Red Dawn (audio story)

Though Ice Warrior stories were not uncommon at Big Finish following this initial adventure, Red Dawn proved interesting retrospectively because Nicholas Briggs — later the dominant 21st-century voice of the Ice Warriors — was not at all involved in the production. Matthew Brehner's Zzaal ultimately became a counterpoint to Briggs' several Martian characters, both on audio and television. Indeed, producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Gary Russell gave voice to the subordinate Ice Warriors, further distancing this story's Ice Warrior's vocal palette from the later Briggsian norm.

Publisher's summary

Ares One: NASA's first manned mission to the dead planet Mars. But is Mars as dead as it seems?

While the NASA team investigate an 'anomaly' on the planet's surface, the Doctor and Peri find themselves inside a strange alien building. What is its purpose? And what is frozen inside the blocks of ice that guard the doorways? If the Doctor has a sense of deja-vu, it's because he's about to meet some old adversaries, as well as some new ones...

Plot

Part 1

The NASA mission Ares One set off for Mars, captained by Commander Lee Forbes. Upon arrival, pilot Susan Roberts is forced to manually land on the planet surface because of the dust storm interfering with the scanning system.

Meanwhile, the Fifth Doctor and Peri arrive in the TARDIS on unknown ground. They discover that they are inside some organic building, made of a green substance. They also continue to find — as they walk through endless corridors — ice-pillars, which seem to hold a shape inside them.

After a quick walk across the surface, Commander Forbes discovers what they are looking for and when he embarks the rocket again, he deduces that the communications have gone down. This turns out to be true, and so he and his pilot exit the transport and investigate the green building. They suddenly find the Doctor and Peri who have been wandering for a while.

The Doctor joins forces with the Commander as Susan takes Peri to the rocket for an insulation suit. The Doctor and the Commander discover some sort of ceremonial room and find more ice-moulded pillars, which seem to crack in the warming air. The Doctor realises what is inside each one: Ice Warriors.

Part 2

Commander Zzaal takes both the Doctor and Forbes prisoner, believing them to be raiding the tomb, but he soon admits that they wouldn't have opened the doors if they didn't have honourable intentions. Roberts points what looks like a gun at the Ice Warriors, but Sstast almost kills her with his sonic blaster, prompting an angered Doctor to tell the Ice Warriors that she was holding a spectographer in an attempt to bluff them. Roberts is taken to the medical facilities while Sstast is ordered to capture the remaining humans.

Peri finds out that Leo Webster has ordered an investigation of the anomaly, and then starts becoming suspicious when Tanya tells her that Paul is the head of the defence division of Webster Corporation. Paul reveals that he and the other astronauts knew all along that the anomaly belonged to the aliens as the first probes to Mars returned with technological debris and organic shell fragments containing alien DNA as well as Martian soil. The communications blackout prevents Paul from telling the Earth that they have found alien DNA. Peri tells Paul that the aliens weren't awake when the carrier signal was lost, and Tanya finds out that someone has changed the password to prevent them from contacting Earth.

Lord Zzaal tells the Doctor that they are standing in the tomb of the greatest Ice Warrior who ever lived, Izdal, who gave his life to ensure that his people would escape from Mars before they could be killed by the rising temperatures caused by the Red Dawn. Zzaal was the leader of Izdal's personal guard and was subjected to cryogenic suspension so they could continue to protect his final resting place. He also admits that life was beginning on Earth when Mars was evacuated, knowing that they would soon have a chance to make a trade agreement, thus explaining why the doors would open to those with good intentions and no one else. After Roberts passes away from her injuries, she is soon buried like a warrior.

Just as Sstast shows up at the Argosy to capture the other humans, Paul exposes him to the oxygen from a cylinder, rendering him unable to defend himself when Paul finally knocks him unconscious by hitting him in the head with the cylinder before removing his sonic weapon, something which Tanya seems to instinctively know about. The Doctor calls them to tell them that Sstast is on his way, only for Paul to inform Zzaal that Sstast will be held hostage to keep the other Ice Warriors at bay. When the doctor objects to this, Paul cuts him off and aims Sstast's sonic weapon at Peri when she also tries to object. Tanya is aware that the Warriors will regard this action as an act of war, but Paul replies that the Webster Corporation will be able to trade with both sides should an interplanetary war between Earth and Mars break out, and they will use the technology to create alien-human hybrids, resulting in the first Earth Warriors.

Enraged, Zzaal believes that the Doctor and Forbes were distracting him while the other humans captured Sstast. He blows off the Doctor's attempts to calm him and orders his warriors to rescue Sstast or destroy the Argosy and everyone onboard to give him an honorable death. Paul orders Tanya to begin the Argosy's launch sequence whilst the Warriors are burning their way through the hatchway, but then decides to start the launch sequence himself when Tanya refuses to do so. Tanya reluctantly completes the sequence, causing the Argosy to lift off with Peri onboard. Two of Zzaal's warriors are incinerated by the engines of the Argosy, prompting Zzaal to order the activation of his tomb's defenses so the Argosy cannot leave with Sstast onboard. Ignoring the Doctor's pleas to spare the lives of the innocent, Zzaal orders his warriors to fire the first missiles at the Argosy.

Part 3

to be added

Part 4

to be added

Cast

References

Paul Webster and the Doctor cite the Brookings Report, issued in 1958 upon NASA's inception.
Peri compares Izdaal's tomb to Nebraska.

Spacecraft

The NASA mission is only viable due to the Webster Corporation's funding.
The NASA spacecraft is called the Argosy.

Mars

The British missions to Mars are mentioned. However this is the first American Mars mission.
The titular "red dawn" refers to the ultraviolet radiation that penetrates Mars' atmosphere.
The Ice Lord Izdaal was the greatest Ice Warrior who ever lived.

Notes

Illustrations by Lee Sullivan from Doctor Who Magazine

This audio drama was recorded on 20 and 21 November 1999 at the Nu Groove Studios.
Russell Stone's score was released on Music from the New Audio Adventures Volume 3, alongside the soundtracks for The Holy Terror and Winter for the Adept.
This story was the first ever Big Finish audio drama to feature the Ice Warriors.
Georgia Moffett, who plays Tanya Webster, is Peter Davison's real-life daughter. She later appeared in The Doctor's Daughter with, and eventually married, Tenth Doctor actor David Tennant.
Robert Jezek, who plays Commander Forbes, would later play the companion of the Sixth Doctor, Frobisher. He previously appeared as Zbrigniev in Battlefield.
This story is set between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani.
This story was originally released on double CD and cassette. It is now available as a download only, as well as to stream on Spotify.

Cover gallery

Double audio cassette case and cassettes
Original CD cover art
Revised CD cover art

Continuity

During his second incarnation, the Doctor encountered the Ice Warriors for the first time on the Brittanicus Base during an Ice Age in the company of Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield. (TV: The Ice Warriors)
The British Mars missions mentioned are either from TV: The Ambassadors of Death or PROSE: The Dying Days. An unmanned mission, described as being the UK's first (despite the earlier missions depicted), is featured in TV: The Christmas Invasion.
In the far future, radio and television broadcasts about the first manned mission to Mars could be accessed via the Gogglebox inside the Moon. (AUDIO: The Reaping, AUDIO: The Gathering)
The Doctor and Peri would encounter the Ice Warriors again on Peladon in the 41st century (AUDIO: The Bride of Peladon) and, following the former's regeneration into his sixth incarnation, on Magnus in the 24th century. (AUDIO: Mission to Magnus)
The Fifth Doctor would return to Mars in the company of Amy, where they witnessed the destruction of the planet's atmosphere millions of years in the past. (AUDIO: The Judgement of Isskar)
Isskar witnessed Lord Izdaal step outside and sacrifice himself to the Red Dawn. (AUDIO: The Judgement of Isskar)
Following the destruction of Mars' atmosphere, the Ice Warriors fled to Deimos, one of the planet's moons, where they constructed catacombs and placed themselves in suspended animation in the hope of one day either reclaiming Mars or conquering Earth. Millions of years later, after Mars had been colonised by humans, large sections of the catacombs were opened to the public in the museum in the Deimos moonbase in the 23rd century. One of the exhibits in the museum featured a holographic simulation of Lord Izdaal sacrificing his life. (AUDIO: Deimos)

External links

Official Red Dawn page at bigfinish.com
Red Dawn at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
DisContinuity for Red Dawn at Tetrapyriarbus - The DisContinuity Guide

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Publisher's summary