CELEBRATING FORTY YEARS OF SEASON TWENTY: 'TERMINUS'

Saturday, May 6, 2023

CELEBRATING FORTY YEARS OF SEASON TWENTY: 'TERMINUS'

Dark dangers for Nyssa and a galactic mystery for the Doctor at Terminus.

The TARDIS is sabotaged!

Still under the bullying and malign influence of the Black Guardian, new companion Turlough has forced the Time/Space vehicle to make an emergency lock with an unknown alien freighter whose mysterious cargo has also been intercepted by two abandoned space pirates. Unfortunately, the cargo is not what anyone could ever have expected: highly infectious space lazars bound for a supposed place of healing at the mysterious Terminus space station, a troubled facility located direct centre at the heart of the galaxy and run by the Vanir, a hardened group of bitter armoured guardians controlled by a mysterious, all-controlling company. Separated from the Doctor and Tegan, Nyssa ultimately becomes the key to a hopeful future for the lazars, but first the Time Lord must race against time to stop the end of the universe after the discovery of an eons old, deceased space pilot inside the ancient station now revealed as a once futuristic time vessel...

After his acclaimed debut on the series with the ethereal and classic Warriors' Gate for Tom Baker, modern British sci-fi author Steve Gallagher's second entry for Who in Terminus proves just as clever, original and brave in its showcasing of space lepers, the latter elements perhaps a little too dark for some viewers tastes, though all of it would be competently directed from the series sadly one time only visualist Mary Ridge, an experienced and highly professional storyteller with a marvellous pedigree of work from that other BBC sci-fi series stalwart of the time, Blake's 7. Sadly, Miss Ridge's Who work would be besieged by problems not of her own making, and especially via some hugely turbulent BBC strike action that almost cancelled the later half of the Twentieth Season.

Radio Times episode listings.

As we've previously noted before on this site, part one of the story proves extremely successful and highly atmospheric in execution, followed by other further intriguing moments and interesting characterisations ahead (especially our main trio of companions, getting some solid moments away from the Doctor) - the idea of faceless, corrupt galactic companies causing so much trouble and distress was relatively new to Who if not to the overall sci-fi general. Noted examples of this must surely include the Alien and Avatar film series, the former 1979 space horror clearly making a subconscious mark on Eric Saward during his time as series script editor, as Who got controversially darker, more industrial, and tougher with its later years. Bringing light and hope with the tale, companion Nyssa's (Sarah Sutton) departure from the series proves very emotional yet also in character, as the young woman finally discovers a way of using her scientific skills in helping the troubled lazars whilst also bringing dramatic change against the corrupt company behind their regular profit procurements.

A moody Tegan helps Nyssa in her bedroom lab.

Turlough has failed to win the trust of Tegan in the TARDIS.

The Black Guardian's (Valentine Dyall) revenge against the Doctor continues...

Nyssa is taken by a decontamination droid to Terminus from the robot controlled freighter the TARDIS is locked on to, and, for the benefit of her very happy male fans, drops her skirt as a memorable parting gift.