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blakes7-d Digest Volume 98 : Issue 82
Today's Topics:
Re: [B7L] epitaph
Re: [B7L] epitaphs
[B7L] Caste testing
Re: [B7L] Vila's accepting nature
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Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 19:52:16 +0000
From: Katharine Woods <kjw@whitecrow.demon.co.uk>
To: Kathryn Andersen <kat@welkin.apana.org.au>
Subject: Re: [B7L] epitaph
Message-ID: <35083CF0.443822AB@whitecrow.demon.co.uk>
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> ---------------------------------
> Here lies Blake, bullets in his chest
> Shot by a friend who was somewhat stressed.
> ---------------------------------
LOL.
> What can I say? That was what the Muse told me. <grin>
Fast traveller that Muse.
Down went Vila, heroic at the last.
Felled untimely by a trooper's blast.
Katharine (Woods)
kjw@whitecrow.demon.co.uk
PS Katharine replies to Kathryn - let confusion reign. :-)
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Date: Fri, 13 Mar 98 12:18:00 PST
From: "Taylor, Steve [MIS]" <S.Taylor@lmu.ac.uk>
To: "Blake's 7 list" <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>,
Katharine Woods <kjw@whitecrow.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: [B7L] epitaphs
Message-ID: <350994CC@courier.lmu.ac.uk>
Away went Cally, buried underground
Like all telepaths,with hardly a sound
Off went Jenna, lost without a trace
Never to be seen again, such a pretty face
Gan, but not forgotten
As for the end of Blake - all I can say is 'Don't answer the door if you
hear "Ding, Dong; Avon Calling"'
SteveT
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Date: Sat, 14 Mar 1998 16:44:31 +1000
From: Tim Richards & Narrelle Harris <parallax@wire.net.au>
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: [B7L] Caste testing
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I had always assumed that VIla, if not lying, was certainly stretching the
truth somewhat. It struck me that a testing system wasn't unlikely and had
probably been introduced early on (a hundred or more years previously) in a
truly egalatarian attempt to match intellect/personality with a suitable
job. in time this evolved into a marked class system.
I expect the testing system was deeply flawed - or became so - as any
attempt to pigeonhole humanity will usually end up backfiring on someone
somewhere.
Of course, once the "smartest" folks, the Alpha Grades, estabalished their
control in admin, politics and law, there was no way they would let *their*
kids, however average or even downright stupid, end up in the labour
grades. How embarrassing! Social death! So... some forms of the testing
were kept, mostly to capture potential troublemakers... oops... bright
young things, I mean, from the lower grades and bring them into the Beta
grades (at most) to keep an eye on them. Only exceptional Betas might be
conscripted upwards into Alpha.
My latest theory on Avon's tortured background :-) is that he was actually
Beta grade born and shifted up into Alpha, but always a second class Alpha
in the view of the Alphas around him. SO there he was - given up to the
State by his family, taken in by people who resented his new grading,
without wealth or security. Just his intellect. Awwww.
By the way, I've read a very amusing story in which Vila actually *did*
purchase his grading in a way. He scored very highly and was likely to
have been graded into the armed services - a pilot or the like - dangerous
stuff - so he bribed the tester to switch his scores with an Alpha lad
who'd scored a particularly low grade. A blue-eyed, curly-haired young
thing named Del. :-)
(Relle now seeks asylum from the Tarrant Nostra. Anyone out there willing
to hide me in their attics for a while???)
Narrelle
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tim Richards and Narrelle Harris
parallax@wire.net.au http://www.wire.net.au/~parallax
"Look, he's winding up the watch of his wit;
by and by it will strike." - Shakespeare
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 17:19:34 +1030
From: "Ophelia" <ophelia@picknowl.com.au>
To: <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] Vila's accepting nature
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[Carol K] wrote, re my loving tribute
to a certain adorable thief's better
qualities:
>The way he was concerned about Dayna and Tarrant when he tried to convince
Avon
>to leave them behind in "Traitor"? The way he was concerned about Avon,
Blake,
>and Calley in "Star One" when he tried to convince Jenna to run, and leave
them
>behind.
The way he was concerned about the entire crew in "Shadow" when he left
>his post to go to Space City and get drunk and enjoy?
>
>Villa *is not* a complete sweetie, who cares about people. He's no better
and
>no worse than any of the rest of our beloved motley crew(s).
<maternal instincts in full display>
<wail> How *could* you say that about
my baby?</wail>
All I can say is that I don't for one minute
believe that Vila seriously meant
to abandon them. You notice he didn't
actually *do* it, just whined that they
should. Normal venting, I'd say.
Whenever some act of heroic
self-sacrifice was actually *needed*
(e.g. "Aftermath," "Breakdown,"
"City") he generally came through
with flying colours.
Protective cynicism should be
distinguished from actuall
hard-heartedness.
As for "Space CIty" and "Gambit,"
I guess he saw it as a little bit of
harmless hedonistic fun. I doubt
he *really* thought they'd all get
killed - he would have been stuffed
if they did, for starters.
>Except, of course, for Avon -- who is totally misunderstood and really has
a
>caring heart of gold and a genuine love of humankind -- and who would,
without
>hesitation, gladly sacrifice himself to save his crew.
<appreciative giggle>
- XXX Lindley
Ophelia - ophelia@picknowl.com.au
"The girl has beauty, virtue, wit,
Grace, humour, wisdom, charity and pluck."
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End of blakes7-d Digest V98 Issue #82
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