History YMMV / BlakesSeven

* OnceOriginalNowOverdone: The "fugitives running from a corrupt empire" premise has long since been harvested to death to the point where it'd be a unique subversion now to show things the other way around.

* AccidentalInnuendo: In the episode "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS3E12DeathWatch Death Watch]]", Avon teleports down to confront Servalan, saying he's guessed her EvilPlan and delivering a blatant death threat. He then calls for Cally to teleport him up again. Unfortunately the [[ThrowItIn actors decided on their own initiative]] to acknowledge their character's FoeRomanceSubtext by having Avon grab Servalan for a passionate TakeThatKiss. So when Avon then tells Cally [[SomethingElseAlsoRises he's ready to come up now...]]

* EvilIsSexy:
** Servalan. Swans into a Federation base in a long white dress, orders an atrocity, exits while looking fabulous.
** Avon's whole style plays up to this trope very effectively, though technically he's amoral rather than evil. (Mostly.)

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The "fugitives running from a corrupt empire" premise has long since been harvested to death to the point where it'd be a unique subversion now to show things the other way around.

** In "Star Drive", Avon activates the Photonic Drive without giving Dr. Plaxton (who had just finished installing it for them) a chance to get to safety, knowing it will kill her. While he attempts to justify it with [[IDidWhatIHadToDo amoral practicality]] with "It's her or us" (they were being pursued at the time), he then laughs when her death is confirmed.

** "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS1E2SpaceFall Space Fall]]": [[WardensAreEvil Raiker]] is the sub-commander of a prison ship transporting prisoners to a penal planet. He takes a sadistic attitude towards the prisoners, welcoming them with a threatening speech that ends "[[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem [t]here are other rules but you'll find out what they are when you break them]]." He has a [[SerialRapist reputation]] for taking female prisoners as his {{sex slave}}s for the trip, with it rumored that some prisoners are [[ThrownOutTheAirlock dumped en route]]. When his attempt to charm Jenna with offers of better treatment are immediately rebuffed, he immediately [[BeneathTheMask drops the act]] and strikes her, saying she'll come to him eventually. After an escape attempt led by Blake results in most of the prisoners being quickly recaptured but Blake and the ringleaders having control of the ship, Raiker responds by [[RevengeByProxy systematically shooting unarmed prisoners]] until Blake gives himself up. When he hears Blake has surrendered, he shoots one more ForTheEvulz. He then tries to order Jenna taken to his quarters, only to be [[EvenEvilHasStandards overruled by his superior]]. He demonstrates {{greed}} as well: He is eager for the prize money when the crew stumble upon the Liberator drifting and, when a first attempt at boarding leaves two crewmen dead and one driven insane, his response is to use [[CannonFodder prisoners]] as a SuicideMission to disable the defences, threatening them with summary execution otherwise.

** Given Avon's snark, penchant for dark clothing, and admitted amoral behavior [[VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic is it any wonder his actor makes for a wonderful Sith]]?

* WTHCostumingDepartment: The series often had strange costumes. But [[http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff74/swordznsorcery/blakes7/2x03/vlcsnap-2012-08-17-03h09m15s85.jpg two]] in "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS2E3Weapon Weapon]]" take the cake: those of the weapons designer (the man in the picture) and the bond-slave (the woman):. (As someone wrote, "It's hard to perform manual labor when you're dressed like [[ComicStrip Ming the Merciless]]).

** "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS1E1TheWayBack The Way Back]]": Dev Tarrant is a Federation security agent who has [[TheMole infiltrated the resistance]]. He sets up at least two [[LeaveNoSurvivors massacres of around twenty unarmed dissidents]] and is also the [[TokenMotivationalNemesis one responsible]] for Blake being captured and {{brainwashed}} in the first place. When he discovers Blake can [[HeKnowsTooMuch identify him]], he instructs the Arbiter-General to discredit him, which he does by [[FrameUp framing him for child abuse]] by [[MindRape implanting false memories of abuse in children's minds]]--then turns up at Blake's trial to gloat, so he knows how much the resistance is compromised. When Blake's defense lawyer realizes the truth and begins gathering up evidence of the massacre and framing, Tarrant [[TheBadGuyWins has him and his wife killed]].
** "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS1E2SpaceFall Space Fall]]": [[WardensAreEvil Raiker]] is the sub-commander of a prison ship transporting prisoners to a penal planet. He takes a sadistic attitude towards the prisoners, welcoming them with a threatening speech that ends "[[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem [t]here are other rules but you'll find out what they are when you break them]]." He has a [[SerialRapist reputation]] for taking female prisoners as his {{sex slave}}s for the trip, with it rumored that some prisoners are [[ThrownOutTheAirlock dumped en route]]. When his attempt to charm Jenna with offers of better treatment are immediately rebuffed, he immediately [[BeneathTheMask drops the act]] and strikes her, saying she'll come to him eventually. After an escape attempt led by Blake results in most of the prisoners being quickly recaptured but Blake and the ringleaders having control of the ship, Raiker responds by [[RevengeByProxy systematically shooting unarmed prisoners]] until Blake gives himself up. When he hears Blake has surrendered, he shoots one more ForTheEvulz. He then tries to order Jenna taken to his quarters, only to be [[EvenEvilHasStandards overruled by his superior]]. He demonstrates {{greed}} as well: He is eager for the prize money when the crew stumble upon the Liberator drifting and, when a first attempt at boarding leaves two crewmen dead and one driven insane, his response is to use [[CannonFodder prisoners]] as a SuicideMission to disable the defenses, threatening them with summary execution otherwise.

** Is Gan really a GentleGiant? Or as "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS1E10Breakdown Breakdown]]" implies, just a SerialKiller with a RestrainingBolt.

* MoralEventHorizon: Avon, in one of the last episodes, "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS4E11Orbit Orbit]]". [[spoiler:Avon and Vila have tricked a MadScientist out of a [[MacGuffin powerful new weapon]] with a fake Orac only to find that he's somehow weighed down their shuttle so it can't achieve escape velocity. Our heroes are busy stripping everything out of the shuttle to lose weight (including the powerful new weapon), when Orac announces they only need to lose 70 more kilos. When asked by Avon (who believes Vila is out of earshot) what weighs 70 kilos, Orac tells him that "Vila weighs 73 kilos". Avon gets his gun and goes looking for Vila (who's gone into hiding!). Avon then finds the [[AppliedPhlebotinum 'speck of Neutron Material' embedded in perspex]] that is really weighing down the shuttle, but can't persuade Vila to help him push it out of the ship because Vila thinks Avon is still trying to kill him. He manages to do it by himself, [[LargeHam manfully]]. Opinion is divided on whether Avon would have actually killed Vila if it had come to it.]]
** Avon crossed it before then: In "Star Drive", he activates the Photonic Drive without giving Dr. Plaxton (who had just finished installing it for them) a chance to get to safety, knowing it will kill her. While he attempts to justify it with [[IDidWhatIHadToDo amoral practicality]] with "It's her or us" (they were being pursued at the time), he then laughs when her death is confirmed.

** Let's see...Brian the Spider from "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS3E5TheHarvestOfKairos The Harvest of Kairos]]". A wobbly TinCanRobot that can [[Film/HeartbreakRidge piss napalm!]] The cuddly yak-hybrid SuperSoldiers from "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS4E5Animals Animals]]". The murderous PornStache man in "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS1E4TimeSquad Time Squad]]". The mutoids having their cyborg headcaps replaced by a DodgyToupee ("[[Recap/BlakesSevenS2E8Hostage Hostage]]") or graduated bob haircut ("Animals"). [[Recap/BlakesSevenS3E11Moloch Moloch the Fried Chicken Man!]]

** Is Blake actually fighting for justice, or is he an OmnicidalManiac who doesn't give a damn who gets hurt as long as the Federation burns? Gareth Thomas believed that the answer depends on which side of the fence you're sitting.

** Avon/Vila was one of the more popular ships. Avon/Tarrant gets a good look in too... What is it with Avon any way? Is it the leather?

* HoYayShipping: Generations of fans have read subtext into Blake and Avon.
** Not only that, but in the 80's, a mix of different elements, including arguments over the ethicality of for-profit conventions, actor distaste for seeing their characters same-sex shipped, RPF, attempted fandom cleansing and the degree to which slash fic was exiled from the mainstream fandom resulted in a Slash War so long, bitter and far-reaching that even years later it was a delicate subject, and upon being supplied with the receipts by someone in the fandom at the time (who insisted on only sharing it with them after they made an inquiry into the subject on a forum) that the newbie commented that it was like watching a car wreck. Full details are at Fandom Lore.

** JerkassWoobie: Avon.

** "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS4E10Gold Gold]]" has a particularly jarring jump cut on the teleport effect, with actor Roy Kinnear obviously moving between cuts in the foreground.

** Shivan from "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS2E10VoiceFromThePast Voice from the Past]]", ostensibly a once-famous RebelLeader who's been so tortured and disfigured by the evil Federation that he's barely able to move or see or speak. Instead we get a shuffling BandageMummy in a green cape whose dialogue is totally incomprehensible. [[spoiler:TheReveal that he's Travis in disguise [[IdiotPlot doesn't help matters either]].]]

* CaptainObviousReveal: In "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS4E3Traitor Traitor]]", the measures used to conceal the identity of Commissioner Sleer only make it obvious to the audience that it must be an ArchNemesis BackFromTheDead. Unless [[TheDragon Travis]] had somehow survived his CruelAndUnusualDeath in "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS2E13StarOne Star One]]", who else could it be but [[BigBad Servalan]]?

* IdiotPlot:
** Moloch, in its [[Recap/BlakesSevenS3E11Moloch eponymous episode]], is revealed to be a life form that serves as the heart of a machine which is also its life support. It lured the crew to its planet because it wants the ''Liberator''. It succeeds, gets a teleport bracelet and beams itself aboard, thereby [[spoiler:detaching itself from its life support. It dies immediately.]]
** The episodes "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS2E8Hostage Hostage]]", "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS2E5PressurePoint Pressure Point]]", "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS2E10VoiceFromThePast Voice From The Past]]" and "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS3E5TheHarvestOfKairos The Harvest of Kairos]]" require both heroes and villains to grab the IdiotBall in order for the plot to work.

* LesYay: Jenna/Cally. They get ''very'' into their {{catfight}} in "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS2E11Gambit Gambit]]".

* NightmareFail:

!![[AudioPlay/BlakesSeven The audio dramas]]
* IdiotPlot: In the Creator/BarryLetts radio plays, and ''how''. Apparently Tarrant, self-proclaimed greatest pilot in the cosmos, doesn't know what sort of batteries power the ''Scorpio''.

** Creator/KimNewman once joked that it was hard to tell if Blake and Avon really hated each other or if they realy fancied each other.

** Brian Croucher's version of Travis isn't exactly ''bad'' per se, but he comes across as far more thuggish DumbMuscle than Creator/StephenGreif's version ever did. It doesn't help that the mask they made for Croucher looks like a cheap Halloween costume.

** Jenna was introduced as a tough, cynical SpacePirate and smuggler. She became gradually underutilised, particuarly in the second season, where she was often seen manning the teleporter, or would get captured despite her ActionGirl status. Sally Knyvette left the series because of this, complaining that she was reduced to being a housewife. Thankfully, she got a series of audio plays that rectified this.

** Brian Croucher's version of Travis isn't exactly ''bad'' per se, but he comes across as far more thuggish DumbMuscle than Stephen Greif's version ever did. It doesn't help that the mask they made for Croucher looks like a cheap Halloween costume.

** Just how smart or cowardly is Vila, really? Does he play dumb in order to keep out of Blake and Avon's suicidal plans? Michael Keating believed that Vila was clever and determined to survive, rather than purely cowardly, and [[ADayInTheLimelight Vila-centric episodes]] show he's pretty damn smart when he wants to be. The fact that he constantly drinks doesn't help the issue, either.

* FoeYay: Between Avon and Servalan, who share a few dysfunctional moments during the third season. In "[[{{Recap/BlakesSevenS3E12DeathWatch}} Death-Watch]]," it's hard to tell whether Avon is trying to manipulate her or just contriving an elaborate excuse for a hug.
** Also, Servalan and Tarrant in "[[{{Recap/BlakesSevenS4E9Sand}} Sand]]".
-->'''Avon:''' You believed her?\\
'''Tarrant:''' Not necessarily. I think it was a gambit to gain my sympathy... in a nervous situation.\\
'''Avon:''' And she got it too, didn't she? Your ''[[IsThatWhatTheyreCallingItNow sympathy]]'' I mean?
** Less explicit, but definitely present, between Travis and Blake. Travis' obsession with catching Blake consumes his entire life. There's also the scene in Travis' first episode where Servalan has to distract him from a series of photos of Blake, presumably under Federation torture, but rather looking like he's doing something else. For the most part, this is largely one-sided from Travis to Blake, except for how Blake [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim refuses to kill him]] enough times it just gets silly, including on one occasion because [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim he thinks he would enjoy it too much]], [[InterplayOfSexAndViolence which is not really any less full of]] FoeYay.

* LauncherOfAThousandShips: You can basically guarantee that someone somewhere on the internet is currently shipping Avon with literally any other member of the crew (including [[CargoShip Orac and Zen]]). Not to mention [[FoeYay Servalan]]...