Geek Syndicate
There are several reasons why this story stands out
amongst the Third Doctor adventures for me. Firstly is that
Sarah is a different kind of companion and one that works.
Poor Liz Shaw, a Cambridge educated scientist, didn’t really work as she spoke to the Doctor as an equal. There
was no-one to ask for layman’s clarifications. With Sarah,
we have a character who is trained and intelligent enough
to ask the pertinent questions. Also, the initial mistrust is
interesting, even if it does play out a bit quickly.
I have an interest in Medieval history, so it’s always a joy
to see such settings in my favourite television show. Add
to this a guest archer in the form of future Boba Fett and
Robin of Sherwood’s Edward of Wickham (Jeremy Bulloch)
and I’m even further in. Robert Holmes cleverly writes
the alien of this story. The Sontaran seems both at home
and incongruous in this period. His body armour is like a
sleek, futuristic version of medieval armour. He’s militaristic – reflecting the society of the time. Best of all though
– when the Sontaran removes his dome-shaped helmet,
his head is the same shape! It’s also great that far from
horrified by the sight of Linx, Irongron simply categorises
him as a troll.
I also like how this is a small-scale story on the whole. Linx
is not out to conquer the world (not in the first instance
anyway). He’s trying to get back to his battle group and
continue fighting his war. Indeed, the Doctor even offers
to help the Sontaran, so long as he frees the captured scientists. Of course, by this point, Linx has branded the Time
Lord from Gallifrey (this is the first time that the home
planet of the Time Lords was named) as his enemy and refuses. This, of course, means that he will meet a sorry end!
The story is action packed, witty and filled with excellent
characters. For me it shows how a historical adventure
can work without the seeming requirement for the entire
world to be in jeopardy. I miss these smaller adventures
and really hope to see their return someday.
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