Series 5, Episode 2 | 1 part | First broadcast: 10 April 2010 | Writer: Steven Moffat | Director: Andrew Gunn
Cast
- Matt Smith as the Doctor
- Karen Gillan as Amy Pond
- Sophie Okonedo as Liz 10
- Terrence Hardiman as the Smiler / Winder
Summary
On her first trip in the TARDIS, Amy joins the Doctor aboard Starship UK, a vast vessel carrying the whole of Britain through space, where citizens periodically vote on a dark secret they then choose to forget. Investigating the sinister smiling robots enforcing order and a masked queen searching for the truth herself, the Doctor and Amy uncover a giant star whale bound in torment beneath the ship, and Amy must find a solution that doesn’t require anyone to break the whale’s spirit.
Interesting Facts
- This is Amy Pond’s first full adventure as the Doctor’s companion, testing her resolve within moments of leaving Earth.
- Sophie Okonedo plays Liz 10, a future queen of England who moonlights in disguise to investigate her own ship’s secrets.
- The story functions as a moral parable about complicity and cruelty disguised as necessity, a hallmark of Moffat’s writing style.
- Amy’s solution, recognizing the space whale’s voluntary kindness rather than coercion, foreshadows her instinctive compassion throughout the series.
No Responses