Doctor Who – The Monthly Adventures

#017. Sword of Orion ~ 9/10

◆ An Introduction

Full disclosure: I used to absolutely despise this adventure. I used to slag it off constantly, and was absolutely dreading the thought of listening to it again for this review. Whilst I think one of my complaints still stands – which we will get to – my opinion has drastically changed on this one.

Without further ado, let’s dive into ‘Sword of Orion’!

◆ Publisher’s Summary

The human race is locked in deadly combat with the 'Android Hordes' in the Orion System. Light years from the front line, the Doctor and Charley arrive to sample the dubious delights of a galactic backwater, little suspecting that the consequences of the Orion War might reach them there. But High Command's lust for victory knows no bounds.

Trapped aboard a mysterious derelict star destroyer, the Doctor and Charley find themselves facing summary execution. But this is only the beginning of their troubles. The real danger has yet to awaken.

Until, somewhere in the dark recesses of the Garazone System, the Cybermen receive the signal for reactivation…

◆ The Eighth Doctor

Paul McGann delivers a really good performance in ‘Sword of Orion’.

The Doctor believes that there is no better place than the Garazone Bazaar for finding ancient remedies and mystical tongues.

◆ Charley Pollard

India Fisher does a marvellous job in this adventure.

Charley tries her hardest to find someone at the Bazaar who is an expert on Vortisaurs, but instead finds herself coming face-to-face with an alien pervert; luckily, our Edwardian Adventuress wont take anyone’s crap… so punches him straight in the face! She is convinced that the Garazone Bazaar is a den of inequity. Her reaction to the anti-gravity pads is utterly charming: one of the great advantages of having a companion from the 1930s. Charley can’t understand why humanity doesn’t treat the Orion Androids with some respect, especially since they were made to be intelligent beings.

◆ Silver Shadows

I don’t think anyone will disagree with me when I say that quite a few people hated how JNT used the Cybermen, especially their appearance alongside the Seventh Doctor: they looked completely ridiculous in ‘Silver Nemesis’! The Cybermen are meant to be cold and ruthless: the true tyrants of logic and progress, but they just lacked that fear factor come the Wilderness Years.

‘Sword of Orion’ fixes that by having the Cybermen keep to the background until the halfway mark; having them lurk in the shadows of this gigantic and cold star-destroyer. You can hear them throughout the first two parts, but we don’t come face to face with a single one of them for a while… and I love that!

Briggsy really keeps you on your toes, making sure you’re completely unprepared for when the Cyberman reveals itself – speaking of which, this story would actually make for a really good atmospheric horror game, along the same lines as Alien Isolation.

◆ The Orion War

Androids had become commonplace in the Earth Empire by the late 25th century, but were viewed as an under-class by humanity. In 2495, the androids finally had enough and initiated a mass exodus to the relatively unused Orion system. They set up their own society and government, allowing human beings to reside there only if they accepted android rule. The Earth Empire were less than impressed and decided to attack: the event which kick-started the Orion War.

Eight years later, during the events of this adventure, the Earth Empire have sent agent Deeva Jansen to retrieve apparently abandoned Cyber-Technology from one of the Cybermen’s old star-destroyers. By this point, the Orion War had reached a stalemate, and both sides saw the benefits of repurposing old Cyber-Tech… but Agent Jansen just so happens to be an Orion Android double agent!

It’s a really interesting story, and I’m happy to hear that the conflict is only expanded upon in the ‘Cyberman’ spin-off series (which I got as a Christmas present, and now cannot wait to dive into).

◆ Lacking Character

My only real gripe with this adventure is that it’s severely lacking in character development for our regulars. This fact is made all the worse by having ‘Sword of Orion’ be Charley’s first trip aboard the TARDIS: realistically, we should be spending this outing getting to know her more (I have similar complaints when it comes to both C’rizz and Hex).

◆ Sound Design

Nowadays, it’s very rare for Briggsy to be so involved with a release – considering he likes to flash his creative director badge at every opportunity – but there’s no denying that his sound design for this adventure was impeccable. The Cybermen’s abandoned star-destroyer conjures up a terrifying and claustrophobic atmosphere.

Ramsay lets out a sickly whine from deep inside the TARDIS. A crackly news broadcast aboard the Silver Jackal gives information on the Orion War. A bleeping radar signals the appearance of the abandoned star-destroyer. The destroyer’s airlock depressurises; the voices of the Jackal’s crew are muffled by space-suit helmets. The sound of creaking metal echoes across the destroyer, alongside things going bang in the dark. The electronic roar of a recently revived Cyberman, accompanied by the sound of a recently fired blaster. The Garazone Bazaar is a hive of activity; dogs bark and alien horses clop around the marketplace, whilst an electronic advertisement can be heard faintly playing in the background. Punters bustle about the place, doing dodgy deals with the Bazaar’s many traders. Vibrations from inside the walls of the Vanguard signal its jump into Hyperspace. Kelsey is beaten to death by a Cyberman in quite the violent cliffhanger! Fizzing cables aboard the Vanguard, turned to molten copper and plastic by a Cybermat. The voice of the Cybermen in this story is extremely similar to that of the ‘Earthshock’ era ones, albeit more robotic and synthesised. The bleeping of a Cybermat, scuttling around the Vanguard. Cracking ice, as the Cyber-Leader is brought out of hibernation. The Cyber-conversion process sounds utterly horrifying, especially its effects on the Vanguard’s crew. The Ion Storm shakes the star-destroyer to its core, setting all kinds of alarms off in the process.

◆ Conclusion

“WHY HAS MY REVIVAL BEEN DELAYED?”

I was particularly harsh on ‘Sword of Orion’ the first time round, but it’s genuinely much better than I remember. A moody horror piece that pays homage to classics, such as the original Alien film. Perhaps its biggest achievement, though, is making the Cybermen feel frightening again!

Briggsy’s post-production work makes all the difference to this adventure. Ominous and isolating, it could give some of the best survival horror games a run for their money!

Despite its dire lack of character development, ‘Sword of Orion’ is a superbly atmospheric piece that will have you gripping the edge of your seat. Don’t let people tell you this one is garbage.