Episode 20
Killer
Written by Robert Holmes
Avon and Vila sneak inside a Federation radio link station to steal a crystal needed to break new Federation codes. After they teleport, the Liberator's scanners pick up a 700 year old spacecraft. It appears to be drifting, but Cally senses something seriously wrong with it. Blake decides to warn the base, which has started a salvage operation.
Avon, meanwhile, contacts Tynus, the base commander. They had been partners in a fraud; when he was arrested, Avon kept his mouth shut. He is now certain he can rely on the help of the man he once protected
Blake tries to help stop a plague virus spreading as Avon and Villa attempt to get their hands on the crystal
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Killer is top notch horror / sci-fi, written by the great Robert Holmes, possibly Doctor Who's finest writer, his stories include The Deadly Assassin, The Talons of Weng-Chiang and The Caves of Androzani.
From space exploration to a base under siege from a deadly plague with a Fulci' esq zombie thrown in for good luck, Killer is a standout episode.
Slimy Ronald Lacey best known as Toht the nasty Nazi from Raiders of the Lost Ark plays Avon's friend Tynus.
The worst thing about the episode are the thick brown plastic anti radiation costumes, terrible in design and totally impractical.
The plague is on a ship sent from the furthest reaches of the galaxy, its never mentioned on screen but i always think this story ties in with the final episode of the series Star One.
In a typical downbeat finale, the plague wipes out everyone at the base, the Liberator narrowly escaping in time.
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