Blake's 7 Season 1 quotes

Fascinating. Fascinating! A thousand years here would be too short.

[Holding up his index finger] Groff, what's that?

A finger?

A finger. And as you can see, it is better designed for pressing buttons than holding writing implements.

Servalan

Jarvik? Of course. Jarvik. Jarvik, the construction worker. What was it now? Any fool could take the Liberator with three pursuit ships. Well, the Liberator will soon be diffusing itself throughout the galaxy as so many billion split particles. So, regrettably, we shall never know. Thanks to the folly of your president, who with her aides and her technical advisers, her battle computers and her captains, extravagantly disposed herself to use four pursuit ships. And yet any fool could have done it with three. Perhaps this particular fool will tell her how. (pause) Well? Have you nothing to say to Servalan?

Woman, you're beautiful. (grabs and kisses Servalan)

Servalan

Guards! Take this primitive to the punishment cells! Move!

Servalan

You say any fool could take The Liberator with three pursuit ships. Could you?

I could take her with one. But, as a man, Tarrant is worthy of honour. Three would not insult him.

Servalan

There's nothing to stop them now. The cream of my fleet, gone! Destroyed. And all you can do is smile as though you'd achieved something.

I have.

Servalan

What?

I made it look convincing.

Servalan

Oh, it was convincing all right. It convinced me. Three Mark Tens and fifteen years' supply of Kairopan.

You wanted the Liberator? If you're patient, you shall have her.

Servalan

And what will you take her with? A Kairopan shuttle? A transporter, perhaps? Or will you use your bare hands?! What are you doing?

(Picks up Servalan and dumps her on a couch) Lie there and keep quiet until I tell you otherwise.

Servalan

But first, there is the matter of that degrading and primitive act you subjected me to in the control room... I should like you to do it again.

But when was the last time you felt the warmth of the Earth's sun on your naked back? Or lifted your face to the heavens, and laughed with the joy of being alive? How long since you wept at the death of a friend? [Pause.] Doesn't mean a thing to you, does it, Madam President? You've surrounded yourself with machines and weapons, mindless men and heartless mutoids; and when they've done your work, and the machines have done your thinking, what is there left in you that feels?!

Servalan

So tell me, Zen, how does one operate this craft?

One manipulates the controls and the craft functions accordingly.

[Discussing Sopron] This happens to be the most sophisticated life form that it has ever been my good fortune to come across. Present company Not excepted.

Life? But it looks like...

A rock. Yes. Well, when you live on the permanent dark side of a planet nobody cares too much what you look like.

Zen will have picked us up by now.

So?

So what do we do before they blow us out of the galaxy?

We Attack.

Attack? We have nothing to attack with.

Then bluff it. Tell them to surrender.

Is that a weapon?

That? No, no, it's purely defensive. An analogue of something that evolves on the permanent dark side of a planet. A highly simplified copy of course.

Permanent dark side? Are you saying you've...

I've built an artificial Sopron. Yes, that's what I'm saying.

Self defense. Some animals bristle out their fur to frighten their enemies. But that doesn't count for much in the dark.

Vila

So what does Sopron do?

Sopron is a mirror. A distorting mirror. It reflects a slightly greater image of whatever it is that happens to be scanning it. Zen saw a capacity-charged brain, because that is what Zen is. Orac saw a highly sophisticated computer because that is what Orac is. Cally thought that she saw her parents, But what she actually saw was herself.

And will that work?

Oh yes. The question is... what will Servalan see? And will she be fooled by it?

Vila

Are you sure you can dock this thing?

I hadn't really considered it.

Vila

What?

I thought we'd be dead by now.

Vila

All my life, for as long as I can remember, there's been people like you.

And I thought I was unique.

Vila

You're not even unusual, Tarrant.

I appealed to his better nature.

He hasn't got one. Leave him alone in future.

Or?

Do you want me to threaten you?

Why not. I haven't had a good laugh in ages.

Sensible. You could die laughing.

Cally

Why are you suddenly so protective towards Vila?

He's irritating, but he's useful. We can easily replace a pilot, but a talented thief is rare.

I'd agree with that. So?

So frighten him too much, he's no use to anyone.