Max: These combat grounds are only used for officially declared wars, and we haven't had one of those for twenty years.
Tarrant: So what brought this one on?
Max: Border incursions, retaliation, escalation: routine enough pattern.
Tarrant: Once every twenty years is routine?
Max: Our border squabbles don't usually lead to war. Actually this one did take us a little by surprise. Our computers missed the trend completely.
Tarrant: What's at stake? What happens to you if Deeta loses?
Max: The Convention will require us to surrender two-thirds of our fleet and three of our planets.
Tarrant: And you're willing to do that?
Max: Well, of course. So are they. You see, Del, for us, this is not a game. We really are at war.
— Blake's 7, "Death Watch"
"In the not too distant future, wars will no longer exist. But there will be Rollerball."
— Tagline for Rollerball (1975)
"Sport is war minus the shooting."
