Reluctant Warriors

"There, in the thick of it, his scarf trailing, blood on his face and on his sword, was the Doctor."

Writer: Paul Crompton 

Format: Short Story

Released: September 1979

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 1980

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana I, K9

Synopsis 

The Doctor lands the TARDIS on the planet Banto where he intends on catching up with Alix, one of his oldest friends. However, upon arrival things aren't like the Doctor remembers and there's a reluctant fight to the death ensuing...

Verdict 

Reluctant Warriors was a magnificent little short story and it is definitely the best of what the 1980 Annual has had to offer thus far! Now, I purchased the novelty gem a few months back now for £3.50 as something to go into my ever growing collection of Doctor Who memorabilia which includes many DVDs, figures, books and CDs. With a splendid recent purchase of Target novels, of which I easily now have over 30 in my collection which as a relatively young viewer at eighteen years old, I prize very closely as I just wasn't around when these were in the shops! Much like the Classic annuals. It's all well and good reading a few of them on Scribd but there's nothing like actually having something that has such a retro and brilliant feel like an Annual right in front of you, in your possession. That's why I bought the Annual, but after delving into the stories at hand there has been some quality such as Terror on Xaboi and X-Rani and the Ugly Mutants. But this story eclipsed the lot! The subtle similarities to the society of Nazi Germany was absolutely outstanding I thought! Where in Germany the Communists and alike were referred to as 'enemies of the state', here it was those who believed against the regime that were labelled 'enemies of the city'. I really loved that! Something else I loved was the description of how the Doctor acts when he's at the controls of the TARDIS. The relationship between him and Romana is captured in text much like it was on screen which I think is very important. The Doctor talking to K9 as if he's an everyday person is brilliant and the literal replies the robotic dog gives are comedic gems on times. The arrival on Banto was intriguing and I liked the idea of the Doctor having visited the planet before but things changing in great detail since his last visit, much like the stance he faced at the beginning of The Dominators. He was looking forward to being reunited with his old friend Alix but that reunion would soon be short lived as Leondin's own personal police force burst in and broke up the unlawful meeting. The Doctor trying to smile his way out of trouble wasn't going to work this time! Although I did admire the attempt. The fact that Leondin was igniting a reluctant war between the Thralls and Yemites was a sadistic plot especially considering the purpose was for high street entertainment! The ray of wrath was being implemented, a device name I really like, and things were getting intensified. I loved how Leondin's arrival to his position of power seemed to mirror Hitler's back in 1933. I'd love to know what his Reichstag Fire equivalent was! The fact that the Doctor and Alix were added to the battle provided good action scenes and the depiction of the Doctor having blood on his sword was horrendous! Did he really kill someone? It was left unanswered and the ambiguity leaves it up to the reader to decide if the Doctor did draw blood or not. It does seem as though inferences can be made! The climax was done very effectively with Romana and K9 working as a cohesive unit to take out Leondin and extinguish the ray of wrath. I adored how the Doctor attempted to take all the credit for stopping the ray by leading a revolt against the cameras but eventually he did acknowledge the help which was nice. The friendly reunion would soon take place and all would be restored on Banta. Overall, a brilliant short story and if it wasn't for the mention of luck regarding the other cameras this may have gotten full marks! 

Rating: 9/10