Gazing Void (short story)

From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
RealWorld.png

Gazing Void was the fifteenth and final short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: A Universe of Terrors. It was written by Huw Wilkins. It featured the Eighth Doctor.

Summary[[edit] | edit source]

Four years after his involvement in the Hundred Days war, the Eighth Doctor returns to the city of Cherenkov, where he defeated the brutal dictator Jeremiah Maru-Stahl. By showing the medal he was awarded for his actions, he ensures that one of the offworld casualties is added to a memorial.

The Doctor visits Maru-Stahl. He was to be brought to trial for his crimes, but his failing mental health prevented this. The Doctor talks to Maru-Stahl inside his cell, who then lapses into insanity. Over the next few days, the Doctor attempts to coerce Maru-Stahl into revealing how he changed from a beloved revolutionary leader into a ruthless dictator. After many days, the prisoner finally tells him: to fight monsters, he became a monster. The Doctor realises there is nothing he can do for Maru-Stahl and leaves in the TARDIS.

Characters[[edit] | edit source]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | edit source]

  • The Doctor drinks whiskey with Elias.

Notes[[edit] | edit source]

  • The planet on which the story is set remains unnamed throughout the story.

Continuity[[edit] | edit source]

to be added