History Recap / DoctorWhoS30E4TheSontaranStratagem

-->'''The Doctor:''' Getting a little too close to the 1980s.\\
'''Donna:''' What am I gonna do, put a dent in them?\\

** UNIT now stands for '''UN'''ified '''I'''ntelligence '''T'''askforce instead of '''U'''nited '''N'''ations '''I'''ntelligence '''T'''askforce''. It was enforced for them — they didn't before, but then [[RealLifeWritesThePlot the UN started being much more sensitive about its name being used]].[[invoked]]

* FunWithAcronyms: Both ATMOS and UNIT use the "using letters from within the words" method. Although it was somewhat enforced for UNIT — they didn't before, but then [[RealLifeWritesThePlot the UN started being much more sensitive about its name being used]].[[invoked]]

* ItSeemedTrivial: UNIT phones ahead to tell Luke that "the Doctor" is coming to see him. Luke hears this as "the doctor", and thus when General Staal asks him who the Doctor is, he responds with "He didn't give his name." Later, after the Doctor and Ross have left in a hurry, and the Sontarans are trying to find them:

* MagicalComputer: The ATMOS reduces emissions and works as a sat-nav system. Also, it can completely take over your car.

* GunsAreUseless: The Sontarans' AppliedPhlebotinum prevents guns from being fired in their presence. {{Technobabble}} explains that it's because of the bullets' copper jackets.

* GunsAreUseless: The Sontarans' AppliedPhlebotinum prevents guns from being fired in their presence. TechnoBabble explains that it's because of the bullets' copper jackets.

** Martha walks into a secluded area with a couple of grunts that only ask for her security clearance before escorting her away. This is ''after'' she suspects hypnotism and is going to talk with Colonel Mace.

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Rattigan calls the Doctor "smarter than the average UNIT grunt". The Doctor gets upset and insists that he not call Ross, his escort, a grunt.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: The Tenth Doctor's notorious loathing of guns leaks into the people that carry them. He is snotty towards Colonel Mace, a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, also Ross, a NiceGuy grunt, because they carry guns. He says that people who carry guns are usually bad guys, but Martha gives him an earful for this. The Brigadier, who the Doctor later wishes was involved in the situation, is the exception to this rule — though the Doctor felt this way towards the Brigadier, at first.

The one featuring the return of the baked potato aliens, Martha Jones, and a [[LaughablyEvil wussy]] [[TeenGenius teenage]] [[InsufferableGenius brainiac]] ''[[BrutalHonesty who makes]] [[Creator/WilWheaton Wesley]] [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Crusher]]'' [[ItsAllAboutMe look]] '''''[[UpToEleven good.]]''''' Oh, yeah- we went there.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: The Tenth Doctor's notorious loathing of guns leaks into the people that carry them. He is snotty towards Colonel Mace, a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, also Ross, a NiceGuy grunt, because they carry guns. He says that people who carry guns are usually bad guys, but Martha gives him an earful for this. The Brigadier, who the Doctor later wishes was involved in the situation, is the exception to this rule-though the Doctor felt this way towards the Brigadier, at first.

* TheBrigadier: Colonel Mace is a leading figure in [=UNIT=], the military organization in charge of Homeworld Security. He's a pretty nice guy. The trope namer himself doesn't appear -- he's stuck in Peru.

** Donna's mother complaining about Donna [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E1PartnersInCrime disappearing for days]].

* EveryCarIsAPinto: {{Subverted|Trope}} when the ATMOS in the Land Rover suffers from the LogicBomb, the Doctor and Ross Jenkins run for cover... then the sat nav system fizzles and sparks a little bit.
-->'''The Doctor:''' ''[disappointed]'' [[WheresTheKaboom Is that it?]]

* FailedAttemptAtDrama: Donna says she's going home. The Doctor gives her the big speech about everything he wanted to show her, how she's saved his life, how he was so very grateful for her company and... [[Funny/DoctorWhoSeries4 "you're just popping home for a visit, aren't you?"]] Also a stellar example of TheDayTheMusicLied.

* FateWorseThanDeath: A Sontaran would rather just shoot a person rather than brainwash them, because "Death has more honour".

** There's also the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E5TheRebelFlesh cloned copy of a person animated by the still-living person's memories.]]
* FunWithAcronyms: Both ATMOS and UNIT use the "using letters from within the words" method. Although it was somewhat enforced for UNIT -- they didn't before, but then [[RealLifeWritesThePlot the UN started being much more sensitive about its name being used.]]

* HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic: Justified InUniverse as it's a sign of bravery for Sontarans to face their enemy unprotected. After seeing his commander has taken off his helmet so he can look the Doctor in the eye, his NumberTwo requests permission to do likewise.

* ItSeemedTrivial: UNIT phoned ahead to tell Luke that "the Doctor" was coming to see him. Luke hears this as "the doctor", and thus when General Staal asks him who the Doctor is, he responds with "He didn't give his name." Later, after the Doctor and Ross have left in a hurry, and the Sontarans are trying to find them:

* MurderByRemoteControlVehicle: The episode starts with a journalist being killed by her own car when its emissions reduction system (part of a planet-conquering ploy by the eponymous Sontarans) takes over. The Doctor is then himself trapped in a car controlled by a murderous AI, but escapes by using a LogicBomb. (The AI had been programmed to kill the Doctor and to disobey any order the Doctor gave it, so the Doctor ordered it to kill him.)

* NotThatKindOfDoctor: Luke Rattigan, having never heard of the Doctor before in his life, misinterprets the phone call from UNIT informing him of his visitor as "the doctor" is coming to see him. So, when General Staal arrives in Luke's study, and the Doctor taunts him repeatedly:

* PendulumWar: The conflict. At first UNIT is routed because the Sontarans have made their weapons inoperable. When UNIT brings in new bullets that aren't affected by the Sontaran technology, they return the favor.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The exploding ATMOS jeep was supposed to be a more impressive faire, but it would've been too expensive to blow up the Rover (and the Army wouldn't like it, either), so it was rewritten to have the ATMOS controller give a few sparks. It also fulfills the RuleOfFunny.
** As of this episode, UNIT is now the "Unified Intelligence Taskforce" rather than "United Nations Intelligence Taskforce". This change was a request by the real United Nations after they found a tie-in website that used the original name; the show was given a choice of either changing the name, or only using the acronym without ever explicitly stating what it stood for.

-->'''The Doctor:''' It's been a long time since someone said 'no' to you, isn't it?

* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: The Doctor comes up with the same "In-tru-da window" pun that Henry van Statten used back in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E6Dalek Dalek]]" -- which he was not present to hear.

* TheEasyWayOrTheHardWay: The soon-to-be-brainwashed UNIT soldiers tell the already brainwashed factory workers of their options.

* AbsenceOfEvidence: Donna is the first to find something legitimately suspicious at the factory:

* AffablyEvil: Staal is as cordial as a Sontaran ever gets towards the two soldiers he meets, up until one of them [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore starts with the height jokes]].

* BrokenRecord: The factory worker Martha interviews only say "I am here to work" over and over.

* DittoAliens: Staal and Skorr, being clones, have only minor differences. Check Luke Rattigan's reaction when Skorr removes his helmet:

* {{Hypocrite}}: Sontarans are a group of ProudWarriorRaceGuys who've never run from a battle, but cripple the UNIT soldiers so they can't fight back during the invasion.

* LogicBomb: Used by the Doctor to escape MurderByRemoteControlVehicle. The AI had been programmed to kill the Doctor and to disobey any order the Doctor gave it, so the Doctor ordered it to kill him.

* FailedAttemptAtDrama: Donna says she's going home. The Doctor gives her the big speech about everything he wanted to show her, how she's saved his life, how he was so very grateful for her company and... [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments "you're just popping home for a visit, aren't you?"]] Also a stellar example of TheDayTheMusicLied.
-->'''Donna:''' You ''dumbo''. You great, big, outer space ''dunce''.

* FailedAttemptAtDrama: Donna says she's going home. The Doctor gives her the big speech about everything he wanted to show her, how she's saved his life, how he was so very grateful for her company and... [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "you're just popping home for a visit, aren't you?"]] Also a stellar example of TheDayTheMusicLied.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: The Tenth Doctor's notorious loathing of guns leaks into the people that carry them. He is snotty towards Colonel Mace, a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, also Ross, a NiceGuy grunt, because they carry guns. He says that people who carry guns are usually bad guys, but Martha gives him an earful for this. The Brigadier, who the Doctor later wishes was involved in the situation, is the exception to this rule.

* FunWithAcronyms: Both ATMOS and UNIT use the "using letters from within the words" method. Although it was somewhat enforced for UNIT -- they didn't before, but then the UN started being much more sensitive about its name being used.

* TakeThat: To TheEighties in one way or another.[[note]]The Doctor's response is so vague that it could reference ''any'' person involved with a negative 1980s event; it could be Creator/JohnNathanTurner, Creator/EricSaward or Michael Grade in relation to the DWU; hell, it could even be a UsefulNotes/ColdWar joke, or a joke about the fashion and music.[[/note]]

** Martha walks into a secluded area with a couple of grunts that only ask for her security clearance before escorting her away. This is ''after'' she suspects hypnotism and is going to talk with Colonel Mace. You'd thinking traveling with the Doctor would make her more GenreSavvy.

The one featuring the return of the baked potato aliens, Martha Jones, and a [[SpoiledBrat wussy]] [[TeenGenius teenage]] [[InsufferableGenius brainiac]] ''[[BrutalHonesty who makes]] [[Creator/WilWheaton Wesley]] [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Crusher]]'' [[ItsAllAboutMe look]] '''''[[UpToEleven good.]]''''' Oh, yeah- we went there.

The one featuring the return of the baked potato aliens, Martha Jones, and a [[InsufferableGenius wussy teenage brainiac]] ''[[BrutalHonesty who makes]] [[Creator/WilWheaton Wesley]] [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Crusher]]'' [[ItsAllAboutMe look]] '''''[[UpToEleven good.]]''''' Oh, yeah- we went there.

The one featuring the return of the baked potato aliens, Martha, and a [[InsufferableGenius wussy teenage brainiac]] ''[[BrutalHonesty who makes]] [[Creator/WilWheaton Wesley]] [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Crusher]]'' [[ItsAllAboutMe look]] '''''[[UpToEleven good.]]''''' Oh, yeah- we went there.

The one featuring the return of the baked potato aliens, Martha, and a [[InsufferableGenius wussy teenage genius]] ''[[BrutalHonesty who makes]] [[Creator/WilWheaton Wesley]] [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Crusher]]'' [[ItsAllAboutMe look]] '''''[[UpToEleven good.]]''''' Oh, yeah- we went there.

The one featuring the return of the baked potato aliens, Martha, and a [[InsufferableGenius wussy teenage genius]] ''[[BrutalHonesty who makes]] [[Creator/WilWheaton Wesley]] [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Crusher]] [[ItsAllAboutMe look]] '''''[[UpToEleven good.]]''''' Oh, yeah- we went there.