Born to Die

"There is nothing wrong with the Sontaran race."

Writer: Tiegan Byrne

Format: Audio

Released: March 2024

Series: Sontarans vs Rutans 1.03

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Charley

Synopsis

The war between the Sontarans and the Rutans has been going on for millennia. And is likely to continue for millennia more. A terrible conflict with no care for consequences or collateral damage. Billions have died with no end in sight. 

Its reach can encompass ancient Ireland and a forest world in the far future. Encounters with UNIT and a Doctor no more. 

From the outside these battles may seem disconnected. But sometime there is a common thread. And unpicking that could destroy everything. 

When a trip to the planet Taxodon goes wrong the Doctor finds himself with mere hours to prove himself innocent of murdering a Sontaran. As more die, the Doctor and Charley need to uncover the cause and why the Sontarans are even on this planet... if they have time.

Verdict

Born to Die was an excellent continuation of the Sontarans vs Rutans miniseries! I am absolutely loving this bonus series and it's such a fun idea, with this episode in particular certainly being the best of the three so far. It was just brilliant rom start to finish and it was a fun twist to revisit the pairing of the Sixth Doctor and Charley. They're an often forgotten pairing given the companion's association with the Eighth Doctor, and it was really fun to incorporate her previous appearance in the series opener. The expected reference to The Battle of Giant's Causeway was terrific and it was just fun for the Doctor to question his companion on how she knew about the Sontarans and then later about the genetic make up of the Rutans. I liked how their arrival on Taxodon was immediately greeted with accusations for mruder of a Sontaran, but the Doctor dug deep into his memory banks to utilise the sunset law in order to prove their innocence. He had time to evidence that he hadn't murdered the Sontaran they were found standing over, and there was no indication of when sunset may be. I'm jumping ahead a little but I thought it was a nice way to round out the episode by having sunset as the Doctor and Charley were to return to the TARDIS. That was a really nice moment. I thought the moments Charley tried to feign her Sontaran knowledge whilst in the presence of the Doctor were amusing but when he wasn't around she could thrash out the information on their weakness of the probic vent at the back of their neck. That was nicely done. I was a little surprised that the Sontarans didn't ask after the Doctor's name and his history with their race didn't come into play. The concept of something going wrong with the Sontaran cloning and causing the deaths was very good, although once the enzyme was identified as potentially being faulty there was only one way the episode was going. Whilst it was predictable what was going to happen when the controlling element of the enzyme was described as green, which Charley humorously jumped the gun a little on, I still thought it was fantastic. The very idea of the Rutans and Sontarans becoming as one in a singular species is almost unthinkable but that showed the extent this war had gotten to. The very idea is horrific but the Sontaran identity was rubbing off on the Rutans. They're usually referred to and seen as a conglomerate race but the Rutan that had made itself Sontaran to infiltrate was seeing it as itself. It was all about I instead of we and that's something the Doctor pounced on. I was a big fan. The Doctor believing there might be hope to end the war with the amalgamated race was admirable, but let's be honest neither side really wants the conflict to end. They are going to fight forever! The Sontarans refusing to believe that the Doctor was right and that the Sontaran-Rutan would just be another species to despise and battle was amusing. The Sontarans at their best! I thought the likes of Skein and Trax were strong characters within the Sontaran hierarchy, and whilst Dan Starkey is magnificent it was nice to get other actors in prominent Sontaran roles. It helps with the differentiation. The Doctor contemplating with the internal battle of whether he should try and save the Sontarans was very cleverly done, but he just couldn't help and investigate the deaths and put them right despite them being one of his best enemies. The Sontarans putting the Nox under their protection after the Doctor offered to save them with a species for a species was an honourable end and I liked how much the Doctor valued their honour and trusted that it would be the case. Overall, a tremendous listen! 

Rating: 9/10