The biggest nit is that no one looked inside that box to see if the neurotrope were actually inside, before giving it to Blake to take to the planet.

I also had problems with how quickly the Ortega captain trusted Blake, but hey, it's only an hour show and they had to get moving.

Despite some of the glaring flaws, I like this episode. I think it was the first episode that demonstrated what a good and interesting character Avon was and Cally's personality was finally nailed down here. This was the Cally we would see for the rest of her time on the show.

When Blake says Obsolete Space Craft Cally talks as well but I can't work out what (I think Jan missed a cue.)

Both Blake & Avon wear grey shirts which could have come from Marks & Spencer, Avon turns his collar up under that "switched" singlet.

You could write Sara as 54124 if you are having a some random muscle movements.

Blake calls to be brought over without pressing his bracelet call button.

Cally insists on going to get the laser links without knowing where they are, she even has trouble finding the storage bay.

Does Cally have a bum bag or does she have a habit of keeping things in her pants, where she seems to hide the homing device?

How did Sara get Dortmond on top of the locker?

I like the bit when Vila says "In other words he doesn't know" & Zen says "confirmed".

For most of the model shots the Liberator's globe isn't flashing.

Where does Sara hide the nutrotope? It's a bit big for slipping in you pocket.

Sara must be blind not to spot Avon, & I like the way he quips "I rather enjoyed that".

The titles background seems to differ from episode to episode, in some it's a static star field, in some the camera slowly zooms out.

Blakes's a gives the Ortega crew a bit of a grilling, which is a bit harsh when they've only just woken up from the effects of the Sona Vapour. This action is a little daft when he wants to win over their trust. Of all the early episodes this one seems to be only one where Avon seems to be in something of a good mood for once.

I was a bit puzzled why Blake & co. seem to operate a rescue service alongside their rebellion, but I came to the conclusion that they do this to show people that there latter day Robin Hoods rather than a bunch of maniacs. Or do they take a look at any ships stranded in space in case they have any useful items on board.

It's part and parcel of being a hero, Richard. Heroes want to help people and Blake is a hero.

I'm not certain why this is such a hard concept to grasp, but it seems like my generation was the last to understand it.

What was interesting about this episode was that
the murderer turned out to be the least likely
suspect.

I suppose that Vila must have gotten more than
a little space sick after Blake told them they
had to go back right away after they found out
that the box was empty.

First off, why didn't Sara just leave the door open, when she saw the pilot was still awake? The gas would have affected him eventually.

Killing the pilot with a blunt instrument should have created a blood spatter that a 20th century forensics examination would have revealed. Even if Sara had washed off, I believe there would have been some traces of blood left.

They say the ship is orbiting, but doesn't orbit imply an object to be orbited? The ship was just circling, I don't think it was orbiting.

They identify the Ortega as a Galaxy Class ship. Funny, it didn't look like the Enterprise-D. ;-)

This type of ship was fitted with a communicator. I should hope so. Wouldn't it be common sense to equip all space ships with communicators?

Here Sona vapor puts you to sleep, in later episodes, Sona is a beverage.

According to Seek-Locate-Destroy, Blake & co. have made a name for themselves with their little raids, but these people don't seem to know who they are. (NANJAO.)

The planet Destiny is on the edge of the galaxy. So does this mean they were wiped out in the Andromedan invasion?

The head guy tells Sara to get the nutrotope & she walks out of the room without getting the molecular key that was needed to open the safe. (Not necesarily a nit, it just seemed odd, given how valuable the stuff was.)
Good thing for Sara, that she was asked. What would she have done if someone else had been asked to get it?

Avon asks Callie to get some "laser transfer linkage." Wouldn't fiber optic cable work? Laser connotes a dangerous weapon, which doesn't sound good for an important system.

When Callie is heading for the storage bay someone tells her, "You'll need a torch."
First, isn't a burning stick a bad idea on a spaceship? ;-) (I know, they meant an electric torch, or flashlight as we say in the states.)
Second, why wouldn't the storage bay have lights of it's own? Was the nutrotope so expensive that they couldn't afford to buy some new bulbs?
Third, we don't see Callie carry the torch to the storage bay, either in her hands or in her pockets, and the head of that torch is big. If it was in one of her pockets it would have been obvious.

The summary says that Liberator encounters a meteorite shower. If they call them meteorites in the episode, then it's a nit, because in space it's a meteoroid, it becomes a meteorite after it lands on a planet.

They seem to think this storm is a big deal, but except for the annoying thudding it didn't seem all that bad. The ship didn't even shake.

Okay, they use up the energy to use their force wall, then they discover that the nutrotope is missing. So now they have to take the long way over the storm.

Callie says to Avon, "I thought you distrusted instinct?" Did Avon tell her this between episodes, because I don't remember him saying that to Callie in the episodes since she joined?

Why did Avon turn his back on Sara when revealing who the killer was? Avon had to know it was her, so it was dumb to turn his back to her.

I'm amazed at how in TV shows & some detective novels how easy it is for some people to murder. No hesitation, no doubts, no regrets. Sara opened the door, saw the pilot still wake & instead of stepping back into the hall, so he wouldn't get a good look at her, she very easily whacked him. Then, of course, she had to know that the pirates wouldn't leave the crew alive anyway, because the crew could be witnesses. I suppose the most amazing thing is that Sara believed the pirates would leave her alive. Once she got the nutrotope for them, they wouldn't need her. If Blake & co. hadn't stopped by, Sara probably would have found herself on the wrong end of a blaster.

So how many people think the blight was planted by the Federation? And did you notice the pirate ship was marked on the scope with the Federation symbol?

Keith - me Callie, she Cally :)

How did Blake, Cally and Avon shake off the effect of the knock-out gas simply by knowing what it was? Before they worked it out, they were nodding off and Cally did practically pass out, but as soon as they realised the gas was there, they all seemed to perk right up and no longer feel its effects.

Keith mentions above that Sara trots off to get the nutro-thingy without taking the key with her. I thought the captain had said earlier that he was the only one who had a key and who knew the combination, so presumably she should have needed both. Perhaps the captain was in on it all the time?

I had to laugh at the graphics of the pirate ship chasing the Ortega round in circles. If the ship was locked into going round in circles, couldn't the pirate ship have positioned itself somewhere on the Ortega's projected route and then run alongside it?

All these babes with sound-alike names. Know wunder eye'm konfuzed.

Was Sara in the middle of taking Dortmon to the life rocket when Blake & co. teleported? or was she overcome before she could do this. Was does Mandrian just give the homer a few taps to stop it working? couldn't he just stamp on it?

I always wondered by the crew didn't assume Blake & Co were the murders. When you wake up to a crowd of stangers and a dead body, what would you think?

As for the neurotope, I knew it wasn't in the box the moment no one opened it before Blake left. It was SO obvious!

Did Avon put on some weight or start going to the gym or something as the series progressed? The first thing I noticed when Season 4 ended and we went back to the beginning was how small Avon had become. By the end of the series, he was huge.

I saw him playing a reporter in some series made years after Blakes 7 ('80s? '90s?) and he had packed on the pounds.

Keith Alan Morgan asks Why did Avon turn his back on Sara when revealing who the killer was? Avon had to know it was her, so it was dumb to turn his back to her.

Actually, it's even better than that--he not only turns his back on her, he stages his revelation in such a way that everyone has their backs to her.

Where did she get the gun, though? It looks like one of the Liberator's guns, and Blake took those with him when he left.