This is the first time Doctor Who directly takes a plot idea from Star Trek, Brian Hayles clearly being inspired to write The Curse of Peladon as homage to the episode “Journey to Babel”.  That’s okay, Hayles having four episodes to fill means outside of the setup, King Peladon’s half-human heritage, and the commentary about global unity (this is all a metaphor for the UK joining the EU) there’s a lot here to make it just as original and engaging as the Star Trek episode that it takes its ideas from.  Peladon as a planet while depicted entirely in studio, this serial being made out of transmission order which is a massive milestone.  It feels alive and director Lennie Mayne makes it look great even with the fact that the tapes have had a lot of work done to restore them, the serial looks great.

Katy Manning as Jo Grant feigning royalty and being essentially an ambassador with the Doctor is in one of her absolute best appearances.  Hayles has pushed her characterization forward for the other writers to follow.  Manning plays off David Troughton’s King Peladon incredibly well as well, Manning completely selling by the end that she is considering leaving the Doctor.  Had Manning left the show at this point it’d be a great exit.  Troughton also plays the uncertainty of the king and the betrayal as this twisting of a knife throughout.  Pertwee is also just on top form, really engaging with the alien environment of the planet, and selling the Doctor’s own prejudice when it comes to the Ice Warriors.  When it’s revealed the Ice Warriors are trustworthy Pertwee and Alan Bennion have this great face off where Pertwee breaks.  Alpha Centauri is also the first explicitly non-binary character in Doctor Who which just adds to this sense of surprising progressivism.  It and Aggedor are iconic.