Always a Blakes 7 fans interesting character for discussion.
Of my favourite discussions on Travis and because the previous discussion is now gone from the main site and peoples views may have changed since then.
Which is your favourite Travis and why? (Or do you prefer Stephen Grief or Brian Croucher as Travis and why?).
Personally I actually preferred Stephen Grief as Travis but Brian Croucher really did take the character under his wing and padded Travis's character out more.
My main reason would be that Stephen just had a more sinister voice which fitted the kind of character I deemed Travis to be.
I think both brought something to the role, personally.
I always saw Travis as being like a Barnardo's Boy - probably an orphan Delta taken in by the state, enlisting when he was sixteen and working his way up the ranks.
My wife and I never liked Croucher: he just wasn't "proper Travis" to us! I agree, it's mainly down to the sinister voice of Stephen Greif.
I liked Stephen Grief's Travis, as he had a suave air of menace, Servalan's real 'eminence grease', as Terry Pratchett would say. That said, Brian Croucher really nailed his version of the role and completely won me over in Trial- that was probably his best episode.
Fair comment: that was his best episode. He was pretty good in Gambit too, except for seeming wishy-washy at the end of the ep in a way Greif never did. So yes, he improved, but no, he didn't quite win me over. Tough act to follow though.
He's a great character, but imo he didn't need to be Travis; the two interpretations are so different. Playing a different Fed officer in persuit of Blake would have worked equally as well, as the continuity between s1 and s2 for Travis was not so tightly interwoven that it wouldn't have worked. Recasting basically cut Stephen out of making a return appearance later when he might have been available again.
Travis 1 was a real person, a type that you would find in some military, totally believable, solid and consistent. Travis 2 was for the most part Kevin the teenager with a gun in his hand. Space Commander - I don't think so.
I think Brian Croucher is often given a raw deal by B7 fans.
He starts off in uncertain style in some scenes in "Weapon" (in interviews, he explained he was nervous taking over from another actor and an unhelpful director - George Spenton Foster - didn't help). Although actually he's not too bad at all - it's just this is the episode where you're going "Hold on, that's not Travis!".
But he's very much got a handle on his version of Travis by the time of "Trial".
He's unfortunate to then feature in a couple of episodes which misuse Travis a little, but is then given a strong send off in his final three episodes. He's the "hero" character in the Western that is Gambit, is clever and devious in "The Keeper", and then gets a decent death scene in "Star One".
One of his last lines: "I am Travis". Oh yes, very much so.
I think the running story of Blake and Travis being each other's nemeses needed to be continued. I presume that's why they kept the character but changed the actor rather than gave us a completely new character.
Agreed. Stephen was generally better, but Brian steals the show in 'Trial'.
I think Travis II is a big disappointment. Stephen Greif plays him as a thinking thug, and his ability to investigate shines through in Seek-Locate-Destroy. But Brian Croucher often bellows in a wooden delivery, not helped by storylines which sometimes make the character less interesting. I find it amazing that he never sat down to watch the first series. After all, he was taking over an existing role. He is good in Trial, but for me he lacks Greif's screen presence.
At least until Trial. Great script and a great performance by Brian.
That's an expression I used in my guide to the first two series. I think at times both Travis II and Servalan become like pantomime villains which is a shame as they are two wonderful Nation creations.
As someone who is only now seeing Blake's 7 for the first time I have loved watching Stephen Grief as Travis, he was extremely believable as the character and he portrayed a real sense of threat and menace on screen. It's in no way meant to offend anyone, and it's obviously only my personal opinion, but I think Brian Croucher is appalling in the role, his acting is quite dire and watching him take on the role of Travis can only be compared to that of viewing a pantomime villain on screen. I've only just this minute finished watching 'Voice from the Past' and I'm frankly shocked at just how poor his version of the character is.
Maybe Travis is a code name reserved for Federation officers given the task of bringing Blake to justice? That could explain the change in appearance and personality between Stephen and Brian's portrayals (although if I had my way, then I'd have made Carnell the de-facto antagonist of Season 2).
It's a wonderful theory, and I don't think I've ever heard anyone mention it before, but if that's the case, they were both involved in the massacre of civilians. However, in SLD, the planet was Auros, in Trial, it was Zercasta. So either massacres were fairly common, or this one man with two faces was involved in more than one.
I think you need to give some credit to Brian Croucher having to take over a role already 'fleshed out' by another actor, Stephen Greif. It could not have been easy trying to match what had already been done and still try to inject something of your own to the role. I think Brian came into his own in the episode Trial, as he finally got to get his teeth into the part. His recent reprisal of Travis II in the Big Finish audios have been a joy to listen to.
I won't state a favorite Travis. I love them both and have been fortunate to have met Brian and Stephen a few times. Both lovely gentlemen!
Unique and thought-provoking theory, Sweevo. And as for Carnell- well, he was so good he should have been in every episode of the second series!