Natasa said:
For a while, I toyed with the idea that Blake did spend some time
pre-series
working for the military. I gave this up, because I think there's no way he'd be able to stand the discipline, but where did he acquire his considerable military skills?
I agree that Blake wouldn't voluntarily join the army, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if a term of military service were compulsory.
Where did he learn to be such an excellent strategist,
<not touching this one with a ten-foot pole> </not touching...>
fight space-battles (Duel and Hostage), improvise weapons and quarter the area looking for the enemy (Duel), build a fire (Time
Squad)...?
I agree with Jacqui about Woodcraft Fun with Uncle Ushton. (BTW, would YOU send your kids to prison for a vacation? I know Alfred Hitchcock's dad had the kid locked in a jail cell for a couple of minutes as a warning about what happens to naughty boys, but this seems over the top to me.)
As for space battles, Liberator must come with a helluva set of manuals, because the entire crew quickly learns how to use most of the features.
I bet the Federation also had a compulsory Officer Training/Hitler Youth organization to combine indoctrination with basic skills that would be needed during military service.
-(Y)