Heroes: Dominator (2017) Review

 

Dominator is a refreshingly optimistic reminder of the Federation's ethical origins and potential for good. 

WRITTEN BY

Jonathan L. Howard, known for his "Russalka Chronicles" science fiction novels amongst others, as well as being a prolific video game writer. He's got a wonderfully cinematic way of writing, and based on this I'd recommend his work. This is his entry into the Heroes anthology book.

PLOT

Hoping to acquire a rebel fleet, Blake takes the Liberator to the concealed Station 78, where the Federation dumps obsolete spacecraft for mothballing. There, they come under attack from the Liberator's new counterpart - the Dominator - which has gone rogue and threatens both sides. 

ANALYSIS

It's strange to have a Blake's 7 story without a real villain, but then the show at its very best was always more about the big ideas and clashing ideologies than the shallow pulp antagonism of Servalan. And you can't get a more literal interpretation of that than programming an AI with the Federation Founding Charter, the physical manifestation of all that the Federation is supposed to stand for. The fact that this turns out to be a good thing might be Blake's most positive victory in the entire franchise. Of course, it's never confirmed whether humanity is capable of changing for the better, but there's a rare seed of hope in Dominator that makes it stand out. The irony is that it's Avon's insistence on saving what he considers a piece of art that gives our heroes the chance to understand that - Blake wanted to blow it up as per usual. It's a nice little reminder that despite his massive cynicism, Avon does have a somewhat gentler soul deep down.

This may sound a bit odd, but there's a very big budget feel to this story. When Howard describes Jenna's complicated space maneuvers and the chaotic space nebula, I got the impression that he didn't want to be limited by our ordinary perspective of the series. The written word has no budget, therefore there's more extravagance. I did find myself rereading the space battle section a few times though, as he described it so thoroughly that I started to struggle to understand exactly how Jenna was moving the ship. So I suppose that's a drawback.

I love the concept of the Dominator. The EVIL ship. In a story that defies pulp conventions, it's the most pulpy thing I've heard in a while. And the wonderfully described arrowhead design is just the icing on the cake. I'd have loved to have seen the Dominator realised onscreen. 

CHARACTERS

Another of Howard's achievements is giving everyone something vital to do. Probably the least important are Cally and Gan, though, which disappointed me as their initial teleport suggested the story would focus on them. Gan in particular is so frequently underused that it would've been a novelty just to have him as a main character. But alas. 

Vila gets the final word for once, which was thoroughly satisfying after all the crap that everyone have flung in his direction. The scene in which he confidently strides through the Dominator is a true highpoint of his entire character.

But of course, Blake and Avon hold the most interest, and they're brilliantly written. Avon's fanboying over an idol's work is adorable. His inner geekness is an aspect of Avon that's rarely focused on, and I particularly fixated on his referring to the Dominator as "art". Although it's no conventional art, it's quite telling that Avon is the one to try and save a product of someone's mind simply out of appreciation of said mind. Blake can have his big gestures, but Avon, as Tolkien might have put it, recognises(subconsciously of course) that it's the small everyday deeds that keep the darkness at bay. I was shocked to the core when he started begging Blake to not destroy the ship. 

Laying Avon's underlying humanity bare is another way Dominator reinstills hope into the Blake's 7 series. Yeah, he has his traditional barb at the end, but it's half-hearted and makes no real sense. Avon walks away happy... and Blake is left miserable, because he was forced to be kind instead of heroic. Yet both pretend it's the other way around. Spectacular writing. 

NOTES

*Interesting that Gan's first instinct on the Federation station is to go and beat up a bunch of technicians. I wonder if Howard agrees with the "Gan's a psychotic murderer without the limiter" theory?

*The word 'bastard' gets thrown around, which is probably the most explicit swearword in Blake's 7 yet.

*What's the difference between "artificial intelligence" and "synthetic intelligence"?

*There's a peculiar inconsistency about Avon's relationship with Servalan. Obviously, this is Series A so he hasn't even met her yet, but apparently he can accurately describe her brand of humor. Yet, later on, he has to ask Blake if Servalan is the Supreme Commander?

*The only thing rarer than an optimistic view on the Federation is Vila being optimistic.

*Michael Keating's narration isn't bad, but I did find him struggling to switch from conversational tones to the narration, as well as some of the voices he had to perform. It'd probably be better just to read the book.

*For the first and only time, the teleport can be activated with a timer. That would've saved a lot of effort in the show.

*Who the heck programmed Zen to chat?

INFORMATION!

*The story is set between Project Avalon and Breakdown.

*Ottrado mistakenly calls Servalan a puppet for the President.

*There is a Federation Founding Charter, which has apparently been distorted by the current Administration to ridiculous levels. 

BEST QUOTE

AVON: "It's art. It's better than art."
VILA: "Art? It looks like a robot god's hemorrhoids!"
AVON: "And what does that make you?"
VILA: "Same as always. Underpaid."

CONCLUSION

I enjoyed it immensely, and hope that Howard gets more oppurtunities to write for the series.