buylotrogold

Hello all.  Time for the periodic unleashing of the literary analyst deep inside me.  The topic of the day is archetypes, those wonderful universal images which we all know and love, and their appearance in B7. Hope you enjoy, comments welcome as always . . . _Archetypes in General_ Webster defines archetype as 1: the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies: prototype : a perfect example.  2: idea. 3: an inherited idea or mode of thought in the psychology of C. G. Jung that is derived from the experience of the race and is present in the unconscious of the individual. It is this third definition, the one deriving from Carl Jung's theories, which is of use in analyzing fantasy (including both swords/sorcerers/magic-type fantasy and science fiction) literature.  The same concepts can be applied to media fantasy/science fiction, such as Blake's 7.  Authors and _script_writers use archetypes to produce certain gut reactions in their audiences.  Associating a certain character or situation with a particular archetype can evoke a deep response in the reader or viewer, relating to their own unconscious response to that archetype.  The association of the characters with specific archetypes helps establish the ethos/moral nature of the character, as wll.  Archetypes can also establish the nature of situations. Archetypes are present to a large extent in the Blake's 7 universe. Archetypes appear in the original series as aired, and have also been used to great advantage by fan fiction writers and artists in the years since the show's demise.  However, they are not as clear cut as in some fantasy literature/media, for example that of J. R. R. Tolkein.  In Blake's 7, archetypes are sometimes used in exact opposition to the intended meaning of the character or situation, to throw the viewer off balance somewhat, and to increase the horror of certain situations. _Color Archetypes_ Use of color is one of the easiest and most effective ways to establish archetypal characteristics.  The most obvious and hackneyed example of this is the guy in the white hat versus the guy in the black hat in formula Westerns. Black seems to be Avon's favorite color.  It is very rare that Avon is not wearing something black, and in the later stories, his wardrobe becomes almost exclusively and completely black.  In a normal usage, (eg. Western) this would instantly brand him as the bad guy .  And although Avon is a far cry from a goodie-two-shoes good guy, he is also far (IMHO) from being a true bad guy.  Thus, the association of Avon with black is a contradictory archetype. The color black throws us off balance, because we want to believe (at least I do) that Avon, deep down, is essentially good, and yet the color black is archetypally associated with evil, doom, death and the absence of love.  Fan writers have been known to revolt against this and after some sort of crisis and catharsis in Avon's life, have him appear in white at the end of a story - almost as a resurrection image.  For myself, I prefer him in black, not just because he looks good in black , but because it is a reminder that his nature is not lily white.  (As an aside, Paul Darrow predictably lists his favorite color as black as a nod to the fans.) The other most contradictory color archetype in Blake's 7 is the attiring of Servalan in white.  Although her wardrobe is much more varied than Avon's, a large percentage of her outfits are white, a color archetypally associated with good, innocence, rebirth and love.  And we all know how closely that @#$$%^& woman follows those concepts.  But like with Avon in black, I prefer her in white, because the color again throws the viewer off balance.  We wonder how an attractive woman in white can be so downright evil.  It upsets our notions of what should be so and adds to the horror when we see a white-attired Servalan doing something completely perfidious.   From what I have read, Jacqueline Pierce played a large part in giving us a well-dressed Servalan.  She did this by arguing successfully to the series powers-that-be that Servalan would be far less effective, and carry much less impact, if she were to dress in some sort of military costume like the rest of the Fed military. Other color archetypes in Blake's 7 are more direct.  Blake, for example, is attired in mixed greens and browns.  These are earth colors - natural colors - representative of the natural balance and harmony Blake desires to restore in the galaxy by the overthrow of the Federation, and his own resonance with the same.  Gan is attired almost exclusively in  browns - soil colors - representing his down-to-earth-ness, his simpleness (meaning uncomplicated, not stupid) and his former life as an off-world colonist, perhaps a farmer. Cally, Jenna and Vila are dressed in varying mixes of colors. Cally tends toward more natural colors, greens and blues.  Jenna tends toward more fire colors, reds, purples.  Vila tends toward natural/soil/earth browns and tans, and some yellow, orange and pale blue.  These colors represent their comparatively moderate natures. Travis has a consistent color archetype of a different hue.  He wears black.  Period.  He is a bad guy (certainly from our heroes perspective).  Period.  Although Travis (particularly Travis I) has some degree of honor and nobility, his actions serve an evil cause. His black clothing, and that of all the Fed military troopers, serves to highlight this. Color is also used to establish situation in several episodes.  Two specific examples are the use of the color red in Assassin and in Blake .  Red is, of course, the archetypal _expression_ of danger, blood, falling, and anger.  When Cancer is preparing to kill a bound and helpless Avon in Assassin , the ceiling of the room is illuminated in erie red.  And who can forget the final scenes of Blake , in which the control room is bathed in flashing red light as our heroes are cut down, one by one.  The first time you watched the episodes, you probably didn't even notice the nasty red illumination, but it was busily working its horror on your subconscious reactions to the grim scenes. _Environment Archetypes_ Another category of character archetype in Blake's 7 is the environment archetype.  This refers to the type of environment in which the character feels comfortable.  For example, Avon is associated with a machine archetype.  Throughout human history, machines have been an _object_ of fear.  From the Dark Ages to the Industrial Revolution, machines have been seen as dehumanizing and dangerous instruments of unwelcome change.  They represented forbidden knowledge or even ungodly/devilish magic.  Machines are unfeeling, cold, unconcerned and, by definition, inhuman.  Machines are somehow against Nature.  And yet Avon seems happiest when puttering around in the guts of the _Liberator_ or any other machine he can get his hands on.  He seeks them out, claiming all knowledge is useful .   The association with machines establishes Avon as a loner and a misanthrope.  In olden times, these unnatural pursuits would also have made him a practitioner of black arts or sorcery.  By reference, Avon's nature is established as cold and unfeeling like his machines.  Vila even calls him, Avon the machine, one time when Vila has had too much to drink.   Of course, Avon's actions do not necessarily fully bear out the nature established by his association with machines.  Throughout the series, we see him do things which establish his warm fuzzy human side as well.  But the background of black machines follows him to the end, and adds to the aura which surrounds him. In contrast to the unnatural machines associated with Avon, Natural things are associated with Blake.  Blake is at ease with the primitive and uncomplicated peoples the crew of the _Liberator_ meet.  Ro, on Horizon, takes an instant liking to Blake.  Zil, the planetary parasite alien in Trial , is also drawn to Blake.  Blake expresses horror for the unnatural experiments of the Lost which resulted in the creation of the Decimas in The Web .  Blake is quickly ready to accept the Decimas as people and defend them.   Primitive peoples and little aliens seem the B7 substitute for children and dogs .  If they like you, they you are OK.  Although an engineer by profession, Blake is rarely seen with machines. Rather, he is almost always surrounded by people.  He CARES for people, and is working (at least in his own mind) to help and save them.  This is natural, and therefore good .  The association establishes Blake as good. The natural and unnatural images are examined in parallel in Harvest of Kairos , in which Servalan's dependency on unnatural machines is contrasted with Jarvik's reliance on what his eyes see. As we know, Jarvik is killed and Servalan survives, stating that the unnatural defeated the natural, and giving the show a sense of hopeless horror.  Earlier in the show, Jarvik gave a very moving speach about why he had quit the Fed military and become a common laborer.  He simply longed to feel the sun on his back.  Servalan could not understand this concept at all.  The desire for the natural establishes Jarvik's honor, as the lack of understanding of it underscores Servalan's evil. _Religious Archetypes_ The obvious religious archetype in B7 is the association of Blake with a Savior image.  Blake, like Christ and other great religious leaders, is ready to give himself for the salvation of others.  We are drawn more closely to Blake for this reason. Not quite as clear is the association of Avon with the Devil.  Avon is often seen trying to lead Blake astray from his Cause, or to lead the other crew members astray from following Blake.  Avon preaches a doctrine of self.  Like Lucifer, Avon was once at the top of his profession, but was for some reason unsatisfied, and tried to go one better, failed and fell
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_Color Archetypes_ An important use of colour you didn't mention was in the episode Sarcophagus . Colour themes run all through it

Congratulations on a very interesting posting.  I have been thinking along similar lines.  Some comments:  Other color archetypes in Blake's 7 are more direct.  Blake, for  example, is attired in mixed greens and browns.  These are earth  colors - natural colors - representative of the natural balance and  harmony Blake desires to restore in the galaxy by the overthrow of  the Federation, and his own resonance with the same.  Gan is  attired almost exclusively in  browns - soil colors - representing  his down-to-earth-ness, his simpleness (meaning uncomplicated, not  stupid) and his former life as an off-world colonist, perhaps a  farmer. In a long article (still being updated as the Beeb releases the tapes) I wrote:- Green seems to be a key colour, representing hope and purity.   Blake and Cally, the most idealistic members of the crew, often wear it.   Travis cloaks himself in green when masquerading as Shevan the rebel leader in `Voice from the Past'.  When, in later episodes, Avon is seen in green, it is the olive/khaki shades of camouflage suited to a pragmatic and cautious leader.  Its most notable appearance is on Kezarn (The City at the Edge of the World) whose peaceable inhabitants all wear a pale spring green.  Bayban's gunfighter Kerrill, changes into the same colour before she accompanies Vila to the new world, symbolising her rejection of her previous life and presaging her decision to stay there with Norl and his followers.    Cally, Jenna and Vila are dressed in varying mixes of colors.  Cally tends toward more natural colors, greens and blues.  Jenna  tends toward more fire colors, reds, purples.  Vila tends toward  natural/soil/earth browns and tans, and some yellow, orange and  pale blue.  These colors represent their comparatively moderate  natures. Vila wears as lot of grey in the later series.  Color is also used to establish situation in several episodes.   Also from the article :- The colours used to differentiate between the masked figures in the prophecy at the beginning of `Sarcophagus' reappear subtly in the clothing worn by the crew, assigning them their roles in the occupant's destiny.  The association with machines establishes Avon as a loner and a  misanthrope.  In olden times, these unnatural pursuits would also  have made him a practitioner of black arts or sorcery.   Good point - a natural heretic, at odds with orthodoxy.  Not quite as clear is the association of Avon with the Devil.  Avon  is often seen trying to lead Blake astray from his Cause, or to  lead the other crew members astray from following Blake.  Avon  preaches a doctrine of self.  Like Lucifer, Avon was once at the  top of his profession, but was for some reason unsatisfied, and  tried to go one better, failed and fell from grace .   Yes, a Miltonic fallen angel.  Another image is the association of the Arthurian Legend with B7.  Blake is King Arthur, Avon his Merlin, Vila the court Jester, Cally  the Court Physician.  These images are carried out in fanfic by  suggestion or in alternate universe stories.  I rather like the   image of Avon as Merlin to Blake's Arthur.   I like it too.  Merlin is a powerful and ambivalent figure in Celtic mythology (Kerr Avon is a very Celtic name).  It reinforces your earlier point about sorcery.  When I tried a comparison with the Robin Hood archetype, I couldn't make Avon and Cally fit, this suits them better.  I wrote :- The story can be seen as a sophisticated and sometimes rather sombre amalgam of the two classic swashbuckling Hollywood dramas, Robin Hood and Captain Blood, light-hearted cinematic evocations which were in their turn _base_d on archetypal folk heroes, with a possible real-life origin.  These archetypes, filtered through our own recent experiences of oppression, resistance and political turmoil, seasoned with cynicism and pessimism, emerge as the heroes of today. A strong reminder of Fritz Lang's `Metropolis' occurs when Travis (Stephen Greif) with his black-gloved artificial hand confronts the robot double of the resistance leader Avalon (Julia Vidler) which he has had created to spread a plague virus among the crew of the Liberator, just as Rotwang (Rudolph Klein-Rogge) with his black-gloved artificial hand faces the robot double of the worker's leader Maria (Brigitte Helm) which he has created to spread dissention among the inhabitants of the labourer's underworld.  Both Maria and Avalon conduct their meetings in caves and both are seen strapped to a stretcher while being electronically scanned for the data to program their mechanical alter egos. Regards, FT

 Gan is attired almost exclusively in  browns - soil colors - representing his down-to-earth-ness, his simpleness (meaning uncomplicated, not stupid) and his former life as an off-world colonist, perhaps a farmer. Attwood's programme guide states that Gan was a native of Zephron and you identify him as a farmer, which certainly suits his personality, but I can find no mention of these facts in my BBC complete, unedited tapes.  In Time Squad Gan says to Jenna I killed a security guard.  They said it was murder, but he had a gun, I was unarmed.  You see, he killed my woman . However, I know these tapes are not quite so pristine as they claim, because when the BEEB released the first sample tape, containing a very edited amalgam of the first three episodes, Avon's brawl with the computer technician aboard the London was much longer and more violent than it appears in the complete version issued shortly after. Can some kind soul tell me when this information about Gan was imparted, and what precisely was said, by whom? Just curious, FT

Can some kind soul tell me when this information about Gan was imparted, and what precisely was said, by whom? Although it's possible to infer from the way Gan spoke about Earth in Pressure Point that he came from there, it was never said on the series where he was from.  The earliest reference I can find to Zephron was in one of the old Blake's 7 Annuals issued contemporarily with the original broadcast.  These were cheap knock-offs for the children's trade, truly puerile things with a lot of spurious information in them.  I suspect that Tony Attwood did not have access to tapes of the series when he wrote his Programme Guide and so treated every printed source he could get his hands on as gospel. -Micky * Email me for episode guides to Star Cops, The Sandbaggers, and Whose * * Line Is It Anyway? *

However, I know these tapes are not quite so pristine as they claim, because when the BEEB released the first sample tape, containing a very edited amalgam of the first three episodes, Avon's brawl with the computer technician aboard the London was much longer and more violent than it appears in the complete version issued shortly after. Not all the BBC tapes have the Two complete, unedited episodes flash on the cover.  In particular the first tape, which includes this scene, did not.  I think there are one or two other tapes that fall into the same category (I'm at work - they're at home, so I can't check which). Two more whole months to wait till the final two tapes -Malcolm