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''Blake's 7'' is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC for broadcast on BBC1. Four 13-episode series of ''Blake's 7'' were broadcast between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also created the Daleks for ''Doctor Who''. The script editor was Chris Boucher. The series was inspired by a range of fictional media including ''Passage to Marseille'', ''The Dirty Dozen'', ''Robin Hood'', ''Brave New World'', ''Star Trek'', classic Westerns and real-world political conflicts in South America and Israel. ''Blake's 7'' was popular from its first broadcast, watched by approximately 10 million people in the UK and shown in 25 other countries. Although many tropes of space opera are present, such as spaceships, robots, galactic empires and aliens, its budget was inadequate for its interstellar narrative. It remains well regarded for its strong characterisation, ambiguous morality and pessimistic tone. Critical responses to the programme have been polarised; reviewers praised its dystopian themes and "enormous sense of fun", and broadcaster Clive James described it as "classically awful". A limited range of ''Blake's 7'' merchandise was issued. Books, magazines and annuals were published. The BBC released music and sound effects from the series, and several companies made ''Blake's 7'' toys and models. Four video compilations were released between 1985 and 1990, and the entire series was released on videocassette starting in 1991 and re-released in 1997. It was subsequently released as four DVD boxed sets between 2003 and 2006. The BBC produced two audio dramas in 1998 and 1999 that feature some original cast members, and were broadcast on Radio 4. Although proposals for live-action and animated remakes have not been realised, ''Blake's 7'' has been revived with two series of official audio dramas, a comedic short film, a series of fan-made audio plays, and a proposed series of official novels. ==Overview== ''Blake's 7'' is a science fiction television series that was created by Terry Nation and produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Four series (each consisting of thirteen 50-minute episodes) were made and first broadcast in the United Kingdom between January 1978 and December 1981 on BBC 1. The programme is set in the third century of the second calendar,〔The reference to ''Blake’s 7'' being set in the "third century of the second calendar" does not appear in the series, but is mentioned in the associated publicity material (although the Federation introducing a 'new calendar' is mentioned in the episode Pressure Point). ()〕 and at least 700 years in the future.〔In the episode ''Killer'', a 700-year-old space ship is encountered, one of the first deep space missions from Earth.〕 ''Blake's 7''s narrative follows the exploits of political dissident Roj Blake, who leads a small group of rebels against the forces of the totalitarian Terran Federation, which rules the Earth and many colonised planets. The Federation uses mass surveillance, brainwashing and drug pacification to control its citizens. Blake discovers he was once the leader of a revolutionary group and is arrested, tried on false charges, and deported to a remote penal colony. En route he and fellow prisoners Jenna Stannis and Kerr Avon gain control of a technologically advanced alien spacecraft, which they name ''Liberator''. Liberator's speed and weaponry are superior to Federation craft, and it also has a teleportation system that enables transport to the surface of planets. ''Liberator'' is controlled by Zen, the ship's central computer. Blake and his crew begin a campaign to damage the Federation, but are pursued by Space Commander Travis – a Federation soldier – and Servalan, the Supreme Commander and later Federation President. The composition of the titular "seven" changes throughout the series. The initial group of six characters – Blake, Vila, Gan, Jenna, Avon and Cally – included Zen as the seventh member. At the end of the first series, they capture a supercomputer called Orac. Gan is killed during the second series, after which Blake and Jenna disappear and are replaced by new characters Dayna and Tarrant. In the fourth series, Cally dies and is replaced by Soolin. Following the destruction of ''Liberator'' the computer Zen is replaced with a new computer character, Slave. While Blake is an idealistic freedom fighter, his associates are petty crooks, smugglers and killers. Avon is a technical genius who, while outwardly exhibiting most interest in self-preservation and personal wealth, consistently acts to help others. When Blake is separated from his crew, Avon takes over as leader. At first Avon believes the Federation has been destroyed, becomes tired of killing and seeks rest. But by the middle of the third series, Avon realises that the Federation is expanding again, faster than he had originally realised, and he resumes the fight. The BBC had planned to conclude ''Blake's 7'' at the end of its third series, but a further series was unexpectedly commissioned. Some changes to the programme's format were necessary, such as the introduction of a new spacecraft, ''Scorpio'', and new characters, Soolin and Slave.〔 〕 ''Blake's 7'' was watched by approximately 10 million people in the UK and was broadcast in 25 other countries. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Blake's 7」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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