Stories Television First Doctor Classic Who S3 Serial: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Galaxy 4 1 image Overview Episodes Characters How to Watch Reviews 10 Statistics Related Stories Quotes 4 Transcript Overview First aired Saturday, September 11, 1965 Production Code T Written by William Emms Directed by Derek Martinus Runtime 100 minutes Time Travel Future Tropes (Potential Spoilers!) Spaceship, Misunderstood Monster, Robots Location (Potential Spoilers!) Galaxy 4 Synopsis The Doctor, Vicki and Steven arrive on an arid planet where they meet the beautiful Drahvins and the hideous Rills. Each has crash-landed after a confrontation in space. The Rills are friendly, compassionate explorers. The Drahvins are dull-witted, cloned soldiers, terrorised by the intelligent, warlike matriarch Maaga. Watch Watched Favourite Favourited Add Review Edit Review Log a repeat Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Owned Save to my list Saved 4 Episodes Four Hundred Dawns Missing First aired Saturday, September 11, 1965 Runtime 25 minutes Written by William Emms Directed by Derek Martinus UK Viewers 9 million Appreciation Index 56 Synopsis After an encounter with a hostile robot called a Chumblie, the Doctor and his companions are rescued by a group of female Drahvins. Trap of Steel Missing First aired Saturday, September 18, 1965 Runtime 25 minutes Written by William Emms Directed by Derek Martinus UK Viewers 9.5 million Appreciation Index 55 Synopsis With the knowledge that the planet will be destroyed in two days, the Drahvins instruct the Doctor to help them steal the Rills' ship. Air Lock First aired Saturday, September 25, 1965 Runtime 25 minutes Written by William Emms Directed by Derek Martinus UK Viewers 11.3 million Appreciation Index 54 Synopsis The Doctor and Vicki encounter the Rills and learn the situation is more complex than they thought while Steven finds the Drahvins' hospitality ever more perilous. The Exploding Planet Missing First aired Saturday, October 2, 1965 Runtime 25 minutes Written by William Emms Directed by Derek Martinus UK Viewers 9.9 million Appreciation Index 53 Synopsis The Doctor and Vicki enlist the aid of the Chumblies to rescue Steven from the Drahvins and then find a way off the planet before its destruction. Show All Episodes Characters First Doctor Steven Taylor Vicki Pallister Chumblies First Appearance Drahvin First Appearance Maaga First Appearance Rills First Appearance Show All Characters (7) How to watch Galaxy 4: Watch on iPlayer Blu-Ray Galaxy 4 [Steelbook] Blu-Ray Galaxy 4 DVD Galaxy 4 Reviews Add Review Edit Review Sort: Newest First Oldest First Most Likes Highest Rating Lowest Rating Username (A-Z) Username (Z-A) Spoilers First Spoilers Last 10 reviews 15 December 2024 · 129 words Review by RandomJoke Spoilers This review contains spoilers! This one is a tricky one for me to rate. I don’t hate it nor do I like it. It’s quite a simple one and one I’d argue with some great elements but also a lot of “whatever” aspect to it. I like the Chumblies, but the sounds here get on your nerves really quickly. I like Maaga here, she has a great performance in the only surviving Episode and overall for most of the Serial. I think we have some lovely Vicki Doctor Moments (in particular the one with the rock). But overall it doesn’t do much for me. Overall this is just meh story, not particular amazing nor bad, some standout moments here and there but definitely one of the weaker Hartnell Tales Like Liked 0 26 November 2024 · 26 words Review by greenLetterT Galaxy 4 tried to do something with the "the ugly terrifying alien robots are actually the good guys!" but unfortunately it suffered from being boring as hell Like Liked 0 11 November 2024 · 134 words Review by Dogtor 1 “They consume valuable food and fulfill no particular fonction” Il y a des robots mignons, une méchante cool, et pour ça l’histoire est presque, par endroits, plutôt fun. Mais ce ne sont quand même que quelques petits moments enchanteurs dans ce qui est peut-être le premier épisode vraiment médiocre de la série. Ce n'est même pas un épisode révoltant en soi. La morale est concon. Mais franchement la série fera pire. En fait le plus gros problème c’est juste qu’il y a juste pas trop d’idées. Maaga a au moins un certain charisme et l’actrice domine le script avec une performance vraiment théâtrale. Mais il y a que ça. Comme j'ai dit. Et les robots mignons. Like Liked 1 4 November 2024 · 652 words Review by MrColdStream Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! 📝3/10 Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! "Galaxy Snore: A Lesson in Style Over Substance" Galaxy Four is a peculiar entry in Classic Doctor Who. On paper, it’s an ambitious, socially conscious tale with a moral message akin to Star Trek. In practice, it’s a slow and disjointed serial hampered by its missing status and underwhelming execution. With barely any visuals left—save for a few fragments and Part 3 discovered a decade ago—the Loose Cannon reconstruction offers a glimpse of what could have been, but the story remains frustratingly incomplete and difficult to assess. A Moral Tale Lost in Repetition At its heart, Galaxy Four presents a classic "don’t judge a book by its cover" lesson, flipping expectations with a beautiful-but-evil alien race (the Drahvins) and an ugly-but-benevolent one (the Rills). While this moral message likely resonated with 1960s audiences, its delivery feels clunky and heavy-handed. Without a strong plot to weave the theme naturally into the narrative, the story becomes an exercise in walking back and forth between two sets with little progression. Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing The action-packed opening is undermined by chaotic sound design and poor audio quality, making it difficult to follow the story's initial developments. This sets the tone for a serial that is both noisy and hollow. The Chumblies, an obvious attempt at creating a new Dalek-like sensation, are little more than beeping, bumbling robots with no real purpose, and their incessant sound effects quickly become grating. Predictable Twists and Wasted Potential The twist in Part 3—that the Drahvins are the villains and the Rills are the true heroes—is telegraphed from the start. Maaga, played by Stephanie Bidmead, is cold, calculating, and treacherous from her first scene, leaving no room for doubt about her character. Bidmead’s fourth-wall-breaking moments add a sinister edge, but even her performance can’t elevate the one-dimensional writing. The Drahvins’ concept as a race of female warriors using men as disposable tools is forward-thinking, especially for the era, but the story does little to explore this angle. They spend most of their time stuck in their spaceship, undermining any potential as formidable antagonists. Similarly, the Rills, seen in their full glory in the surviving material, come across as lumbering and unconvincing, a victim of limited production resources. Hartnell and the TARDIS Team William Hartnell shoulders much of the action here, sprinting around the sets to save the day as the planet edges toward destruction. While his performance remains commendable, the grim tone and bleak stakes make this an unusually heavy outing for the First Doctor. Steven, unfortunately, suffers the most. Stuck with dialogue clearly intended for Barbara (as the script was written before her departure), he feels out of character and stripped of the charm and energy seen in The Time Meddler. Vicki fares better but struggles to shine amidst the underwhelming narrative. A Chore to Watch (or Listen To) With Galaxy Four’s heavy reliance on visual storytelling, its missing status makes it particularly difficult to follow. The sparse reconstructions, limited surviving material, and unrelenting sound design make for a tedious viewing experience. Even with written synopses to guide the way, the narrative lacks tension or momentum, making it one of the least engaging stories of the Hartnell era. While its socially conscious themes and predominantly female guest cast are noteworthy, Galaxy Four fails to deliver an engaging or cohesive narrative. Its repetitive structure, forgettable production design, and clumsy execution make it a missed opportunity. In the pantheon of missing episodes, it’s a story more notable for its concept than its realization. In the end, Galaxy Four may have aimed for the stars, but it lands with a resounding thud. Like Liked 1 27 August 2024 · 155 words Review by TheDHolford 1 “Our appearance shocks you?” A first time watch for me, watching the animated version through IPlayer. It’s an enjoyable enough little story, with an interesting premise regarding not judging others by appearances or what may first seem to be the case. It’s a shame then that other than this premise and message, it doesn’t seem to do too much more with it. It gets a little repetitive by the final episode, but the Chumblies are a fun design and idea, even if a little silly and unthreatening. I also liked the Drahvins and their interactions a lot, it gives us more time with Steven, and explores more of his personality than the previous story managed. The animation is decent, simplistic but fitting for the story nicely, and while not one of the most gripping nor complex stories, I had a fun time with it! Like Liked 1 Show All Reviews (10) Open in new window Statistics AVG. Rating315 members 2.80 / 5 Trakt.tv AVG. Rating410 votes 3.35 / 5 The Time Scales AVG. Rating128 votes 2.80 / 5 Member Statistics Watched 578 Favourited 14 Reviewed 10 Saved 1 Skipped 0 Owned 8 Related Stories Bernice Summerfield: The Story So Far Volume 2 • Episode 5 Empress of the Drahvins Rating: 3.55 Story Skipped Audio Drama More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Bernice Summerfield Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved The Companion Chronicles S4 • Episode 7 The Suffering Rating: 3.80 Story Skipped Audio Book Reviews(2) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: The Companion Chronicles Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Other adaptations of this story: We define an adaptation as a recreation of a similar story but on a different medium or with different characters. Target Collection Doctor Who: Galaxy Four Rating: 3.28 Story Skipped Book Reviews(1) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Target Collection Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Other variations of this story We define a variation as another way of experiencing the exact same story - like a reconstruction or an omnibus edition. Animated Reconstructions Galaxy 4 (Animated Reconstruction) Rating: 3.26 Story Skipped Animated Reviews(2) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Animated Reconstructions Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved BBC Audio Soundtracks Galaxy 4 (BBC Audio Soundtrack) Rating: ??? Story Skipped Soundtrack Reviews(1) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: BBC Audio Soundtracks Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Quotes Add Quote Link to Quote Favourite (Light years away, on the planet Kembel Jeff Garvey is lying on the jungle floor, barely conscious. Garvey wakes up with a start, sitting up and peering about himself in confusion.) GARVEY: I remember now. I must, I must kill. I must kill. I must kill. — Galaxy 4 Show All Quotes (4) Open in new window Transcript Needs checking (Transcribers note - this story only exists in audio form) Episode One - Four Hundred Dawns [TARDIS] (Vicki is giving Steven a haircut. The Doctor is busy at the controls.) VICKI: Arrived, have we?DOCTOR: We have, my dear.STEVEN: Good. Where?DOCTOR: Well, we should know about that when we have a look at the scanner, shan't we. Now, you can both take a look.STEVEN: Where are we, Doctor? Is it a planet you recognise?VICKI: Keep still, you nuisance! It'sSTEVEN: I just want to know where we are.DOCTOR: Quiet, both of you, will you?! Listen. Listen.STEVEN: Listen to what? I can't hear a thing.DOCTOR: Exactly. Exactly. There isn't a sound out there. Not a sound! Just silence. Show Full Transcript Open in new window