History Recap / DoctorWhoS20E4Terminus

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'''Production code:''' 6G

Written by Steve Gallagher. This four-episode serial first aired February 15--23, 1983.

[[caption-width-right:344: Aren't you glad that Nyssa is safe? [[MaleGaze She looks healthy again!]]]]

* AnyoneCanDie: Strangely enough, averted. despite the grim tone of the story and its themes of disease and death, it is one of only two stories from Season 20 in which no-one dies.

* PlatonicKissing: The Doctor and Nyssa kiss as they say goodbye. This was improvised by Creator/PeterDavison and Creator/SarahSutton, originally they were supposed to just shake hands. Reportedly, this case of ThrowItIn[[invoked]] was to defy producer John Nathan Turners [[NoHuggingNoKissing prohibition]] against Peter Davison touching any of his female costars. Presumably, this resulted in a displeased JNT tightly monitoring the shoot for [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E4ResurrectionOftheDaleks Tegan's later departure]].

[[caption-width-right:344: Aren't you glad that Nyssa is safe? [[MaleGaze She looks healthy again]]!]]

The Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa, and Turlough visit the exact centre of the universe. (How they measured this is anyone's guess, as it's like trying to find the centre of a sphere's surface area; presumably Time Lords can see into one or more dimensions that make it possible, or maybe they were just using Apple Maps.) They find Terminus, a derelict old spaceship that's being used as a colony for the victims of the fatal Lazar's Disease. Which Nyssa has just been infected with.

Oh, and the old space hulk was responsible for creating the universe (one of its fuel pods fell back in time and kicked off the Big Bang), and it's now in danger of ''destroying'' it. Only by pulling a really heavy switch can the process be stopped. Nobody tell the Master about this thing, OK? The Garm ends up saving the day, and is set free, along with the rest of the enslaved crew.

* EverybodyLives: Strangely enough, despite the grim tone of the story and its themes of disease and death, it is one of two stories from season twenty in which no-one dies.

* EverybodyLives: Strangely enough, despite the grim tone of the story and its themes of disease and death, it is the only story from season twenty in which no-one dies.

[[caption-width-right:344: Aren't you glad that Nyssa is safe? [[MaleGaze She looks healthy again!]]]]

The one where Nyssa takes her skirt off.

-->'''Olvir:''' This is a ''lazar'' ship, where all the ''lepers'' come to ''die!'' We're ''all'' going to ''DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!''

* SpacePirate: Kari and Olvir, who board what is seriously the wrong vessel to attack.
* ThemeNaming: Mostly from Norse mythology.

* PantyShot: Nyssa, when she is lying prone on the decontamination chamber floor.

Written by Steve Gallagher. This serial first aired February 15-23, 1983.

* PlatonicKissing: The Doctor and Nyssa kiss as they say goodbye. This was improvised by Creator/PeterDavison and Creator/SarahSutton, originally they were supposed to just shake hands. Reportedly, this case of ThrowItIn was to defy producer John Nathan Turners [[NoHuggingNoKissing prohibition]] against Peter Davison touching any of his female costars. Presumably, this resulted in a displeased JNT tightly monitoring the shoot for [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E4ResurrectionOftheDaleks Tegan's later departure]].

* AnyoneCanDie: Strangely enough, averted. despite the grim tone of the story and its themes of disease and death, it is one of only two stories from season 20 in which no-one dies.

The Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa, and Turlough visit the exact center of the universe. (How they measured this is anyone's guess, as it's like trying to find the center of a sphere's surface area; presumably Time Lords can see into one or more dimensions that make it possible, or maybe they were just using Apple Maps.) They find Terminus, a derelict old spaceship that's being used as a colony for the victims of the fatal Lazar's Disease. Which Nyssa has just been infected with.

* ParentService: Nyssa's skirt falls off for no explained reason. Though official sources gave various explanations for this -- either the writer only had her removing her belt, which had to be changed due to Nyssa getting a new costume that didn't have pants earlier in the season, or the script editor deleted a line explaining she was dropping her skirt because of stomach pains -- years later Creator/SarahSutton admitted it was purely an act of fanservice (and her way of saying farewell to her character's fans) in a number of interviews after the episode aired.

* RecycledSoundtrack: A good chunk of the episode's incidental music is recycled from the season opener, "Arc of Infinity." For Nyssa's departure, her theme from "The Keeper of Traken" is also reused.

* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: The Vanir wear suits of armor resembling skeletons.

* WaifFu: Nyssa, who is one of the smallest companions, manages to overpower Valgard, who is wearing armor, by pushing his head, knocking him back onto some stairs.

* PlatonicKissing: The Doctor and Nyssa kiss as they say goodbye. This was improvised by Creator/PeterDavison and Creator/SarahSutton, originally they were supposed to just shake hands.