Carmen Culver's television script added so many new characters, and changed so many sequences from the 1834 novel by Edward George Bulwer-Lytton that her version merited a paperback novelization of its own, written by David Wind.
Stephen Greif (Sporus) and Brian Croucher (Melior) both played Space Commander Travis in Blake's 7 (1978), during its first and second seasons respectively.
It was originally announced that Anthony Quinn would be starring.