Doctor Who-The Dominators (1968)
Doctor Who-The Dominators (1968) I don't know why this story is so unpopular amongst the Whovian brethren. We get a classic flying saucer armada at the start & one breaks formation to conquer the planet Dulkis. The Dominators & their Quark robots have chosen to 'annex' the Dulcians by force. Only The Doctor can stop them. The Dulcians have no concept of violence or war. Fight may as well be a swear word. So they prove to be pretty useless in their own, planetary struggle. It takes effort from Jamie Robert McCrimmon of the Clan McCrimmon & his more open-minded pal, Cully, to kick some Quark butt! The Doctor uses their own bomb to blow the Dominators & their robots to smithereens, aboard their saucer, & wins the day & saves Dulkis.
OKAY, we get to the part I like best, my opinion! Cully is a rebel amongst his people, defying his Director father, & takes pleasure cruises to the radiated Island of Death, for decadent students who are obviously on something 'addictive!' The Island has been absorbed of its radiation by some unknown force, needing to refuel itself, & the students go rushing out. Fools go rushing in & all.
What we get is a scene that would have given me nightmares, as a brat, for years! The second in command Tobas orders their destruction & we're treated to a very graphic death of the female student! Just refer to the image above! The Doctor has praise for the peace-loving Dulcians who've abandoned war, in fact it's outlawed, yet still, reminders exist in the fab named Island Of Death with it's war museum complete with fall-out shelter & groovy laser-gun. After being taken by Educator Balan we're treated (or tortured) to a well-rehearsed lecture by student Kando, much to Jamie's amusement.
The Dominators & their Quark robots are at the other end of the spectrum to their potential, Dulcian enslaved. I can't get enough of these vicious, sadistic, maniacs! Rago is the leader & is cautious, not quick to kill. It would be a waste of Quark energy, imagine the bills! Yet, his subordinate, Toba (whose name sounds like a Swiss chocolate) is desperate to destroy everything that moves! He almost sounds like a Dalek! He's shouts "DESTROY!" with a vengeance! Seriously, book an appointment with Freud! You're not a Dalek!
Speaking of which, Zoe sarcastically asks of The Doctor if they're going to encounter any Daleks or Cybermen when they first land. The Dulcians have cool rocket transports that remind me of Flash Gordon. Jamie with the aid of Cully, does his Highlander best in wasting most of the Quarks in battle like English redcoats circa 1745. As for Cully himself? Well, he's bored with Dulkis culture & his important, Director father in particular. He has a notorious reputation for having a unique sense of humour, rather like myself, then? The boy who cried wolf leaps rapidly to mind!
Does my breath stink THAT bad?
The Doctor has to prove he's stupid. Yes, you read that right. Both he & Jamie are subjected to intelligence experiments by the Dominators which provide us with a hilarious scene. It makes sense. The Dominators (in they're own naivety) mistake them for Dulcians & want to test their metal, for want of a better term. (They even have an 'Alpha' union-style dispute on who should be in charge which reminds me of the Hirogen on Star Trek Voyager!) Our hero figures this out, fortunately. Jamie is the first to receive a brain scan by Raga (LOL!) & doesn't bother with The Doctor. As a result of The Doctors & Jamie's interference, mainly Jamie's new hobby of blowing Quarks up, Raga & Toba decide a bomb drilled into the core of the planet is a much better idea than conquest as the Dulcians are more trouble than they're worth, the cowards! The Doctor kindly delivers their bomb back to them (return address?) so that they can kindly blow themselves up.
Nice recital!
I really can't get enough of this merry tale & can't understand why it's so unpopular. The villains are brutal to the core, yet the Dulcians being so beautifully peaceful & the Director would've happily helped the Dominators find their minerals had they simply asked! This is the message of this tale. Sometimes pacifism just doesn't work. "There are corners of the Universe that have bred the worst evil, they must be fought!", to misquote our 2nd Doctor (sue me, again). This story bares a lot in common with The Daleks, with The 1st Doctor trying to get the peaceful Thals to defend themselves.
It's not Easter, Doctor!
Jamie's reaction to the Dulcian Council & their sheepish, pacifist rules is hilarious, well worth the scene watch for the laugh alone! This season introduced the TARDIS defence mechanism, yet it's not brought up when the Dominators want to destroy it. The saucer armada at the beginning is so cool & well realised, thanks BBC for the fab effort. Oh, & that saucer image above is from another Dr Who story- Moonbase (1967). This enemy was due a return in the 7th Doctors era in 1990, but, for obvious reasons...This 5-parter deserves respect! Great, now I sound like a Dominator!
As per usual, no copyright, skull-duggery, etc....
Stay away from Covid & Quarks!
Borgduck alias Stewart.
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