Robots of War

"A sleeping army is a dead army."

Writer: Roland Moore

Format: Audio

Released: July 2020

Series: The Robots 2.01

Featuring: Liv, Tula

Synopsis

A visit to an old flame goes badly wrong for Liv and Tula and soon they find themselves locked down in a military training base, surrounded by traitors and robots designed and built for war. As they attempt to get everyone out alive, is there a chance they've missed something important?

Verdict

Robots of War was a great start to the second series of The Robots! I love the concept behind this series and the setting of Kaldor is just rife with potential. The possible adventures are endless and this was another intriguing look into the dynamic of life on the planet where humans and Robots (try) to live together. I think the idea of the Robots being used for war is a very human one and it's fun that this is happening at a time where Kaldor isn't even at war! That feels even more of a typically human thing to plan and see out. I think Liv continues to shine and she really is growing into one of my all time favourite characters from Big Finish and it's only right that she leads her own series. It's still fun to think that this entire spinoff range takes place during the events of Ravenous and it's nice that there is an end goal for Liv here as everything occurs over the course of a year or so by the time I reach the final boxset. I think Tula as her sister is another strong character to help her lead the series and the pair really are strong. Frenton was a good character and I liked that he was responsible for setting the fire that saw so much lost in terms of records. It's ironic that on a planet like this one with such reliance on robots that there was no digital backup on his test results. And it was a test he couldn't afford to fail. I thought it was fascinating later in the episode that it turned out he had no known parents. His interactions with Liv were good too and when he tried to assert his assumed dominance and project threats, they were dead in the water. I loved her response in how she nearly laughed him out of the room. Liv Chenka did not respond well to threats and I loved hearing that in action. She's such a strong character even when as a companion alongside the Doctor but she shines even more here on her own which is just wonderful. I think Tula has potential to get there too as she is another confident and bold persona. I thought Garlon was an intriguing character and the history he had with a robot having saved his life put him in an intriguing position when it came to living alongside them now. The description of how they saved him by literally acting as a body shield in space was admirable and certainly impressive and it was something he remembered in a powerful way. How could he not? Naturally, I feel like a lot of the episodes in this spinoff range will see the Robots malfunctioning in some way and this happened here. The potential for war is strong and definitely works as a key story element, so I was fascinated by the concept of the hierarchy protocol. It put Liv in a strong position given that she was a med tech which was great, but she could see that this wasn't the same for everyone else! I love the literal mind of a Robot and how that plays out. It's almost predictably unpredictable how they will act and that's a really good position for them. I also liked the continuity with The Sons of Kaldor and Rax being a member of the titular group. Kaldoran continuity is expanding and I'm all here for it. Even the simplicity of simulations and what can go wrong blending with what actually happens is not new but it just works here. It's logical. Tula's history with Rosh could potentially have been explored further, but there's still plenty of time to dip into her backstory. I liked how Garlon had to dig deep emotionally to set things right and that was strong stuff to listen to. Overall, a really good story to kick off the series! 

Rating: 8/10