The Krotons

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This article is about the Doctor Who serial. For other uses, see Kroton.


047 – The Krotons
Doctor Who serial

One of the ruling crystalline Krotons on the planet of the Gonds
Cast
Doctor Patrick Troughton (Second Doctor)
Companions Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon)
Wendy Padbury (Zoe Heriot)
Production
Writer Robert Holmes
Director David Maloney
Script editor Terrance Dicks
Producer Peter Bryant
Executive producer(s) None
Production code WW
Series Season 6
Length 4 episodes, 25 mins each
Originally broadcast December 28, 1968–January 18, 1969
Chronology
← Preceded by Followed by →
The Invasion The Seeds of Death

The Krotons is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from December 28, 1968 to January 18, 1969.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

The Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe visit the planet of the Gonds where the crystalline Krotons have sinister plans for the natives.

[edit] Plot

On an unnamed planet, a race called the Gonds are subject to the mysterious Krotons, unseen beings to whom they provide their brightest intelligences as “companions”. Thara, son of the Gond leader Selris, is the only one of his race to object to this practice. The Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe arrive in time to witness the death of one of the chosen companions and intervene to save Vana, the other selected for this fate, using her survival as a means to convince Selris and the Gonds of the malign influence of the Krotons on their society. The Doctor calls it "self-perpetuating slavery” by which the brightest in Gond society have been removed. Similarly, there are large gaps in their knowledge, especially relating to chemistry. This situation has been in existence for many years since the Krotons arrived in their spaceship, polluting the lands beyond the Gond city and killing much of the Gond population.

Thara uses the disquiet of the situation to lead a rebellion and attack the Teaching Machines of the Krotons in the Hall of Learning. This prompts a crystalline probe to appear and defend the Machines, and warned the Gonds to cease their rebellion. Zoe now tries the Teaching Machines and is selected to be a “companion” of the Krotons. The Doctor elects the same fate and both are summoned into the Dynotrope where they are subjected to a mental attack. . Zoe deduces that the Krotons have found a way to transfer mental power into pure energy, while the Doctor busies himself with taking chemical samples of the Kroton environment. Circumstances now trigger the creation of two Krotons from chemical vats with the Dynatrope (the Kroton spaceship). The newly created Krotons capture Jamie but are really seeking the Doctor and Zoe, the “High Brains”, who have now left the Dynatrope. It takes Jamie quite some time before he is able to make an effective escape.

Eelek and Axus, two councillors previously loyal to the Krotons, who begin to rally for all-out war with the Krotons, have now seized the initiative in Gond society. The more level headed Selris is deposed, but warns that an all-out attack will not benefit his people. Instead he has decided to attack the machine from underneath by destabilising its very foundation in the underhall. Eelek has Selris arrested and also reasserts control by negotiating with the Krotons that they will leave the planet if provided with the two “High Brains” who can help them power and pilot their ship. Zoe and the Doctor are forced into the Dynatrope and Selris dies providing them with a phial of acid which the Doctor adds to the Kroton vats. Outside, Jamie and the scientist Beta launch an attack on the structure of the ship using sulphuric acid. This two pronged assault destroys the tellurium-based Krotons and their craft. The Dynatrope dissolves away and the Gonds are free at last - choosing Thara rather than the cowardly and ambitious Eelek to lead them.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Cast notes

[edit] Production

  • Working titles for this story included The Trap and The Space Trap.
  • This is the first Doctor Who story to be written by Robert Holmes, who would prove to be one of the series' greatest contributors right up until his death in 1986.
  • One of Holmes's final contributions to the series, The Mysterious Planet, bears a strong resemblance to the plot of this story. In both stories, an alien machine subjugates a humanoid civilisation and forces its brightest young people into its service.
  • Holmes had originally submitted The Trap to the BBC as a stand-alone science-fiction serial in 1966. Head of Serials Shaun Sutton rejected the serial as being not the kind of thing the BBC was interested in making at the time, but suggested the writer pitch it to the Doctor Who production office as an idea for that series. Holmes did so, and although story editor Gerry Davis was interested, the scripts went no further at the time. Later, assistant script editor Terrance Dicks found the story in the production office files when clearing a backlog, and decided to develop it with Holmes as a personal project, in case other scripts fell through. When the latter event occurred, Dicks was able to present the serial to his superiors as a ready production. Director David Maloney agreed the serial was viable, and it went before the cameras very quickly as an emergency replacement. According to Frazer Hines in an interview on the CD of The Invasion, the episode that was replaced later evolved into The Worm That Turned on The Two Ronnies

[edit] In print

Doctor Who book
Book cover
The Krotons
Series Target novelisations
Release number 99
Writer Terrance Dicks
Publisher Target Books
Cover artist Andrew Skilleter
ISBN 0 426 20189 2
Release date 14 November 1985
Preceded by The Invasion
Followed by The Two Doctors

A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in June 1985.

[edit] Broadcast and VHS releases

  • In 1981 the story was the only four-part Patrick Troughton adventure in existence and so represented his era in The Five Faces of Doctor Who series of repeats on BBC2.
  • The Krotons also feature in the Eighth Doctor Adventures spin-off novel Alien Bodies by Lawrence Miles.
  • Episode One of The Krotons exists as both a 16 mm film print and a 35 mm telerecording negative. Clips taken from a VidFIREd transfer of the high quality 35 mm negative can be seen in the restoration documentary on the DVD release of The Aztecs and as part of the 40th Anniversary music video on Doctor Who DVDs released in 2003.
  • This story was released on VHS In February 1991.

[edit] Parodies

[edit] External links

[edit] Reviews

[edit] Target novelisation

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Doctor Who season 6 serials