Season 11, Episode 3 | 4 parts | First broadcast: 23 February – 16 March 1974 | Writer: Terry Nation | Director: Michael E. Briant
Cast
- Jon Pertwee as the Doctor
- Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith
- Duncan Lamont as Galloway
- Julian Fox as Peter Hamilton
Summary
A sudden, planet-wide power drain strands both the TARDIS and a Dalek expedition on the mysterious world of Exxilon, forcing the Doctor and a stranded human survey team into an uneasy truce with their own weapons rendered useless. As the humans and Daleks alike search for a legendary Exxilon city rumoured to hold the source of the drain, the Doctor must navigate deadly booby traps and a fanatical native population to survive.
Interesting Facts
- This story forces the Daleks to fight with primitive projectile weapons after their trademark energy weapons are neutralised, an unusual creative choice that highlights their adaptability as villains.
- It marks one of the earliest Doctor Who scripts to give the Daleks and humans a shared common enemy, briefly aligning them against the deadly Exxilon city.
- The alien city’s elaborate deathtrap corridors were an ambitious design undertaking for the era’s modest studio budgets.
- Writer Terry Nation reused several ideas explored here, including primitive tribal societies guarding advanced technology, in his later television work.
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