Scorpio (Blake's 7)
Encyclopedia
Scorpio is a fictional spacecraft
featured throughout the fourth season of the British science fiction television series Blake's 7
. It is a freighter, noted by Tarrant as an early Mk IV "Wanderer-class" planet-hopper.
Scorpio was owned by an alleged salvage operator named Dorian, who had a base on the planet Xenon. Dorian rescues the crew of the recently destroyed Liberator
, who are stranded on the planet Terminal. The former crew of Liberator later kill Dorian in self-defence, occupy the Xenon base and use Scorpio for their own purposes.
Scorpio was docked in an underground silo within the Xenon Base. Unlike Liberator, which was superior in speed and weaponry to the Terran Federation
's finest warships, Scorpio was initially disadvantaged in comparison. It is slow, ungainly and has no weaponry until the crew modify the ship to increase its capabilities. In the episode "Power", Avon
and Orac complete construction of a teleport
system for the ship, similar to that seen on Liberator, which Dorian had begun to create but had failed. In the episode "Star Drive", Scorpio is fitted with a new, experimental engine called the 'photonic drive', developed by Doctor Plaxton, that increases the ship's speed to the equivalent of Time Distort 15 but in real time - without the need for the ship to move into a "time-distorted" dimension - making Scorpio faster than the Liberator had been. The photonic drive is powered by light rather than plasma
.
In the final episode of the series, Scorpio is shot down en route to the planet Gauda Prime where it crash-lands. The crew escapes by teleporting, apart from Tarrant
who is injured but survives the crash.
Scorpio's interior was designed by Roger Cann. The set made use of some panels that had previously adorned the set of the Heart of Gold in the Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy TV series
. The exterior model was designed by Jim Francis
.
onboard computer. The character was created by Chris Boucher and voiced by Peter Tuddenham
. Tuddenham thought of Slave as "...a Uriah Heep
type of character...".
Slave was designed and built by Dorian and programmed with a cringing personality, which occasionally irritates the crew. It is constantly apologising for its failings, real or perceived. It addresses Dorian, and later Avon, as "Master", and the rest of the crew as "Sir" or "Madam". It is prone to panic in emergency situations.
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
featured throughout the fourth season of the British science fiction television series Blake's 7
Blake's 7
Blake's 7 is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC for its BBC1 channel. The series was created by Terry Nation, a prolific television writer and creator of the Daleks for the television series Doctor Who. Four series of Blake's 7 were produced and broadcast between 1978...
. It is a freighter, noted by Tarrant as an early Mk IV "Wanderer-class" planet-hopper.
Scorpio was owned by an alleged salvage operator named Dorian, who had a base on the planet Xenon. Dorian rescues the crew of the recently destroyed Liberator
Liberator (Blake's 7)
The spaceship Liberator is a fictional starship featured in the first three seasons of the BBC television series Blake's 7.-Background:...
, who are stranded on the planet Terminal. The former crew of Liberator later kill Dorian in self-defence, occupy the Xenon base and use Scorpio for their own purposes.
Scorpio was docked in an underground silo within the Xenon Base. Unlike Liberator, which was superior in speed and weaponry to the Terran Federation
Terran Federation (Blake's 7)
The Terran Federation, sometimes simply called The Federation, is the primary stellar government featured in the British Blake's 7 science-fiction television series of the late 1970s...
's finest warships, Scorpio was initially disadvantaged in comparison. It is slow, ungainly and has no weaponry until the crew modify the ship to increase its capabilities. In the episode "Power", Avon
Kerr Avon
Kerr Avon is a fictional character from the British science fiction television series Blake's 7, played by Paul Darrow...
and Orac complete construction of a teleport
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
system for the ship, similar to that seen on Liberator, which Dorian had begun to create but had failed. In the episode "Star Drive", Scorpio is fitted with a new, experimental engine called the 'photonic drive', developed by Doctor Plaxton, that increases the ship's speed to the equivalent of Time Distort 15 but in real time - without the need for the ship to move into a "time-distorted" dimension - making Scorpio faster than the Liberator had been. The photonic drive is powered by light rather than plasma
Plasma (physics)
In physics and chemistry, plasma is a state of matter similar to gas in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized. Heating a gas may ionize its molecules or atoms , thus turning it into a plasma, which contains charged particles: positive ions and negative electrons or ions...
.
In the final episode of the series, Scorpio is shot down en route to the planet Gauda Prime where it crash-lands. The crew escapes by teleporting, apart from Tarrant
Del Tarrant
Del Tarrant is a fictional character from the British science fiction television series Blake's 7, played by Steven Pacey.Del Tarrant was a skilled pilot, trained in the Federation Space Academy, who stole a pursuit ship and began running contraband in the outer planets and getting involved in...
who is injured but survives the crash.
Scorpio's interior was designed by Roger Cann. The set made use of some panels that had previously adorned the set of the Heart of Gold in the Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy TV series
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV series)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, is a BBC television adaptation of Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy broadcast in January and February 1981 on BBC Two...
. The exterior model was designed by Jim Francis
Jim Francis
Jim Francis is a former Australian rules footballer and coach in the Victorian Football League.After playing 61 games for Hawthorn Francis made his debut for the Carlton Football Club in Round 9 of the 1934 season. He retired as a player at the end of the 1943 season and was appointed coach of the...
.
Slave
Slave is Scorpio's intelligentArtificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
onboard computer. The character was created by Chris Boucher and voiced by Peter Tuddenham
Peter Tuddenham
Peter Tuddenham was a British actor, best known for providing the voices of Zen, Orac and Slave, computers on the science fiction TV show Blake's 7....
. Tuddenham thought of Slave as "...a Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep is a fictional character created by Charles Dickens in his novel David Copperfield.The character is notable for his cloying humility, obsequiousness, and insincerity, making frequent references to his own "'umbleness". His name has become synonymous with being a yes man...
type of character...".
Slave was designed and built by Dorian and programmed with a cringing personality, which occasionally irritates the crew. It is constantly apologising for its failings, real or perceived. It addresses Dorian, and later Avon, as "Master", and the rest of the crew as "Sir" or "Madam". It is prone to panic in emergency situations.