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Author: Gareth Roberts
ISBN: 0 426 20506 5
Published: April 1997
Editor: Rebecca Levene
Placement: Between Shada (Season 17) and The Leisure Hive (Season 18)
Links: A standalone story.
E-Book: An online version of this story is available at the BBC's Doctor Who Site |
| Doctor: |
The Fourth 
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The fourth Doctor is tall, has curly brown hair, a distinctive smile, a floppy hat, and a ridiculously long scarf. He comes across as otherworldly and bohemian. |
| Companions: |
Romana II: 
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Romanadvoratrelundar is a Time Lady chosen to accompany the fourth Doctor on his quest for the Key to Time in The Ribos Operation (season 16). Their quest succeeded, and they may have had adventures following this. In Destiny of the Daleks (season 17), Romana regenerated for the first time. Her second incarnation is fun-loving and has a deep friendship with the fourth Doctor. |
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K9 Mark II: |
The original K9 was a robotic dog the Doctor inherited from Professor Marius during The Invisible Enemy. After leaving K9 Mark I on Gallifrey in The Invasion of Time, the Doctor created a new improved K9. K9 Mark II is highly logical and has difficulty with colloquialisms. He is fiercely loyal to his master and mistress. |
| Recurring Characters: |
Menlove Ereward Stokes |
Stokes is an appalling artist who first met the Doctor in The Romance of Crime. He is irritating to be around, and developed a crush on Romana. |
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The Black Guardian |
The Black Guardian is one of the Guardians, the opposite to the White Guardian. He sought to prevent the Doctor and Romana's quest for the key to time, and vowed revenge on them after they succeeded. |
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The Chelonians |
Chelonians are a warrior race that resemble tortoises. For most of their history, they considered all other races to be inferior parasites. The Doctor has encountered them a number of times in his travels, though this is the earliest recorded story featuring them. |
| Recommended Viewing: |
The Black Guardian's previous encounter with the Doctor was seen in The Armageddon Factor (Season 16). |
| Recommended Reading: |
The Author's Notes, available with the BBC's e-book version of the story provide lots of background information. |
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The Doctor and Romana first met Stokes in The Romance of Crime, though you don't need to know anything about that story. Stokes is next seen in the first of the Bernice Summerfield New Adventures, Oh No It Isn't! |
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General Fakrid's description of the history of this particular group of Chelonians may be a reference to Gareth Roberts' book The Highest Science (and the resolved cliffhanger in Happy Endings), where he first introduced the Chelonians. In this book, a group of Chelonian warriors are displaced in time, and end up abandoned on a planet with no space transport. |
| Recommended Listening: |
None. |
