The Pirate Planet is the second episode of the sixteenth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who , consisting of four episodes that were shown from September 30 to October 21, 1978 , and also the second in the overall story a line of the season called the " Key of Time ."
| 99 - The Pirate Planet English The pirate planet | |
|---|---|
| Actors | |
Doctor
| |
Satellites
| |
| Production | |
| Screenwriter | Douglas Adams |
| Producer | Pennant Roberts |
| Producer | Graham Williams |
| Season | 16 ( Key of time ) |
| Date of issue | September 30 - October 21, 1978 |
| Chronology | |
| ← Previous Series | Next episode → |
| Operation Ribos | Blood stones |
Content
- 1 plot
- 2 Broadcasts and reviews
- 3 Interesting Facts
- 4 notes
Story
The locator directs the Doctor and Roman to the cold and boring planet Kalufraks, but upon arrival they discover an unusual prosperous civilization. A strange group of people with mysterious powers, called Mentiads, inspires fear in society, but the Doctor finds them to be good people with incomprehensible goals. Instead, he is afraid of the Captain, the leader and benefactor of the planet. After meeting him on his bridge, he learns that they are on the hollow planet Zanak, which materializes around others and drains their resources.
After fixing the Zanak engines damaged when the planet appeared at one point along with the TARDIS, the Captain plans to direct Zanak to Earth. The doctor understands that he is controlled by the ancient cruel Queen Zanzia, mistaken for the Captain's doctor, and the resources of the planets go to support her life. Despite the apparent madness, the Captain is a calculating person planning to destroy Zanzia. Mentiads learn that their abilities are enhanced by the destruction of entire worlds under their feet.
Throughout Zanak, the locator gives strange signals, from which it is clear that the second fragment of the Key is everywhere. Seeing the room of the Captain's captured planets, they conclude that Kalufrax is the fragment itself. With the help of the TARDIS, they interrupt the appearance of Zanak around the Earth, and the mentiads damage the engines. The captain tries to destroy Zanzia, but to no avail, and dies. The doctor, Romana, and the Mentiades blow up the Captain’s bridge and the queen, putting an end to the destruction caused by Zanak’s travels. Kalufraks, together with the other planets, goes to a temporary whirlwind, where they will be picked up later by the Doctor and Roman on the TARDIS.
Broadcasts and reviews
| Episode | Delivery Date | Duration | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| " Part 1 " | September 30, 1978 | 25:02 | 8.3 |
| " Part 2 " | October 7, 1978 | 24:46 | 8.1 |
| " Part 3 " | October 14, 1978 | 24:42 | 7.9 |
| " Part 4 " | October 21, 1978 | 24:50 | 8.2 |
| [1] [2] [3] | |||
Interesting Facts
- The script for the series was written by the famous Douglas Adams , so the series is filled with his signature humor. The script itself was initially very complex and focused on the master of the time trapped in a machine absorbing aggression, and on several paradoxes, and was simplified by Anthony Reed, the text editor.
- The doctor talks about his meeting with Newton : he dropped an apple on his head, and he asked him to get off the tree. Later at dinner, the Doctor told him about gravity.
- While the Doctor is unconscious, he says "No more yanis spikes." This is a reference to Leela , the former companion of the Doctor, to whom he often said this.
- The Tenth Doctor later mentions Kalufrax Minor among the missing planets in the Stolen Earth series.
Notes
- ↑ Shaun Lyon. The Pirate Planet . Outpost Gallifrey (March 31, 2007). Date of treatment August 30, 2008. Archived July 31, 2008.
- ↑ The Pirate Planet . Doctor Who Reference Guide. Date of treatment August 30, 2008.
- ↑ Sullivan, Shannon The Pirate Planet . A Brief History of Time Travel (August 7, 2007). Date of treatment August 30, 2008.