In the history of science fiction, the 1970s tend to be thought of as the decade in which Star Wars changed everything. But, in terms of sci-fi TV — especially British sci-fi TV — the 1970s were a golden age of low budgets and big ideas. This was a heyday of Doctor Who, with both Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker starring as the Third and Fourth Doctors, respectively. The decade began with Doctor Who going from black-and-white to being fully in color in 1970 and ended in 1979 with writer Douglas Adams publishing The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy the same week that his famous Who episode “City of Death” first aired.
But, in the midst of all of that, a Who-adjacent sci-fi classic was born: Blake’s 7. And now, this cult series is making an unexpected, and long-awaited comeback.
Initially centering on the eponymous Blake and a band of misfits, Blake’s 7 was a dystopian space opera, existing in a universe in which the controlling government, “the Federation,” behaves like a mashup of the Empire from Star Wars and Big Brother from 1984. Created by Terry Nation — who also wrote for Doctor Who and invented the Daleks — the world of Blake’s 7 was like one of the terrible totalitarian futures the Doctor might dip into, but never remain for long. In Blake’s 7, major characters perish regularly, lending groundbreaking tension to stale space adventure tropes in which major characters tend to always be safe. By the end of Blake’s 7, even Blake himself isn’t safe.
Ahead of its time for its themes and bold storytelling, Blake’s was always somewhat behind its time for special effects and production values. Debuting on Jan. 2, 1978, it’s hard to believe that this series was released the same year as the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica, if only because it looks so much clunkier. Who fans are used to this kind of thing, of course, but contemporary sci-fi fans rediscovering the original Blake’s 7 — which is tricky to find outside of Britbox — may find its production values are a bit rough. But now, there’s a fix for that.
As reported by Gizmodo and other outlets, Blake’s 7 is coming to Blu-ray for the first time ever, starting with a fully remastered version of Season 1. And, surprisingly, this will also include updated special effects. No, these won’t be of the CGI variety, but rather, brand-new exterior spaceship VFX using practical models. In essence, the new Blake’s 7 remaster will finally let the Liberator be seen in all of its wonderful 1970s glory, putting it on par with other beloved sci-fi ships of that era.
For fans of all sci-fi TV, but perhaps, especially those who have never seen Blake’s 7, this release represents a new era of rediscovery. In some ways, this was the Farscape of its time and a distant precursor to The Guardians of the Galaxy. Terry Nation created something dark, exciting, and unique with Blake’s 7, and now, hopefully, this new release will do the show the justice it deserves.
