And there you have it. Avon says it exactly how it is. They will never have the same chance again. And they will get dragged into Blake's crusade. It's all Jenna's fault.

And human sacrifice. Cliche upon cliche.

And human sacrifice. Cliche upon cliche.

I actually don't think it's too far from how a lot of people behave. It doesn't take much. Our governments do it all the time on little to no pretext.

But it works for Vargas and friends. I wonder if V was the first to set up the sickness thing or if he inherited the secret from someone else?

Ritual human sacrifice?

Ritual human sacrifice?

But it works for Vargas and friends. I wonder if V was the first to set up the sickness thing or if he inherited the secret from someone else?

Indeed! To their ideologies.

Maybe it's the robes. Once they're wearing them, people suddenly start singing Gregorian chants, offering scrifices etc.

What ideologies? I see only a desperation to remain in power here at the moment.

Maybe it's the robes. Once they're wearing them, people suddenly start singing Gregorian chants, offering scrifices etc.

Well, I suppose that Vargas and his ancestors were from Earth, and were people of limited culture and imagination, so went with all the cliches - the robes, the chanting, the torture, the sacrifices. And it makes for a lively backdrop for the real meat of the episode, which is Blake's attempts to build a crew. But I would still have liked something more interesting.

But busily smashing to bits people in other countries, and, should I add: that's all part of convincing you that they are keeping at bay all those wicked people who might challenge your (our) culture. Our pathetic lot are doing it too. Sacrificing others to prove to a domestic market how terrific they are.

Well, I suppose that Vargas and his ancestors were from Earth, and were people of limited culture and imagination, so went with all the cliches - the robes, the chanting, the torture, the sacrifices. And it makes for a lively backdrop for the real meat of the episode, which is Blake's attempts to build a crew. But I would still have liked something more interesting.

But they are not trying to convince us - we are a lost cause to them. They have found a sizeable minority who can be convinced that their culture is under threat. The rest of us don't need to be convinced, in fact must not be convinced, because we are needed as the internal enemy who are the willing dupes of the external enemy and must be destroyed.

Yes, it's all built on stereotypes. But TN was still working on the characterisation: he's trying to make everything fit together ideas, future, budget, and in particular the actors they've cast. One of the strengths of B7 is the way they responded to the strengths of the cast - just a pity that some of them didn't know they could have spoken up a bit more. Plus it was almost half a century ago. We're looking at it with different eyes (I hope) and our sterreotypes are a bit bigger/more rounded/ more cynical.

Anyway, that's all getting a bit political, and a bit gloomy - I came here to be cheered up, after all. This will never rank as one of my favourite episodes, but it gets us our crew, and we move on. Thanks for the rewatch, everyone.

Well said, AnneA. Time to move on - to the hoovering etc. Vastly more exciting (NOT).

Hope your mother continues to improve, Tyce.
Have you done your tax thing yet Obsidian? Is that what's causing the migraines?
Hope this week goes to plan for you, AnneA.
Take care, all of you. Don't know where I'd be without my Saturday 'fix' of Aussie humour.

The usual reductive approach. But almost all 'The West' now has adopted USA-style bozo politics. Where protecting the inner keep involves going and taking things out on someone else. It keeps the internal ructions off the front page. The fact that WE – you and I – might not be convinced doesn't mean that a whole lot of others aren't. Over there you've definitely had some corkers in government lately. We're mediocre copy-cats, sadly.

It didn't feel wrong then because TN was a dyed-in-the-wool labour man at that stage and he could feel the nasty way the politics in the UK were going. The characters and the different points of view they represent were very believable and I still find them so. As an archaeologist I fully accept that the past is another country. The trouble is, so few people now do. They keep imposing their own worldviews.