Wisdom of the Future

Continuing E's education of British cult sci-fi TV, I've been showing her old tapes I have of Blake's 7, in my opinion, the best written sci-fi series EVER. It was a series that showed the blurry line between a terrorist and a freedom fighter. There were no black-and-white good guys or bad guys. And, the so-called "good guys" didn't always win. In fact, they sometimes died. Sure, B5's story arcs might have been a bit more complex and Firefly's character development is awesome. But anything these series did, Blake's 7 did first.

I mean, for pete's sake...


Blake's 7's Liberator 


Babylon 5: Crusade's Excalibur 

Anyway, here's something from my old webpages from way back... a collection of out-of-context quotes from the series that someone else put together, and to which I added one or two of my own (marked by **).

All I Ever Needed to Know, I Learned from Blake's 7

"Reality is a dangerous concept."

"Having defined the problem, the first step towards a solution is the acquisition of data."

"The choice is very simple -- either you can fight, or you can die."

"Change is inevitable... Why else do we fight?"

"Dignity, at all costs, dignity."

"Trust is only dangerous when you have to rely on it."

"He who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken."

"There is no logical reason why aliens should be hairy."

"All knowledge is valuable."

"Any very talented person could have done it."

"Heroics seldom run to schedule."

"It is frequently easier to be honest when you have nothing to lose."

"On Earth it is considered ill-mannered to kill your friends while committing suicide."

"Civilization has always depended on courtesy rather than truth."

"I am not expendable, I'm not stupid, and I'm not going."

"Don't launch any theories until you've tested the water."

"Show me someone who believes in something, and I will show you a fool."

"In the end, your word is all there is, really."

"Some days are better than others, Section Leader."

"The only thing you can make me do is die."

"All that patience gets you is older."

"Regret is part of being alive -- but keep it a small part."

"You should always be careful about getting a second-hand spacecraft."

"No good deed goes unpunished."

"Nobody is indispensible."

"Luck has nothing to do with it."

"There are times when even the most cynical must trust in luck."

"Everyone's entitled to one really bad mistake."

"The art of leadership is delegation."

"Infallibility depends on your point of view."

"In the end, winning is the only safety."

"Power usually makes its own rules."

"It is not necessary to become irrational in order to prove that one cares; indeed, it is not necessary to prove it at all."

"While there's life, there's threat."

"Strategic withdrawl is running away, but with dignity."

"Idealism is a wonderful thing; all you really need is someone rational to put it to proper use."

"A pro keeps it simple."**

"Sentiment breeds weakness. Let it get a hold of you and you are dead."**

"There are other rules, but you'll find out what those are when you break them."

Soak it up, people.