This was the third release in the Destiny Of The Doctor arc, created in cooperation with AudioGo for the 50th anniversary.
One day, following the mysterious disappearance of an airplane, Lieutenant Mike Yates is visited by the equally mysterious military force known as UNIT. Mike has heard talk of UNIT's affairs involving "little green men", but he's never had reason to believe it. After being introduced to the Brigadier, the Doctor and Benton, Mike is temporarily put in charge of a group of UNIT soldiers and the whole gang heads over to the moors to investigate.
The odd events turn out to be linked to groups of circular megalithic structures across the British countryside. While Mike gets used to the idea of aliens being real, and the Doctor suffers a momentary flight mishap and ends up nearly drowning, the aliens eventually reveal themselves as a group of scientists who came to Earth 4000 years ago. Fortunately, they're peaceful folk who only want to gather data and military intelligence. Unfortunately, the human warriors who encountered them 4000 years before didn't quite see things that way, and murdered most of them on the spot. The four survivors retreated to their stone healing chambers and spent all those years slumbering, until they were revived by drilling activity. Since they don't see any evidence that humanity has changed, they've decided to get a bit rough of these new humans.
The Doctor tries to reason with them, but only has bad news: he knows their planet, and saw it completely destroyed 3000 years ago. The aliens are the last of their species. When UNIT screws up and barges in at pretty much that exact moment, the alien survivors really can't cope with the revelation and decide to just kill everything on the planet to ensure their own survival. The Brigadier and Benton swiftly decide to go destroy the powered-up stones and depower the aliens, but the Doctor gets a recorded phone call from his future — and much younger-sounding — self, urging him to save the most important of the stones instead.
The Doctor sneaks out to go do just that, culminating in an all-out battle during which Mike manages to depower the key stone by earthing it. He's promptly offered a job at UNIT, and a promotion.
The Easter Aquhorthies
stone circle is real, by the by.
Tropes:
- Aliens in Cardiff: The Ancient Astronauts are based in Aberdeenshire.
- Ancient Astronauts
- Call-Back: The Doctor and the Brigadier use Bessie to exit UNIT's C-130 Hercules aircraft (which otherwise never appeared in the Third Doctor era).
- The Doctor mentions he cannot leave the planet, something he wouldn't be able to do until the Three Doctors.
- The Doctor employs Venusian Aikido. He notes he hasn't used it in "many a year" - this episode, set between "Silurians" and "Ambassadors", marks the first time he uses it in this incarnation.
- The Cavalry: The Brigadier sends a helicopter after the Doctor when he boards an airplane, just to be sure. And sure enough, the Doctor needs it.
- Circle of Standing Stones
- Cool Plane: The Doctor takes up a Hawker Hunter, in the kind of scene you know Jon Pertwee would have loved.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Because the aliens see the humans as savages, they gain information through kidnap and Mind Rape rather than asking. When the humans react to this, that proves they were right. The Doctor gets frustrated with both sides.
- Deflector Shields
- Disproportionate Retribution: The loss of his mate causes the Armidian leader to declare he'll commit genocide as vengeance.
- Grey-and-Gray Morality
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Miara fires a shot at Sergeant Benton which misses, and rebounds, hitting her square in the chest.
- In the Style of Nigel Kneale, like many Third Doctor stories. Standing-Stones-As-Alien-Technology from 1979's The Quatermass Conclusion is about the only Quatermass plot they never used as inspiration. It also has shades of Malcolm Hulke's episodes, with Grey-and-Grey Morality and the Doctor desperately trying to de-escalate the situation as both sides' jingoism makes peace impossible.
- I Was Quite a Fashion Victim: Three gets called "Oscar Wilde on a bad day" by his future self.
- Naïve Newcomer: Mike.
- Other Me Annoys Me: The Doctor dislikes a recorded call he receives from a future incarnation.
- Perception Filter: A shed where the fighter jet is located is guarded by one. A young lad pointing it out to the Doctor allows him to break it just long enough to dispell it.
- Power Crystal: The Circle of Standing Stones are data and energy collectors.
- Prequel/Origin Story: This is Mike Yates' first encounter with the Doctor and the Brigadier (taking place between "Silurians" and "Ambassadors of Death").
- Sickly Green Glow: A glowing green light hits fighter planes, which downs them, and sets the story into motion.
- Sins of Our Fathers: The aliens seek vengeance for six of their number being slain by warriors 4000 years ago.
- Suicidal Overconfidence: The Doctor's plan to investigate what happened to a pilot is to get into a plane and follow the exact route he did. He ends up taking a dive into the ocean, and is only rescued thanks to Lethbridge-Stewart following along.
- Take a Third Option: The Doctor is forced to take one, to preserve the Tharon stone which would fall victim in the conflict between the Armidians and UNIT.
- Taking You with Me: Garlan tries this with the Doctor, when he's lost everything, by throwing himself and the Doctor into the Encumbering stone, which at that point was pure energy (but turning to stone).
- The Tape Knew You Would Say That:Future Doctor: You're annoyed now. Aren't you.The Doctor gave the telephone an affronted look.
- Tennis Boss
- Scotland: The story takes place around Aberdeen, Inverness and RAF Lossiemouth.
