Rearguard

"You will die for Sontar."

Writer: Alfie Shaw

Format: Audio

Released: February 2022

Series: Short Trips 11.01

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor

Synopsis

Trooper Stron has been given a great honour by Sontar. He's been chosen as the rearguard on Ubreus, protecting that world against anyone who would try to pry it from Sontaran control. The problem is, no one's coming to claim Ubreus, and that means there's no one for Stron to fight...

Verdict

Rearguard was an excellent start to the eleventh series of Short Trips! This is a range that has really grown on me and getting six releases in one is terrific. I do kind of wish we had the monthly releases as we did prior to Covid, but some is better than none and it's time for me to get catching up. Starting with a Sontaran story is no bad thing in my eyes as they are one of my all time favourite monsters, and Stron was a fantastic trooper to lead the story. I loved that this story had more than one actor and we actually got Jacob Dudman in as the Eleventh Doctor alongside the terrific Dan Starkey. I mean, if we are having a Sontaran story then Starkey is the perfect actor to lead it because he instantly can bring so many different voices to the numerous Sontarans! His take on Stron here was fantastic and hearing the log of his self-appointed defence of Ubreus was terrific. It did go on a bit though as far as the character was concerned and it was clear that he was getting a tad bored. He daren't admit that though because he believed he was acting of the love of Sontar in defending the planet. Except, there was no one to defend it against. He'd convinced himself that there were hoards of Rutan Host hiding in the wings which was great and the arrival of the Doctor sparked his interest. That was hardly surprising given he'd been there for over one hundred days! His interaction with the Doctor at the start was intriguing stuff but when he realised that the blue box meant the Doctor's TARDIS and that the man was the Doctor himself well his report log took on a whole new lease of life. The Doctor was deemed a coward for not returning and that was a delight to hear. Stron was quite proud of himself for seemingly sending the Doctor packing, so his arrival some years later was met with surprise. The Doctor explaining to him the situation was actually something that sparked a bit of sympathy towards the Sontaran from myself. He'd been left behind! He was thought dead and so he had come up with his own tactical and logical explanation for why. He provided himself with a purpose which was actually really impressive, but the Doctor brought his world crashing down with the truth. It was a bit of a shame to be honest! There definitely felt like some similarities between Stron and Strax so it was no surprise for the Doctor to reference his friend and how he fights with honour in the way he helps those in need. That does sound very un-Sontaran like and Stron didn't take the Doctor up on his offer of coming with him. Even when he was returned to Sontar and exiled. He'd failed to take the Doctor. He hadn't died for the glory of Sontar by virtue of being alive. It was a rather harsh sentence I felt! Especially being deemed a waste of clone matter. That sounded pretty darn severe even for the Sontarans! I thought this was a strong outing for Jacob Dudman as the Eleventh Doctor and it's just wonderful for us to get a pure Sontaran story for this incarnation. With the humour that Strax provided, it's not something we ever really got so I'm delighted that this audio puts that right. Stron accepting his fate willingly was a bit of sour pill at the end, but it says something that I was so emotionally pulled in for just one Sontaran. An impressive story. And I absolutely loved that there was no narration! This didn't feel like a typical Short Trip and that really helps with the ease of listening. It just flows. Overall, a terrific start to the series! 

Rating: 9/10