by Simon Hart

A domed city…

A man being tortured, screaming in agony…

A security camera is watching…

Watching everything…

A blood red storm trooper shooting…

The man being tortured turns face on and must be ELIMINATED!

A rush of stars and an amazing ship quickly passes many planets…

The first Blake’s 7 title sequence might be awkwardly created mixing models, graphics and animation and it does look a bit dated now, but the content is brilliant. Combined with Dudley Simpson’s perfect theme, we’re watching a classic TV title sequence. It sketches in the world of the series in a few basic images that sum up what we’re about to see. The "Big Brother" style state is introduced to us in a series of images that we can understand and piece together and you have some idea that this man being tortured is some kind of enemy of this state. It might look cheap and be executed less than perfectly, but its head and shoulders thematically over the other two Blake's 7 titles sequences, which we’ll come to later.

The third century of the second calendar isn’t a very good time to be alive. Earth and its colony worlds are run by The Federation, a military dictatorship that keeps its population docile by pumping the air, water supplies and food full of suppressants. Any rogue elements are either eliminated by the military or are deported to the outer worlds or to the penal planets, such as Cygnus Alpha.

The Federation is run by The High Council, headed by the President which has an uneasy relationship with the military wing of the Federation, run from Space Command, by Supreme Commander Servalan. The balance of power between them is delicate, with many believing that Space Command runs the Federation, but they do not seem to be above influence and pressure from the High Council when necessary.

There are hints that there have been previous uprisings by some individuals. For instance there are a group of outsiders who live free of the suppressants in one of the domed cities on Earth, who are attempting to rise against the Federation… but they need a figurehead that will unite all those who want to stand against the Federation. He’s stood against them before, but has been brainwashed into becoming a model citizen again. A group has made contact with him and have asked him not to eat or drink for 48 hours. His name is Roj Blake…

As the series starts Blake is a reformed character, having been brainwashed into leaving his revolutionary past behind and becoming a model Federation citizen. He turns his back on that life as the conditioning begins to break down after his contact with a group of outsiders who want to resist the rule of the Federation and he discovers his family aren’t actually on the outer worlds after all, but have been slaughtered as a result of his previous stand against the Federation.

After being caught with the rebels and put on trial for false child molestation charges, he is sentenced to life on the penal planet of Cygnus Alpha. It’s on penal transport ship, the London that Blake first meets many of the other criminals who’ll later join his crusade against the Federation, many of whom quickly become involved in his attempt to take control of the ship. This fails, but because of his involvement, he is part of a crew that is sent to board a mysterious ship that is seemingly drifting through space close to The London. He sets about getting a crew for this ship and begins his fight against the Federation…

Some of the crew are there because they want to help, others because they have nowhere else to go, but Blake’s determination and self belief is what holds his crew together. He’s a crusader, determined to bring about change through attacking key Federation bases and personnel. Some may say he’s a terrorist trying to bring change about through violence; certainly at times his zeal for his cause borders on the obsessive, yet his crew still follow him into some potentially difficult and dangerous situations because of his belief that he’s helping all the people who won’t make a stand. The legends around him start to build Blake into a hero for the people and the Federation starts to fight back…

Jenna is a beautiful lady with a rather ruthless streak at times who is being sent to Cygnus Alpha after she gets caught "Free trading" or smuggling as Vila puts it. She’s also a superior pilot and very quickly learns how to fly the Liberator, despite it being of alien technology.

She joins with Blake after meeting him in a holding cell on Earth and being involved in his failed attempt to take control of The London. She seems to be attracted to Blake, though whether that’s because of his beliefs or his looks is anyone’s guess. She often takes Blake’s side in arguments (usually against Avon) and is scrupulous about being fair and keeping to plans if possible, shown particularly in Cygnus Alpha, where she isn’t prepared to run and leave Blake until they’ve given him the time he asked for on the planet’s surface.

Avon is a cold, cynical computer engineer, being sent to Cygnus Alpha for his involvement in a plot to embezzle millions of credits from the Federation banking system. He’s highly intelligent and has a genius for dealing with technology of all forms and is often rather short with people he feels are less intelligent than his is. Vila is often his target within the crew.

His rather bitter and cynical outlook on life often leads him into conflict with Blake, especially in the moments where he feels Blake is behaving irrationally or putting the Liberator crew into unnecessary danger. His own self-interest often means he appears to cold and unfriendly to other members of the crew, especially when he thinks their being easily led by Blake. He does have some heroic sensibilities underneath it all, and will, when necessary get involved to save his crew mates when they’re in danger and need rescuing. If nothing else, it often gives him a chance to show his superiority to Blake!

Vila is a habitual thief, with skills for picking locks that are second to none. Sent to correctional facilities as a child, and other prisons, he never gives up the one thing he has a real talent for, and ends up being sent to Cygnus Alpha.

He’s a happy and self confessed coward, and is often reluctantly drawn into Blake’s schemes because of his unique skills with locking devices. He has a liking for an easy life, but doesn’t often get his way when he’s up against Blake and Avon.

He enjoys a drink when he gets the chance and is the joker of the crew, but he isn’t nearly as stupid as he seems to be…

Cally is a telepath from the planet Auron, She’s left her home planet because she disagreed with their policy of independence and non-involvement with other people and races, and so she’s become a guerrilla fighter, trying to destroy the Federation base on Saurian Major. It’s here that she first encounters Blake, and together they destroy the base and she agrees to join the Liberator crew.

Her telepathy often helps get her or her crew mates out of a tight spot, but it also leaves her prone to psychic attack from other telepathic beings. She also shows a disregard for her own safety and well being that sometimes places her fellow crew mates in danger.

Gan is tall and well built and very strong, but was sent to the penal colony of Cygnus Alpha for killing several guards who had been involved in the brutal slaughter of his wife.

 He had a limiter implanted in his head which renders him unable to kill and sometimes makes him susceptible to headaches when he tries to fight against it. Attempts to remove the limiter after it malfunctions are unsuccessful and it is repaired rather than removed.

He is a simple, trusting man, but one of string convictions and he forms a strong friendship with Blake and Vila, both of whom he trusts implicitly.

Zen is the onboard computer on The Liberator and an indispensable member of the crew.

He is the focal point of the flight deck, and speaks in a clam and friendly manner, even if he is not always as helpful as the crew hopes he will be. At times he seems almost human.

He will not respond to anyone whose voiceprints have not been registered in his data banks.

Travis is a resolute officer almost to the point of obsession, fiercely loyal to the Federation and all it stands for. This dogged pursuit of his duty has caused him trouble with Federation authorities, and his command has been rescinded following an incident on the planet Auros where he massacred the civilian population.

His command was re-instated by Servalan, who appointed him to handle the task of capturing or eliminating the Blake threat. This appointment amuses Servalan, since Blake was the person who injured Travis, resulting in him having a false arm and eye patch. It is his hatred of Blake that makes him the perfect officer to perform the task of removing Blake.

Servalan is Supreme Commander of the military side of the Federation, and is the commander of Space Control, a massive space station, unofficially referred to as Servalan’s Headquarters. She is rarely seen to leave Space Command until she and Travis embark on a covert mission to steal Orac from its creator. She undertakes this mission to ensure that she maintains a hold of the power she holds in the Federation. Her ambition to rise even higher is fairly obvious and she’s well prepared to do whatever it takes… from behind the scenes at least.

She is cool, calm and collected, rarely seen to be angry in public and well aware that her standing within the Federation is being damaged by the actions of Blake and the Liberator crew. Indeed her own life has been endangered as a result of Blake’s actions and there are two assassination attempts directed at her. She needs this threat to her and her power within the Federation eliminated.