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See also The Ensor Configurations, an article by Andrew Williams.
This article researched/written by Erica (erica@netcon.net.au).
"Rescue"
TARRANT: Isn't it rather a sophisticated piece of equipment for a salvage hauler?
AVON: It's very sophisticated by any standard. Someone spent a lot of time modifying a basic machine.
DAYNA: Why call a computer Slave?
DORIAN: Joke, I suppose.
AVON: Someone has a very expensive sense of humor.
DAYNA: (to Avon) Can you override the program?
AVON: You heard how Slave reacted. It's obviously keyed to Dorian's voice pattern.
TARRANT: Well, there must be a way 'round that.
AVON: Oh there is. If you want to disrupt every system on board this ship, including life support.
DAYNA: Could Orac do it?
AVON: If I had the necessary equipment to repair Orac. Which I haven't.
Therefore, Slave contains Tarial cells.
When we first meet him, Slave addresses Dorian as "Master" and will only respond to his commands. After Orac overrides the security program ("Power"), Slave will respond to anyone's commands. Thereafter it addresses Avon as "Master," Tarrant and Vila as "Sir," and Dayna and Soolin as "Madam." The only time it is heard to address one of the crew by name is in the last episode when it is speaking to Tarrant:
"Blake"
SLAVE: Sir? Are you still not awake, sir? I would be most grateful if you could try to stir yourself and listen to my report. My emergency power cells are virtually exhausted, I'm afraid. There is a flying vehicle approaching, sir. I'm sorry, but I will have to close down now. Crash damage and power loss make it impossible for me to continue. May I express the humble hope that the same is not true for you, Tarrant.
The reason for this is not apparent.
Another useless fact about Slave: The only 4th season episode without Slave is Assassin.
"Headhunter"
TARRANT: [V.O. over comm.] Distance from base orbit?
ORAC: Two zero three point zero three zero.
TARRANT: [V.O. over comm.] Good. Avon, I suppose it has occurred to you that without Slave we can't land Scorpio.
"Sand"
AVON: I must be slipping.
SLAVE: Yes indeed, I think I must be too, Master.
AVON: What?
SLAVE: Er, slipping, Master.
AVON: Soolin, take over.
SOOLIN: Give me manual control, Slave. [Goes to the flight controls]
SLAVE: With great relief, Madam. I am somewhat disorien--disor--confused.
VILA: Sounds drunk to me.
SOOLIN: Sounds useless to me, which isn't that unusual.
AVON: We can manage without Slave.
SOOLIN: Descent to the troposphere under way.
"Blake"
TARRANT: If I leave the controls for a second, she'll flip over and break up.
AVON: [puts Orac down] Slave, take over the flight controls.
SLAVE: I am most humbly sorry, Master, but I can find no flight controls.
TARRANT: It dropped below his tolerance a couple of minutes ago. It's only a computer, Avon. It takes talent to fly a dead ship.
Summary: Slave can fly the ship (when he and the ship are sufficiently undamaged) and his aid is necessary to make a successful landing at the Xenon base. Apart from that, the crew can fly Scorpio without him.
DORIAN: Slave.
SLAVE: Yes, Master.
DORIAN: Analyze exterior disturbance.
SLAVE: It is an earthquake, Master.
AVON: Cause?
[Slave does not answer. Avon points his gun at Dorian.]
DORIAN: Cause?
SLAVE: Further subsurface explosions of great depth and power. Magnitudes and positions are as follows--
DORIAN: (interrupting Slave) Skip that. What do we expect to happen next?
SLAVE: My poor abilities do not allow expectations, Master. Readings do indicate an imminent earthquake, followed by severe volcanic activity in this entire region.
"Traitor"
AVON: Slave, I want an infrared surface sweep every thirty seconds, immediate notification of any launchings.
SLAVE: At once, Master.
SLAVE: Surface launch, Master.
VILA: What did I say!
AVON: Slave, can you identify them?
SLAVE: The heat pattern indicates three B-one-nine cruisers.
"Orbit"
AVON: What is the surface analysis, Slave?
SLAVE: Nitrogen, methane, and argon predominate. Also traces of free ammonia and sulfur compounds. It is unsuitable for your illustrious life form, Master.
"Warlord"
ZUKAN: [v.o.] I don't know, I've lost all computer function, but my distress beacon's on two-two-one.
AVON: [snaps fingers and points at Slave] Find it, Slave.
SLAVE: I think I have, Master. Of course, I could be wrong.
AVON: How near?
SLAVE: Er, fifteen hours.
"Animals"
TARRANT: Slave, confirm preset orbit approach to Bucol Two.
SLAVE: Yes sir. Er, we're on the correct orbit approach to Bucol Two and are now within teleport range of the desired coordinates.
TARRANT: Don't! What the hell. Preliminary damage survey, Slave.
SLAVE: Main teleport system is damaged to a degree as yet unspecified.
"Blake"
TARRANT: Slave, any crash systems still functioning, put them online.
SLAVE: Yes, sir.
"Gold"
DAYNA: Personally, I'm more worried about the in-flight link-up.
TARRANT: That's no problem so long as Slave can match vectors.
DAYNA: Well, he says he can.
TARRANT: He says he's sorry most of the time. I don't believe thateither.
"Stardrive"
SLAVE: Thirty seconds thrust at maximum power, vectored at three seven zero will match our course and velocity through the Altern system with the asteroid.
"Rescue"
DORIAN: Slave.
SLAVE: Yes, Master.
DORIAN: How long before we make planet fall?
SLAVE: One hour, Master. That is Earth standard time, of course. I hope that is satisfactory.
DORIAN: (sits at one of the forward flight positions and manipulates controls) There's still no sign of the Liberator on our screen.
SLAVE: I fear not, Master.
. . . .
DORIAN: And it generated a lot more power than the death of any normal ship would have done.
SLAVE: You are correct as always, Master.
DORIAN: Do you think it was the Liberator?
SLAVE: Thought is beyond my humble capacities, Master.
"Power"
AVON: [to himself, looking at Pella] It's a problem, isn't it? You can have war between races, war between cultures, war between planets. But once you have war between the sexes, you eventually run out of people.
SLAVE: It is beyond my humble capacity to offer an opinion, Master.
AVON: [smiles broadly] Oh, that's very good. You may turn out to be my kind of computer after all.
"Traitor"
SLAVE: I fear that sensors indicate audio malfunction.
VILA: Tell us something we don't know, Slave.
SLAVE: Oh, I do apologize most profoundly if I have given offense. I assure you that such a--
AVON: [Interrupting] All right Slave, be quiet. You'd better check the audio beam.
AVON: Stand by for teleport. Slave where are those cruisers now?
SLAVE: Sector Twelve, Master. You outmanoevered them with consummate skill.
AVON: Thank you.
"Games"
SLAVE: You have achieved the new orbit with consummate skill, master.
AVON: Thank you Slave, I am releasing manual control. Watch out for any deviation in the Orbiter.
SLAVE: Yes, master.
SLAVE: Master.
AVON: Yes Slave?
SLAVE: There appears to be someone on Mecron Two attempting to make contact with us, Master.
DAYNA: There shouldn't be anyone there who knows we're coming.
SLAVE: They seem to be getting impatient.
AVON: Who does?
SLAVE: I fear I am unable to identify them Master. I regret this failure most bitterly.
"Animals"
TARRANT: Slave, give me a course for base.
SLAVE: Course for base one three four. I repeat one three four.
TARRANT: I have it.
SLAVE: Sorry, sir.
TARRANT: And don't keep saying you're sorry.
SLAVE: Sorry, sir.
"Orbit"
SLAVE: Master?
AVON: What is it, Slave?
SLAVE: My humble apologies for interrupting your noble thoughts....
VILA: Just get to the point.
SLAVE: Some inferior person is attempting to communicate on theaudio.
TARRANT: Far enough, I think. Slave, shut down the drive and stabilize on these vectors.
SLAVE: It will be my humble pleasure. I exist only to serve you, illustrious sir.
TARRANT: Thank you.
DAYNA: It doesn't exist, it just functions!
"Blake"
ORAC: A formal application was laid before the High Council on Earth within the last thirty days. I could get you the exact date--
SLAVE: Uh, I don't wish to interrupt, Master--
ORAC: Then kindly don't.
SLAVE: I wasn't talking to you.
ORAC: You were attempting to override a superior system. Be silent.
(The only time when Slave ever gives it back to anyone.)
"Headhunter"
SLAVE: Destination co-ordinates, sir.
VILA: What?
SLAVE: I deeply regret disturbing you, sir.
VILA: Why do it then?
SLAVE: Is that a question, sir?
VILA: [sighs] Course co-ordinates?
SLAVE: Eight five zero by two eight one, sir.
VILA: Hey! Slave! What's going on?
TARRANT: Slave?! [Looks into viewfinder.]
VILA: An attack?
TARRANT: There's no sign of pursuit craft.
VILA: Not on the detectors maybe! But ... [Looks at panel.] Slave?
SLAVE: Course co-ordinates one five two by zero zero five.
VILA: Report on that turbulence back there.
SLAVE: Power surge.
VILA: Details! [Turns towards Tarrant.] Anything?
TARRANT: Yes. Power surge in drive unit two! [Alarm sounds.]
VILA: But...how? [Turns towards Slave.] Report!
SLAVE: Assessments failure.
VILA: Assessments failure? Huh! We'll just have to ask Orac, then, won'twe! Let the expert sort it out.
SLAVE: Yes.
VILA: Yes, sir!
SLAVE: Sir!
VILA: What's got into Slave? [Camera shot of Muller in the medicapsule.]
[Vila approaches the box. As he touches it, the same electrical power surgeoccurs again. Vila tries again with the same result.]
TARRANT: Slave?
SLAVE: Course co-ordinates one five two by zero one eight.
TARRANT: Zero one eight, that's way out.
SLAVE: Affirmative.
TARRANT: Apply course correction. Priority! [Points to Slave.]
SLAVE: Negative.
TARRANT: [Opens comm link.] Are you there, Avon?
AVON: [V.O. over comm.] What's happening?
TARRANT: Slave appears to have thrown off his chains.
VILA: Apply course correction, Slave, now!
SLAVE: Negative!
VILA: Right, that's it, finished, we'll do without the useless thing.
AVON: [V.O. over comm.] He's right for once, Tarrant. Take the Slavecomputer offline. Do it now.
TARRANT: Trying to pilot this ship without a flight computer is gonna be hard work, Avon.
VILA: At least we'll be heading in the right direction.
TARRANT: You really think Slave is the source of the problem?
AVON: [V.O. over comm.] It shows signs of malfunction, wouldn't you say?
TARRANT: That's not what I asked.
AVON: [V.O. over comm.] At this distance it's the best I can do.
TARRANT: [sighs] I'm taking Slave offline. [Slave goes offline.] On manual control, Orac. Confirm course.
(This is when he is under the influence of Muller's android.)
"Blake"
[Scorpio's alarm goes off.]
TARRANT: Slave, what's wrong?!
SLAVE: Well, nothing is actually wrong, sir, yet.
AVON: Explain the alarm, Slave.
[Alarm cuts out.]
SLAVE: I had to get your attention, Master, and I was forbidden to speak unless spoken to.
AVON: All right, you're spoken to. What is it?
SLAVE: I beg to advise you, Master, that we're approaching the planet Gauda Prime. And Scorpio is under attack!
[An explosion rocks the flight deck.]
"Stardrive"
AVON: Slave, activate force wall. Pressurize it with our air reserve.
SLAVE: That would be most inadvisable, Master. I'm terribly sorry but our force wall generator is in a poor condition.
TARRANT: Slave's right. We'd lose the lot.
AVON: It's a great pity we didn't bring Orac.
SLAVE: But I could manage a small force wall, a blister force wall, around the damaged part of the hull.
AVON: Then do it!
SLAVE: I, uh, don't wish to speak out of turn but we're on a converging collision course with a large--
AVON: We know.
SLAVE: I'm sorry, Master, but as asteroids go--
AVON: Don't be sorry, be quiet. [crosses from near Slave to join the others.] If we want to keep this heap of ironmongery operational, we have to visit Altern Five in order to recover selsium ore to make fuel crystals. Hitching a ride into the Altern system on that asteroid is the only way we're going to get past any Federation patrols and within teleport distance of Altern Five. Now if anyone has a better idea, I'd like to hear it.
VILA: I wish I'd kept my mouth shut.
TARRANT: Range sixty thousand.
SLAVE: Thirty seconds thrust at maximum power, vectored at three seven zero will match our course and velocity through the Altern system with the asteroid.
"Games"
DAYNA: Slave, what's the position of those Federation ships now?
SLAVE: The leading ship will be within firing range in one minute, Madam.
DAYNA: Thank you.
SLAVE: Do you wish me to begin evasive or offensive action?
DAYNA: No, not yet.
"Blake"
TARRANT: Slave, any crash systems still functioning, put them online.
SLAVE: Yes, sir. Am I to understand that you are going to try and ground the ship, sir?
TARRANT: I'm going to turn it first.
[On the planet surface, Vila, Soolin and Dayna continue to run. Vila dives for cover.]
SLAVE: The ground is very close, sir.
TARRANT: I know that!
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