| Production Code: RRR
First Transmitted
Cast
Crew
Plot Outline from Wikipedia A superluminal signal is sent to Earth, carrying with it an unusual energy blob that seems intent on capturing the Third Doctor. In the meantime, the homeworld of the Time Lords is under siege, with all the power sustaining it being drained through a black hole. Trapped and desperate, the Time Lords do the unthinkable and break the First Law of Time, allowing the Doctor to aid himself by summoning his two previous incarnations from the past. Unfortunately, the First Doctor is trapped in a time eddy, unable
to fully materialize, and can only communicate via viewscreen, but
the Second Doctor joins the Third in investigating the origins of
the creature and the black hole, while UNIT headquarters faces an
attack by the gel-like alien creatures. It is clear that the exile has made Omega quite insane. Along with his revenge, he has summoned the Doctors here to take over the mental maintenance of the antimatter universe so he can escape. However, the Doctors discover that years of exposure to the corrosive effects of the black hole's singularity have destroyed Omega's physical body - he is trapped forever. Driven over the edge by this discovery, Omega now demands that the Doctors share his exile. The Doctors escape briefly, and offer Omega a proposition. They will give him his freedom if they send the others back to the positive matter universe. Omega agrees, and when that is done, the Doctors offer Omega a force field generator containing the Second Doctor's recorder, which had fallen in it prior to the transport through the black hole. Omega knocks the generator over in a rage and the unconverted positive matter recorder falls out of the force field. When the recorder comes into contact with the antimatter universe, it annihilates everything in a flash, returning the Doctors in the TARDIS to the positive matter universe. The Third Doctor explains that death was the only freedom anyone could offer Omega. With the power now restored to the Time Lords, they are able to send the First and Second Doctors back to their respective time periods. As a reward, the Time Lords give the Third Doctor a new dematerialization circuit for the TARDIS and restore his knowledge of how to travel through space and time.
Analysis by Cuisle Russell T. Davies has stated more than once that he would not do an episode like this with more than one Doctor in it. His reasons are sound ones, but many fans DO enjoy seeing The Doctors mixing it. The friction between #2 (Troughton) and #3 (Pertwee) in this one, refereed by #1 William Hartnell, who appears only in a viewscreen communication because he was in ill health and not up to anything more strenuous, is a joy for those who actually watch Doctor Who for The Doctor rather than for the monsters or how short the assistants shirts are. This is also a good story for those who want to know more about Gallifrey. We see the Time Lords themselves in much more detail than ever did. Although in fact, we still aren’t told that The Doctor’s planet IS called Gallifrey. It is referred to only as the homeworld. With that homeworld under attack, though they summon their renegade, The Doctor, and expect him to come to their rescue. Having punished him for breaking the Laws of Time, they now break them themselves in order to let his previous incarnations join the third Doctor to fight the unknown enemy. That enemy turns out to be another renegade Time Lord, Omega, and we learn about a deep bitterness from Gallifrey’s past. Omega was once one of the greatest scientists of Gallifrey, whose work gave Time Lords their ability to travel in time and space. Omega is, perhaps rightly bitter that he has been trapped on the other side of a black hole for eternity and forgotten by those who benefited from his work. The solution to the problem is one that is typically down to Earth. The Third Doctor finds his second incarnation’s recorder which fell through into the negative matter universe and was a link to the ‘real’ postive matter universe. A simple, mundane object providing the downfall of the bad guy. Such has often been the case in Doctor Who. It is part of it's charm. Look at the cup of tea that revived the ailing Tenth Doctor in the 2005 Christmas Invasion or the famous broken spring in the Fast Return Switch (Edge of Destruction) The Doctor works best when a simple solution is found to what seems to be a complicated and sophisticated problem. Although I still think simply pulling the plugs on the Daleks in their first episode was a bit TOO mundane! The special effects look a bit naff from our CGI effects led perspective. The frankly annoying glowing blob which looked like an after image of a bright light on the retina, looked very clearly painted onto the film in post-production. But it was a brave attempt at a non-humanoid ‘monster’ with the effects technology available. This WAS a special to celebrate ten years of Doctor Who. It did so in style in my opinion.
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