Prisoner of the Judoon (TV story)

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Prisoner of the Judoon was the first story in The Sarah Jane Adventures Series 3. It marks the first appearance of the Judoon in a spin-off, and the introduction of a new species, the Veil.

Synopsis

Sarah Jane and the gang face the most dangerous day of their lives, as the rhino-like Judoon return. When prisoner Androvax the Annihilator crash-lands on Earth, the Veil is set free and starts to turn Earth's technology against itself. And his next intended victim is Sarah Jane. As the Judoon fleet approaches Earth, it's a race against time to stop Androvax. But with Genetec's technology on the rampage, and Rani's parents taken prisoner, can anything stop the Army of the Infinitesimal?

Plot

Part 1

Sarah Jane Smith gives an overview of her life and tells how life on Earth is just as exciting as travelling the stars. She then goes to speak with Mr. York, the head of Genetec Systems, about Nanoforms and the threat they might pose if released into the environment. York takes her questions poorly and has her thrown out. Sarah Jane returns home to find Luke and Clyde playing football, and Rani comes over just as a "meteor" crashes onto the Earth. To distract Rani's parents while they investigate, Sarah Jane gives Gita a brochure from Genetic Systems; this gives Gita the idea to fill the company's office with plants as a sort of guerilla marketing, and she drags Haresh with her.

The gang go to investigate after talking with Mr Smith, discovering that the "meteor" was really a Judoon ship that had released a lifepod before it crashed. They find the Judoon pilot, pursuing his now-escaped prisoner, who knocks him out with a board and flees the scene. The Judoon says his name is Captain Tybo, and his prisoner, Androvax, is the "Destroyer of Worlds". To prevent Tybo from harming any innocent humans in his zeal to recapture Androvax, Sarah Jane insists on helping his investigations. After hearing a young girl's scream nearby, Sarah Jane and Clyde run to investigate, leaving Luke and Rani to keep Tybo distracted. 

They find the girl inside an old theatre, where they attempt to comfort her and find out where her mother is. However, Sarah Jane's watch begins to beep and she reveals that she had been scanning the girl, proving she is not human. Androvax steps out of the girl's body and into Sarah Jane's, before putting Clyde in a trance. Captain Tybo figures out that Luke and Rani are distracting him, and reveals that Androvax is a Veil life form, capable of possessing others' bodies; they find Clyde in the theatre and revive him with a squirt bottle, where they learn Androvax has Sarah Jane. Tybo "commandeers" a police car, and they pursue Sarah Jane/Androvax back to Bannerman Road, where she has been talking to Mr Smith. Sarah Jane returns to Genetic Systems, where she talked to Mr York about the Nanoforms. Captain Tybo, Rani, Luke and Clyde reach the attic only to discover that Mr Smith has been set to self-destruct in 60 seconds, which would destroy all of Bannerman Road.

Part 2

Captain Tybo is prepared to blast Mr Smith, but Luke manages to stop the countdown by telling Mr Smith that exploding would contradict his purpose of defending and protecting Earth. Mr Smith tells Luke, Rani, Tybo and Clyde where Sarah Jane is - Genetic System Labs. Androvax plans to use the nanoforms to build a spaceship for escape, then allow them to run wild and destroy the Earth. Meanwhile, Gita and Haresh have been arrested by the security guard there, but when Androvax sets off multiple alarms, the guard leaves and they are able to escape. Luke, Rani and Clyde arrive with Tybo, and Rani insists they hide when she sees her parents roaming the building. The kids decide to lock the Judoon Captain in a shielded room, to prevent him harming Sarah Jane in his zeal to stop Androvax.

More Judoon arrive on the scene, right behind Haresh and Gita. Haresh wants to find out what they're up to, but Gita is more concerned about finding the security guard, who's taken her mobile. Sarah Jane attempts to argue with Androvax, but when the kids arrive in the lab, Androvax captures Luke and sets the nanoforms after Clyde and Rani. They recall that nanoforms will go dormant at low temperatures, and defeat them with a fire extinguisher.

Androvax takes Luke aboard the now-complete space ship, and Sarah Jane attempts to take control of her body again. Clyde and Rani also appear, and Luke manages to steal the ship's power core, insisting they'll let Androvax escape if he releases Sarah Jane. Androvax eventually agrees, but the Judoon arrive to arrest him moments later. The nanoforms, meanwhile, have begun eating the building and Haresh and Gita are trapped inside. Luke uses the spaceship's computer to deactivate the nanoforms, and the Judoon leave with their prisoner in the ship. Tybo, taking into account the youngsters' part in stopping Androvax, chooses not to prosecute them for locking him in the room. Instead, he revokes their interplanetary travel rights, effectively "grounding" them on Earth. Sarah Jane and her team arrives home safely, where Gita and Haresh regale them with the harrowing story of their encounter with aliens.

Cast

Production Crew

to be added

References

The alien ship re-engineered by Androvax from the Dreamland archives
The original alien ship that crashed and was re-engineered by the Dreamland base
  • When Sarah Jane tells Gita her normal contacts aren't that interested in flowers, Clyde jokes to Rani and Luke about the Triffids.
  • Clyde refers to Luke as his "padawan" - a reference to Star Wars.
  • Sarah Jane says the Judoon's methods of law enforcement "aren't exactly Softly, Softly" - a reference to a long-running British police TV series.
  • Clyde jokes that Tybo is an "intergalactic PC Plod", referring to the character from the Noddy books by Enid Blyton. It's a common derogatory term for the police in the United Kingdom.
  • Rani mentions Mrs Wormwood and the events of the last episode of the previous season.
  • Mr Smith mentions a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 and the Dreamland base in Arizona. This is the first time that plotlines for future episodes have been pre-referenced (at least with the production team's knowledge of future use), as Roswell and Dreamland are involved in a recent animated serial aptly titled Dreamland that, at the time this episode was broadcast, was in late production stages.
  • Sarah Jane is familiar with the Judoon and the Shadow Proclamation.
  • Clyde tells the little girl that her mom might of just been taken to help Andrazox "Phone home" from the movie E.T.

Story notes

Ratings

to be added

Myths

  • Sarah Jane becomes evil for these episodes. She is taken over by a Veil.
  • It was rumoured that K9 would appear but never did.

Filming locations

to be added

Production errors

to be added

Continuity

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.

Timeline

Footnotes

v • e
SJA television stories
Series 1
Series 2
Regular episodes
Mini-episodes
Series 3
Series 4
Series 5
Stories listed here are only those that have been officially licensed by the BBC.
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