Strict Machine

"A punishment unlike anything we had known."

Writer: Stephen Cole

Format: Short Story

Released: July 2024

Series: I, TARDIS: Memoirs of an Impossible Blue Box 03

Featuring: Third Doctor, Liz, Jo, Sarah Jane, Brigadier

Synopsis

The Doctor has a unique bond with their TARDIS. They've always loved the 'old girl' for the way she's gone looking for trouble anywhere in the universe. The Doctor says they stole the TARDIS from Gallifrey. The TARDIS disagrees... she stole them. She hasn't always taken them where they want to go, but she's made sure to take them where they needed to be.

For the TARDIS is dar more than just a time machine crossed with a spaceship. Her life reflects the Doctor's life – a shared wanderlust and longing to explore. Now you can revisit the Doctor's adventures as seen through the eyes – or the flashing rooftop light, at least – of the TARDIS. From the time the Doctor stole her from Gallifrey to her latest adventures with the Fifteenth Doctor, the TARDIS reflects wittily on her epic, incredible history – past, present and future! 

Verdict

Strict Machine was a great little story to continue my way through the I, TARDIS: Memoirs of an Impossible Blue Box collection! I haven't been overly excited with this book judging by the first two adventures as I don't feel like I've learned anything new from the accounts of the TARDIS's time during the First and Second Doctor eras. I haven't felt that the book being from the perspective of the TARDIS has been utilised as well as it could have been, but thankfully here that all changed. I was worried that this would continue the trend because a large chunk of the Third Doctor era sees the Doctor exiled to Earth and his knowledge of time travel taken away from him! As mentioned on numerous occasions in the story, the TARDIS just sits in a corner in UNIT HQ! Oh the laboratories it will have seen. That was rather humorous. There was the usual (and frankly tiresome) reference to not being sure if events had taken place in the 1970s or '80s, but other than I thought this was an excellent way to explore the relationship between the TARDIS and the Doctor. The TARDIS hadn't exactly done any wrong but was still inadvertently punished by the Doctor's sentencing given in The War Games being exile. Not only that, but his knowledge of time travel was literally taken from him and that was almost frustrating for the TARDIS because she just wanted to travel. I thought that was marvellous to explore and it's not something I've really considered before. It's clear that the Doctor goes through a great deal emotionally in being contained to one planet, but so does the TARDIS! She's just stuck, experimented upon, and she was actually quite hurt by the Doctor removing the central console from inside of her. The Third Doctor certainly does do a lot of tinkering to try and get back to having his freedom. I thought the focus on The Three Doctors in this story was important because that is a pretty monumental milestone for the Third Doctor (and subsequently the TARDIS!) It's wonderful for the secrets of the TARDIS to be restored to him after the help in defeating Omega, although I do think the overuse of capital letters and numerous exclamation points does make the TARDIS seem slightly immature. I think it's a tad over the top and whilst I can understand Idris in The Doctor's Wife being the inspiration as she was quite playful and childish, this just goes a tad too far for me even if freedom is so exciting. I thought touching upon the TARDIS helping the Doctor traverse universes to reach the parallel world of Inferno was nicely done and I also liked how in the sillily named Stray Files that the TARDIS wished Liz had stuck around more. Don't we all! Such an underrated companion. It was nice to see the TARDIS acknowledge how much the Doctor admired both Jo and Sarah Jane, as well as importantly including the Brigadier even if he wasn't always believing what the Doctor was saying about his ship! That was good fun. I thought the Journey Log section was absolutely fine this time around and there wasn't much to jump around for a lot of the era other than different sections of UNIT buildings, although the inclusion of The Monster of Peladon was hardly worthwhile! I must also say the cheeky little mention of the Doctor thinking he was in control in off-Earth trips prior to the tenth anniversary special was fun too as the TARDIS knew all along it was the Time Lords. I don't think the Doctor would be too happy with that! I thought the accompanying pictures in this book were nicely placed too and really helped add to things and illustrate the era. Overall, easily the best of the collection so far! A terrific little read.

Rating: 8/10