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This exercise was inspired by the following exchange in "Cygnus Alpha":
JENNA: Could you kill someone, face to face?
AVON: I don't know. Could you?
I set out to track how Avon went from being a "don't know" to gaining a reputation as a leather- clad killer. I also wanted to see whether that reputation was borne out by his actions in the series.
Given that I was interested in Avon's behaviour in face-to-face situations this list excludes any involvement he has in space battles. It also excludes all the moral/ethical type stuff, Avon threatening to abandon one of the others, Avon and Blake arguing about whether they should surrender when Raiker starts shooting prisoners on the London, etc. etc.. I've only mentioned physical fights where I thought they shed some light on Avon's character.
It's sometimes difficult to decide whether Avon has killed someone or not. He shoots them, they fall down, are they a corpse or just injured? Often the episodes aren't clear so I've just had to use by own common sense in a lot of cases.
Series A
SPACEFALL (A2) Avon doesn't use or even carry a gun during the prisoner's revolt on the London. Instead he uses his computer skills to gain control of the ship's systems. He does fight with, knock out, and tie up the technician who's working in the computer room on the London.
When Avon, Blake and Jenna cross to the Liberator, weapons are tossed into the transfer tube for them. On the Liberator flightdeck Avon crouches over a London crewman (killed by Zen's defence systems) points the gun at him and announces "this one is dead also." Although he doesn't actually use it Avon seems to be fairly comfortable handling a gun.
CYGNUS ALPHA (A3) The exchange between Jenna and Avon regarding being able to kill face to face takes place. Avon realises that the Liberator guns are keyed to an isomorphic response. He points an unloaded gun at Blake and Jenna. They don't take the threat seriously and just walk away, leaving him standing in the middle of the flightdeck.
TIME SQUAD (A4) Avon helps set explosive charges in the Federation transceiver centre on Saurian Major. The Liberator crew teleport out just before the charges go off, and just as a group of Federation guards break into the room. It seems reasonable to assume that the guards are either killed or injured in the explosion.
MISSION TO DESTINY (A7) Avon has a brief fight with the murderess Sara, ending with him punching her on the chin. He tells her crewmates "You'd better get her out of here. I really rather enjoyed that."
PROJECT AVALON (A9) Blakes asks Avon for his opinion of the Federation gun, which Avon gives.
DELIVERANCE (A12) Avon shoots one of the natives who attack the Liberator group on Cephlon. It looks as if the man is killed. This is the first time Avon uses a gun.
ORAC(A13) Avon shoots Travis' gun hand, thereby saving Blake's life.
BLAKE: Nice shooting.
AVON: I was aiming for his head.
As it was a very precise shot which disabled Travis, I assume that Avon is being ironic here. Shortly afterwards he does seem ready to kill Travis but Blake stops him.
TOTAL: One dead native on Cephlon, plus whatever damage the explosives at the transceiver centre did to the federation guards.
Series B
SHADOW (B2) While investigating the moon discs on Zondawl Avon kills a guard, smiles and says "next." A second guard is also killed by him. Back on the Liberator Avon has a Federation ID "taken from a guard I killed."
HORIZON (B4) Avon shoots down four Federation guards while rescuing the others from the mines on Horizon.
KILLER (B7) Tynus is going to kill Avon. They fight and Tynus falls onto the open converter panel and is electrocuted. It seems to be a case of self defence and it's debatable whether Avon can actually be held responsible for Tynus' death. However, this is the first time we see Avon in any way directly involved in the death of a named character, and of course Tynus was a friend who betrayed him. (Why do I feel that there's a pattern starting here?)
COUNTDOWN (B9) Avon tells Del Grant that he killed the man who was meant to be supplying him with exit vistas when the man tried to cheat him. Once again it can be argued that this was self defence.
The transcript from the video is as follows:
AVON: ...then the man from whom I was buying the visas increased the price. He wanted ten times what we had agreed. He said he could get even more if he turned me in and collected the Federation reward.
DEL GRANT: You should have killed him.
AVON: I did.
DEL GRANT: So you got the visas, why didn't you go back for her?
AVON: Killing the dealer wasn't quite so straight forward. He was expecting something and fired first. I started back but I was losing a lot of blood. Somewhere along the way I passed out. I was lucky some people found me and got me under cover.
So make your own minds up. My feeling is that it was self defence but that Avon wasn't a completely innocent victim.
STAR ONE (B13) Avon kills two of the aliens who are trying to take over Star One. He also finishes off Travis who has already been wounded by Blake, and who is making a final attempt to kill Blake.
BLAKE: Is he dead?
(Avon shoots Travis.)
AVON: He is now.
TOTAL: 2 aliens, 6 Federation guards, some involvement in Tynus' death, the pre-series killing of the exit visa man, and Travis.
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