History Recap / DoctorWhoS36E9EmpressOfMars

Written by Creator/MarkGatiss.

* ImmuneToBullets: Ice Warrior armour is immune to Victorian-era rifles. Their skin presumably isn't, but the soldiers aren't terribly good shots.

The one where the definition of Ice Warrior expanded to Ice Warrior''ess''.

The Doctor, Bill, and Nardole travel to NASA to watch as a new probe manages to reveal the landscape that lies beneath the polar ice of UsefulNotes/{{Mars}}... and everyone is gobsmacked to discover the phrase "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN" written in stones there. As if that weren't surprising enough, the Doctor soon realizes that the message was actually written circa 1881 and off the trio goes to Mars to find out why.

* GenreBlind: Taken UpToEleven with Vincey, though at least he has the excuse of never having seen a horror movie. First, he talks about how their current adventures are something to tell their children; then, talks of how he's going to marry his loved one as soon as he gets back; ''then'' [[FatalFamilyPhoto shows Sergeant Peach her photograph]], before talking of the green fields of England and how he never wants to see red again. Being cubified will solve that problem, son.

* SpotOfTea: Of course! India or China?

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: The Doctor is distressed upon realizing that Missy, upon being let out of the Vault by Nardole to help him get the TARDIS back to Mars to pick up his friends, is not only in his TARDIS but is actually ''behaving''. On top of that, she seems legitimately concerned for his well-being.

** The Doctor still doesn't like being reminded that he's a warrior, though [[CharacterDevelopment he now admits]] they're NotSoDifferent.

* ArtisticLicensePhysics: Mars has Earthlike gravity, even though it should be a third of standard.
* AssholeVictim: Catchlove got his much-deserved comeuppance when he was shot and killed by Godsacre for mutiny, who is a much worthier leader than he ever could have been.

* MoralDilemma: The Doctor outright lampshades that while the humans are technically invading, the Ice Warriors' technology is so much more advanced that if it comes to arms, they will be slaughtered by the native Martians. If he helps the humans they will steal the planet from the Ice Warriors, but if he doesn't the Ice Warriors will massacre them.

* ImmuneToBullets: Ice Warrior armor is immune to Victorian-era rifles. Their skin presumably isn't, but the soldiers aren't terribly good shots.

* UnderestimatingBadassery: Captain Catchlove boasts that a few Ice Warriors are no match for soldiers of Britain, ignoring the fact that he's already witnessed bullets bounce off their armor and they have guns which compact people into balls.

** After being shot in the head by a soldier while the Doctor pleads for mercy for them, Iraxxa declares she will grant mercy... by killing them quickly. Later in the episode, she does this again by saying that Godsacre will die with bravery and honor, which makes it sound like she's praising him just before executing him. Then she finishes with "but not today". She actually wants to recruit him into her own military.

* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Subverted with Queen Iraxxa, who is menacing and not above killing her enemies, but has the same sense of honor and duty as any other Ice Warrior. Moreover, she ''is'' trying to protect her people from hostile Earthlings. In the end, the message left on the surface of Mars really refers to ''her'' rather than Queen Victoria!

* MyGreatestFailure: Godsacre is so ashamed of deserting his post that he sees a HeroicSacrifice to save his subordinates (in the form of an execution no less) as MyGreatestSecondChance. When Iraxxa says how brave and honorable this death is, he looks relieved and happy (and also scared but he's managing that better than last time).

** Bill is surprised to discover that the Doctor hasn't heard of ''Film/TheTerminator'' or ''Film/TheThing1982''.

** The last time the TARDIS dematerialised and stranded the Doctor and his companion was in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E8ColdWar "Cold War"]] — another Ice Warriors story written by Mark Gatiss. In that case, this was because the [=HADS=] system had activated; in this case, no explanation is given.
*** In addition, mention is made of a war that happened 5,000 years ago, likely the same one that Skaldak was fighting in before he got frozen.

** Bill once again compares their role to that of the police, as she did in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E2Smile "Smile"]].

** The episode also bears notable conceptual similarities to [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E8ColdWar "Cold War"]], the previous Ice Warrior story also written by Gatiss. It features a conflict between a human military unit and an ancient Ice Warrior leader, with heavy GreyAndGreyMorality and a peaceful resolution.

** The Doctor doesn't know movies like ''The Terminator'' or ''The Thing'' that sci-fi loving Bill name drops and discusses. In the climax, he suddenly realizes that if he goes through with his threat to bury everyone including himself in the snows of the Martian ice cap, they will be "Disney/{{Frozen}}. That's a movie..."

** The Doctor is familiar with ''Disney/{{Frozen}}''.

* ScaryDogmaticAliens: Bill compares the Ice Warriors to Vikings to which The Doctor agrees.

* HistoryRepeats: Once again, [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E8ColdWar the Ice Warriors get medieval on humans because somebody had an itchy trigger finger]]. This is probably one of the reasons the Doctor hates soldiers so much — they shoot first and ask questions never [[KillOrBeKilled by nature]]. This makes them an often guaranteed bollock to his attempts at pacifism.