#supreme commander servalan

[mariocki]

Jacqueline Pearce guest stars as fashion model Leonie Peters, but it could be she's mixed up in bank robbery and murder in New Scotland Yard: The Banker (1.10, LWT, 1972)

[jokeringcutio]

Just a quick sidenote to say I am also accepting Blake's 7 prompts because this is one of my favourite TV shows ever. If you're new to my works, I have a fair share of dark romance fics, mature and explicit works, a history of filling kink meme requests, writing headcanons/imagines/drabble fills, several multi-chapter works if a prompt inspires me so, and a masterlist at the top of my page that shows you there's little I will not write. I haven't written for Blake's 7 yet (not posted online anyway), but this fandom keeps tickling me. Also, I make a sport out of writing Reader Inserts, so don't be shy to ask for a reader x character tale. I love such requests the most 💗

[mrs-underhill22]

[miserable-alien]

Happy New Year, from the sofa

[cressida-jayoungr]

One Dress a Day Challenge

August: Fantasy & Sci-Fi

Blake's 7 (s2e11, "Gambit") / Jacqueline Pearce as Supreme Commander Servalan

In this episode set during a Carnival-esque holiday, Servalan abandons her typical white and/or black gowns for brilliant red. As with yesterday's Star Trek costume, I commend the designer for making the most of what must have been a very tight budget. This looks like a typical slinky 1970s dress at base with the addition of the huge net frill--surely very cheap to make, but the frill catches the eye and makes all the difference. They've also used makeup to maximum effect, from the unusually vivid (for the character) lipstick and nail polish to the silver eyeshadow.

[vintage1981]

Celebrating Jacqueline Pearce

Jacqueline Pearce is a British actress best know for playing Servalan in all four series of Blake's 7.

Born in Woking in the south of England, Jacqueline Pearce trained at the British stage school RADA and at Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio in Los Angeles. 

Her TV career began in the 1960’s with regular roles in the ITV Play of the Week as well as appearances in shows such as The Avengers and Armchair Theatre.

She starred in two Hammer horror films, The Plague of the Zombies and The Reptile, filmed simultaneously in 1966. Other film roles include Sky West and Crooked, Don’t Raise the Bridge, Lower the River and How to Get Ahead in Advertising.

Roles in the 1970’s included Rosa Dartle in David Copperfield, Claudia Haswell in Couples, and Anna Rupius in Vienna 1900. But it was in 1978 that she was cast in the role for which she would be ever known.

Servalan was the Supreme Commander of the Terran Federation in Blakes 7, the TV drama devised by Dalek creator Terry Nation. The character was only expected to appear in one episode of the saga, but Pearce’s electrifying performance ensured the character would survive far longer than the title character, appearing in all four series.

A cold, calculating, ruthless sociopath Servalan’s main aim was to destroy the crew of the Liberator and the relish with which Pearce played the character ensured she would remain a fan favourite for the series duration. 

Her Doctor Who appearance came in 1985, playing Chessene of the Franzine Grig in the Colin Baker story The Two Doctors. She later appeared in a slew of Blake’s 7 and Doctor Who audio adventures for for Big Finish Productions.

In 1991 she played Miss Pendragon in the Russell T. Davies series Dark Season. She also appeared in series such as Casualty, Doctors, Daniel Deronda and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

Her theatre work included West End appearances in Harold Pinter’s Otherwise Engaged (Queen’s Theatre) and JB Priestly’s Dangerous Corner (Garrick Theatre); Shadowlands; Tom Stoppard’s Night and Day (Belgrade Theatre, Coventry) ; and her one woman show A Star is Torn.

Jacqueline relocated to South Africa for several years, initially to care for orphaned monkeys, before recently returning to the UK. Her autobiography, From Byfleet to the Bush, was published in 2012. 

Jacqueline Kay Pearce, actor, born 20 December 1943; died 3 September 2018

[eraserheadbabyfever]

also i'd love to hear any of my blakes 7 followers theories on servalan's color palette (if it doesn't involve spoilers ofc), like she started off ONLY wearing white, but she suddenly started wearing black (in s3 i think) and then mixing black and white until it seems like she only wears black now. i initially thought the whole white thing was supposed to be like the sterility of the federation, a rotten kind of purity. but the switch to black (avon and travis' colours) is so confusing, because you'd think that would indicate a switching of sides, but all she's doing is gaining more and more power, going from supreme commander, to president, to EMPRESS. what caused the switch and what does it mean??

[feltpool]

Technically that’s Commissioner Sleer, not Servalan, but this is silly either way.

[probably-enjoying-this]

Leaving this link to an old crack fic for when you're done: The Harvest of Kairos Encounter Group (uploaded by HermitLibrary_Archivist)

"You see," Servalan's voice is raised, now - she hates being upstaged, "sometimes I, too, Supreme Space Commander of the Terran Federation, hate being a woman in a man's world. I hate the drab clothes I have to wear to the office (more exchanges of looks). I hate the way that people see me only as a superior, not as a superior woman (more exchanges of looks). That I must behave like the machines I surround myself with, never flirt, never be cocquettish, never just enjoy my womanhood (it's a full-on three-way staring match, now". When Jarvik launched a non-stop assault on my gender, it was as if I was finally being seen as weak, contemptible, worthy of note only as a sexual object and just desperate to cede my hard-won position of responsibility to the first man in overalls who came along...at last, I was being seen as (the arms are outspread, apparently pointing out two diametrically opposite places of local interest) a woman!" "And the sex?" "No foreplay, thirty seconds of grunting, not a hint of concern for my pleasure, fell asleep right after. Very validating."

9 minutes into a Ben Steed episode and I see what y'all mean...this is the first Blake 7 episode I've considered skipping.

(Hopefully Jarvik the sexist builder won't live too long because I hate him already)

[mariocki]

Another guest spot for Jacqueline Pearce (and in very fashionable form), as British agent Ruth Klinger - or is that double agent? - in Man in a Suitcase: Somebody Loses, Somebody... Wins? (1.19, ITC, 1968)

[jaelijn]

I’ve always wondered: Is it my imagination, or do we really not learn Servalan’s name on screen until “Weapon”? Been wondering for a while.

[megpie71]

I think one thing that would be difficult to replicate from the original is the way it was very much gender-neutral in the presentation of the characters - and I say this as someone who did a re-write of the first two episodes with a gender-switched main character.  There is very little you have to alter about the writing to change Roj Blake into Roja - and you could do the same thing with all the other roles.  Essentially, gender did not matter.  Servalan (the Supreme Commander) could be a young, good-looking woman, and this was never remarked upon.  Jenna (the pilot) was a blonde bombshell in the same mould as Farrah Fawcett-Majors - but again, this is never remarked upon.  The leader of the rebellion (when we occasionally meet her) is female, but her gender is never remarked upon.  It was revolutionary writing for the time, and it’s still revolutionary now - I doubt you’d be able to find a writers room who’d be able to come out with scripts where gender and sexuality are so unremarkable. 

That said, I’d be interested in seeing a gender-swapped version of the story produced (or even a version with the gender balance switched to the opposite of what the original show was).  I feel it might be interesting to be able to see a female-identified character be as snarky as Avon and Vila were.

Question - could Blake’s 7 be made today or is it very much a product of its time?

Ooo, this will be fun.

Honestly? It could, and it could not.

There's no, "wow, you couldn't get away with that now," about it. You could easily make a show today about a political dissident framed and sent to prison teaming up with a handful of criminals and a stolen alien space ship fighting against a totalitarian dystopia in an ultimately doomed endeavor. I'm certainly hearing interesting things about Andor, for example. Hell, a lot of the stuff in Blake's 7 would be considered even more topical today than in the 70s.

But it wouldn't be the same. 70s dystopia isn't the same as 80s dystopia, or 90s, or today's. Every dystopia is formed from crap people are stressing about TODAY. What parts are focused on are also very much informed by a combination of what the showrunners care about vs what the media standards and practices of the time allow. Blake's 7 of today would probably be a much harder, darker, glossy show. Especially if it had a bigger budget.

Blake's 7 of 1978-1981 has it's own tone, formed by how dystopias of the time were generally envisioned. Its look is the unholy amalgam you get from 1970s grime, 1970s space opera sci-fi tropes, and massive enthusiasm funded by $2.75 and a sandwich. (And all the props you can snitch from the Doctor Who set next door.)

And its writing is also formed from its budget and the limits of the special effects. They had model ships that sometimes wobbled on their strings. There was great design and effort put into those models and props, but the audience is never going to think, "wow, that looks like they're REALLY in space!" So you go dialogue-heavy. You convey action and tone with the actors on set. And it works, because Blake's 7 got actors who were ALL IN on acting their hearts out. The Liberator might wobble a bit in that motion shot, but you are fully invested in the tension and joking happening on the Flight Deck, because the actors have disappeared into the characters and are living the scene.

A show written today doesn't usually have to write around its lack of FX. You get less talking, more "spaceship go wooooooshhh."

It's a bit like asking, "could you make Doctor Who today," if that wasn't already a thing. And that is the same answer. Doctor Who of today is NOT the same thing as Doctor Who of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. And in fact, every era of Classic Who is quite different from the others. And yet...it's all perfectly recognizable as Doctor Who. Whichever version you prefer, you can look at any of it, and go, "yup, that's Doctor Who."

I would certainly watch Blake's 7 made today. Whether I liked it or not would depend on all the same factors that had to fall into place a certain way to make Blake's 7 1978 a show I loved.

Even if all those factors fell into place...it wouldn't be the same show. It might be better! It might be worse. It would be its own thing, because you can't capture magic the same way twice.

But unless they screwed EVERYTHING up, it would still probably be Blake's 7.

[zippocreed501]

Jacqueline Pearce as Servalan in Blake's 7

Servalan was a character like no other in science fiction TV. She was a villian but also a strong, confident woman who realised her ambitions by fair means or foul (usually foul). Yeah she was sexy too! The design for the character were amazing. The juxtaposition of the military haircut and brutal attitude against the outrageously glamorous costumes had never been seen before. There's not many Supreme Commanders of a galactic dictatorship who could take on a rebellion in a cocktail dress and heels!!

[bloggish]

dear prompt god, #28 please

"The New Federation."

Blake grits his teeth, eyes burning over the print-out whose words already seem seared into the back of his brain. Truly, it's an overgenerous title - this is but one solar system on the edge of the galaxy. One solar system whose leaders have banded together to oppose the radical changes wrought upon them from the new leader of Earth, the abolishment of the grade system that has structured their society for generations, the removal of penalties for morally deviant behaviour, the greater taxation of their exports to subsidise the Earth-based majority. For that reason, they have declared their independence, hoping to re-create the good old days when Supreme Commander Servalan ran an efficient and morally pure society.

"You are president," Avon reminds him coolly, familiar enough with Blake's burning anger. "You are well within rights to use force to bring them back in line, if you so choose."

Blake looks up, startled by the question. "Do you think I should?"

Avon, sardonic grin brushing his features, shrugs. "Well now, that depends whether you win or not."

Even after their victory, Avon is still the cynic. Blake curses under his breath, reading the obnoxious propaganda in his hands once more. "The people don't want this," he says. "This is the work of some privileged elite who don't want to have to give anything to help the rest of the galaxy. Their people must be disgusted."

"And you know what their people want, do you?"

Blake sighs in frustration. "I assume they must want the same thing everyone does. Freedom." But it sounds flimsy even to him. Who is he to say what they want? Who is he to know what they'd consider freedom?

"You've always assumed that," Avon tells him, which is true, but not all that helpful right now. "A deeply naive position, I'm afraid."

Blake scoffs. "Of course you'd think that."

"Only because it is true," he says. "People, on the whole, are selfish cowards who will go along with whatever it is they're used to, so long as it does not threaten them directly. You can't force freedom on them. If it is forced, it is by definition, not freedom."

He disagrees with the former, but not the latter. That leaves him in a conundrum.

Blake sighs. "Well, what would you do if you were me, then?"

Avon shakes his head. "No Blake. You are the President. It's your choice to make now."

[bobbyshaddoe80]

Liberated Audio Reviews

Blake's 7 - The Liberator Chronicles Vol. 2

RELEASED AUGUST 2012

Recorded on: 18 October and 25 November 2011, and 15 March 2012

Recorded at: Moat Studios

Review By Robert L. Torres

The Magnificent Four by Simon Guerrier

'A mission to steal data from the planet Mogul goes badly wrong when Cally and Avon are outflanked and outgunned. And then they are teleported to safety – to an alien spaceship stolen from The System, which is crewed by Gilden Trent and his small team of rebels.

For Avon it’s the opportunity to start over again without Blake.

But can Trent be trusted?'

Chronological Placement:

Set during Series B between the episodes Countdown and Voice From the Past.

Magnificent. Defined in the dictionary as 'impressive, deserving of admiration, especially due to an unusual quality involving size'.

The word is often used when describing something vast in size and scope, but magnificence can also be attributed to the quality of something that involves a small group. A prime example would be the title characters of the classic Western The Magnificent Seven. Even the accomplishments made by the John Wick character could be described as magnificent despite them being done by one man.

Magnificent is an apt word to describe the impressive storytelling quality that Guerrier has pulled off with this Cally focused story.

Cally, as played by the exquisite Jan Chappell, was always one of my favorites from the original cast. She was someone that wasn't a hardened cynic like Avon (who provides much needed support for Cally in this story), nor was she cowardly like Vila. She was someone that genuinely believed in doing the right thing and saw fighting against the oppressive tyranny of the Federation to be a very serious responsibility.

I was also always fascinated by her stance as someone that, for all intents and purposes, was the alien of the group (due to her coming from a race of telepaths). I have my own thoughts and theories about the Auronar, but that can wait for another day. Despite having powers of the mind, I always felt that Cally was very much the heart of the team.

I love that this story has Cally and Avon meeting up with a group like Blake's, on a ship like the Liberator, only to learn that they are little more than highly skilled pirates.

I love that the events of the Series B episode 'Redemption' are brought up and how the crew of the Libertine are a result of the aftermath of the events from that story.

I love how the story showcases in the crew of the Libertine a distorted reflection (and perhaps a retroactive premonition) of what would happen to the crew of the Liberator should they lose their way by abandoning their morals and scruples and just give in to blind self interest... Which for the most part is exactly what started to happen during Series C and ultimately came to fruition in Series D.

A minor nitpick, but I always thought the planet Cally came from was called Auron and her people were called the Auronar. And yet in this story and others, they refer to her as being an Auron. Is it a case where one singular person is an Auron but the collective term for the species as a whole is Auronar? It is a minor thing, I know, but still something that stuck out.

Something else that is a bit of a minor flaw is that at one point in the story the voiceover narration switches from Cally to Avon. There is a specific reason why this happens in the narrative, but it still comes about rather unexpectedly.

Given the stories in these chronicles are events being recounted AFTER the fact, there is the inevitable problem of how to create tension and intrigue with life threatening peril for the characters when most fans know the show backwards and are fully aware of what the inevitable fates for many of the characters are.

Luckily for Guerrier and many other writers, they do create moments that make you wonder how such and such will be able to survive whatever life threatening peril is thrown at them, and manage to cleverly pay off how they survive without falling into 'Oh Come The Fuck On' Territory.

8 out of 10 Plasma Bolts

Anyway, this story is very well done and is the first of many plots that involve coming across potential allies for the Resistance movement, only to learn the would be allies are often a lot worse than their enemies in the Federation. Definitely give it a listen.

False Positive by Eddie Robson

'Dr. Lian has a mysterious new patient – a man who was found shot in the leg near Engel City, a man who is delirious and talking about the most extraordinary acts of rebellion.

She prescribes drugs and the use of the alleviator – a device that will dig deep into his memories – to unlock the truth about Carlin Guzan.

But the truth that she exposes is far more shocking than she bargained for...'

Chronological Placement:

Set during Series B after LC Vol. 10's Retribution, between the episodes Horizon and Pressure Point.

This story is definitely a step up in quality from volume 1's 'Counterfeit' and is an excellent Blake-centric story. The framing device for the recollection of the events is actually quite clever as it ties in with the adventure itself in a very naturalistic manner.

The dialogue scenes between Blake and Dr. Liam are excellent. Kudos to Beth Chalmers for giving the character of Dr. Liam the right balance of professional intrigue and personal curiosity as she learns more and more about her 'patient'. But this story belongs to the late Gareth Thomas through and through and it is great to hear him be afforded better material than during his first go round back in 'Counterfeit'.

I always rather liked Blake from the start, and a large part of that is down to the performance of the late Gareth Thomas. The character of Roj Blake was a passionate idealist fighting for a noble cause, someone who could be diplomatic but understood the need for action rather than simple civil disobedience. As someone that broke free from an oppressive government, he immediately gains our sympathies... even if his passions occasionally bordered on overzealous fanaticism. This is largely due to what the Federation did to him personally by trying to rewrite his mind, killing his family and even destroying his public image by falsifying accusations of paedophilia.

Since the Federation enact the same tactics on countless others without any hesitation, morals or scruples, it is no wonder why Blake is so overwhelmingly passionate about wiping out the corruptive and cancerous tumor that is the Federation. Not only to avenge family, but to ensure that people are given the freedom to choose for themselves and not simply be coerced into following the rules through propaganda, torture, drugs or mind control.

Speaking of drugs and mind control, that goes to the heart of the plot: Blake going undercover at a Federation research facility that is conducting a clinical drug trial for the development of a new pacifying sedative, which the Federation hopes to employ in order to ensure total compliance and obedience to Federation doctrine.

Ironically enough, that is exactly what would come to pass towards the tail end of Series D... But we already know that, don't we?

7 out of 10 Plasma Bolts

All things considered, it is a pretty good story. This story, like a few others in the Liberator Chronicles range, could work as a two-hander stage play with a couple of tweaks. It also could easily have worked on TV or even as a full cast audio. Give it a listen.

Wolf by Nigel Fairs

“I heard his death cry. I felt it. And there was a word. ‘Wolf’. You, Servalan. You were the “Wolf”. You killed him. I want to know why.”

'Some time ago, Blake and his crew were helped by a revered Auron scientist named Gustav Nyrron. He stayed aboard the Liberator for a time and then disappeared.

Cally wants to know what happened to Nyrron, and only Servalan knows the answers.'

Chronological Placement:

Set during Series B between the episodes Pressure Point and Trial.

This is a very intriguing Servalan focused story, featuring Cally and a return appearance by Gustav Nyrron from Volume 1's 'Solitary'.

They say that a protagonist is only as good as the antagonist created to provide drama/conflict. This is especially true when the character of Supreme Commander Servalan (along with the equally excellent Space Commander Travis) was introduced as the Liberator crew's primary antagonist in the Series A episode 'Seek-Locate-Destroy'.

A large part of why the Servalan character has left such a lasting impression on the minds of fans had to do with the casting of the late Jacqueline Pearce, and the way she played the role. Her grace, charm, beauty and seductive allure went hand in hand with a ruthless ambitious edge along with a keen strategic mind.

In many ways, Servalan, as played by Jacqueline Pearce, reminded me of Alexis Colby as played by Joan Collins. Although Servalan was a bit more reserved than Alexis.

As such, it makes perfect sense that the Liberator Chronicles would provide ample opportunities to explore the villains as well as the heroes. This story does well to explore Servalan's character along with her thoughts, beliefs and how she carries herself as she recounts events. The recollection is pretty interesting cuz it comes about in multiple ways.

We learn a little bit about Servalan's childhood in reference to a game she used to play with others. Its interesting how this story, along with the upcoming 'Kerr', 'President' and 'Three', provides more insight into the character than the show ever did. The aforementioned upcoming stories do provide some great insight into why Servalan is the way she is... But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

I love the scenes between Servalan and Cally, as I do not recall the two of them having much screentime during the series proper... If ever. But I could be wrong.

This story has some great twists and turns as it deals with exploring how Servalan used Nyrron as her personal plaything in her efforts to lure the Liberator into her clutches.

Although Nyrron will be featured again in the story 'Brother' off of Volume 11 (which I will talk about eventually), I think this is the story that features him the best. We learn the most about him as a character, and much kudos to Anthony Howell for bringing much pathos and nuance to the Auron scientist.

The story also lends itself quite well to philosophical debates regarding how each side views the other. Naturally, Blake's crew view Servalan and the Federation as an evil and oppressive tyranny, while Servalan and those within the Administration view Blake and his ilk as little more than terrorists wanting to bring down the only force for law and order in the galaxy.

It is that clash of ideals and personal morals that will be explored to great effect in future volumes as well as in the full cast audios.

9 out of 10 Plasma Bolts

Final score for Liberator Chronicles Vol. 2 in its entirety is 8 out of 10 Plasma Bolts. It is a profound step up in quality compared to Volume 1, and it demonstrates that things can only go up from here in terms of character exploration and engaging plots.

Special credit to Craig Brawley of the Big Finish Listeners Facebook Group for his tireless efforts in mapping out the chronology of the audios and determining his they fit in with the established TV continuity.

[foreignobjecticus]

8. Avon, Vila, Servalan

8. share a car with, share a bank account with, share a cake with

Share car - Avon. He never uses it anyway and it's sci fi so this is probably his ship. He's under some console with his pins sticking out, fiddling with something anyway. He wouldn't notice if I took her out for a spin...

Share bank account - Servalan (rather than Avon) because Supreme Commander holds the purse strings and if I've got my hand in that purse already, ain't no one gonna say it's empty when I come looking for a few million credits.

Share cake - Vila definitely because he is bestest boy and deserves all the cake. Avon and Servalan have not earned it. We eat our cake in front of them and make them feel as jealous as possible.

These are fun. Thanks for the ask!