Post by MS on Nov 27, 2023 5:39:43 GMT -5
Allies and Enemies is a boxset from Big Finish set in the Worlds of Blake's 7 and it starts with Saurian Major by Lizbeth Myles.
What is particular curious about all this is that this sees Sasha Mitchell reprising Arlen, a character she portrayed only once in the TV series in the final episode Blake in which she played a key part to the way that the TV series ended.
In Saurian Major this has Arlen on the opposite end in the timeline of the TV series as this has Jan Chappell as Cally and is set sometime before her introduction in the season 1 episode Time Squad.
Saurian Major has Cally and Arlen meeting each and this is plot convenient as they met each other in the TV series.
In fact they each bookended the final season of the TV series with Arlen in the said finale Blake and Cally, albeit only her voice, in the season opener Rescue when she was killed off.
Continuity-wise if Cally had made it into Blake she would have recognised Arlen and who knows how different the finale would have turned out.
Saurian Major is a key Federation communications hub and Arlen as a Federation officer infiltrates the rebel faction which includes Cally as a member.
Surprised to learn that playing Arlen's superior here Kovic is Jacqueline King (Donna's mum Sylvia in Doctor Who).
Quite effective to this episode of Arlen going undercover on the said rebel faction in which she tries to build distrust to Cally due to Cally being an alien.
Very good in getting to know Arlen, a character who only seen once in the TV series in Blake and this character building serves well the story which pay off greatly by the episode's denouement.