ORBIT (Blake's 7 convention)

thumb|left|ORBIT con booklet, front. Cover image by Gail Bennett
thumb|left|ORBIT con booklet, back. Cover image by Gail Bennett
ORBIT was a Blake's 7 convention held in a Holiday Inn in Newark, New Jersey over the long weekend of August 3-5 in 1990. 
The convention was named after "Orbit", the show's fourth season, 11th episode. The tagline for the convention tee shirt was "With Friends Like These....", an in-joke reference to that episode. The tagline for the convention booklet was "You're Always Safe With Us!", also an in-joke reference to that episode.
Cost: $45 attending, $10 supporting.
Attendance was limited to 600. According to the March 19, 1990 concom meeting minutes, at that time there were 202 registrants.
==Concom==
Members of the concom:
* Celeste Hotaling-Lyons (co-chair)
* Joe Manzo (co-chair)
* Laurie Cohen (vice-chair)
* Regina Gottesman (consultant)
* Brigid Sheehan (finance)
* Debbie Kaufer, Susan Solow, Lori Dell (registration)
* Shoshanna (fan programming)
* Carole Swoboda, Laura Peck (art show)
* Julia Quets, Bea Quindlen (dealers)
* Liz Berg, Amy Sutter, Linda Auton (helpers)
* Chris Svensson, Michele Rosenberg, Eileen Dougherty (video)
* Sophia Mulvy, K. Rae Travers, Susan Glasgow (autographs)
* Jean Airey, Marie Parsons (green room)
* Karlene Hartel (videotaping)
* Ira Stoller (technical)
* Mary Van Deusen, Paul Kosinski (music videos)
* Lois Indelicato (merchandise)
* Bob Lyons (master of ceremonies)
* Gail Bennett (creative consultant)
* Holly Horsman, Louis Sather (senior dogsbodies)
* Dave Smith (security)
* Gail Bennett, Sylvia Cox, Julia Quets, Denise Resko (guest escorts)
==Guests==
Guests included Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Janet Lees Price, and producer/director Vere Lorrimer.
From an early flyer: 
This was the only American con that Paul Darrow attended, a decision that cited "pressures of work" "Janet and Paul will be attending Orbit in early August, which owing to the pressures of work, will be their only American con this year." - from Aspects #8 This decision is also very likely a result of the chilling effect on this fandom due to the Blake's 7 Wars, and a reward for the well-behaved fans running this convention: 
This was confirmed by a undated ORBIT "newsflash" sent to fans: 
 
At the con, the Darrows talked about Janet being a guest: 
==Progress Reports==
The first progress report was scheduled for October 1989. 
The second progress report was scheduled for March 1990.
The fourth progress report was mailed out January 1991 and is a con wrap-up.
==Programming==
From an undated ORBIT "newsflash": 
The June 3, 1990 concom meeting minutes had some brainstorming for "Special Programming Choices for the Guests": 
==Touching on The Blake's 7 Wars, Slash at the Con==
The turmoil of The Blake's 7 Wars was very much on fan minds at the time of this con. 
From a flyer sent out a year before the con occurred: 
From a fan in 1994: 
From a fan in 1995:
==Gophers==
The supply and selection of gophers for this con was admittedly different than with other conventions. This may have had something to do with message control as well as fannish politics related to The Blake's 7 Wars.
From an early flyer: 
==Charities==
==Scene of a Lost Unfinished Sequel to "Avon: A Terrible Aspect"==
Darrow's partially completed sequel to Avon: A Terrible Aspect was auctioned off at this con. 
From the Winter 1991 issue of Aspects: 
See more about this topic at Avon: A Terrible Aspect.
==Photos==
 
Image:orbitphotosfromaspect9-1.jpg|from Aspects #9, photographer was Mindy DeLapp
Image:orbitphotosfromaspect9-2.jpg|from Aspects #9, photographer was Mindy DeLapp
Image:orbitphotosfromaspect9-3.jpg|from Aspects #9, photographer was Irene Hirota
Image:orbitphotosfromaspect9-4.jpg|from Aspects #9, photographer was Pat Harris
Image:orbitphotosfromaspect9-5.jpg|from Aspects #9, photographer was Mindy DeLapp
==Video Tapes==
Videotape footage from the convention can be found as part of the "S. Hereld Collection of Blake's 7 Fanzines and Fan Fiction" located at the University of Iowa fanzine archives. 
The 4 videotapes sold with convention footage contain:
:Tape 1: Opening, Director's Panel, Dramtic Reading
:Tape 2: Paul Darrow's One-Man Show, Panel: Avon Wins?
:Tape 3: Panel: Vila Restal - Hero?, Darrow's Acting Workshop, Keating's Comedy
:Tape 4: Panel: Orbit, Panel: Avon/Vila, Closing, Staff Party
===Video Tapes Review===
==Con Reports==
See Avon Club Newsletter #41 for a con report by Jean Airey.
 
==References==
Category:Blake's 7 Conventions
Category:1990 Conventions
Category:Conventions in United States