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 along with the fact he is 100s of year away from proper programming to back his boasts. York takes her questions poorly and has her thrown out, to which Sarah Jane takes in stride as she is used to it.

Sarah Jane returns home to find Luke and Clyde playing football, and Rani comes over just as a "meteor" crashes onto the Earth. They race inside and Sarah Jane activates Mr Smith, who tells them that the falling object crossed the solar system in 45 minutes. Sarah Jane says it obviously can't be a meteor and Mr Smith explains the falling object sent a distress signal. Mr Smith's monitor shows the transmission of Judoon calling for help and also informs them a life-pod was launched before the ship crashed, approimately 10 miles off from the crash. Sarah Jane explains the Judoon's job and their dimwitted methods to get assignments done as Mr Smith explains UNIT has secrued the area. Worried that UNIT will get into a big fight with the Judoon officer, Sarah Jane tells her companions that it's time to move out. However, upon exiting the house, Gita (once again) causes a delay by asking Sarah Jane if any of her contants would be interested in her flower shop, "Bloomin' Lovely". Not particualrly interested and mroe worried about the Judoon, Sarah Jane gives Gita a brochure from Genetec 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.

They soon find the Judoon pilot, pursuing his now-escaped prisoner, but are nearly hit by stray blast from the Judoon's weapon. Sarah Jane explans that under the rules of the Shadow Proclamation, Earth barely exists and is too primative; Clide, tired of aliens thinking little of Earth, says "A planet could get a complex, you know". To make matters worse, Sarah Jane explains the Judoon are very brutal and will execute anyone that gets in their way. In the meantime, the Judoon is knocked out by the escapee with a board, allowing the prisoner time to escape his straight jacket and flee. Sarah Jane and the others find the Judoon and move his blaster a few feet from him. Awakening, the Juddon takes out its 'language assimulation/catalouging device' and records Sarah Jane's offering of help and warning not to harm them. Assimulating English, 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 for the time being.

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 smahes their cellphones in a blunt way to prevent anymore mistakes, 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 after slapping him proves ineffective, 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 Genetec 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 - Genetec 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, and staying alive. The Judoon comment that Gita is more intellegent than Haresh as interfearing with their work will warrent termination. In the meantime, 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 with Sarah Jane's sonic lipstick. 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 (oddly as Earthlings shouldn't have any), 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

General production staff

Script department

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics


General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound



Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.


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.
  • A file on the Slitheen appears when Mr Smith stops his self-destruct countdown.
  • 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 mum might of just been taken to help Androvax "Phone home", lampooning the classic line from the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

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 he 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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