Frontier in Space (TV story)

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Synopsis

The Doctor and Jo are caught up in the escalating tension between planets Earth and Draconia, and discover that the Master is secretly working to provoke the two sides into all-out war.

Plot

The TARDIS arrives in the year 2540 on board an Earth spaceship, which then comes under attack. The crew perceive the Doctor, Jo and the attackers as Draconians, whose empire currently rivals Earth's for control of the galaxy. The Doctor and Jo, however, see that the attackers are really Ogrons.

The Ogrons stun everyone on board and steal the ship's cargo - including the TARDIS. Accused by the Earth authorities of spying for the Draconians, the Doctor is sent to the Lunar Penal Colony on the Moon while Jo is placed in the custody of a Commissioner from Sirius 4 - actually the Master. The Master rescues the Doctor and locks him and Jo up aboard a stolen police spaceship.

Once in flight, the ship is intercepted by the Draconians. Taken to Draconia, the Doctor is able to convince the Emperor of the Master's scheme to provoke a war using the Ogrons and a hypnotic device that makes those affected see whatever they most fear.

Jo is recaptured by the Master and taken to the Ogrons' home planet, where he also has the Doctor's TARDIS. The Doctor follows with General Williams - an emissary from the President of Earth - and a Draconian Prince. Behind the Master's plot are the Daleks, who want a war to break out so that they can invade in the aftermath. The Doctor and his party are placed in the Master's custody as the Daleks leave to prepare their forces, but they manage to escape.

Williams and the Draconian Prince depart to warn their respective peoples of the Daleks' intentions. The Doctor, though, is injured in the confusion. Jo helps him into the TARDIS, where he sends a telepathic message to the Time Lords...

Cast

Crew

References

  • There are brief appearances of a Drashig, a Sea Devil and a mutant when the Master uses his fear machine on Jo.
  • The Doctor once served as a delegate at the Third Intergalactic Peace Conference, though en route he got waylaid by Medusoids. Circa the year 2040, the Doctor helped the Draconians with a space plague and so they receive him as an honoured guest. He tells Jo the story of his trial by the Time Lords, his forced regeneration and his exile to Earth, though perhaps mainly as a way to conceal the fact that he meanwhile manages to cut his way out of an iron cell. The Master says that the Doctor "does not fear death".
  • Under the influence of the Master's hypnosound device, Jo sees a Drashig, from the previous adventure. She mentions again the uncle that got her a job at UNIT and the lack of romance involved in it and the drudgery involved. Friends and family think she goes on glamourous secret agent missions. She compares the Brigadier, unfavourably, to James Bond. (Like the Doctor, she appears to have a monologue in order to cover the Doctor's escape.)
  • In a moment of leisure, the Master relaxes with a copy of the H.G. Wells novel The War of the Worlds. He characterizes the Daleks, his ostensible allies, privately, as "stupid tin boxes".

Story Notes

  • This story had the working title: Frontiers in Space

Ratings

  • Episode 1 - 9.1 million viewers
  • Episode 2 - 7.8 million viewers
  • Episode 3 - 7.5 million viewers
  • Episode 4 - 7.1 million viewers
  • Episode 5 - 7.7 million viewers
  • Episode 6 - 8.9 million viewers

Myths

to be added

Filming Locations

  • Hayward Gallery, Belvedere Road, Lambeth, London
  • Fitzroy Park, Highgate, London
  • Beachfields Quarry, Cormongers Lane, Redhill, Surrey

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

to be added

Continuity

DVD, Video and Other Releases

VHS: Released in August 1996. BBC Video 5640

Target Novelisations

See also

to be added

External Links

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