Warriors of the Deep – Episode Guide

The year is 2084, and Earth is divided into two hostile blocs which eye each other suspiciously for the slightest wrong move, armed with proton missiles which could destroy all life on Earth while leaving the planet itself intact. But there are other forms of life on Earth… A Silurian battle cruiser lands near a Sea-Devil hibernation chamber near one of the human blocs’ Sea Bases, and when an inquisitive probe is launched the Silurians release a “Myrka” to destroy it. The crew of the Base aren’t sure how to react to the probe’s destruction, as their sensors are picking up nothing but marine life. The base’s temporary synch operator, Maddox, whose job it is to link to the computer in times of crisis, is unprepared for the emergency; he’s only a student thrust into this position by the accidental death of the base’s former synch op, Michels. Maddox’s friend Karina talks him back to work, unaware that his suspicions about Michels’ death are justified; the base’s second-in-command and doctor, Nilson and Solow, are enemy agents who murdered Michels in order to put the unstable Maddox in a position where they can use him.

Turlough, for reasons of his own, has decided to remain aboard the TARDIS. The Doctor materializes in orbit around Earth in order to show Tegan some of her planet’s future, but they are shot down by a satellite defense system and the Doctor is forced to make an emergency materialization on the Sea Base. Their encounter with the satellite having coincided with the destruction of the Base’s marine probe, the Base’s computer triggers what could be a missile run. Maddox is forced to synch up to the computer in preparation for what could be the first strike of the last war. The run turns out to be a simulation to test the crew’s battle readiness, but the stress causes Maddox to pass out, and he is taken to the psychosurgical unit for care. With Maddox incapacitated; the Base is defenseless.

The Silurians, meanwhile, have docked with the hibernation chambers near the Sea Base, and are preparing to revive the Sea Devil patrol there. As the Silurians Scibus and Tarpok activate the revival circuits, Ichtar — the sole survivor of the Silurian Triad — waits patiently. The process will take some time, and the long period of hibernation may have caused the Sea Devils’ muscles to atrophy; all they can do is wait.

5th Doctor: Opening Title Sequence

Post-Tom Baker, the starfield titles had been in use for only one year. Sid Sutton refreshed them with Peter Davison’s face. Rather than mixing in, the photograph wipes in using a “venetian blind” pattern. There are also some subtle variations on the opening starburst effect.

SFX Magazine celebrates 45years of Doctor Who

This months issue of SFX magazine features a 45th anniversary celebration for Doctor Who. To celebrate they have released no fewer than 10 different covers for the December issue.

Their website boasts “The main attraction in our celebration of Doctor Who is our enormous retrospective feature, where we ask Russell T Davies, Steven Moffat, Stephen Fry, Clive Barker, Paul Cornell and Mark Gatiss to talk about their love for the show. We have the world exclusive first word on this year’s Christmas special, too, and to top it all off, we’ve got a great competition where you can win all four series of Doctor Who on DVD!”

You can see all 10 covers above, click on the thumbnails for larger views. Which one would you buy? I bought the Jon Pertwee version.

Earthshock

 

Lieutenant Scott and his men climb up a bleak hillside, escorting Professor Kyle to a camp set up by Scott’s team. The scanning equipment at the campsite is directed at a cave and set up to detect mammalian life forms. Kyle had been part of a scientific expedition investigating the caves for fossil remains, but the expedition has all but disappeared. The lack of readings suggests they are all dead. Kyle’s knowledge of the tunnels is necessary to direct Scott and his men into the caves to find out what happened, while two troopers remain outside to maintain a constant scan. As they investigate, the squad is being stalked by two dark figures.