Vila Restal
| Vila Restal | |
|---|---|
| Blake's 7 character | |
| First appearance | The Way Back |
| Last appearance | Blake |
| Portrayed by | Michael Keating |
| Information | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Affiliation | Resistance |
Vila Restal is a fictional character from the British science fiction television series Blake's 7, played by Michael Keating. The only character to appear in all 52 episodes of the series, Vila was particularly known for his humorous lines and his banter with Kerr Avon.
In the new audio series, Vila is played by Dean Harris; however Michael Keating returned to the role for the story When Vila Met Gan. Michael Keating has reprised his role as "Vila" in several volumes of the Liberator Chronicles (a series of enhanced audiobooks released by Big Finish in a licence deal with B7 Enterprises) and the series of Full Cast audio dramas produced by the same company, released from January 2014.
A native of Earth and a member of the lowly Delta grade criminal underclass (similar to the classes established in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World), Vila is a petty thief who meets Blake in the detention cell awaiting transport to Cygnus Alpha. Whilst Blake is asleep, Vila was picking Blake's pockets.
Vila later participates in a prisoner mutiny aboard the transport ship London. He remains on the London when Blake, Avon and Jenna escape in the Liberator, finally leaving the penal planet Cygnus Alpha with Blake.
Vila is more intelligent than his Delta grade rating suggests, claiming to have bought that designation to avoid being drafted as a spaceship captain. Vila is a talented thief who can break into the most sophisticated security systems. This ability makes him useful to Blake's crew; in the episode City At the Edge of the World, Avon tells Del Tarrant that "...we can find a pilot anywhere, but a talented thief is rare."
Vila is often lazy and cowardly, preferring to evade danger. He claims he wants "...to live forever, or die trying." Actor Michael Keating described the character as "...a survivor", doing what was necessary to stay alive and not caring as much about the ideals of Blake or the ambitions of Avon. Vila is a poor fighter - his confusion costs the rebels the battle in Spacefall, and he is momentarily shocked after stabbing a fanatical monk in Cygnus Alpha.
...
Wikipedia