ant-mac
Member: Rank 9
Blake, Jenna and Avon explore their new space craft, locating the armoury, an extensive wardrobe, an advanced laboratory, a large vault that contains almost as much wealth as the entire Federation banking system and a fully functional teleportation system. They also encounter the spaceship’s extremely advanced onboard computer, Zen. It can read their thoughts and takes the name of the Liberator from Jenna’s mind. After pressing a button on a control console, Jenna inadvertently takes the Liberator into negative hyperspace by crossing the anti-matter interface.
Blake follows the Civil Administration space vessel London to the penal colony of Cygnus Alpha, where he intends to mount a rescue mission to save the other prisoners from the sadistic religious cult that runs the prison world. Blake infiltrates the religious cult’s complex, only to be captured by Vargas, the leader of a community that is populated by the descendants of the first prisoners sent to Cygnus Alpha. He also finds that the prisoners left behind by the London have succumbed to the Curse of Cygnus, a medical condition caused by the atmosphere of the planet, with the only treatment being a drug controlled by the fanatical cult leader, Vargas.
After Blake teleports down to the planet and does not immediately return, Avon suggests that he and Jenna move on with the riches available on the Liberator. Jenna actually agrees to this, but only after they have given Blake an hour to return. After learning from Vargas that the Curse of Cygnus is not really a serious threat, Blake manages to rescues some of the prisoners - Vila and Gan - who willingly join his crew. Vargas then tries to take over the Liberator, but is instead teleported into space where he dies. Meanwhile, three Federation pursuit ships are already tracking the Liberator…
With this third, slightly weaker episode, we are now introduced to two more of the seven, with the addition of Olag Gan and Villa Restal. We learn a little more about the alien spacecraft that Blake, Jenna and Avon have taken possession of and we have learned a little more about those three main characters and some of their personality traits. We also learn a great deal more about the Federation's penal system and life on the prison planet Cygnus Alpha. In a word - grim...
As before, Gareth Thomas, Sally Knyvette, Paul Darrow and Michael Keating are in fine form, whilst Brian Blessed practically steals the show as the egomaniacal and icy Vargas. He comes across very effectively as a cult leader and I can't help but think that drinking the Kool-Aid would be preferable to life under his reign of terror. He controls his cult members with an iron fist and a fraudulent sickness, which prevents any of his followers - or captives - from trying to escape.
3/5.
Blake follows the Civil Administration space vessel London to the penal colony of Cygnus Alpha, where he intends to mount a rescue mission to save the other prisoners from the sadistic religious cult that runs the prison world. Blake infiltrates the religious cult’s complex, only to be captured by Vargas, the leader of a community that is populated by the descendants of the first prisoners sent to Cygnus Alpha. He also finds that the prisoners left behind by the London have succumbed to the Curse of Cygnus, a medical condition caused by the atmosphere of the planet, with the only treatment being a drug controlled by the fanatical cult leader, Vargas.
After Blake teleports down to the planet and does not immediately return, Avon suggests that he and Jenna move on with the riches available on the Liberator. Jenna actually agrees to this, but only after they have given Blake an hour to return. After learning from Vargas that the Curse of Cygnus is not really a serious threat, Blake manages to rescues some of the prisoners - Vila and Gan - who willingly join his crew. Vargas then tries to take over the Liberator, but is instead teleported into space where he dies. Meanwhile, three Federation pursuit ships are already tracking the Liberator…
With this third, slightly weaker episode, we are now introduced to two more of the seven, with the addition of Olag Gan and Villa Restal. We learn a little more about the alien spacecraft that Blake, Jenna and Avon have taken possession of and we have learned a little more about those three main characters and some of their personality traits. We also learn a great deal more about the Federation's penal system and life on the prison planet Cygnus Alpha. In a word - grim...
As before, Gareth Thomas, Sally Knyvette, Paul Darrow and Michael Keating are in fine form, whilst Brian Blessed practically steals the show as the egomaniacal and icy Vargas. He comes across very effectively as a cult leader and I can't help but think that drinking the Kool-Aid would be preferable to life under his reign of terror. He controls his cult members with an iron fist and a fraudulent sickness, which prevents any of his followers - or captives - from trying to escape.
3/5.
