Dragonfire (TV story)

Synopsis

The TARDIS materialises in Iceworld, a space trading colony on the dark side of the planet Svartos. The Doctor and Mel encounter Glitz and learn that he has come here to search for a supposed treasure guarded by a dragon. Also on Svartos is Kane, a - literally - cold-blooded criminal who has been imprisoned here by his own people from the planet Proamon.

The Doctor and Mel, aided by Ace, a disaffected waitress, discover that the 'dragon' is a biomechanoid and the 'treasure' a power crystal held within its head. Kane is desperate to obtain the crystal and the Doctor uses it to bargain with him for Ace's freedom. It turns out that Iceworld is a huge spacecraft and the crystal the key that Kane needs in order to activate it.

Iceworld takes off and Kane determines to return to Proamon and take revenge on his people. The Doctor however reveals that Proamon no longer exists. Kane despairingly opens a viewing port, allowing bright light to flood into the control room and causing himself to melt.

Plot

to be added

Cast

Crew

References

Dragonfire (power source, Ice Gardens

Ace was brought to Iceworld by a time storm.
It takes more than 15 years for a star to go supernova and turn into a neutron star.

Individuals

Ace's real name is Dorothy, she's 16 years old.
Sabalom Glitz

Story Notes

Working titles for this story included; Absolute Zero, Pyramid In Space, The Pyramid's Treasure.
Part One ends on a 'literal cliff hanger' with the Doctor hanging onto his umbrella in a seemingly pointless act.
Script editor Andrew Cartmel encouraged his writers to read the academic media studies textbook Doctor Who: The Unfolding Text by John Tulloch and Manuel Alvarado to help acquaint themselves with the series.
Ian Briggs actually used some short passages from Doctor Who: The Unfolding Text in the dialogue of Dragonfire.
At one point, the character Kane would have been called Hess, but that was changed due to the news that Nazi war criminal Hess was petitioning for his release from prison.
Although Ace is 16, the actress who plays her is in fact nearly 10 years older.
The melting of Kane is reminsicent of the melting of the villain in the original Raiders of the Lost Ark film.

Ratings

Part 1 - 5.5 million viewers
Part 2 - 5.0 million viewers
Part 3 - 4.7 million viewers

Myths

This is the 150th Doctor Who story. (It is the 147th, although the BBC promoted it as the 150th. The production team apparently arrived at the total by counting the four segments of season twenty-three's The Trial of a Time Lord as four separate stories.)

Filming Locations

to be added

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

to be added

Continuity

Sabalom Glitz last appeared in DW: The Ultimate Foe (part of Trial of a Time Lord)
Ace was brought to Iceworld via a time storm, why this occurred is revealed in DW: The Curse of Fenric.
Mel reunites with the Doctor in NA: Head Games and discovers why she left him in this story.

DVD and Video Releases

to be added

Target Novelisations

Novelised as Dragonfire by Ian Briggs in 1989.

External Links

Television

Previous story:
Delta and the Bannermen

Next story:
Remembrance of the Daleks

All Media

Previous story:
Special Weapons

Next story:
Echo

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