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Post by omega on Apr 14, 2017 12:11:25 GMT
 Released August 2013SynopsisBlake's 7 - The Audio Adventures: Rebel, Traitor and Liberator follow Blake’s incarceration; the forging of his legendary crew; and their capture of a mysterious alien spacecraft. On the run from the Federation, the crew of the Liberator fight back against a totalitarian regime personified by the manipulative Servalan and her loyal commander, Travis. Covering the escapades of Avon, Jenna, Cally, Vila, Gan and Zen before they joined Blake’s rebellion and a pivotal moment in Commander Travis’s life, the Early Years series reintroduced the original cast and added many other impressive names to the world of Blake’s 7 on audio. Written By: Ben Aaronovitch (Rebel, When Vila Met Gan, Eye of the Machine, Blood & Earth), Marc Platt (Traitor, Flag & Flame), James Swallow (Liberator, Point of No Return, Escape Velocity), Simon Guerrier (The Dust Run, The Trial) Directed By: Andrew Mark Sewell (Rebel, Traitor, Liberator, When Vila Met Gan, Eye of the Machine, Escape Velocity), Duncan McAlpine (Point of No Return), Dominic Devine (Blood & Earth, Flag & Flame), Alistair Lock (The Dust Run, The Trial) CASTDerek Riddell (Roj Blake), Colin Salmon (Kerr Avon), Daniela Nardini (Servalan), Carrie Dobro (Jenna Stannis), Craig Kelly (Commander Travis), Owen Aaronovitch (Oleg Gan), Dean Harris (Vila Restal), Alistair Lock (Zen/Derelict Ship Voices), Michael Praed (Soris), Doug Bradley (Nico), India Fisher (Lora Mezin), Michael Keating (Vila Restal), Jan Chappell (Aunty), Benedict Cumberbatch (Max Townsend), Keeley Hawes (Anna Grant), Zoe Tapper (Pilot), Tracy-Ann Oberman (Avatar), Geoffrey Palmer (Professor Ensor), Rula Lenska (Dr Ruth Ashaya), Frances Barber (Judge Helga Ramotse), Tim Plester (Clinician Havant), Sarah Matravers (Revella), Jonathan Rhodes (Prosecutor/Sky Leader), James Gaddas (Sub-Commander Raiker), Robert Lock (Captain of The London), Nick Brimble (Borchu), Barbara Joslyn (Sheeva/Computer Voices/Control/Security Monitor/Jorden Cally), Daniel J Geduld (Trooper Tanzig), Dominic Cotter (Reporter), Jake Maskall (Lt Jorge Garcia), Jonathan Redwin (Cassim Rafat), Kevin Jon Davies (Councillor Singh), Andy Thomas (Refinery), Evangelo Kioussis (Lt Rix), Robert Maloney (Operator), Colin Ravey (Raptor One), Peter Guinness (Carl Varon), Amy Humphreys (Ariane Cally), Julian Wadham (Commissioner Van Reich), Susannah Doyle (Skate Cally), Natalie Walter (Merrin Cally), Michael Cochrane (Commander Gresham), Stephen Lord (Nick), Jason Merrells (Healer), Sam Woodward (Gunner), Pamela Banks (Tech) |
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Post by omega on Apr 14, 2017 12:12:39 GMT
I've been thinking of getting this one. Is it worth a listen? At $20 for ten discs of content it seems a bargain.
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shutupbanks
Castellan
There’s a horror movie called Alien? That’s really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you.
Likes: 5,661 
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Post by shutupbanks on Apr 14, 2017 14:05:44 GMT
I love it: the three episodes that make up the main story are excellent and are a really good update of the story for a modern audience. They hit the main beats of Series A effectively and the cliffhanger at the end is terrific. The other stories are interesting but not as good, but the last one, Escape Velocity, is a great "what-if" about what happened just before Blake et al arrived on board Liberator. The voice casting is very good, except for the actor who plays Vila in the main story.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2017 20:14:41 GMT
I love it though I do seem to remember being in the minority on the old forum. The casting is great, the tone is much more modern....it's a cool sidestep. It also feels like a cohesive follow up to the origin of Blake wheras the rather wonderful pilot of the TV show has promises that the show proper never keeps. This does. Plus, y'know, Glaswegian sci-fi leads ae always to be encouraged.  |
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Post by glutamodo on Apr 15, 2017 0:26:54 GMT
I thought it was pretty good as well.
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Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on Apr 15, 2017 0:46:02 GMT
It worked really well, Blake was clever, Avon utterly untrustworthy and cunning, Jenna a proper smuggler..,
It annoys no end that we ended on a cliffhanger. A MASSIVE bloody cliffhanger.
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Post by charlesuirdhein on Apr 15, 2017 2:03:21 GMT
Hmm. Someday maybe. I know it existed prior to BF getting the licence but when you have the option of real B7 or this I just never saw the point. Might do if B7 takes forever to return, even though something has been recorded.
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Post by coffeeaddict on Apr 15, 2017 2:04:12 GMT
I found it most enjoyable. But I don't recall the series ever being on Canadian tv so that was my first experience with the series.
I'm sure it was carried in Canada at some point, but my family didn't have cable and it was definitely not carried by any over the air stations we could pick up.
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Post by Ela on Apr 16, 2017 3:08:44 GMT
I have to say I enjoyed it very much. I definitely think it's worth getting. It's an interesting take on Blake's 7 and the Liberator, intriguing similarities and differences. I thought it worked well.
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Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on Apr 17, 2017 2:39:13 GMT
Shipmind was genuinely creepy.
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Post by omega on May 18, 2017 9:25:03 GMT
An interesting reinterpretation of Blake's 7 I'd love to hear continued. The cliffhanger at the end of the third story is just begging to be resolved. The nature of the Liberator here reminded me of the Destiny in Stargate Universe.
The first three episodes make an interesting enough season. Cally's absence is noticable, but maybe B7 Media were planning on introducing her in the second season.
The Early Years
When Vila Met Gan: Easily the most fun of the stories and the double act they present is wonderful.
Point of No Return: We get to see Travis be intelligent, brutal and, most of all, successful for once (because it's not Blake in the cross-hairs)
Eye of the Machine: A turning point for Avon and origins for Orac!
Blood and Earth/Flag & Flame: My favorite of the set. The Auron (forgive me if the spelling is incorrect) society is built wonderfully by Marc Platt (master world builder) and the second story has a very tragic turn.
The Dust Run/The Trial: We get to see Jenna in her element. Simon Guerrier is a great fit for her, considering he tends to incorporate the hard science into his stories. Something he brings up in relation to her in the extras pop up later in his Companion Chronicle The Cold Equations
Escape Velocity: Conceptually the most fascinating, exploring DS2 (could be DSV2) through its interactions with its conditioned crew.
One thing I noted was that several of these stories at some point mentioned or used the election (Travis preventing a terrorist attack for the day, Avon rigging it and Jenna observing Federation officers at the transmission point). It's a great way to explore different angles on the same event.
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Post by omega on May 18, 2017 9:43:37 GMT
Season 1:
Rebel (featuring Blake, Avon, Jenna, Vila and Gan) [1"05'37]
Written by: Ben Aaronovitch
Directed by: Andrew Mark Sewell
Traitor (featuring Blake, Avon, Jenna, Vila and Gan) [1"00'30]
Written by: Marc Platt
Directed by: Andrew Mark Sewell
Liberator (featuring Blake, Avon, Jenna, Vila and Gan) [58'22]
Written by: James Swallow
Directed by: Andrew Mark Sewell
The Early Years:
When Vila Met Gan (featuring Vila and Gan) [29'55]
Written by: Ben Aaronovitch
Directed by: Andrew Mark Sewell
Point of No Return (featuring Travis) [30'48]
Written by: James Swallow
Directed by: Duncan McAlpine
Eye of the Machine (featuring Avon) [32'59]
Written by: Ben Aaronovitch
Directed by: Andrew Mark Sewell
Blood and Earth (featuring Cally) [33'32]
Written by: Ben Aaronovitch
Directed by: Dominic Devine
Flag and Flame (featuring Cally) [36'33]
Written by: Marc Platt
Directed by: Dominic Devine
The Dust Run (featuring Jenna) [32'01]
Written by: Simon Guerrier
Directed by: Alistair Lock
The Trial (featuring Jenna) [29'16]
Written by: Simon Guerrier
Directed by: Alistair Lock
Escape Velocity (featuring Zen) [56'14]
Written by: James Swallow
Directed by: Andrew Mark Sewell
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Post by mark687 on May 18, 2017 9:59:21 GMT
An interesting reinterpretation of Blake's 7 I'd love to hear continued. The cliffhanger at the end of the third story is just begging to be resolved. The nature of the Liberator here reminded me of the Destiny in Stargate Universe. The first three episodes make an interesting enough season. Cally's absence is noticable, but maybe B7 Media were planning on introducing her in the second season. The Early Years When Vila Met Gan: Easily the most fun of the stories and the double act they present is wonderful. Point of No Return: We get to see Travis be intelligent, brutal and, most of all, successful for once (because it's not Blake in the cross-hairs) Eye of the Machine: A turning point for Avon and origins for Orac! Blood and Earth/Flag & Flame: My favorite of the set. The Auron (forgive me if the spelling is incorrect) society is built wonderfully by Marc Platt (master world builder) and the second story has a very tragic turn. The Dust Run/The Trial: We get to see Jenna in her element. Simon Guerrier is a great fit for her, considering he tends to incorporate the hard science into his stories. Something he brings up in relation to her in the extras pop up later in his Companion Chronicle The Cold Equations Escape Velocity: Conceptually the most fascinating, exploring DS2 (could be DSV2) through its interactions with its conditioned crew. One thing I noted was that several of these stories at some point mentioned or used the election (Travis preventing a terrorist attack for the day, Avon rigging it and Jenna observing Federation officers at the transmission point). It's a great way to explore different angles on the same event. Interestingly when the new BF Trailer was previewed the company behind this (they now make Dan Dare audios) Tweeted along the lines of Scripts for the sequel to Reborn were complete and open for BF interpretation if they were willing.
Regards
mark687
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Post by omega on May 18, 2017 10:09:35 GMT
An interesting reinterpretation of Blake's 7 I'd love to hear continued. The cliffhanger at the end of the third story is just begging to be resolved. The nature of the Liberator here reminded me of the Destiny in Stargate Universe. The first three episodes make an interesting enough season. Cally's absence is noticable, but maybe B7 Media were planning on introducing her in the second season. The Early Years When Vila Met Gan: Easily the most fun of the stories and the double act they present is wonderful. Point of No Return: We get to see Travis be intelligent, brutal and, most of all, successful for once (because it's not Blake in the cross-hairs) Eye of the Machine: A turning point for Avon and origins for Orac! Blood and Earth/Flag & Flame: My favorite of the set. The Auron (forgive me if the spelling is incorrect) society is built wonderfully by Marc Platt (master world builder) and the second story has a very tragic turn. The Dust Run/The Trial: We get to see Jenna in her element. Simon Guerrier is a great fit for her, considering he tends to incorporate the hard science into his stories. Something he brings up in relation to her in the extras pop up later in his Companion Chronicle The Cold Equations Escape Velocity: Conceptually the most fascinating, exploring DS2 (could be DSV2) through its interactions with its conditioned crew. One thing I noted was that several of these stories at some point mentioned or used the election (Travis preventing a terrorist attack for the day, Avon rigging it and Jenna observing Federation officers at the transmission point). It's a great way to explore different angles on the same event. Interestingly when the new BF Trailer was previewed the company behind this (they now make Dan Dare audios) Tweeted along the lines of Scripts for the sequel to Reborn were complete and open for BF interpretation if they were willing.
Regards
mark687
This would have been perfect for the gap between the last Liberator Chronicle and the upcoming Spoils of War. A number of great variations and ideas from the original series that deserve to be expanded on. This version of Liberator feels genuinely strange and alien, far from how the set looked back in the 80's. The angle of the Federation on a war footing, as shown in the two Cally stories, would be another direction to go in. |
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Post by omega on Oct 14, 2017 8:01:06 GMT
Gave this a relisten, and again really wished it had continued. The pdf booklet hints at what could have been, including Cally coming in as a spy. Considering the darker tone, this version of the System must be really nightmarish (Escape Velocity reveals it grew clones but also abducted humans to fight in a war against an enemy of an undisclosed nature).
Based on the cover for Escape Velocity there were Early Years stories planned for Servalan, Blake, Tarrant and Soolin. The last two are interesting choices, coming from Series C and D (presumably a Soolin reinterpretation was a loophole for the Series D rights issues) while the first Reborn season only covers the plot beats of Series A. Based on this I'm assuming Tarrant and Soolin were to be introduced at an earlier point than in the main series, or that the Reborn version was to skip most of Series B. It's likely Gan's fate would have been retained but in a much worse way.
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Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on Oct 14, 2017 8:50:17 GMT
I always assumed the System was fighting the Shadows but it makes more “in universe” sense for them to be fighting thr Darkling Zoners. |
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Post by omega on Oct 14, 2017 8:53:59 GMT
I always assumed the System was fighting the Shadows but it makes more “in universe” sense for them to be fighting thr Darkling Zoners. I've only watched up to Redemption, so anything after that is patchy unless it was covered in the audios. |
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Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on Oct 14, 2017 9:00:17 GMT
I always assumed the System was fighting the Shadows but it makes more “in universe” sense for them to be fighting thr Darkling Zoners. I've only watched up to Redemption, so anything after that is patchy unless it was covered in the audios. Watch the episode “Killer” for an explanation. |
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Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on Oct 14, 2017 9:03:28 GMT
Gave this a relisten, and again really wished it had continued. The pdf booklet hints at what could have been, including Cally coming in as a spy. Considering the darker tone, this version of the System must be really nightmarish (Escape Velocity reveals it grew clones but also abducted humans to fight in a war against an enemy of an undisclosed nature). Based on the cover for Escape Velocity there were Early Years stories planned for Servalan, Blake, Tarrant and Soolin. The last two are interesting choices, coming from Series C and D (presumably a Soolin reinterpretation was a loophole for the Series D rights issues) while the first Reborn season only covers the plot beats of Series A. Based on this I'm assuming Tarrant and Soolin were to be introduced at an earlier point than in the main series, or that the Reborn version was to skip most of Series B. It's likely Gan's fate would have been retained but in a much worse way. I can see Gan dying directly as a result of one of the crew, maybe the lead up to it would be him “crossing” Avon in some way and his death bring potentially a(nother) murder on Avon’s part. Or they could go down the “rapist murderer” route for Gan and have him killed in order to protect the rest of the crew. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2017 14:08:11 GMT
I have no access to the show and hence no background but I’ve always wanted to try out the audios.I need to try liberator chronicles. But is this a better place to start ?
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