A History and Critical Analysis of Blake's 7, the 1978-1981 British Television Space Adventure

by John Kenneth Muir

Blake's 7 , Terry Nation's science fiction tale of cosmic freedom fighters, became a hit series in Great Britain when it premiered in 1978. Eight years later, the show quickly became a cult program in America. A dramatization of futuristic outlaw heroes who defend the innocent from both alien and human conquering forces, the series might better be said to be equal parts Robin Hood and The Magnificent Seven . The series defied traditional genre elements of science fiction television, and developed the concept of the continual "story arc" years before such shows as Babylon 5 and Deep Space Nine . This book provides a critical history and episode guide for Blake's 7 , including commentaries for all 52 episodes. Also included are analytical essays on the show, dealing with such topics as themes, imagery and story arc; a consideration of the series as a futuristic Robin Hood myth; cinematography and visual effects; and an overview of Blake's 7 in books, comics and videos. A detailed appendix lists the genre conventions found in the series. The author also includes information about Blake's 7 fan clubs and Internet sites.

223 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1999

About the author

John Kenneth Muir (born 1969) is an American literary critic. He has written as of 2023 thirty two books, many in the fields of film and television, with a particular accent on the horror and science fiction genres. He has been described as one of the horror genre's "most widely read critics", and as an "accomplished film journalist". He is the creator of the 2023 audio drama Enter the House Between, as well as the new novellas based on the series.

Reviews

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good episode guide, but needed more history and analysis. It also need a new edition that discusses the B7/Big Finish audio plays and novels