The Korven (TV story)

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The Korven was the third episode of K9. It was written by Tim Pye, and directed by Karl Zwicky. It introduced the Korven and revealed the danger they would pose to Earth in the future.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

Starkey is homeless so K9 and Jorjie try to help. Meanwhile, the Korven kidnaps Professor Gryffen. Darius, K9, Starkey and Jorjie must try to save him.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

K9 and Starkey hide from the Department's surveillance. They go over a fence when K9 senses the police. K9 detects an invisible camo vehicle. They hide and it goes past them.

At Gryffen House, Darius prepares a lunch while Gryffen works on the STM. Once Gryffen has it working at full capacity, he will travel through space and time and see his family again. Unknown to them the STM activates, and an alien creature appears. Gryffen asks Darius if he was to go back to any point in history, where would he go? Darius says he'd go back 10 days and find out who stole his wallet. The alien sneaks up on Gryffen and when Darius turns around, his friend is nowhere to be seen.

June and Jorjie return from shopping. June will be home by midnight, and she expects Jorjie to be in bed. Back at the mansion, Darius searches for the professor. Jorjie finds Starkey who asks her what she's doing there. He had told her about his three hiding places and she's already checked two of them.

Darius alerts them to Gryffen's disappearance. When Darius returns, Jorjie asks if he has any news. K9 detects phosphane gas, a cooling agent that won't be invented for three hundred years. K9 accesses the STM and contacts a human soldier from the year 2618, Senior Lieutenant Medowin of Special Operations Commando, Global Command. He tells them the Korven threat must be stopped at all costs. K9 tells the team that the Korven are due to invade Earth in the year 2480. Medowin says the Korven are sending an operative through time to find the scientists who created a system to cool the Earth, which was abused before 2050. Gryffen is one of those scientists. If the Korven get their data, they will cool the Earth and destroy humanity. Before he can reveal the Korvens' weakness, his transmission stops.

K9 knows the Korven's weakness: during the leeching process, their entire being is focused on their victim. This is the only time they are vulnerable. K9 follows the trail of phosphane gas with Darius accompanying him. As the Korven brings Gryffen to a deserted iceworks, Gryffen begs him not to take him outside and demands he be taken home.

At the Department Mobile HQ, June sends Jorjie a message saying she assumes the reason she isn't responding is she's busy doing homework. Drake interrupts her, requesting an update on the recent alien activity. She declines as she is Head of the Alien Activity Section and Drake is Head of Security and she doesn't report to him. When Drake asks her about information-sharing, she says it works on a need to know basis. When she feels he needs to know something, she'll share it with him. Drake tells her he will do the same. They're "one big happy Department".

As the team go to the entrance of the iceworks, K9 detects more phosphane. Gryffen is strapped to a table by an immobilising force field. He asks what the Korven is going to do to him. It uses a device which mutes Gryffen and takes out its phosphane tank. As the team move on, K9 detects the phosphane is becoming uncommon but still present. Darius and Jorjie go one way while K9 and Starkey go the other.

Starkey notices it's getting colder. They're getting closer. K9's thought and energy levels are being affected by the phosphane. Starkey sees the Korven start the leeching process. He turns to see K9 on the floor; the Korven sneaks behind Starkey and captures him.

Starkey is forced to the table by the immobilising force field as well. Starkey calls out for K9, but is muted by the Korven as well. The Korven restarts the leeching. Darius and Jorjie find K9 on the floor. Seeing the Korven leeching Gryffen, they try to get K9 to help. He tries to focus but engages his self-protection protocol and shuts down. Gryffen has flashbacks of his lost family and cries out. Darius gets angry and decides to help Gryffen. He destroys the phosphane tank and gets the Korven's attention. The Korven prepares to shoot Darius, but K9 overrides his self-protection protocol and shoots the Korven. K9 shuts down. Darius wakes Gryffen, who recognises him. The Korven gets back up. Darius grabs the Korven's arm before it can shoot him, but can't hold on. Jorjie tells K9 to fire but K9 interprets this as a warning that there's a fire. Starkey tells K9 to fire his Photon Beam. K9 interprets this as "Baked beans?". Starkey shouts out, "Baked beans". K9 shoots the Korven with the temperature required to make baked beans edible, killing it.

Back at the mansion, Gryffen works on K9. Starkey asks if he will be okay. Gryffen says his power activation module was damaged by the phosphane, but with a few minor repairs and a recharge he should be fine. Gryffen accesses the Department's computer and reprogrammes it so that Starkey is no longer a wanted dissident; he may not even exist. Jorjie says he'll never have to sleep behind a fence. Starkey says not until he finds a place to live. Jorjie tells Gryffen that Darius says there's a spare room. Gryffen calls it a splendid idea, saying Darius and he could use some company. K9 and Starkey go to bed. They bid each other good night as K9 emits the remainder of the phosphane gas in a manner similar to flatulence.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Robert Moloney, Keegan Joyce, Philippa Coulthard, Daniel Webber and John Leeson are all credited in the opening of the episode and not the closing credits. With the exception of Leeson's credit, they are credited only by their name and not with their respective character's name attached.

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Story notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Production errors[[edit] | [edit source]]

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.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Home video releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

This episode is featured in the following DVD sets:

  • Complete Boxset (Region 4, Australia)

    Complete Boxset
    (Region 4, Australia)

  • The Bounty Hunter (Region 4, Australia)

    The Bounty Hunter
    (Region 4, Australia)

  • Series 1, Volume 1 (Region 0, sold in UK and US)

    Series 1, Volume 1
    (Region 0, sold in UK and US)

  • "Ultimate Collectors Edition" (Region 2, UK)

    "Ultimate Collectors Edition"
    (Region 2, UK)

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

v • e
K9 television stories
Series 1
Stories listed here are only those that have been officially licensed by Metal Mutt Productions.
v • e
Korven stories
For the purposes of this list, a "Korven story" is one in which one living, authentic Korven plays a part within the confines of the story, outside of flashbacks to previous stories and cliffhangers that lead into the following story.
Television
Complete list of appearances
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