Dayna Mellanby
Encyclopedia
Dayna Mellanby is a fictional character
in the BBC
science fiction
television series Blake's 7
, played by Josette Simon
.
Dayna Mellanby was the daughter of former resistance leader Hal Mellanby, who fled from Earth with his infant daughter to escape security forces after his movement collapsed. Living in an undersea home on Sarran, she developed a keen interest in all kinds of weapons systems, developing expertise in everything from bows and arrows to sophisticated energy blasters.
In the aftermath of the Intergalactic War, numerous survivors of the battle crash-landed on Sarran, including Kerr Avon
, whom Dayna rescued from the primitive Sarran natives. Servalan
later crashed on Sarran and joined them in Mellanby's home. Servalan eventually recognized and murdered Mellanby and tried to escape with Orac. During this time, Dayna's adopted sister was killed by the Sarans. Dayna was unable to kill Servalan before the Liberator
automatically teleported her and Avon back.
With her father and sister dead, Dayna joined the Liberator crew and resumed her father's fight against the Federation. Having been raised on a backwater planet, Dayna was bit naive and idealistic. Young, pretty, lively and with a strong sense of humour, she was a marked contrast against the world-weary cynicism of the rest of the crew. She was also capable, determined and good under pressure. At one point, in "Deathwatch", she had a clear chance to kill Servalan but spared her to prevent an interplanetary war. And she continued to develop elaborate weapons for the crew with a flair that Tarrant
described as "gaudy, but effective."
Dayna showed an initial romantic interest in Avon as he was the first man she'd met in a very long time. On the first meeting, she kissed him out of "curiosity". But she quickly cooled to him. She also had a past romantic involvement with an older scientist named Justin. When he was killed by Servalan ("Animals"), she was devastated. This only served to fuel her consuming hatred of Servalan. During the episode "Ultraworld", it is implied that Dayna and Tarrant had sex, so that the human reproductive process could be studied by the planet's inhabitants (at one point, Dayna is shown leaning over a prone Tarrant and remarking "I can't be all that repulsive" prior to their first kiss).
Josette Simon sings a song during the 3rd season episode Sarcophagus. Although Simon isn't seen during the song, it is assumed to be her character, especially since Dayna is shown making adjustments to a musical instrument in the previous scene. Episode author Tanith Lee
wrote two verses, although Dayna only sings the first:
Dayna, like the rest of the Scorpio
crew, was gunned down by Federation officer Arlen during the final shoot-out on Gauda Prime. Her final fate was never revealed.
was one of the actresses who auditioned for the role of Dayna.
In 1998 and 1999, Angela Bruce
played Dayna in the BBC radio plays The Sevenfold Crown and The Syndeton Experiment.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Blake's 7
Blake's 7
Blake's 7 is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC for its BBC1 channel. The series was created by Terry Nation, a prolific television writer and creator of the Daleks for the television series Doctor Who. Four series of Blake's 7 were produced and broadcast between 1978...
, played by Josette Simon
Josette Simon
Josette Patricia Simon OBE is a British actor of Antiguan descent. She trained for the stage at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.-Career:...
.
Dayna Mellanby was the daughter of former resistance leader Hal Mellanby, who fled from Earth with his infant daughter to escape security forces after his movement collapsed. Living in an undersea home on Sarran, she developed a keen interest in all kinds of weapons systems, developing expertise in everything from bows and arrows to sophisticated energy blasters.
In the aftermath of the Intergalactic War, numerous survivors of the battle crash-landed on Sarran, including Kerr Avon
Kerr Avon
Kerr Avon is a fictional character from the British science fiction television series Blake's 7, played by Paul Darrow...
, whom Dayna rescued from the primitive Sarran natives. Servalan
Servalan
Servalan is a fictional character in the BBC science fiction television series Blake's 7, played by Jacqueline Pearce . She was the principal villain of the series...
later crashed on Sarran and joined them in Mellanby's home. Servalan eventually recognized and murdered Mellanby and tried to escape with Orac. During this time, Dayna's adopted sister was killed by the Sarans. Dayna was unable to kill Servalan before the Liberator
Liberator (Blake's 7)
The spaceship Liberator is a fictional starship featured in the first three seasons of the BBC television series Blake's 7.-Background:...
automatically teleported her and Avon back.
With her father and sister dead, Dayna joined the Liberator crew and resumed her father's fight against the Federation. Having been raised on a backwater planet, Dayna was bit naive and idealistic. Young, pretty, lively and with a strong sense of humour, she was a marked contrast against the world-weary cynicism of the rest of the crew. She was also capable, determined and good under pressure. At one point, in "Deathwatch", she had a clear chance to kill Servalan but spared her to prevent an interplanetary war. And she continued to develop elaborate weapons for the crew with a flair that Tarrant
Del Tarrant
Del Tarrant is a fictional character from the British science fiction television series Blake's 7, played by Steven Pacey.Del Tarrant was a skilled pilot, trained in the Federation Space Academy, who stole a pursuit ship and began running contraband in the outer planets and getting involved in...
described as "gaudy, but effective."
Dayna showed an initial romantic interest in Avon as he was the first man she'd met in a very long time. On the first meeting, she kissed him out of "curiosity". But she quickly cooled to him. She also had a past romantic involvement with an older scientist named Justin. When he was killed by Servalan ("Animals"), she was devastated. This only served to fuel her consuming hatred of Servalan. During the episode "Ultraworld", it is implied that Dayna and Tarrant had sex, so that the human reproductive process could be studied by the planet's inhabitants (at one point, Dayna is shown leaning over a prone Tarrant and remarking "I can't be all that repulsive" prior to their first kiss).
Josette Simon sings a song during the 3rd season episode Sarcophagus. Although Simon isn't seen during the song, it is assumed to be her character, especially since Dayna is shown making adjustments to a musical instrument in the previous scene. Episode author Tanith Lee
Tanith Lee
Tanith Lee is a British writer of science fiction, horror and fantasy. She is the author of over 70 novels and 250 short stories, a children's picture book and many poems. She also wrote two episodes of BBC science fiction series Blake's 7...
wrote two verses, although Dayna only sings the first:
I left my world to wander in
this endless midnight sky,
for space is just a starry night
where no suns ever rise.
There are no mornings like my world's,
no shapes, no sounds, no signs.
But I could never count the suns
That my world's lost behind.
Dayna, like the rest of the Scorpio
Scorpio (Blake's 7)
Scorpio is a fictional spacecraft featured throughout the fourth season of the British science fiction television series Blake's 7. It is a freighter, noted by Tarrant as an early Mk IV "Wanderer-class" planet-hopper....
crew, was gunned down by Federation officer Arlen during the final shoot-out on Gauda Prime. Her final fate was never revealed.
Miscellaneous
Marina SirtisMarina Sirtis
Marina Sirtis is a British-American actress of Greek descent. She played the role of the human/Betazoid Commander Deanna Troi, ship's counselor, on the television and film series Star Trek: The Next Generation.-Life:...
was one of the actresses who auditioned for the role of Dayna.
In 1998 and 1999, Angela Bruce
Angela Bruce
Angela Bruce is an English actress, noted for her television work.Bruce was born in Leeds, Yorkshire and raised in Craghead, County Durham...
played Dayna in the BBC radio plays The Sevenfold Crown and The Syndeton Experiment.