Dr. Who (The Early Years) - Part 75 "The Seventh Doctor in Review"

Notes:Because of the machinations of a rival Timelord (The Rani), the Doctor is violently jolted in the Tardis which causes a regeneration [Expanded Universe stories describe this differently]. In reality, Colin Baker refused to return for a "regeneration scene" after getting sacked. The Rani then broke into his Tardis before he could recover and heightened his post regeneration amnesia. Before he came to his senses, the Rani masqueraded as his companion to get the Doctor to help her diabolitcal plans. When the Doctor met his real companion, Mel, he realized he had been duped. With her help, he stopped the Rani. A few adventures later, the Doctor ran into an old acquaintance of his, Sabalm Glitz. In his earlier incarnation, Glitz helped him defeat the Master and the Valeyard, when he was on trial. During the same adventure he met Dorothy, thought she was going by the name of Ace. Once this adventure had been concluded, Mel decided to travel with Glitz, so the Doctor took Ace on as a travelling companion. Despite his insistence, she continues to call him 'Professor'. Ace continues on with the Doctor through the rest of the original series. The final episode does not show the Doctor regenerate. Instead he has defeated the Master and, along with Ace, heads off toward further adventures. During his tenure, the Doctor once again became a mysterious figure. More questions about the Doctor are asked, and we once again began to ask, Doctor who?

Name: The Doctor
Actor: Sylvester McCoy
August 20, 1943 -
Occupation: Timelord
First Seen: Tardis, arriving to the planet Lakertya
First Episode: Time & The Rani (Season 24)
Last Seen: Planet Earth, circa 1989
Last Episode: Survival (Season 26)
Special Appearance: Dimensions In Time (1993), Doctor Who - TV Movie (1996)

Notes:After having helped the Doctor during his trial, it's assumed she is dropped off from where the Master plucked her out of time so the Doctor can properly meet her for his first time. She is travelling with the Doctor when the Tardis is hijacked. Breaking into the Tardis, the Rani takes the Doctor and leaves Mel for dead, or assumes she's no trouble. After acquiring help on the planet, Mel meets up with the Doctor, but he's completely different. Having been unconscious when he regenerated, she was unaware he had done so. After a bit of persuading, the two convince each other of who they truly are. Just a couple episodes later, Mel runs into Glitz again After she helps the Doctor on the Ice World, she decides it's time for her and the Doctor to part company. Instead she opts to travel with Glitz, and possible change him into a better man. Though the Doctor is visibly distressed with her departure, he welcomes the news Ace is looking for a place to go. Not a fan favourite, Mel's character is best described as a screamer. Another problem with her character is her background is never developed and though she was originally intended to be a smart (she's a computer programmer), sassy companion. Unfortunatley, the program had matured enough to not need a screaming companion. In years past, there were many companions who were screamers, but generally had interesting back stories. Confusion of her history with the Doctor likely didn't help matter much either.
Name: Melanie Bush
Actor: Bonnie Langford
July 22, 1964 -
Occupation: Computer Programmer
First Seen: Inside the Tardis, arriving to the planet Lakertya
First Episode: Time & The Rani (Season 24)
Last Seen: Leaving Iceworld with Sabalom Glitz
Last Episode: Dragonfire (Season 24)
Special Appearance: Dimensions In Time (1993)

Notes:The story of Ace is quite an interesting one, as she begins travelling with the Doctor as a young adult and matures into a woman. Before meeting with the Doctor, she is whisked away from Planet Earth to the far future on the Ice World where she eventually runs into the Doctor. Through a series of adventures, the Doctor helps her to come to terms with the Mother she has grown to hate and other aspects of her youth she has never truly dealt with. One adventure she helps a young lady with a baby and Ace falls in love with the child. Later, the Doctor informs her the baby will one day be her mother. Things get even more complicated when it's revealed Ace was never accidentally transported to the Ice World via a time storm, but sent there by a creature known as Fenric. Fenric, being an old foe of the Doctor, was using Ace to hopefully destroy the Doctor. Having Fenric's curse, Ace almost did exactly that. Fortunately the Doctor was able to thwart Fenric's plans anyway and free Ace from his curse. However, to do so the Doctor had to make her lose her faith in him, a ploy which almost destroyed their friendship. Ace continued to travel with the Doctor though future exploits with the Doctor are untelevised. Unlike Mel, Ace was giving an interesting background and her character was fully developed. And how cool is it to see a companion attack a Dalek with a baseball bat. I don't recall Ian Chesterton ever doing that.
Name: Dorothy "Ace" McShane
Actor: Sophie Aldred
August 20, 1962 -
Occupation: Waitress
First Seen: Ice World in the far future
First Episode: Dragonfire (Season 24)
Last Seen: Planet Earth, circa 1989
Last Episode: Survival (Season 26)
Special Appearance: Dimensions In Time (1993)

Dr. Who (The Early Years) - Part 71 "Dragonfirei"

It's the far future and the Doctor is interested in visiting Iceworld. A planet where one side is constantly turned away from the sun. While visiting a cafeteria on the surface, they run into Glitz and one of the cafe's waitresses, Ace. Glitz is proudly admiring a treasure map he acquired in a game of chance, but what the Doctor doesn't know is Glitz recently betrayed his rebellious crew and sold them into servitude to Kane, the planets ruler.

Kane is a cold-blooded ruler, literally. He must remain constantly cold as heat severely irritates him. He buys all those who are employed to him, so leaving his employment is impossible. While the Doctor and Glitz go off in search of the treasure, one of Kane's employees is instructed to detain the Nosferatur, Glitz's ship, after Glitz sold them rotten food. When Belaz inquires if she can have the ship, Kane orders the ship destroyed.

While waiting for the Doctor, Mel befriends Ace, the waitress in the cafe who has grown to hate her job. After dealing with a rude and irritating customer in her own style, Ace is fired. With nothing better to do, Ace brings Mel to her quarters where they learn an ice jam is causing the station problems. Ace decides to take care of the problem on her own and introduces Mel to her 'home-brew' explosive - Nitro 9. The authorities are not to happy with the explosives so chase the girls into the lower levels where they catch up with the Doctor and Glitz. When they meet the underground 'dragon', they learn that Kane is in exile and the dragon is his jailer. They also learn the dragon is holding the ultimate power to the station, in its head. However the treasure map has a hidden tracking device on it as well as a microphone and Kane hears the entire conversation. Kane now sees his opportunity to escape his prison.

In order to acquire the required power source, Kane awakes a few of the mercenaries he has put on ice. Kane finds it a twisted irony to send his most recently acquired mercenaries, Glitz's old shipmates. He then orders the mercenaries to capture the dragon below and to drive the rest of the stations inhabitants towards the Nasferatu. Kane has decided to cleanse the station of all personnel. Trying to return to his ship, Glitz is shocked to find the stations inhabitants have all gathered on his ship and are taking off. Glitz begs for them to open up but they strive to get out as soon as they can. Once clear of the station, Kane then fires on the ship, destroying it. Glitz vows revenge on Kane.

Once his staff have 'killed' the dragon and retrieved the power source, a surge kills those involved - one final trap set by the jailer. The Doctor takes the power and returns to Kane. Mel is holding the power source and refuses to give it to Kane, till he takes Ace hostage. Now with the power needed, Kane begins his retreat from the Iceworld to exact his revenge on his home planet. But the Doctor has some shocking news for him. During his 3000 year exile, his home planet has been wiped out by a super nova. Robbed of his revenge, Kane opens the heat shields of the sun and kills himself; having nothing left to live for.

Glitz seizes his opportunity and takes control of Kane's spacecraft. He has agreed to take Ace home, back to her own time and place. She revealed to Mel earlier she comes from the 20th century and was caught up in a time storm that transported her to Iceworld. Mel also has decided to take leave of the Doctor and hopes to travel with Glitz for awhile, possibly to reform him. As she heads out, she mentions to the Doctor, Ace has no where to go, as she doesn't want to go home. The Doctor agrees to take on Ace under three conditions.
1.) He is always right.
2.) He is called the Doctor, Not Professor, as Ace is prone to call him.
3.......... He will decide on the third rule at a later time.

WHO: Dorothy "Ace" McShane

PLANET OF ORIGIN: Earth, circa 1987

REASON FOR JOINING: Unwilling to return home or travel with Glitz, the Doctor offers her a ride home via "the scenic route".

 

WHO: Melanie Bush

DEPARTURE LOCATION: Iceworld, The far, far future.

REASON FOR DEPARTURE:Having grown tired of travelling with the Doctor, Mel hopes for more adventure with Glitz, and to some degree hopes to reform him.

Bonus Photo!

Dr. Who (The Early Years) - Part 70 "Time & The Rani"

The Tardis is mysteriously and violently attacked. Mel and the Doctor are knocked unconscious as the Tardis is drawn off course and lands on the planet Lakertya. Upon landing on the planet, the doors are forced open and the Rani strolls in just as the Doctor is regenerating.She ignores Mel and instructs her multi-eyed, alien bat-like creature to bring the Doctor; the Tetrap complies. The Rani is known for her dangerous experiments but it's unclear why she's brought the Doctor. To help or to experiment on him?

With the Doctor suffering from post-regenerative stress syndrome, the Rani took full advantage. She induced an even greater memory loss to the Doctor and began to impersonate his companion. As his companion, Rani/Melanie encouraged him to continue the work he was doing before an explosion in his lab forced his regeneration. The Doctor took Rani/Melanie at her word and reluctantly began helping repair a damaged machine.

As the Doctor is helping the Rani, the real Melanie has awoken and left the Tardis in search of the Doctor. She runs across a native who despises Rani for the experiments she's running and blackmailing Beyus, (the leader of the Lakertya people) into helping her. Meanwhile, the Doctor is beginning to feel better and starts to see through the Rani's deception. With her in tow, he heads to the Tardis to change clothes, though still falling for her deception. The Rani instructs her Tetraps to capture Mel before the Doctor realizes the truth.

As the Rani finds out, Mel has already woken up and left the Tardis. She narrowly avoids dying in one of the many traps set. She's helped by Ikona who realizes she's not working with the Rani as he previously thought. He helps her sneak into the Rani's base of operations where she meets the newly regenerated Doctor. It's a case of mistaken identity and neither trusts the other one, the Doctor thinking Mel is the Rani in disguise. Checking each others wrists for double pulses, they realize the truth. When the Rani returns, Mel hides and the Doctor tries to stall, but she soon realizes the Doctor has now snapped out of his amnesia and knows the Rani for who she is.

It's almost too late for the Doctor to thwart the Rani's plans. She has captured the 'crème de la crème' of greatest thinkers to help her fire a rocket, destroying a strange matter asteroid, turning the entire planet into a huge Time Manipulator. Now unwilling to help, the Rani places the Doctor alongside the other great intellects and is having his brain drained of his knowledge. But the Doctor outwits her, causing a delay in her calculations and foiling her plans. Beyus then sacrifices himself to destroy her equipment, thus stopping her from trying again. The others are horrified she quickly escapes to her Tardis, but the Doctor seems to know the truth. Her Tetrap servants realized she was going to double cross them, so they've beat her to the punch. They are now in control of her Tardis with her captured.

BONUS PHOTO!

Dr. Who (The Early Years) - Part 69 "The Sixth Doctor In Review"

Notes: After having saved Peri from Spectrox Toxaemia poisoning, the Doctor was saved from death by regenerating. However, this regeneration 'felt different' and he went slightly mad, even attempting to strangle his current companion, Peri. As he starts to recover, he decides he may need to become a hermit, but becomes involved in another adventure. Once resolved, the Doctor begins to work on the Tardis. Like the fourth Doctor, he attempts to fix the Chameleon Circuit. The fix seems to work, but still does not operate properly. In theory it's supposed to make the Tardis blend in with its surroundings, but it's still failing to do this. Ultimately, it returns to it's Police Box state and the Doctor refused to fix it after that. On one of his next adventures with Peri, he arrives at a station where he finds evidence that he was possibly killed in the past and he may be living currently as a paradox. Upon further investigation, he finds Jamie, a previous companion of his who claims his Doctor was captured. With the help of Jamie and Peri, the Doctor is able to track down his former, second persona and both return to their proper place in time. More danger awaits the Doctor as his old enemy the Master teams up with another renegade Timelord, the Rani.As always, the Doctor is able to overcome their evil schemes. As far as renegade Timelords go, neither the Master nor the Rani turn out to be his Ultimate Foe. The Doctor discovers this when he finds himself put on trial once more. The prosecutor, the Valeyard, is bent on convicting the Doctor and hopes to have him put to death. The Valeyard is almost successful till the Doctor receives help from an unusual source. The Master has decided to come to the Doctor's aide, mostly because he wants the honour of killing the Doctor. The Master also reveals the Valeyard is actually an amalgamation of all the negative aspects of the Doctor. With the help of rogue Glitz and future companion Melanie, the Doctor is able to defeat the Valeyard. All charges against the Doctor are dropped and he departs the station to return Mel to her proper place in time. At some point in the (untelevised) future, the Doctor naturally meets up with Melanie, who is his companion when his Tardis is high-jacked by the Rani. The violent nature in which the Tardis is high-jacked results in the Doctor regenerating, though Mel is unharmed.
Name: The Doctor
Actor: Colin Baker
June 8, 1943 -
Occupation: Timelord
First Seen: Androzani, Inside the Tardis
First Episode: Twin Dilemma (Season 21)
Last Seen: Gallifreyan Station
Last Episode: The Ultimate Foe (Season 23)
Special Appearance: Dimensions In Time (1993)

Notes: Having only one televised adventure with the Doctor, Peri suddenly finds herself with a complete new Doctor. Despite this, she puts up with the Doctors erratic persona, even after he attempts to strangle her. Her thirst for adventure is soon rewarded when she meets one of the Doctor's oldest enemies, the Cybermen. Prior to discovering the Cybermen, Peri is with the Doctor when he attempts to fix the Tardis' Chameleon Circuit. In her next adventure, Peri meets Sil, a disturbing slug-like creature that thinks she is hideous, even for a human. Sil attempts to change her physically and alters her DNA so she resembled a bird-like creature. But the Doctor is able to reverse the effects. Peri is also one of the few companions to have met three or more of the Doctor's regenerations. During the course of one adventure, she meets his second incarnation, as well as a previous companion Jamie. In addition to the Cybermen, Peri also meets the Daleks and Davros.In the far future, the Doctor takes Peri to Ravolox, which turns out to be Earth in disguise. Peri realizes this when they find an old abandoned Underground station. During her final adventure with the Doctor, she once again meets Sil. This time Sil has the brain of his superior placed within her. Just as the Doctor is sorting out matters, he is pulled from time and space by the Timelords. At first he's led to believe Peri is killed when King Yrcanos (whom has claimed Peri as his consort) discovers her mind replaced with that of Kiv. Only later does the Doctor learn Peri recovers and goes on to be King Yrcanos' consort.
Name: Perpugilliam Brown
Actor: Nicola Bryant
October 11, 1962 -
Occupation: Student
First Seen: Inside the Tardis
First Episode: The Twin Dilemma (Season 21)
Last Seen: Thoros Beta, circa 2379
Last Episode: Mindwarp (Season 23)
Special Appearance:The Ultimate Foe

Notes: Mel has a confusing origin with the Doctor. In her first televised episode, we are looking into the Doctor's future, via the Gallifreyan Matrix. So this first episode is AFTER she already met the Doctor. Once the trial has been concluded, the Doctor returns her to her proper place in time. It's unclear at what point the Doctor actually meets her for (from her viewpoint) the first time. Even so, we do know a bit about her (like her ability to scream). Before arriving on the Hyperion III, Melanie was attempting to get the Doctor 'fit'. Her regimen included physical fitness and carrot juice (something the Doctor detested). As some point after this, she is brought to the Timelord station where the Doctor is on trial. The Doctor finds out the Master was responsible for sending him the help. When the Timelords seems unable (or unwilling) to help the Doctor in the Matrix, she runs in to save his life.With her help, the Doctor uncovers the plot of the Valeyard.Once this is complete, the Doctor ushers her back into the Tardis to take her back to the place the Master acquired her from. She is still travelling with the Doctor when he regenerates. 
Name:Melanie Bush
Actor:Bonnie Langford
July 22, 1964 -
Occupation:Computer Programmer
First Seen:Hyperion III, circa 2986
First Episode: Terror of the Vervoids (Season 23)
Last Seen: Timelord Station
Last Episode: Ultimate Foe (Season 23)
Special Appearance: None

Dr. Who (The Early Years) - Part 68 "The Ultimate Foe"

The Valeyard had just claimed the Doctor now needs to be tried for genocide. Outraged, the Doctor again claims the matrix has been tampered with. In order to prove it's impossible, the Inquisitor brings in the keeper of the Matrix. He claims changes to the Matrix are impossible because he personally holds the key, which never leaves his side. The Doctor points out it has from time to time when maintenance is needed. Stubbornly, the keeper of the key refuses to admit such an event is possible, and those in possession of the key when not in his hands are "qualified personnel".

When the Valeyard claims the Doctor is just stalling for time, the Inquisitor asks the Doctor if he has any witnesses available that can back up his version of events. The Doctor asks how he'd have witnesses with him, any companions who could back him up are scattered across the universe and all through time. But mysteriously, two capsules arrive carrying Glitz and Melanie. It's revealed the Master has sent them along to 'help' the Doctor. He has penetrated the Matrix (just as the Doctor claimed was possible) and has been following the trial with great interest, though he is not responsible for the alterations.

The Master makes another startling statement when he calls the Valeyard the Doctor. It turns out, the Valeyard in an amalgam of all the Doctors darkest sides, coming between his 11th and 12th regenerations. He's working with the High Council to hide their corruption. They have promised the Valeyard the Doctors remaining regenerations. The Master finally admits he's only helping the Doctor for two reasons. The first is to discredit the Valeyard. The Master hopes the revelations will shock Gallifrey to it's very core. Also, he's helping the Doctor because he wants to kill the Doctor personally. While explaining all this, the Valeyard escapes into the Matrix. The Doctor takes Glitz and follows the Valeyard.

While inside the Matrix, the Valeyard tries to kill the Doctor but the Master gives the Doctor refuge. He continues to relate why he's helping. He admits that the Valeyard, without the good qualities of the Doctor that holds him back, is the ultimate foe. Additionally, he wants to steal the Gallifreyan secrets and bribes Glitz into helping him. Glitz is able to persuade the secrets from Mr. Poppelwick, via use of a gun.

Meanwhile, the Doctor escapes from the Valeyard and finds Mel in the Matrix, she coaxes him out to the trial room where the Inquisitor sentences the Doctor to death. The Doctor agrees to the verdict and heads back to the Matrix. But this is all a ruse, another fabrication of the Valeyards. In the real trial room, the Inquisitor tells Mel they are helpless and cannot interfere. Mel disagrees and steals the Matrix key and runs in to warn the Doctor. But the Doctor knows it was a ruse and was pretending to give up his life to get close to the Valeyard. Once they meet him, they find out he's wired the monitor in the trial room to explode, hoping to kill the Inquisitor and the Timelords in the trial room. Mel runs off to warn the courtroom.

Struggling to save the courtroom, the Doctor narrowly averts the disaster, though a surge still destroys the courtroom monitor and takes out the Valeyard. Meanwhile, the Master tries to install the Gallifreyan data into his Tardis, but it's not authentic and it traps both him and Glitz. Back in the courtroom, the Inquisitor offers her thanks to the Doctor and once again suggests him for the Presidency, to which the Doctor politely declines. He's also delighted to find out, one of the fabrications of the Matrix was the death of Peri. It turns out she's living as a Queen with King Yrcanos. The courtroom clears and the last persons to leave is the keeper of the Matrix key, but it turns out to be the Valeyard in disguise.

WHO: The Doctor (6th)

DEPARTURE LOCATION: Last seen in the Timelord Courtroom.

REASON FOR DEPARTURE: Little is known (in the televised) series as to why the Doctor regenerates. It's possible an explosion in the Tardis as a result of a strong tractor beam can be the culprit.

Dr. Who (The Early Years) - Part 67 "Terror of the Vervoids"

The Doctor has just learned that Peri died in the previous episode, but the show must go on. Or in the Doctor's case, his trial must go on. Given the same opportunity as the Valeyard, the Doctor draws upon the Matrix as his evidence. His defence (at least to the Valeyard) is he improves in the future. To illustrate this, he highlights an adventure that take place in the future, with a future companion; Melanie.

The adventure begins when the Tardis suddenly receives a distress call. Quickly the Doctor answers it and the Tardis materializes inside the Hyperion III. Initially, Rudge, the security chief apprehends the Doctor and Mel - not knowing how they got inside the ship. The Doctor is taken to Commodore Travers, who already knows the Doctor from a previous unseen adventure. Knowing the Doctors reputation for running into trouble, Travers is none to pleased to meet him.

The Doctor is set to work immediately as one death has already taken place. Mel decides she wants to investigate the hydroponics bay, but the Doctor dismisses her and the lead she's following up on. Immediately, the Doctor (back in the court-room) halts the matrix. He claims the Matrix has been tampered with as he wouldn't have dismissed Mel and her evidence. Again, the Valeyard claims the Matrix cannot be altered. Reluctantly, the Doctor decides to continue airing the episode. He hopes it'll give him a clue to who's trying to frame him and how.

It isn't long before the episode is once again interrupted when the Valeyard questions the Doctor on seeming to have additional information than what the court room has. He accuses the Doctor of omitting evidence. The Doctor, however, is able to support his evidence by reshowing a crucial part with the Mogarians and the Commodore. Two of the Mogarians turn on their translators before talking, but one does not. However, the Mogarians are peace loving people so it's unlikely they are the culprits behind the now several murders.

Despite being peace loving, the Mogarians voice their views of the humans who they think are taking advantage of some mining rights. As their innocence seems unsteady, another group appear with some shady motives. Lasky and her associates have a cabin which remains locked at all times with a guard standing duty. Horrible moans and crashing can be heard within at times. In the fitness centre, one of the group talks about the disturbing aspect of their research and has his doubts about their research.

Inclined to investigate this tight lipped group, Mel convinces the Doctor of the urgency. After breaking into the isolation room, the Doctor and Mel are shocked to find a human/plant hybrid. This is the questionable research the group have been working on. Currently they are en route to Earth where professor Lasky hopes to cure the woman. The Doctor and Mel are ushered out of the isolation room so the hybrid can be sedated. But there is still the problem of the mysterious deaths.

As if problems aren't bad enough, it's soon revealed that Security Chief Rudge is hijacking the freighter along with the Mogarians. The Mogarians wish to 'liberate' the minerals mined from their planet and are paying Rudge for his help. As he's reaching retirement, he's hoping for a more secure future. But Mel is able to sneak away and warn the others. The hijacking is thwarted.

Despite all the motives floating around, the real culprits behind all the murders are the Vervoids. A species created by Professor Lasky and her companions. Mel is shocked when she discovers their human compost heap, but the Doctor reminds her it's all relative. It's no more unusual for the plant-like Vervoids to compost humans as it would be for humans to do so with discarded plants. Essentially, the Vervoids are acting completely out of instinct in order to preserve their race.

Realizing how dangerous the Vervoids can be, The Doctor orchestrates their demise by using a rare metal that accelerates their growth. The Vervoids wither and die in seconds, not so much as a leaf survives. The Doctor concludes his testimony, satisfied with the results. But the Valeyard gleefully acknowledges the original charge the Doctor is facing is moot. He now faces a much greater charge, GENOCIDE!

WHO: Melanie Bush

PLANET OF ORIGIN: Earth, circa 1986

REASON FOR JOINING: There is no televised encounter of Mel and the Doctor's first meeting.