Edmund Blackadder mud of the trenches of the Western Front, this Blackadder's sole goal is to escape his inevitable fate. Blackadder's attempts to escape are thwarted by General Melchett, who does not realize the futility of the war, and Melchett's assistant Captain Darling, his sycophantic right-hand man. Blackadder shares his trench with Private S. Baldrick, and Lt. The Hon. George Colthurst St Barleigh. In the series finale, "Goodbyeee", Captain Blackadder and his company go over the top in 1917 to their implied deaths. In the series, Captain Blackadder is seen wearing the following ribbons: Lord Edmund Blackadder is the modern representative of
Edmund Blackadder who shot Harold II at The Battle of Hastings. Blackadder is a genuine surname, its usage in the UK currently documented back to the 15th century, which may explain the choice of the name, with the first series being set in this time period. The name is thought to be mostly Scottish in origin, which is not contradicted in the series, as the first Blackadder begins as the Duke of Edinburgh. In the third series it is revealed that a branch of the Blackadder family is a significant clan in Scotland, although they have become known by the name MacAdder.