City at the Edge of the World

Although some of the concepts borrow a little from Asimov's Foundation, this is a completely new, original SF story which is uncompromising in the application of its premise through to its inevitable, but completely surprising, conclusion. Blakes 7 aspired to high SF with brutally realistic politics and good science about 70% of the time, with episodes like Orbit sticking to hard science better than almost any other show. It also had better character writing and better acting than you usually get. The visuals of the Liberator were absolutely stunning, and very few TV shows have ever matched them. However, there are also several episodes where the technology of the day has not stood the test of time, like the previous one, the Harvest of Kairos. This episode is a masterpiece of everything that made Blakes 7 great. Four way tension of a kind you never got on US shows (including _that_ series), a hardcore SF plot, impeccable visuals, and the prospect of Colin Baker bringing a level of menace which his Doctor Who character never managed. Sadly for lead character Vila... well, you'll have to watch to find out.