 To: 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 . 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: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 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" To: "lysator" Subject: Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 5/6 Message-ID: <001b01be99b5$900c2d40$b018ac3e@default> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 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. 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. So it needs some squeezing. I like it enough to want to squeeze. 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" To: Subject: Re: [B7L] Horizon News Bulletin Message-ID: <000101be99b7$65e7af60$765495c1@MSNKevinPatrickMahoney> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 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" Subject: Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 5/6 Message-ID: <3735fb5b.261447417@access.mountain.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 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 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" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 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 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 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 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: 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 / \ | 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." 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 ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 02:16:42 -0700 From: "Paul E. Curtis" To: 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 $225 for the complete set. These prices include the cost of shipping within the United States, via USPS special standard delivery. (If you live elsewhere, or require a different method of delivery, please enquire.) And in case anybody's wondering, I haven't gone off _Blake's 7_ or anything...it's just that, since I recently bought a multistandard VCR and monitor, I've decided that I'd rather import the Contender releases, and watch B7 in glorious PAL. ;-) Thanks very much! --Paul Curtis ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 11:33:43 +0100 From: "Una McCormack" To: "lysator" Cc: "Space City" Subject: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 6/6 Message-ID: <015501be9a07$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" To: Subject: Re: [B7L] Horizon News Bulletin Message-ID: <001301be9a17$09a6bc40$5c4595c1@MSNKevinPatrickMahoney> Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0010_01BE9A1F.69E17700" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0010_01BE9A1F.69E17700 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable >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 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 

>Terry's script was complete, if I recall (that's the one = that=20 begins with an
>Avon in Waterloo-type supervised Federation = exile, gazing=20 morosely out over
>the ocean, and the Feds dump a trashed Vila at = his=20 feet). What it's going to
>resemble after Darrow and the others = are done=20 with it is anyone's guess. I'll
>watch it out of curiousity, but = I'm=20 looking forward to the US debut of JMS's
>Babylon 5 spin-off, = CRUSADE, on=20 June 8th a lot more.
>
>Leah
What's happening with CRUSADE?  Last I'd heard, it had been = cancelled=20 after a few episodes.
Kevin Mahoney
Buy books from Genre
------=_NextPart_000_0010_01BE9A1F.69E17700-- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 11:23:36 +0100 From: Julia Jones To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Cc: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L] Horizon News Bulletin Message-ID: In message <000101be99b7$65e7af60$765495c1@MSNKevinPatrickMahoney>, kevin mahoney 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: 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 To: Lysator List Subject: Re: [B7L] The final results of the ever-running Blake's 7 Q-study: 5/6 Message-ID: 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 **************************************