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This article researched/written by Erica (erica@netcon.net.au)
[There is a noise. Everyone looks to see where it is coming from.][Jenna sees a strange sphere at the far end of the flight deck.] JENNA: What is it? BLAKE: I don't know.[Closeup Jenna. Hallucination of a blonde woman surrounded by threeFederation troopers. The woman is screaming.][Closeup Avon. Hallucination of a fair-haired man, early 30s, silentlyrepeating, "Avon."][Closeup Blake.] BLAKE: You're dead. Those tapes are forgeries. You're dead![others move towards the sphere.] BLAKE: No, no. Get back![Blake shoves Jenna to one side. He tries to shove Avon away from thesphere, but Avon pushes him back.] AVON: I must go to him.[Blake knocks him over. Jenna starts to reach for the sphere again.Blake whirls round and shoots the sphere. Jenna gives a short scream.] JENNA: What was it? BLAKE: I don't know. JENNA: I saw my mother. It was so real. Then something terrible, a nightmare. But it was my mother. AVON: I saw my brother. It used him like bait. I had to go closer. BLAKE: And if you had, it would have killed you. No, that thing took an image out of your minds, a memory, and then projected it back at you as though it were real. JENNA: But why didn't it affect you? BLAKE: It did, but somehow I knew it wasn't real.
This is the only other time we see the defense mechanism in operation:
"Dawn of the Gods"
(On the flight deck, two suited figures cut the consoles with laser-like instruments. They move towards Zen's interface. A large purple cloud appears) ORAC: I would strongly advise against going too near that. I must warn you that it is a defense mechanism generated by the ship's computers. Please, gentlemen, I must earnestly implore you not to come any closer. It is extremely dangerous. (The two men collapse) Fascinating. ZEN: Confirmed.
Why it did not operate at other times (for instance, in Aftermath/Powerplaywhen Federation goons come aboard) is unclear. Maybe the crew can turn it onand off.
JENNA: Blake, I can't move my hand.[Blake moves to help her]AVON: Don't touch her.JENNA: It's as though my hand was part of something. It's mixed with something else. It's ... it's in my head. Something in my mind. Asking. Answering. (pause) No. (pause) Ah, it's so peaceful, it's beautiful, (pause) to be completely known. It's like (pause) innocence.ZEN: Welcome, Jenna Stannis. JENNA: Who is it?[Avon picks up Federation handgun from seat]ZEN: Zen. Welcome, Roj Blake.BLAKE: Where are you? Show yourself. ZEN: Your species requires a visual reference point. JENNA: Blake.[Lights come on in an oval portion of one bulkhead]ZEN: This is your reference point.AVON: You're a computer.ZEN: As you say, Kerr Avon.BLAKE: Who owns this ship. Where are they?ZEN: The navigation units will accept your spoken commands. Please state speed and course.BLAKE: I want a course for the Earth Federation penal planet, Cygnus Alpha.ZEN: Galactic center coordinates are confirmed. BLAKE: (to Jenna) Speed?JENNA: Standard?BLAKE: Standard speed.ZEN: Confirmed.JENNA: (looks at controls) That's done it. It seems we're on course now. AVON: It didn't answer any of your questions. More than that it deliberately ignored them. A computer can't have a will of it's own. JENNA: You'd better tell Zen that.BLAKE: Let's look around the rest of the ship. And find out exactly what it is we've stolen. JENNA: Salvaged.AVON: Why don't we just interrogate Zen?BLAKE: Even if he'd answer...AVON: I'll make it answer.BLAKE: I'd still prefer to find out for myself. I'm not sure I entirely trust a computer with a mind of it's own. JENNA: I don't think it means us any harm.AVON: It has no feelings about us at all. It's just a machine. JENNA: If you say so.
Speculation: Zen uses the physical contact with Jenna to acquireinformation. He is able to elicit her name and those of her companions. Zennever exhibits behaviour like this again. "Your species requires a visualreference point" might suggest that whoever had DSV2 last (possibly it wasnot the System) did not require such a reference point.
Why did Zen allow them to assume control? Maybe once the defense mechanismhad ceased to operate (when Blake shot at it), Zen no longer automaticallyregarded the intruders as enemies. The defense was designed to get rid ofeveryone who came on board except the true owners of the ship who wereexpecting, presumably, to return; so once it was defeated, Zen assumed thatthese people had turned it off properly and that the new presence wasauthorised (???)
"Cygnus Alpha"
BLAKE: Zen. ZEN: Please state speed and course.BLAKE: Cygnus Alpha, standard speed. ZEN: Completed. The Liberator is in stationary orbit, one thousand spacials above the planet surface. BLAKE: I see. AVON: "The Liberator"?JENNA: He got that from me. It was something I was thinking. ZEN: Your thought was accepted. AVON: Show us the planet. ZEN: You require the remote visualization unit? AVON: Yes. ZEN: Please look at the screen.
"'Your species requires a visualreference point' might suggest that whoever had DSV2 last (possibly it wasnot the System) did not require such a reference point."
I agree. The crew then appears to forget Zen could answer them fromanywhere on the ship if he wanted to, presumably. This would have been abig help to Avon in "Powerplay." I can only think he didn't think of itbecause of that knock on the head.
"Why did Zen allow them to assume control?"
He was...lonely? See Liz A. Vogel's story "Design Specifications."