Archetypes in Blake's 7 (long, some SPOILERS)
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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
scriptwriters 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 from grace". However,
unlike Lucifer, Avon can accept redemption, and ultimately does,
through the self-sacrificial actions he does perform.
_Animal Archetypes_
Animal archetypes ascribe the attributes of particular animal to a
character to establish certain aspects of the character. Animal
archetypes are a favorite device of writers. The Blake's 7 series
had no animals to work with, but did establish characters with
attributes reminiscent of certain animals.
Blake roars like a lion, and is courageous. He moves with surety
and self-possession. He is big and strong and has a "mane" of
curly hair.
Avon is cat-like in movement and action. He lurks in the
background and only pounces when he thinks he has an obvious
advantage. His straight hair is sleek and he presents a careful
appearance. He is intelligent and he sees everything that goes on
around him.
Vila is a clever thief, not unlike a raccoon. He is a bandit who
stays out of everyone else's way, but takes opportunities as they
present themselves. When cornered, he is able to stand up for
himself and proves an capable and clever fighter.
Cally is graceful as a like a deer. She seems to flow when she
moves. Tall and thin and seemingly delicate, she has soft and
caring eyes.
Dayna is swift, graceful and deadly as a jungle cat.
Fan writers often use these archetypal associations in their
descriptions of the characters. Blake is described as a lion, a
bear, a bull. Avon is described as a cat, a panther, a cobra.
Vila is associated with raccoons, weasels and ferrets. Cally is
associated with deer.
Fan artists express these images more directly. Fan art often
consists of portraits of one or more of the characters with their
archetypally associated animals. I've seen Blake with lions, bulls
and unicorns. I've seen Avon with panthers, other cats, Pegasus,
dragons, and snakes. Vila has been paired with a raccoon, Tarrant
with a raven, Dayna with a snow leopard. I'm sure there are many
other pairings out there I've yet to see, or the artists have yet
to work on. The character/animal portraits are among the most
beautiful fan art I've seen.
_Other Archetypes_
Another recurring theme in Blake's 7 is the association of a
"healer" archetype with Cally. Cally is the closest thing the crew
of the _Liberator_ have to a physician and psychiatrist. Cally is
often seen tending the injuries/sicknesses of the others in the
medical unit and throughout the ship. She also tries to heal the
mental and emotional wounds and rifts of the crew, with varying
degrees of success. Often she does her work subtly and
unobtrusively (no Deanna Troi "Captain, I sense you are feeling
down today" stuff - sorry, Trek fans :-) ), making her all the
more valuable.
_Other Recurring Archetypal Images In Fandom_
Fan fiction writers and artists have had quite a few years since the
end of the series to generate tons of work on B7. Many of these works
contain archetypal images which, while not explicitly discussed or
shown on the television series, fit the facts as broadcast.
A very notable one of these (and one of my favorites) is the image
of Blake as Fire and Avon as Ice. Blake is a passionate man,
leading a rebellion. He believes in what he is doing and he will
see it through if he is at all able. His followers, Avon included,
are swept up in his personal Fire.
Avon is, at least on the surface, a cold man, living only for
himself. He believes in nothing (or so he tells us), and tries to
avoid the company of others. His past, hinted at in the series,
and expanded on by fan writers, gives us glimpses why this is so.
He would like to be impervious Ice, but unfortunately (?) for him,
he is standing a little to close to Blake's fire, and some of his
ice will be permanently melted.
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. It fits together with
the natural/unnatural environment archetypes described above.
_In Conclusion_
Of all the archetypes of B7, my favorite is an animal archetype -
can you guess which one? Right. It must have to do with my
favorite character and net.namesake - Avon. I love the image of
Avon as the panther. Dangerous and deadly jungle cat though he may
be, I like to think there is a little panther kitten somewhere deep
inside, waiting to come out for the right inducement.
Also, as you may be aware, a panther is a leopard which just
happens to have a lot of dark pigment in its fur. If you look
closely at a panther (with an appropriate fence between the two of
you, of course), you can see the leopard spot pattern in the fur.
So - a panther has a hidden identity, a hidden agenda, perhaps.
Its true nature is, in a sense, not apparent. All very fitting
images for Avon.
BTW, I've got a stuffed panther in my office at home - its name is
"Kerr". It sits on a chair next to "Roj", the stuffed lion. Can't
let the computers and the engineering textbooks and the unpaid
bills take up all the room, you know :-) .
Comments, anyone? Any other archetypes/images you find in B7
episodes, fanfic or fan art?
Take care and have a great week . . .
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Ross Smith
>
>_Color Archetypes_
An important use of colour you didn't mention was in the episode
"Sarcophagus". Colour themes run all through it -- threads of colour,
so to speak -- too numerous to describe here. The most obvious example
is the matching of the aliens' costumes with the crew of the Liberator.
(The episode was written by Tanith Lee, a brilliant SF/fantasy author.)
>_Other Recurring Archetypal Images In Fandom_
>
>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. It fits together with
>the natural/unnatural environment archetypes described above.
Rather than associating B7 with the Arthurian mythos, I think it's more
accurate to say that both are based (partly) on the same basic archetype.
The wise and powerful warrior, perhaps a bit too compassionate for his
own good, with a companion who is less powerful physically but more
intelligent, wise in the ways of magic (= science), associated with dark
colours, and occasionally not 100 per cent loyal, is an old one in myths
and stories, ancient and modern. There are many other examples -- Thor
and Loki, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, Kirk and Spock ... obviously this
isn't necessarily the only archetype in any of these, but it's
certainly present.
>Comments, anyone? Any other archetypes/images you find in B7
>episodes, fanfic or fan art?
I've always suspected that B7 was partly inspired by "20,000 Leagues
Under the Sea". Look at the parallels -- a ship of awesome power,
unknown technology, and a mysterious background (and a room full of
treasure!), with a captain who isn't sure whether he's a freedom fighter
or a terrorist...
--
...... Ross Smith (Wanganui, NZ) ...... al...@acheron.amigans.gen.nz ......
"Sir, trust me. My whole case hinges on
proving you're a dork." (Kryten, "Red Dwarf")
Frances Teagle
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 based 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
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Frances Teagle
>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,
Micky DuPree
(Frances Teagle) writes:
>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".
Aside from the scant info about his limiter, this is *all* the
background that we ever get on Gan.
[Deletion of correct remarks about slight editing for violence in the
BBC commercial tapes. I'm using unedited home recordings of PBS
broadcast tapes, if that makes a difference.]
>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? *
Malcolm Mladenovic
>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
chevron
>
>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".
>
Hi Frances!
Didn't mean to start a rumour . . . A key word in my comment was
"perhaps". I don't think there is anything in the series which
states Gan was a farmer on Zephron. I mentioned it because, as you
say, it fits his nature. I have seen this concept developed in
fanfic as well.
Another reason I think it's reasonable that Gan could have been
a farmer is that he was on a colony planet. Typically a colony
world would be less developed than the mother planet. When
starting a colony, you would have to concentrate on basic
survival and self-sufficiency. Some type of farming - albiet
possibly somewhat high-tech farming as opposed to mules and plows -
would be necessary to establish a permanent colony.
The security guard could have been among those assigned to
protect the local Fed planetary/colony governor. Shipped out
from earth, this type of guard would be just the type to think
he could fool with a poor local farmer's woman with impunity.
I'm sure Orac would snipe at all the above as pure "conjecture",
but then, who ever listens to Orac anyway? :-)
Have a good one . . .
Elvis Presley's Corpse
>
>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).
Volcano/Dawn of the Gods and The Harvest of Kairos/The City at the
Edge of the World didn't have the "unedited" bit on the cover, though
I thought the first tape did. Also these two tapes were U certificate
whereas all the others were PG. Despite this I've never heard anyone
say anything about them being edited so maybe they are complete. Has
anyone noticed any cut scenes (what Vila and Kerril did while waiting
to die perhaps?). :-)
>Two more whole months to wait till the final two tapes :-(
Do you know the official release date? TV Zone said January a few
months ago. The latest DWB says December 7th. A friend of mine says
BBC Video only release stuff for eleven months of the year and
December is the month when they don't release anything - this seems
stupid considering what great Christmas presents they'd make.
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