Balloon Debate (short story): Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox Short Story|
{{title dab away}}
story name=Balloon Debate|
{{real world}}
series=[[Big Finish - Short Trips]]|
{{Infobox Story SMW
doctor=|
|range                  = Short Trips (series)
companions=[[Sarah Jane Smith]], [[K9]]|
|series in range        = Short Trips: Companions
year=|
|series number in range = 2
writer=[[Simon A. Forward]]|
|number in series      = 16
publication=[[Short Trips: Companions]]|
|main character        = [[Sarah Jane Smith]]
previous story=[[The Canvey Angels]]|
|featuring              = [[K9 Mark III]]
next story=[[A Long Night]]|
|setting                =
|}}
|writer                 = Simon A. Forward
|anthology              = Short Trips: Companions
|release date          = 2 April 2003
|series                = ''[[Short Trips (series)|Short Trips]]''
|prev                  = The Canvey Angels (short story)
|next                   = A Long Night (short story)
}}
'''''Balloon Debate''''' was the sixteenth short story in the [[Short Trips (series)|Short Trips]] anthology ''[[Short Trips: Companions]]''. It was written by [[Simon A. Forward]]. It featured [[Sarah Jane Smith]] and [[K9 Mark III]].


==Summary==
== Summary ==
''Balloon Debate 
The various companions the Doctor has known have all been brought together onto a collapsing TARDIS for their protection. [[K9 Mark III|K9]] reveals that he can only support six of them surviving, and they each say their piece to democratically decide who lives after a suggestion by [[Melanie Bush|Mel]]. [[Adric]] dies in an accident. After a long series of debates (though Mel is not allowed to speak due to her positive attitude), the votes are tallied, and most of them die. In the aftermath, K9 reveals too much time has passed, and only two can survive. Another vote is held. The final survivors, [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]] and [[Victoria Waterfield|Victoria]], are once again faced with a choice. K9 shoots Victoria, revealing her to be a disguised [[Kamelion]]. It's then revealed that this has all been a story Sarah has been writing in order to break her writer's block.


Purpose: To help Scouts to think about issues and form opinions on them. The issues and the opinions formed are then discussed in a group.
== Characters ==
* [[Sarah Jane Smith]]
* [[K9 Mark III|K9]]
* within Sarah's story:
** [[Susan Foreman]]
** [[Ian Chesterton]]
** [[Barbara Wright]]
** [[Vicki Pallister]]
** [[Steven Taylor]]
** [[Dodo Chaplet]]
** [[Polly Wright]]
** [[Ben Jackson]]
** [[Jamie McCrimmon]]
** [[Zoe Heriot]]
** [[Liz Shaw]]
** [[Jo Grant]]
** [[Harry Sullivan]]
** [[Leela]]
** [[Romana I|Romana (first incarnation)]]
** [[Romana II|Romana (second incarnation)]]
** [[Adric]]
** [[Nyssa]]
** [[Tegan Jovanka]]
** [[Kamelion]] (disguised as [[Victoria Waterfield]])
** [[Peri Brown]]
** [[Mel Bush]]
** [[Ace|Ace McShane]]


Development Stage:
== Worldbuilding ==
• Identifying the problems
* In Sarah's story, most of the [[companion]]s make a plea for survival, but a few, namely [[Harry Sullivan|Harry]], [[Leela]], [[Jamie McCrimmon|Jamie]], [[Nyssa]] and [[Steven Taylor|Steven]], offer to [[sacrifice]] themselves.
• Measuring change
* In the story, Romana II mentions the [[Prydonian Academy]].


Instructions:
== Notes ==
• The leader creates a list of people with very different backgrounds. These may be famous individuals, characters or types of people from the present day or historical figures.
* Based on the characterisation of the other companions in her story, Sarah Jane appears to be intimately familiar with them. She is not known to have met, in any medium, any of the companions shown here other than Harry (''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'', et. al.), K9 (''[[A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)|A Girl's Best Friend]]'', et. al.), Susan, Tegan ([[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors)]], Liz, Jo, Ace (''[[Girls' Night In (short story)|Girls' Night In]]'', which also contradicts Jo and Sarah's first meeting in ''[[Death of the Doctor (TV story)|Death of the Doctor]]''), and Victoria (''[[Downtime (home video)|Downtime]]''). She also fails to include [[Sam Jones]] (whom she met in ''[[Interference - Book One (novel)|Interference]]''), [[Rose Tyler]], [[Mickey Smith]] (both of whom she met in ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]''), [[Martha Jones]], [[Jack Harkness]], or [[Donna Noble]] (the latter three having been met in ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]/[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]''), implying a setting before those stories.
• Each Scout chooses or is given a person to be.
* Sarah also fails to include any companions exclusive to non-televised media, or any of the members of UNIT aside from Liz and Jo.
• Each Scout is given time to think about their character and identify some reasons why this person is important to society.
The leader explains that the group are in a make believe hot air balloon which is loosing height.
• To stay in the air, a person must leave the balloon.
• Taking turns, each person explains why their character should be allowed to stay in the balloon.
• Once everyone has spoken, the group must decide who should be evicted from the balloon. This can be done by taking a vote and the person with the most votes leaves the balloon.
The process then starts again, as the hot air balloon is still loosing height so that another person must be removed until there is only one person left. Each time the Scouts should think of a different reason why they should stay.
• At the end of the debate, Scouts can discuss why the people left the balloon in the order they did, what were the characteristics or skills and attributes of the people who seemed to be the most and least valuable to society.


It is important that even when their character is no longer in the balloon the Scouts listen to the debate so that they can participate fully in the discussion at the end.
== Continuity ==
* In the story, Jamie mentions fighting for the [[Bonnie Prince Charlie|Bonnie Prince]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Highlanders (TV story)|The Highlanders]]'')


Equipment Needed: A virtual balloon can be created using chairs etc.''
{{ST prose}}
{{TitleSort}}


==Characters==
[[Category:Sarah Jane Smith short stories]]
''to be added''
[[Category:K9 short stories]]
 
[[Category:Short Trips: Companions short stories]]
==References==
[[Category:Stories set in England]]
''to be added''
 
==Notes==
''to be added''
 
==Continuity==
''to be added''
 
==External Links==
''to be added''
 
{{stub}}
 
[[Category:Doctor Who short stories]]

Latest revision as of 03:18, 13 March 2024

RealWorld.png

Balloon Debate was the sixteenth short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: Companions. It was written by Simon A. Forward. It featured Sarah Jane Smith and K9 Mark III.

Summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

The various companions the Doctor has known have all been brought together onto a collapsing TARDIS for their protection. K9 reveals that he can only support six of them surviving, and they each say their piece to democratically decide who lives after a suggestion by Mel. Adric dies in an accident. After a long series of debates (though Mel is not allowed to speak due to her positive attitude), the votes are tallied, and most of them die. In the aftermath, K9 reveals too much time has passed, and only two can survive. Another vote is held. The final survivors, Sarah and Victoria, are once again faced with a choice. K9 shoots Victoria, revealing her to be a disguised Kamelion. It's then revealed that this has all been a story Sarah has been writing in order to break her writer's block.

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]