30 Days of Awesome Female TV Characters Meme: Blake's 7

[thisbluespirit]

I've kept seeing this around, and while I never want to do a consecutive 30 Days Meme again, ever, I like the idea of this one. I have, however, left out Doctor Who, because that would have taken up all 30 days, and infinitejoys is doing very nice work on that front as it is.

So, starting with Blake's 7 in a sort of reverse chronological order, because when I think about awesome female TV characters, even though B7 is a recent thing for me, all of the main B7 female characters are people that Leela and Ace would approve of. (Even some of the passing minor characters, and then there's Servalan, who is in a category all her own, obviously.)


Day One: Soolin (Glynis Barber)

Soolin tribute by maxipower2008 (amazingly, it is pretty much spoiler-free).

Soolin is an interesting character in need of some backstory, but she gets it before the end, so let's ignore that: She's Blake's 7's fastest sharp-shooter - no one else comes near (and she can even manage to win against herself). She can get respect from Avon and that's never an easy feat. (I love the moment where she 'betrays' him towards the end of S4; and his impressed look. Admittedly, he may possibly be crazy by that point, but even so, kudos where it's due.) She makes her own decisions and about the only thing that ever discomposes her is the mention of Gauda Prime. What's more, with her on board, she and Dayna have a fun little female-solidarity thing going, and it's nice to see. Everything in B7 may have turned a little grey, but Soolin is never one to venture out without looking as though she could be in a Timotei advert, which makes up for the lack of glamourous costumes a little. And the rather chilling options it gives fanfic for just what did happen to her, and how one young girl became a cool-headed killer is something else again...

Plus, this scene:

You see? Leela would totally approve... (Again, no spoilers).



Day Two: Dayna Mellanby (Josette Simon)

Tribute vid by the amazing Zukalis. (It is totally spoilery, though. And a reminder of what I forget in the fun of it all, how very tragic B7 can be.)

Dayna is an odd mix of being very young, having lived quite a sheltered life and yet being very highly trained and dangerous. She loves weapons and explosives even more than Ace does, and uses bows and arrows against proper guns for the thrill of it. Her introduction gives her a more complete background than many of the others. And I like the way she interacts with Tarrant (who is a deliberately annoying character), especially, especially when aliens, in a desire to be cliches, attempt to Make Them Do It.

And, yay, I have found the (non-spoilery) scene (thank you, YouTube), because this is probably Dayna at her most awesome (and why I like Tarrant/Dayna - why is this show so determined not to allow these things?):

Comments

[john_amend_all]

It strikes me that given Ace's age, it's quite possible she watched at least some of B7, and it gave her Ideas.

And I wouldn't be surprised if Who could populate the meme even if companions were ruled out of bounds.

[thisbluespirit]

That would be true, if B7 didn't so obviously take place in the same universe as DW, so couldn't be a fictional programme in that universe. :-D

It probably could, so I've excluded it in fairness to everything else.

Oh, and that last clip gave me a minor plotbunny...

[john_amend_all]

"Hang on," Clyde said. He dug out his mobile telephone, pressed a few buttons, and then held it up. "Can you say that again?"

The blue alien on the viewscreen looked puzzled. "We require the human bonding ceremony," it repeated, speaking slowly and clearly.

Clyde pressed another button on the telephone, and grinned. "That's just brilliant! Actual aliens who actually want to make us do it! Wait 'til I send this to Luke and Maria." He tapped at the keypad again; the telephone obligingly replayed his recording of the alien's demand. "Maybe I'll use it for my ringtone."

The alien's expression was shading from bafflement to annoyance.

"Human," it said. "We are the observers. You are the subjects."

"If you say so." Clyde returned his telephone to his pocket, and sat down on the double bed that was the cell's only piece of furniture. "I suppose we'd better get started, then."

"I don't believe this!" Rani turned her best glare on him. "Those aliens want to make us— well, you know. And you're just going along with it!"

"It's a terrible sacrifice," Clyde said, trying and failing not to smirk. "But what else can we do?"

"Clyde, I'm not doing it. I don't want my— I mean, if we—" She stopped, thought, and resumed, carefully picking her words. "Look, whatever we may or may not decide to do in the future, I don't want it to be here and now with those creeps watching and broadcasting it all over the galaxy on some episode of Alien Big Brother: After Dark."

"They wouldn't do that," Clyde said. He looked uncertainly at the alien. "Would you?"

"The use to which we put our knowledge is of no concern to you," the alien replied.

"Well, you can take your knowledge and shove it!" Rani exploded. "Why can't you get your smut off the Internet like everyone else?"

The alien gave her a long, slow look. Then the viewscreen went blank.

Clyde looked from Rani to the screen and back. "Do you think he's actually...?"

"Actually gone off to download the Internet?" Rani felt her anger subside, leaving a gnawing worry about how the aliens might punish her intransigence. "I'd have thought they'd have it already."

"They've got to want more than just a video of two people, you know, doing it. Don't they?" Clyde sounded as if he was trying to convince himself of the aliens' competence. "There's got to be all sorts of instruments round this room. So they can measure what happens in all sorts of detail. You couldn't get that just off some website."

"Tough luck for them," Rani said firmly. "Because we're not going to do anything. I don't think they've got a clue what they're doing. What they should've done was put out adverts. Say it was a reality show. They'd be up to here in volunteers."

Clyde shrugged. "They wouldn't see the point, would they? As far as they're concerned, we're perfectly good specimens. Why take the trouble of getting any more?" He looked at Rani's expression. "They chose us to represent humanity. We might as well put on the best show we can."

The screen lit up again. The alien now looked, in Rani's opinion, as if it had seen things nobody should see, and was vainly trying to unsee them.

"Thank you for your cooperation," it said. "We have all the material we require. You shall be returned to your planet at once."

"Huh." Clyde seemed to deflate at this anticlimactic ending to their adventure. "You guys don't know what you've miss—"

The screen went blank. Clyde sat in silence for a few moments, then looked up at Rani.

"Sorry," he said.

"What for?"

"Trying to talk you into going along with them. I thought— never mind what I thought."

"I'm not sure your brain was doing the thinking at all." Rani couldn't help smiling at his crestfallen expression. "Look, I know you can't resist a cliché. Just try and remember I'm not some green-skinned space babe in a metal bikini."

Clyde perked up a little. "Have to remember that one for next time there's a fancy dress party."

Rani sat on the bed beside him. "Just for that," she said, "I'll let you explain things to my dad. And you'd better come up with something good. If we keep on mysteriously disappearing together he'll start getting..." She laughed suddenly. "Well, maybe it wouldn't be completely the wrong idea, this time."

Re: Oh, and that last clip gave me a minor plotbunny...

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, that was very nice. You should definitely post it somewhere. :-)

Re: Oh, and that last clip gave me a minor plotbunny...

[john_amend_all]

I will. I wanted to be sure the aliens' characterisation wasn't completely at odds with the B7 originals, but they're written vaguely enough that it could be argued they're completely different aliens with similar interests. That also means it's quantumly uncertain whether or not the story's a crossover :-)

And it only now occurs to me that the Torchwood version would be vastly shorter.

Jack grinned. "That's fine with us. What do we get if we show you two human bonding ceremonies? Three?" He waited for an answer, but there was none. "Is there a free set of steak knives when we've got up to ten?"

Re: Oh, and that last clip gave me a minor plotbunny...

[thisbluespirit]

Oh, dear...

Plus, I wouldn't worry - I haven't rewatched the episode yet, but knowing B7, those aliens probably all got blown up afterwards. This tends to happen. If you want to die, introduce yourself to Blake & co. You might be unlucky enough to survive, but generally they can be trusted to do the job...