Blake’s 7 “Children Of Auron”

So, if I got a spotlight episode for Vila, I suppose the next episode would logically be focused on Cally.  And that is sort of true.

If anything, it gives actress Jan Chappell a chance to play duel roles as both Cally and her twin sister Zelda.

Up until now, I don’t believe the series ever really said why Cally never returned to her homeworld of Auron.  Here it comes up:  her people are neutral pacifists.  Because she actually opted to fight the Federation, she was essentially banished from Auron.  Furthermore, Auron’s population reproduces largely through cloning.  So, it’s a planet of telepathic clones that don’t like violence.  It’s why Cally has a twin sister.

However, that whole “telepathic cloning” thing means Servalan can very easily capture a pilot and feed him a virus that will reduce the population of Auron to nothing unless they give her what she wants.  Granted, she doesn’t come across that…blackmail-ish, but she does make it clear that, in exchange for the cure, she wants to make some Servalan clones because, at this point, how else is she going to have any kids of her own?

Also, she needs to do something about galactic stability.

Now, as a nice contrast, the Liberator is headed to Earth so Avon can get revenge on the man who killed the woman he loved.  Cally thinks revenge is for suckers, and she even points out that she stays because she has nowhere else to go, not out of any affection for Avon.  Burn!

So, Servalan is going to use a genocidal virus to capture the Liberator?  Makes a certain amount of sense.  See, all it takes it getting some of the crew down to help find a cure, done so by using the people’s telepathy to ask Cally for help, and then hold them hostage while whoever is left in charge on the ship is told to teleport Servalan’s people up or else the ones on Auron will also die of the virus.  Small problem for Servalan.  Two actually.  One:  Orac found a cure all by himself.  Two:  Servalan can’t count.  She’s holding Cally, Avon, and Tarrant prisoner.  VIla is on the ship.  Servalan believes that he will be easy to take care of because he’s a coward.

She didn’t notice Dayna wasn’t on Auron.

Also, she gets a little paranoid that those clones aren’t hers.  They are, but she isn’t sure of that, ordering an attack on the clone facility where Zelda is working and the Servalan clones are growing.  Cally and the others arrive to save who they can, but Zelda won’t leave in time.

Boo!

Oh, and then Servalan realizes she killed her own clones and has the officer who gave her inaccurate information killed with a rainbow ray.  That’s the best name I can think for it.  She does the same to the officer Vila and Dayna captured.  Because, really, she isn’t as good at this as she thinks she is.

So, genocide fixed, we learned more about Cally…and she isn’t even in the final scene as everyone has a good laugh over the idea of watching over 5,000 babies at once.

That sure seems a bit tone deaf…