Warrior's Gate was a four part Doctor Who story originally transmitted on the BBC in 1981. In the decades that have passed since it remains a story that is much misunderstood and often dismissed, I believe, for that very reason.Yet it remains a joy to rediscover, reading this re-ssued novelization by its original writer. Strangely, or maybe not so strangely, the story remains as elusive as before. Given the differences between what we read in this book and what we watch on video, DVD or Blueray. It remains a mystery play, an inverted rossetta stone that does not explain but swarthily describes. A conundrum wrapped up in a BBC budjet.
It is the third story in a loose trilogy that is remembered as The E-Space Trilogy. Three stories set in a pocket universe, each one with its own weird tone. This last season with the great man himself in the title role has a melancholy tone that permeates all its episodes. One not seen again in the show for many years. Although I feel Peter Capaldi's last three stories come close with a sense of an ending prolonged. Sad and melancholy as our ancient traveler approaches change and transition.
Anyway, in this story the current Tardis team find themselves in a strange location where space appears to be contracting upon itself. "Ugh/" I hear you grunt. This is a half hour children's programme transmitted on a Saturday early evening, mostly following an afternoon of sport and proceeding a family oriented light entertainment show. Yet this season we were treated to solid holographic tech, , charged vacumn emboitments and block transfer computation. Televisual science based adventuring. I shall take an easier path and not so much talk about what Warrior's gate is about but rather how watching Warrior's Gate affected me.
Presenting the notion that it is less of a memory and more of a recreated series of impressions, imitating what I think a memory is.
Dont be put off, bear with me,please.I remember being confused by the story, not understanding the weird science of it all, until I reasoned (If that is the right word to use in these circumstances) that if I can accept a space ship that is bigger on the inside why cant i accept a journey to and from an place can get shorter as you make it. Plus, if The Doctor and Romanna had a grip on what was going on then why should I not just relax into the exciting shennanigans involving a race of time traveling lion people being persecuted as slaves when in their own past they were as bad, if not even worse,than the people who misused them. It was all such a long time ago I thought I misremembered how confusing it was at the time, until I watched it again recently while also rereading Stephen Gallagher's novelization of his own original script. First time around he used the psueudonym John Lydecker, for some business reason or other. Probaly his agent suggesting Doctor Who was percieved as down market. Not recognising the genius thing it was.Doctor Who being the very definition of genius.
Probably.
There are two further treats, two short stories expanding on the events within State Of Decay, another novelization to begin with, a story called The Kairos Ring. Adapted from a story that was performed by Lalla Ward for BBC Audio. Followed by an eighth Doctor story that plays foot loose and fancy free with continuity but what's new about that. It's all gravy, yum,yum.
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