| Kerr Avon | |
|---|---|
| Race | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Portrayed by | Paul Darrow |
| First Appearance | Spacefall |
| Last Appearance | Blake |
| Status | Unknown, Presumed Dead |
| Affiliation | Resistance |
Kerr Avon is a fictional character from the British science fiction television series Blake's 7, played by Paul Darrow. Initially one of a character ensemble, he increasingly became a lead character.
Contents |
Fictional Biography
A native of Earth, Avon is a highly intelligent, aloof and sardonic computer expert found guilty of an attempt to embezzle five hundred million credits from the Terran Federation banking system. First seen as a prisoner aboard the London, a cargo vessel transporting a group of convicted criminals to the penal colony on the planet Cygnus Alpha, he assists Blake in his abortive attempted mutiny on the journey, using his skills to take over the ship's computer. He subsequently boards the Liberator along with Blake and Jenna, and becomes a member of the original "seven." Utterly self-serving, he has nothing but scorn for Blake's idealism, and their relationship is consequently somewhat strained. Despite this attitude, he single-handedly saved all of the crew's lives, including Blake, on several occasions. Avon eventually takes over as the group's leader after Blake leaves the series, although he was frequently challenged by Del Tarrant. Avon is not as successful as Blake in leadership, as his crew follow Avon out of convenience rather than loyalty. Also, Avon becomes increasingly paranoid during the time after Blake's disappearance, culminating in his obsessive and ultimately destructive course of actions in "Terminal". After the loss of Cally, he became even more paranoid and the seven focused more on defensive action against the Federation. Avon's relationship with Vila is explored throughout the series and especially in series four; Vila says he "feels safe" with Avon, and in the final two episodes Vila is clearly deeply hurt by Avon's (unavoidable) decision (pointed out to him by Orac) to sacrifice Vila when a shuttle-craft's load must be lightened in the penultimate episode. The need for this sacrifice is avoided when Avon discovers an alternative solution, but the situation is recalled (and mirrored) when Tarrant offers to risk his life to save Avon's as the Scorpio crashes into Gauda Prime in the final episode. Upon next seeing Avon, Vila is very keen to know what happened to Tarrant. Despite their dislike of each other, Avon and Blake trusted each other. Before the start of the Intergalactic War, Blake told Avon, "For what it is worth, I have always trusted you. From the very beginning." However, by the end of the series, Avon and crew re-discover Blake who now seems to be working as a Federation bounty hunter. Whereas Avon would have once coolly assumed that this was just another of Blake's "harebrained schemes," the now totally paranoid Avon only reacts with the thought that Blake has betrayed them all. As a result, Avon shoots Blake dead only to discover that Blake's role as bounty hunter was indeed a masquerade as revealed by a real Federation agent who herself (unbeknownst to Blake) was masquerading as Blake's rebel accomplice. This, along with witnessing the massacre of Vila, Tarrant, Dayna and Soolin, causes Avon to suffer a nervous breakdown. It is generally assumed that Avon's final act was an act of futile defiance before he suffered the same fate as his Seven. His smile as he raises his gun does seem to indicate that he appreciates the irony of the situation in which he, a cynical former embezzler, gets to play the martyred hero. Avon quickly became the most popular character on the show due to his darker nature, his unclear motives and Paul Darrow's iconic portrayal. His popularity was also due, in part, to his sardonic wit. Avon was one of the most quotable characters on the program and often had memorable exchanges with Blake, Cally and especially Vila.
Personal life
Anna Grant
Avon had an affair with a woman called Anna Grant whom he loved, and believed that she was betrayed by a Federation agent named Bartholomew, and was tortured and executed by the notorious Federation torturer Shrinker. However, during season three Avon killed Shrinker and attempted to locate Bartholomew, only to discover that Grant herself was Bartholomew and had been a Federation agent "running him." Avon killed her, but her dying words, "I let you go," implied that she had allowed him to escape. Avon's statement, "You never did," implied that he still loved her.
Cally
During the show, a romantic attraction was often teased between Avon and Cally. The first indication of this was during the episode "The Web," when Cally tells Avon, "I'm interested in your work," and the two share a long, lingering glance (that also has the humorous side effect of making the normally unflappable Avon somewhat speechless). However, an actual romantic relationship between the two was never explicitly shown during the series. The closest they came to a romantic interaction was during the episode "Sarcophagus" when Cally's body was taken over by an alien lifeform seeking a host through which to live again. The alien tried to win Avon over (the only crewmember not intimidated by it) by telling him, "Cally liked you," and that he could be at her side. Avon went so far as to kiss the alien (again, who was using Cally's body) in a ruse to gain its confidence and defeat it, freeing Cally in the process. Similar references were made throughout the series; in the episode "Voice From the Past," Blake (under Federation mind control) fools Vila by telling him Cally and Avon have "paired up," which Vila quite readily believes. A slightly more bitter note is shown in the episode "Children of Auron"; when Cally reveals why she has never returned to her homeworld, she quite pointedly snaps, "Why do you imagine I've never gone back...affection for him?" at which point she storms off (and the other characters look towards Avon). Cally and Avon quite often went on missions together and shared a knack for delivering quick-witted replies to the other's statements, which would somewhat indicate a growing affection for each other. However, Avon quite openly disdained her compassionate nature and her idealism, which he found to be only somewhat more tolerable than Blake's. Similarly, Cally at times openly mocked Avon's "cold" nature and often clashed with his more self-serving instincts. At one point during the episode "Horizon," Cally and Avon are the only two humans left on board the Liberator, and Cally pointedly rejects Avon's idea of leaving together (and the others to their fate). During the episode "The Keeper," Avon takes the ship out of orbit (and teleport range, leaving Blake, Jenna and Vila stranded in a moment of trouble) to blast Travis' ship, thinking Travis is on board. When Avon later attempts to do the same to what he believes is Servalan's ship, Cally flatly refuses, reminding Avon of what happened last time.
Servalan
Avon had a contentious relationship with Servalan in season three. During the episode "Aftermath," Servalan offers Avon the chance to rule the Federation by her side; however, regardless of whether she is serious or not, Avon pointedly refuses, shoving her to the ground during their embrace and stating, "I'd be dead within a week." In the episode "Death-Watch," the two meet on a neutral planet, and after discussing Servalan's latest scheme, embrace and kiss roughly (Servalan also remarked that she viewed Avon not as an enemy, but as a future ally). In the episode "Rumours of Death," Avon takes pity upon Servalan who is chained to a wall; similarly, it is she who reveals to him the truth about Anna Grant. However, these brief moments do not diminish the attempts of Servalan to kill Avon and the rest of the crew (although, at one point in season four, she does purchase Avon as a slave from a slave trader, grossly outbidding anyone else's offer).
First name
Avon's first name is usually given as Kerr, with a double r. However, it is occasionally spelled Ker, and in Darrow's noncanonical novel A Terrible Aspect, this is explained as a short form of his full name Kerguelen, which supposedly means desolation. The latter is actually a misunderstanding or poetic license on Darrow's part, probably based on the Kerguelen Islands in the southern Indian Ocean, which are sometimes known as "Desolation Islands." The name Kerguelen is, however, not a direct translation of "desolation," but a reference to the discoverer of the archipelago.
Avon's possible survival
Avon and Vila survived the shootout in Gauda Prime in the novel Blake's 7: Afterlife. They acquired a new ship which was christened "Blake." This novel was not well received and is generally discounted by fans. Paul Darrow purchased the rights to the show and was originally part of the recent project which would have been called Blake's 7: A Legacy Reborn. Reportedly, Darrow would have made an appearance as an aged Avon in what he described as "Napoleonic Exile" on a penal planet, his exploits long forgotten, most or all of the others long dead. (This scenario is close to one described by Blake's 7 creator Terry Nation.) Avon would have passed the torch on to a new group of escaped prisoners who would become the new Seven. It was not clear if Avon was to be their leader or he was to die. Due to creative differences, Darrow left the project which has since gone into development hell.
End credits
The ambiguous ending was done with the possibility that those who wished to stay on for the proposed fifth serial would only be stunned or wounded. Those who did not: their characters would be explained as having been killed. Blake's actual death was in the contract (as per Gareth Thomas' request, a different type of gun was used by Avon as well as showing blood and Blake's dead body). The end credit sequence for this episode is interpreted several ways by fans. The last scene of the series ends in Avon pointing his gun at the camera. The scene freeze frames for a few seconds and abruptly switches to the end credits. Instead of the end credit music, a single shot followed by several others in quick succession is heard. Among the more wild theories is that Avon gets off a few shots or that he might have escaped after shooting all the Federation troopers. However, since a follow-up serial never materialized, most fans assume that the gunshots heard represent Avon shooting once before the guards open fire and killing him.
Trivia
- Paul Darrow appeared as Avon in 51 of the 52 episodes of Blake's 7. The only episode in which he did not appear was the pilot, The Way Back.
- In the final season, the BBC demanded that the metal studs on Avon's boots should be removed, as they were "unacceptably aggressive."
| Blake's 7 |
|---|
| Blake's 7 – The Television Series |
| History of Blake's 7 | List of Blake's 7 episodes | Blake's 7 actors |
| The Blake's 7 Universe |
| Terran Federation | Liberator | Scorpio | Planets | Intergalactic War |
| Roj Blake | Kerr Avon | Vila Restal | Jenna Stannis | Olag Gan | Cally | Zen | Orac | Dayna Mellanby | Del Tarrant | Soolin | Slave | Servalan | Travis |
