Blake’s 7 is awesome. There’s something unique about the cheapness being overridden by imagination, writing and actors who take it 100% seriously. And the unexpected grittiness.
I had the Corgi die-cast toy of the Liberator. In white, although for some reason a later version came in a silver and yellow colour scheme not seen in the TV show. Anyway as I was a bit young to watch the series for a long time I thought the green sphere was the front of the ship and the three pronged pods were the engines!
I had one of those too! I remember watching all of the episodes but I was five when the first series was aired so a lot of the themes went over my head at the time. I didn't mind though because it was in space and that's all I cared about at that age.
One thing I learnt about the design of the Liberator and once seen cannot ever be unseen is that the middle bit is modelled on a microphone with the green bit at the back being where the foam ball would normally be.
Jeez i never realized just how big she was .. we never really got any sense of scale during the shows .. I assumed she was much smaller ..about the size of the Enterprise ... What a beast .
As someone who grew up loving BBC Sci Fi, not that was much alternative back in the late 70's early 80's Blakes 7 very fondly remembered despite my dad's constant jokes. Ahead standard by 12 Zen
Standard by 12 was her max emergency speed. Yes, I know there was a line that featured Standard by 20 but the ship was caught in a gravity whirlpool thingy at the time.
No, the DSV's could do Standard by 14 at least, since that is the speed the sister ship DSV1 travels at when it is launched to pursue the escaping Liberator (unless the System had updated her engines in the period when Liberator, DSV2, was 'missing'). In the episode Hostage, the Liberator escapes Pursuit Ships (which had a maximum speed of Time Distort 9 and some could tracel at TD10, in an emergency), and is stated to be tracelling at TD *20* . Jenna also once commented that they would lose control of Liberator is she achieved Standard by 20, sguuesting higher speeds were possible, but too dangerous.
B7 always struck me as being the anti-Star Trek. The malevolent Federation insignia looks like the Starfleet delta on its side and the Liberator almost looks like a Starfleet ship with three nacelles flying backwards.
As you can tell by my YT handle and avatar, I can't help but love this space ship and the TV show. Thanks for posting a video about this superb space vehicle (to quote Supreme Commander Servalan).
Apparently the Federation pursuit ships were made from parts of Airfix kits of the Saturn V rocket. They really did improvise on the fly with this show. I love it all the same!
in a article of Starburst i read as a kid, i remember the builders envisioned the main body of the Liberator to be 1000 meters in length and then a hundred meters or so for the antenna. so about the size of a Romulan D'Deridex warbird. Making each of the three nacelles and Federation pursuit ships would be about the size of the Enterprise D.
The "negative hyperspace" and "antimatter interface" are in the epiode Cygbus Alpha. Avon, Blake and Jenna are exploring the Liberator, which they have just stolen, and trying the controls. One of them produces an extrme acceleration effect which Blakes suggests as the aove, Jenna states it;s impossible - which Avon points out was what was once said about the light barrier. As in many shows, the concept is never revisitted. The extreme power useage and the fact the ship is unable to prevent acceleration affected the crew suggests it's an emergency or experimental feature of the drive.
If you look at early Enterprise design sketches in 'The Making of Star Trek' you'll see a very familiar ship. Quite probable the BBC designer and SFX team saw a copy.
First I always thought this serries was Star Trek meets Dr Who. But as someone posted previously, anti-Star Trek. You have to do more on this ship and series.
There is some suggestion that Blakes 7 takes place in the same Universe as Doctor Who the Daleks were at one point supposed to be in it. But they may have been a Yuzhong Vong like extra Galactic Threat that the Federation and the Rebels would have to team up to fight. Considering the weird idea that humans had "re-evolved" up to 10 times in the age of the Who Universe the Daleks might even have won their war against humanity.
In one episode a Federation pursuit force states that the Liberator is escaping them at Time Distort 20. This was after a serious battle and she takes multiple hits, so we may assume, that is not her top speed. I don;t think any episode had the Liberator travellign at Standard By 20. I think the highest we ever saw was Standard by 12 or 14. The System Attack Ships were stated as travelling at Standard By 12; when the System luanches Deep Space Vehicle One to attack Liberator, it is stated as travelling at Standard By 14.
If I remember correctly the Liberator was capable of Standard by 12. In one episode there was a coordinated attacks by massive numbers of pursuit ships which Liberator flew right through at the speed of standard by 10 The Federation officers reported her speed to be time distort 20 much to Servelan's complete shock. In the episode where Avon creates an artificial Sopron which reflects a slightly greater image of whatever scans it Zen reported the primitive shuttle to have a speed of Standard by 12.203 and had an assault capacity marginally greater than that of the Liberator. Maybe DSV1 either had a refit with an improved drive or was on emergency over boost?
@@johnfisher9692 Yes, that was my assum,ption. Also the hyperdrive seen in episode one (where the ship "crosses the antimatter interface") is never referenced again! Time Distort seems to be a bit like Trek warp speeds. It's not linear. TD20 is not merely twice as fast as TD10.
Blake’s 7 is awesome. There’s something unique about the cheapness being overridden by imagination, writing and actors who take it 100% seriously. And the unexpected grittiness.
I had the Corgi die-cast toy of the Liberator. In white, although for some reason a later version came in a silver and yellow colour scheme not seen in the TV show. Anyway as I was a bit young to watch the series for a long time I thought the green sphere was the front of the ship and the three pronged pods were the engines!
I had one of those too! I remember watching all of the episodes but I was five when the first series was aired so a lot of the themes went over my head at the time. I didn't mind though because it was in space and that's all I cared about at that age.
And what was your Dad doing that he never corrected you ?
@@andyhowells1141 Haha!
One thing I learnt about the design of the Liberator and once seen cannot ever be unseen is that the middle bit is modelled on a microphone with the green bit at the back being where the foam ball would normally be.
Jeez i never realized just how big she was .. we never really got any sense of scale during the shows .. I assumed she was much smaller ..about the size of the Enterprise ... What a beast .
As someone who grew up loving BBC Sci Fi, not that was much alternative back in the late 70's early 80's Blakes 7 very fondly remembered despite my dad's constant jokes. Ahead standard by 12 Zen
Great video, especially the two ships together.
Can you do one of the interior?
A highlight of the week when I was a kid.
Standard by 12 was her max emergency speed. Yes, I know there was a line that featured Standard by 20 but the ship was caught in a gravity whirlpool thingy at the time.
No, the DSV's could do Standard by 14 at least, since that is the speed the sister ship DSV1 travels at when it is launched to pursue the escaping Liberator (unless the System had updated her engines in the period when Liberator, DSV2, was 'missing'). In the episode Hostage, the Liberator escapes Pursuit Ships (which had a maximum speed of Time Distort 9 and some could tracel at TD10, in an emergency), and is stated to be tracelling at TD *20* . Jenna also once commented that they would lose control of Liberator is she achieved Standard by 20, sguuesting higher speeds were possible, but too dangerous.
@@richardgregory3684 I'd assume DSV 1 had undergone a refit, yeah.
B7 always struck me as being the anti-Star Trek. The malevolent Federation insignia looks like the Starfleet delta on its side and the Liberator almost looks like a Starfleet ship with three nacelles flying backwards.
Oh I'm pretty sure that was quite intentional. What would happen if the Federation went evil? Blake's 7 is your answer.
Thankyou. A truly awesome ship!
I was hoping somebody would do this for a long time. Maybe someone was able to find a deck plan? You might as well do Sapphire and Steel next!
I just discovered your channel (via your 2010 Discovery video), and lo and behold here's one on Liberator! ❤❤❤
so sad at the end when it caught that space virus
As you can tell by my YT handle and avatar, I can't help but love this space ship and the TV show. Thanks for posting a video about this superb space vehicle (to quote Supreme Commander Servalan).
Apparently the Federation pursuit ships were made from parts of Airfix kits of the Saturn V rocket. They really did improvise on the fly with this show. I love it all the same!
in a article of Starburst i read as a kid, i remember the builders envisioned the main body of the Liberator to be 1000 meters in length and then a hundred meters or so for the antenna. so about the size of a Romulan D'Deridex warbird. Making each of the three nacelles and Federation pursuit ships would be about the size of the Enterprise D.
The "negative hyperspace" and "antimatter interface" are in the epiode Cygbus Alpha. Avon, Blake and Jenna are exploring the Liberator, which they have just stolen, and trying the controls. One of them produces an extrme acceleration effect which Blakes suggests as the aove, Jenna states it;s impossible - which Avon points out was what was once said about the light barrier. As in many shows, the concept is never revisitted. The extreme power useage and the fact the ship is unable to prevent acceleration affected the crew suggests it's an emergency or experimental feature of the drive.
I didn't know she was so big. I had also forgotten about the absurdly large ship's stores.
The Liberator design feels like it's going backwards.
Used to watch B7 as a child..
If you look at early Enterprise design sketches in 'The Making of Star Trek' you'll see a very familiar ship. Quite probable the BBC designer and SFX team saw a copy.
First I always thought this serries was Star Trek meets Dr Who. But as someone posted previously, anti-Star Trek. You have to do more on this ship and series.
There is some suggestion that Blakes 7 takes place in the same Universe as Doctor Who the Daleks were at one point supposed to be in it. But they may have been a Yuzhong Vong like extra Galactic Threat that the Federation and the Rebels would have to team up to fight.
Considering the weird idea that humans had "re-evolved" up to 10 times in the age of the Who Universe the Daleks might even have won their war against humanity.
@@90lancaster I had never heard this, but it makes sense. Thanks for the insight.
Can you look at raumpatrouille Orion? I think you would like it
In one episode a Federation pursuit force states that the Liberator is escaping them at Time Distort 20. This was after a serious battle and she takes multiple hits, so we may assume, that is not her top speed. I don;t think any episode had the Liberator travellign at Standard By 20. I think the highest we ever saw was Standard by 12 or 14. The System Attack Ships were stated as travelling at Standard By 12; when the System luanches Deep Space Vehicle One to attack Liberator, it is stated as travelling at Standard By 14.
If I remember correctly the Liberator was capable of Standard by 12.
In one episode there was a coordinated attacks by massive numbers of pursuit ships which Liberator flew right through at the speed of standard by 10
The Federation officers reported her speed to be time distort 20 much to Servelan's complete shock.
In the episode where Avon creates an artificial Sopron which reflects a slightly greater image of whatever scans it Zen reported the primitive shuttle to have a speed of Standard by 12.203 and had an assault capacity marginally greater than that of the Liberator.
Maybe DSV1 either had a refit with an improved drive or was on emergency over boost?
@@johnfisher9692 Yes, that was my assum,ption. Also the hyperdrive seen in episode one (where the ship "crosses the antimatter interface") is never referenced again! Time Distort seems to be a bit like Trek warp speeds. It's not linear. TD20 is not merely twice as fast as TD10.
It's Ian Scoones, NOT Alan.
For the algorithm 👊
Jenna was lush !
It was supposed to fight Daleks
So a bit like the Planet Kill on Star Trek. Which some say was supposed to eat Borg Cubes
Fantastic ship,great series but the last series had an awful ending.
“Not so special effects” 🥲
"Visual effects" I recall the BBC effects team used to show up on Saturday Morning TV doing the oddest things, like playing with RC cars for example.