Duel

Two powerful beings draw Travis and Blake to their dead world, to settle their dispute, for purposes of amusement, the pair must fight a duel to the death.

It's a psychedelic affair, it's very much of its time, brightly coloured and garish, but it works well. I love the story, it's pretty original, almost whimsical in purpose, with Blake and Travis taken out of their major battle to literally spar with one another.

Isla Blair and Patsy Smart are excellent as the powerful but strange beings. I've been a little critical of some of the sets, but I like those used here. I like the mutoids, a shame we didn't see more of them in future episodes.

I am a fan of this episode, it's quirky and arguably a bit odd, but it works, there's something primeval about it. 9/10

Space Commander Travis tracks The Liberator to an uncharted planet where Blake, Jenna, and Gan are exploring the surface and the ruins of ancient civilization present there. As Travis closes in for attack, the trio make their way back to the ship but with the energy reserves low Blake decides to face his enemy rather than attempt an escape. A powerful anti-war being Sinofar cripples the ship, however, and forces Blake and Jenna to enter a duel with Travis and his pilot, a duel meant to show them the meaning of death.

"Duel" is Blake's 7's imaginative and triumphant take on an old science fiction concept and quite possibly inspired by the same Fredric Brown short story which inspired Star Trek's "Arena". The planet is exceptionally well-realized and the atmosphere the episode creates is palpable, thanks in no small part to the music and the direction from Douglas Camfield. What makes this episode so successful is its emphasis on character, it plays with big concepts but doesn't reduce them to pulp sci-fi, maintaining the sort of character-driven quality that makes Blake's 7 such a distinctive and special series.

10/10

At least when Star Trek rewrote Fredric Brown's "Arena", they gave him direct credit for it. Terry Nation did not, and to his shame. Isla Blair looked better in that outfit than the Metron did, but other than that, we've seen this before.