When someone talks about 1970s sci-fi focused on a band of rebels fighting an evil, totalitarian space regime, your mind will almost certainly jump to the original If that doesn’t come to mind, you might think of the , or even the TV and film adaptations of Logan’s Run. But the quirkiest and most under-the-radar 1970s sci-fi rebellion show was Created by Terry Nation (the creator of the Daleks), Blake’s 7 was ahead of its time when it first aired in 1978. And now, after nearly five decades, it’s finally making a comeback.
A reboot of Blake’s 7 is in development, and just like the original series, there’s a Doctor Who connection. Here’s what we know so far, and why this is excellent news for fans hungry for a new, subversive space opera similar to Andor.
According to reports, Peter Hoar—who directed two critically acclaimed episodes of The Last of Us and three —is reviving Blake’s 7 with producers Matthew Bouch and Jason Haigh-Ellery. The series will be produced by Multitude Productions, which Deadline calls a “genre-based” production company, hinting that more new sci-fi shows could emerge from this group.
For those who don’t know, Blake’s 7 follows Blake (originally portrayed by Gareth Thomas), who leads the crew of the Liberator in their fight against the oppressive Federation. “Seven” refers to the other crew members, though the lineup changed over the show’s four seasons. In fact, Blake wasn’t a regular character after Season 2.
The show starts as a space prison-break story, then transitions into an episodic series about our heroes waging small battles against the tyranny of the Federation’s Earth Administration and other related villains. Even by the standards of its era, Blake’s 7 had low production values, but its premise and tone felt far ahead of its time. By rebooting the concept with a modern perspective, Hoar and his team could have a hit on their hands. When Ronald D. Moore and David Eick relaunched Battlestar in 2003, it was a curious, underappreciated sci-fi franchise. Today, that reboot has arguably outshone the original and become synonymous with great 21st-century science fiction.
Could the same happen with Blake’s 7? It’s been over 20 years since a cult British sci-fi show was rebooted—back when returned in 2005. While more obscure, Blake’s 7 might be in the same position: it has enough of a solid franchise foundation to interest long-time fans, but plenty of room to reimagine the series with new ideas, new characters, and, of course, a modern budget. If the new Blake’s 7 comes together and taps into the original show’s potential, we could be looking at the start of the next socially relevant sci-fi series—one that hopefully lasts longer than Andor.