Big Finish just seems to
have an obsession with giving the Doctor Who villains an origin story. They started with the Silurians by exploring
their society in Bloodtide, did the
Cybermen in Marc Platt’s excellent Spare
Parts, and would of course explore the Ice Warriors in Lords of the Red Planet. So
it was a matter of time when for the Lost Stories to revisit Andrew Smith’s
second script for Doctor Who, The First
Sontarans. The extras of the CD
however reveal that this story was cut in half with elements involving the Mary
Celeste cut down to make it a simpler story and as not to conflict with The Chase. This simplification of the story helps the
story work well on audio as there is only one plotline to follow. The Sontarans and Rutans have brought their
never ending war to Earth in 1872 and are after a weapon that could do the
impossible. It would end the war, but it
was stolen by the Kaveetch. The Kaveetch
are refugees trying to escape the Sontarans, but it is revealed that they are
actually the original inhabitants of Sontar and are responsible for the
creation of the Sontarans. That’s really
all the story is about. These Kaveetch
are trying to fix the mistake they made by creating the clones while trying to
live out normal lives as they are in love.
It’s a simple plot but much like Smith’s debut, Full Circle, it’s full of simple, yet brilliant ideas. The story touts a message of anti-war and
being against drastic measures to end war.
It’s a theme that has been done before, but Smith is able to add some
variations to make it resemble something new.
The story is enhanced by
Jamie Robertson’s essentially 1980s sounding score that pops up in just the
right moments to keep the tensions story.
You can really see a lot of the horrors of war bleed into the story and
add to some grotesque imagery of the script.
Smith’s script has the grotesque horror of The Sontaran Experiment and Horror
of Fang Rock. Smith writes for both
the Sontarans and Rutans very well. The
Rutans while put in the background for most of the audio except for the reveal
of their entrance which is a great twist near the end of Part Two. They’re still portrayed in a dark manner like
their introduction story as they are of course the ruthless killers that they
are known to be. However, the Sontarans
are treated much better than they were in almost every story except their
introductions as here they are ruthless killers. Dan Starkey provides the voices for the
Sontarans he contributes to the ruthlessness of their killings. These aren’t the New Series Sontarans who are
the butts of jokes about potatoes, but warriors who are obsessed with violence
and defeating their enemies. The imagery
provoked by Smith helps in this by showing us the cloning hatcheries for the
Sontarans which would never have been seen on television.
No audio would be
complete without the Doctor and his companion.
Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor, a Doctor who most likely would make
Sontaran jokes, actually gives a moving performance where he gets a lot of
messages through his head. Baker knows
just what beats to hit to be able to get the emotional reactions out of the
audience. He sympathizes with the
Kaveetch, but their plan to kill the Sontarans is one that he cannot agree with
in any way because all life is precious.
This is why he is totally against the Sontaran and Rutan war as it has
no clear victor which is a good message for today’s world where we seem to be
in a world where war is perpetual in quite a lot of ways. Peri as played by Nicola Bryant also has what
may just be her best performance yet.
Peri is very active in this story as she works towards finding a
solution and trying to solve the mystery early on in the story which really
shows just how good of a companion she had the potential to be in her run as
companion on the television show. While
this review has been nothing but praise for The
First Sontarans, but let’s be honest the cutting down into a four part
story makes the pace feel odd in places.
It isn’t dragged out, but crushed together which can be a problem as
some scenes don’t have an ending, but the just stop which is noticeable.
To summarize, The First Sontarans is a real highlight
of what we missed when Colin Baker’s tenure was cut extremely short. Andrew Smith gives a script full of extreme
drama and tension as there is a war going on and the music and direction both
contribute to an overall great atmosphere. The acting was a great way to get the
Sontarans and Rutans together in a story which really works for a lot of ways
and sheds some great light on how the Sontarans came to be. Its only flaw is some odd choices in pacing
in places where it feels rushed. 95/100
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