Defender of the Earth: The Opacity Factor

"I could upload myself in seconds."

Writer: Carl Rowens

Format: Audio

Released: November 2023

Series: Tenth Doctor Chronicles 2.02

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis

The work that Director Jenel Kilum'bu and her team are doing at MoonCentre 7 could change the future. So when the Doctor somehow breaches the MoonCentre's security, she's very ken to be rid of him.

Yet, the Director's about to discover that getting rid of the Doctor isn't going to be as easy as she first thought.

Verdict

The Opacity Factor was another great story to continue my way through the Defender of the Earth second series of Tenth Doctor Chronicles! I must admit I was bracing myself for four adventures set in Earth with the Doctor defending it given a very simple interpretation of the umbrella title for this series, so to be having an adventure on the Moon was a very pleasant surprise! I think it’s a setting rife with potential and one that hasn’t been done enough despite some notable Second Doctor era efforts. I was really impressed with Jacob Dudman in this episode as he really did seem to nail his impression of David Tennant. It’s all in the mannerisms and he excelled there whilst I think the writing certainly helped as it all felt very Tenth Doctor. That’s a big bonus and exactly what you want from these Chronicles. The near future setting of the episode was nicely done and it was all very relatable whilst being just that bit more advanced than the current day. That came in with the use of super artificial intelligence which is a very fun concept. The SAIG acronym was great and I think it’s good to go beyond even the basic use of AI. In the world right now, AI is a bit of a trepidatious issue and in my own personal household the effects of it have been felt as my girlfriend lost her job over the summer as her employers went bust thanks to a surge of AI in the creatjve writing and publishing sector. Thankfully she was quick on her feet and actually got a better job and better pay within a week, but it was a scary prospect for a moment! I’m also not one to explore AI as I just find it all a bit weird and not something I want to partake. I even refuse to communicate with the AI chat on Snapchat! It’s just not for me. But it’s absolutely for Doctor Who. It has a rich history in the show and it was really nice for the Doctor to reference that by name dropping WOTAN, BOSS and Xoanon. Some fine supercomputer enemies there! I always enjoy delving into the show’s history there and the Doctor can draw on past experience. I really liked the idea of the SAIG communicating with the TARDIS and the suggestion that the Doctor was jealous of it finding a way to talk to his trusty time and space machine was extraordinarily good. He certainly yearns for that kind of contact, and it’s nice to know that he’ll get it in his next incarnation. The Doctor and the TARDIS actually working together to defeat SAIG and join it with the trusty ship before sending it to the Kodex was nicely done and a fine bit of teamwork! I mean, is there a better team in the universe? I’m stumped trying to come up with one. I thought Director Kilum’bu was a very good character and the secrets that she kept from her crew were fun because that allowed the Doctor to gain a big advantage once he found out what they didn’t know. He could reveal them in a very damaging way! He even knew she was lying when she claimed it was called in at the Moonbase regarding his supposed inspection. They were completely cut off which meant a very secret project indeed. Hence the surprise of the Doctor infiltrating. Alas, the Doctor and the TARDIS sorted things out though and the experiment was now wasted. Overall, a great episode!

Rating: 8/10