Blake's 7 on Blu-ray!

[matthunter]

Liberator's shining moment as a war machine comes single-handedly fending off the Andromedan attack until Federation ships arrive, at which point the Federation fleet is heavily depleted to the point Servalan spends most of the next two series rebuilding...

 

[Skipper]

Folks, I'm about to tackle episode 11.
Wish me luck.

 

[Christopher]

Liberator's shining moment as a war machine comes single-handedly fending off the Andromedan attack until Federation ships arrive, at which point the Federation fleet is heavily depleted to the point Servalan spends most of the next two series rebuilding...

Which is your classic "illusion of change" plotting, since they tease the game-changing fall of the Federation, but then it turns out to be just a temporary setback.

 

[Skipper]

Just finished episode 11. I didn't hate it, but can't they stick to a single plot from the beginning to the end of an episode? It starts with a story about some kind of Cincinnatus and ends with a boarding by bad guys dressed as "space Arabs".

By the way Cally, do you think this is the best outfit for a risky rescue operation where stealth is essential?

Maybe I would have paired it with a hat with bells.

 

[Christopher]

Just finished episode 11. I didn't hate it, but can't they stick to a single plot from the beginning to the end of an episode? It starts with a story about some kind of Cincinnatus and ends with a boarding by bad guys dressed as "space Arabs".

Yeah, the first couple of seasons had an unfortunate tendency to base alien cultures on ethnic stereotypes of nonwhite cultures. Worse, the only nonwhite actors in the cast were the ones playing the stereotype aliens. (In this case, both of the speaking Space Arabs were played by actors born in India.) Fortunately, that would improve somewhat in Series C-D -- mainly through Josette Simon joining the cast, but there were a handful of other nonwhite actors in roles that weren't ethnically coded.

By the way Cally, do you think this is the best outfit for a risky rescue operation where stealth is essential?

It works pretty well as camouflage for leopards...

 

[David cgc]

I decided to check out the blu-ray myself, and just finished season 1. Series A. Whatever. I had been following along in the thread, at least until Skipper bounced off the show. Unfortuantely, I wasn't keeping notes on the last three or four episodes.

I did have some ambient knowledge of the show before I started watching (high cast turnover, infamous ending, influential on the genre, Servalan is the bad guy, Avon is the quotable one), and picked up some more reading through the thread and incidental articles (turns out, it's hard to avoid spoilers for a show that ended six years before I was born).

So far, Gan, Vila, and Jenna are my favorite characters (Gan reminds me of Little John). I can see a path towards Avon becoming a fan-favorite as his characterization evolves, but I've mostly though he was just insufferable. Cally's psychic abilities seem a bit undercooked; only being able to speak silently is already a pretty limited version of telepathy, but they don't really take advantage of her ability to communicate covertly. I spent all thirteen episodes waiting to see the red-suited version of the Federation soldiers from the opening credits, but I'm starting to think that was just a stylized flourish and there isn't actually a separate elite group that don't wear black uniforms.

I'm really impressed by the updated visual effects, which seem to be calibrated to what could be done on TV in America circa 1980, but occasionally go above and beyond (there's one establishing shot of Liberator in orbit during "Orac" that's just lovely). I even kind of like the "padded" episodes. It doesn't happen a lot in TV, but I enjoy it when an episode has a bit of a two-part structure, at least when it's a little decompressed and it doesn't feel like they're rushing and actually should've made two episodes; it can be fun to look at the clock and realize there's still quite a bit of episode left even though things seem to have wrapped up. I thought it worked particularly well in "Bounty," where convincing the exiled politician to get back in the game was only half the problem. "The Needs of Earth" in Crusade was my prior go-to example of that kind of structure.

I've seen enough old British TV to be familiar with the video indoors/film outdoors convention, and thus to be baffled in episodes like "Mission to Destiny" when some of the in-studio scenes had an inexplicable jump in quality. I also spot-checked some of the original visual effects, and was surprised that the Federation space station was also shot on film.

All in all, I'll be happy to stick with the show. I just recently got an email that the season 2 (series B) blu-ray has a release date of December 19, so I guess I'll see what happens next in a couple months.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

Here's the announcement for the Series Two Blu-Ray collection

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10-Nov-2025

 

[Christopher]

They tout the new CGI effects as a major selling point of the Blu-Rays, but what I saw in those clips is nearly as cheesy-looking by CGI standards as the original effects looked by the standards of the time. Sure, they're more elaborate, but the animation is mediocre and they just look like generic modern TV effects.

Some of those interviews look like they were recorded a long time ago, judging from the actors' ages.

 

[Skipper]

I decided to check out the blu-ray myself, and just finished season 1. Series A. Whatever. I had been following along in the thread, at least until Skipper bounced off the show. Unfortuantely, I wasn't keeping notes on the last three or four episodes.

I plead guilty! In my defense, I can say that I was starting to feel like it was more of an academic assignment than something I was actually enjoying.

I can intellectually understand why it has this cult status. I know they were trying to make slightly more sophisticated sci-fi TV while in America they were producing things like Galactica and Buck Rogers. I can see that all the actors were good and some of the dialogue was delightful. I tried to grade it on a curve. I completely understand the limitations they had to work with. But the fact remains that I can't magically become a 70s viewer by erasing 40 years of excellent sci-fi TV from my mind.

Consider that around the same time I was watching Andor. In which a group of a few intrepid heroes fight against a fascist dictatorship. To return to Blake 7, in which a group of a few intrepid heroes fight against a fascist dictatorship. But for the latter, it's more of a hobby, something they do when they have free time between solving a murder IN SPACE and getting tangled up in some space spiderweb. At a certain point, the thought of going back to watch B7 filled me with dread.

But now a certain detox period is over, and I swear I'll finish the last two episodes!

But folks, I'm telling you. I honestly don't know if I'll watch the second season. Or programme. Or series B. Whatever. You know when you know something's good, but it's just not for you?

 

[Christopher]

I've got a complete Blake's 7 rewatch on my Patreon if anyone's interested. Just follow my signature link to the page and look under "Collections."

But for the latter, it's more of a hobby, something they do when they have free time between solving a murder IN SPACE and getting tangled up in some space spiderweb.

I see what you mean. It wasn't a serial like modern shows tend to be, but an episodic space adventure series where the fight against oppression was more just the setup than the primary focus. Although for what it's worth, Series B does have somewhat more focus on the rebellion and somewhat more of a story arc. So does Series D, to an extent, though C is more meandering.

 

[Judge Death]

They tout the new CGI effects as a major selling point of the Blu-Rays, but what I saw in those clips is nearly as cheesy-looking by CGI standards as the original effects looked by the standards of the time. Sure, they're more elaborate, but the animation is mediocre and they just look like generic modern TV effects.

Some of those interviews look like they were recorded a long time ago, judging from the actors' ages.

My understanding re the effects was that the brief was to upgrade them, but in a way the show itself could have looked in the 70s if they'd had a much bigger budget. Sometimes upgrading effects in modern times can look very jarring, less so in the B7 Blu-ray. For my money they achieved their aim.

Given Darrow, Pearce, Thomas, Jackson and Greif have all passed away, and Keating is apparently quite old and frail now they're running out of people to make new interviews with, especially given Pacey, Simon and Barber have zero interest in talking about the show.

The series A box set has a very long new interview with Knyvette, guessing they'll do something similar with Chappell. Many of the archive interviews/convention footage hasn't been widely available.

As a lifelong fan I thought the Blu-ray box set was wonderful and can't wait for Series B

 

[Skipper]

I've got a complete Blake's 7 rewatch on my Patreon if anyone's interested. Just follow my signature link to the page and look under "Collections."

I can confirm it's a excellent reading with a lot of insights!

 

[Christopher]

My understanding re the effects was that the brief was to upgrade them, but in a way the show itself could have looked in the 70s if they'd had a much bigger budget.

I know that was the intent, but I don't think they succeeded. It just looks like generic modern effects to me.

 

[Skipper]

I see what you mean. It wasn't a serial like modern shows tend to be, but an episodic space adventure series where the fight against oppression was more just the setup than the primary focus. Although for what it's worth, Series B does have somewhat more focus on the rebellion and somewhat more of a story arc. So does Series D, to an extent, though C is more meandering.

Rationally, I understand it. The problem is that adventures not related to rebellion are simply boring to me (I repeat, to me). Because, after 40 years, they're simply nothing new. I can appreciate a character-driven episode, but I have a really hard time enjoying stories about dead and very dead science fiction clichés. I think that some ideas in the '70s might have amazed viewers ("A spiderweb in space?!? WOW! What a concept"), but these days, my gaze wanders and I think, "Wow, that costume really suits the character!"

 

[David cgc]

Although for what it's worth, Series B does have somewhat more focus on the rebellion and somewhat more of a story arc.

I suspected that from the new Blu-Ray trailer as well as the older one included with the season 1 set, where every other word everyone said was "Star One."

My understanding re the effects was that the brief was to upgrade them, but in a way the show itself could have looked in the 70s if they'd had a much bigger budget. Sometimes upgrading effects in modern times can look very jarring, less so in the B7 Blu-ray. For my money they achieved their aim.

I agree. There were aspects that looked kind of home-spun and crappy, but home-spun and crappy in a similar way to the original effects once I looked back at them (unlike TOS-R, where the space shots looked kind of crappy in a way entirely divorced from the look of TOS). Even the stuff that seemed most awkward, like the screens fading in with an obvious video overlay, ended up being pretty faithful to the original effect even if it didn't necessarily look convincing. Though some of the replacements were rougher. I can understand that they didn't have the original elements (given the way the show was shot, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the bluescreens were composited live-to-tape as they were shooting and there never was an "original element"), but the roughly-rotoscoped outlines and resolution difference between the effect element and the SD video was noticeable when they replaced large screens, or when they replaced an entire flat with a hastily-cut window in "Orac" with new wall and frame. On the other hand, the redone teleport effects are perfect, a subtle update that just smooths out the animation and removes artifacts that probably weren't visible watching via an antenna anyway. Maybe they could've been a little heavier-handed, painting out boom microphones and such.

Doing A-B comparisons and spot checks, I'm a little shocked by how bad some of the original shots looked, even taking into account that British TV tended to be about 10 years behind US shows in terms of the state of the art. There was a bit of an explanation in one of the documentaries that the visual effects were split between the actual VFX artists, video composites that slide and resized still photos, and stuff shot by the main-unit director who had no idea how filming miniatures worked. Like, here's the shot from the finale that I called out as being especially well-done (probably a little too good for 1979, honestly). I was going to compare it to what it replaced, but it was a stock shot of Liberator in deep space, so here's a different shot from the episode that's a better match.



Anything more realistic or dynamic would start to conflict with the live-action footage, they still need to look like they were made by the same people who were shooting the same thing. I do think if you plugged this release into an old tube TV, or compressed it down to DVD size, you could convince a new viewer that it had always looked like that. Speaking of, I remembered I have a tool that can simulate different CRT displays. It's not exactly a scientific test, but it's interesting.

Some of those interviews look like they were recorded a long time ago, judging from the actors' ages.

I watched the new documentary on the season 1 discs yesterday, and most of the interview clips were taken from 1993. They did a decent enough job of color-correction that it wasn't immediately obvious that it was file footage, but the fact that it was on a bluescreen rather than shot in someone's home made it easy to tell even for someone not familiar with how various people looked at +10 years, +20 years, and +35 years.

"Wow, that costume really suits the character!"

Speaking of memorable costuming, a significant amount of the segment on "Duel" was about that extremely sheer dress, and the actress reminiscing that the woman playing the older witch was a bit scandalized. And it doesn't seem to stop there. The costume design featurette extended into season 2, and showed some new characters in lycra bodysuits that I think might get the show re-rated if the person certifying the blu-ray is paying attention. Turns out Blake's 7 didn't just influence Farscape with the fugitives-on-a-stolen-ship premise, but also with the aliens-dressed-for-BDSM-night aspect.

 

[Skipper]

Speaking of memorable costuming, a significant amount of the segment on "Duel" was about that extremely sheer dress, and the actress reminiscing that the woman playing the older witch was a bit scandalized. And it doesn't seem to stop there. The costume design featurette extended into season 2, and showed some new characters in lycra bodysuits that I think might get the show re-rated if the person certifying the blu-ray is paying attention. Turns out Blake's 7 didn't just influence Farscape with the fugitives-on-a-stolen-ship premise, but also with the aliens-dressed-for-BDSM-night aspect.

70s Sci-Fi in the US: "Sci-fi is for kids and horny teen-agers!"

70s Sci-Fi in the UK: "Sci-fi is for slightly pervert adults!!!"

 

[Christopher]

I suspected that from the new Blu-Ray trailer as well as the older one included with the season 1 set, where every other word everyone said was "Star One."

Star One is only established in the last five episodes of Series B, although it's a continuation of an arc from earlier in the season.

Anything more realistic or dynamic would start to conflict with the live-action footage, they still need to look like they were made by the same people who were shooting the same thing. I do think if you plugged this release into an old tube TV, or compressed it down to DVD size, you could convince a new viewer that it had always looked like that. Speaking of, I remembered I have a tool that can simulate different CRT displays. It's not exactly a scientific test, but it's interesting.

View attachment 49557

Hmm, that isn't right. It looks like what you'd see if you moved in close to the screen and looked at a small part of it. Or maybe it's what you'd see if you were watching on a tiny portable TV screen just a few inches across. The pixels should be much smaller than that. Also, there are no scan lines there.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

Speaking of memorable costuming, a significant amount of the segment on "Duel" was about that extremely sheer dress, and the actress reminiscing that the woman playing the older witch was a bit scandalized. And it doesn't seem to stop there. The costume design featurette extended into season 2, and showed some new characters in lycra bodysuits that I think might get the show re-rated if the person certifying the blu-ray is paying attention. Turns out Blake's 7 didn't just influence Farscape with the fugitives-on-a-stolen-ship premise, but also with the aliens-dressed-for-BDSM-night aspect.

I think I've mentioned it before in either this thread or another, that most of the men's costumes in the first and second series came from an S&M shop located in the garment district, which is were Gareth Thomas got his oversized shirt and thigh high boots, Paul Darrow got his leather outfits, and the two actors playing Travis got their outfits.
Michael Keating tells the story of going to a fitting at the S&M store and taking his young daughter with him and being embarrassed by all of the bondage equipment on display; so, the shop owners took the daughter into a back room to play.
Brian Croucher's look of Travis was inspired by Brian Ferry of Roxy Music.
Paul Darrow begged the costume department for an additional 100 pounds and he went out and purchased all the little metal studs you see on his leather outfits; which were subsequently removed when the BBC objected because it was a little too extreme for the censors.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

In watching the clip again, I'm wondering if, in any of the interviews they'll mention that Jan Chappell almost didn't appear in the location shoot for the episode "Redemption" because she didn't approve of filming at an active nuclear power station and was quite vocal about it, so she would have been separated from the cast at the beginning and would not have appeared again until the end.
She had it written into her contract after this episode that she would not do any location filming at any nuclear power plants, which is why she stays behind and mans the teleport in subsequent episodes shot in or around nuclear power plant.
Then there's the story about how the cast and crew didn't eat in the nuclear power plant's cafeteria because there were signs posted reading "Danger - Possible Contamination", so they would all go to the local pub to eat.

 

[Christopher]

In watching the clip again, I'm wondering if, in any of the interviews they'll mention that Jan Chappell almost didn't appear in the location shoot for the episode "Redemption" because she didn't approve of filming at an active nuclear power station and was quite vocal about it, so she would have been separated from the cast at the beginning and would not have appeared again until the end.
She had it written into her contract after this episode that she would do any location filming at any nuclear power plants, which is why she stays behind and mans the teleport in subsequent episodes shot in or around nuclear power plant.
Then there's the story about how the cast and crew didn't eat in the nuclear power plant's cafeteria because there were signs posted reading "Danger - Possible Contamination", so they would all go to the local pub to eat.

People had a lot of irrational fear of nuclear power plants for a long time, like all the panic over the American Three Mile Island "disaster" that caused exactly zero fatalities or long-term cancer cases. It would've been far more dangerous to film in a coal-burning plant, or to live in the vicinity of one.