Doctor of War: Destiny: Who Am I?

"They question the word of their god."

Writer: Nigel Fairs

Format: Audio

Released: September 2022

Series: Unbound 10.01

Featuring: Leela, Master

Synopsis 

The Tesh and the Sevateem are at war, obeying the orders of their God Xoanon. But they cannot know their battle has a higher purpose, one led by the Time Lord responsible for Xoanon's condition. A Time Lord called... the Master.

Verdict

Who Am I? was a very strong and intriguing start to the Destiny second volume of Doctor of War boxset! This series of Unbound really is fascinating and this was far from the start I was expecting as the titular Doctor of War, now known as the Warrior, didn't really feature apart from an extremely brief cameo at the end and with his voice imprint as part of Xoanon. I mean, that wasn't a big problem as I thoroughly enjoyed the 69 minutes that followed, but it just seemed an odd choice to go with given that there are only three adventures in the boxset! Having Leela encounter the Master is always brilliant and whilst in this timeline she never actually set off on her travels with the Doctor, he was still thought of as the Evil One which was really nice to play back on their encounters in the Fourth Doctor Adventures. I like the idea of the Master appearing in this series and it is a bit of shame we didn't get more interaction between him and the Warrior. The Master still referred to his arch nemesis as the Doctor which was good and his whole scheme seemed a little complex and barmy even for the Master! The insinuation that the entire history and backdrop of Leela's people was all the Master's doing was great stuff as he always is in it for the long haul! He was a little harsh in his comments about the human outpost and how the Survey Team became the Sevateem and the Tog Zik waters were obviously toxic resulting from Leela's ancestors jettisoning the fuel. The Master mentioning that he didn't see the appeal of procreation himself was very interesting, but his whole scheme centred around Leela and Gentek having their own children. The Master had orchestrated events to ensure Leela and Gentek, a member of the Tesh, were pair bonded and that was something that horrified Leela's father. I thought it was excellent to meet Leela's father and their relationship was really good to explore. I was hoping for some interaction between the Warrior and Leela, as I think it would be fun for Leela to meet the Doctor in a more warrior-like incarnation. I do wonder if there would be any respect. Alas, it was a large scheme of the Master's but one he was actually sent on as a mission from the Time Lords. Of course, they weren't aware that after the Master planned on creating the Seva-Tesh to wipe out the Daleks, that his own race would follow. He wanted to be Master of all universes which was quite a bold aim! But it was the Master at his crazy best. Leela being pregnant with twins was really nice and it is so sad to think of how the Master wanted to use her offspring! Hearing the Warrior along with the Master as part of Xoanon was great and I loved how they interacted and judged their worshippers almost as idiots. They were firmly in control. I like how with this series and the Unbound element that there is no obvious way that episodes will conclude. Normally, the Doctor would save the day but there would be no such instance here as we actually heard the Master and the Warrior together in a TARDIS at the end reflecting on a mission. It is so different and works well. As a whole, a really intriguing episode to kick off the series! 

Rating: 8/10