The Monster of Peladon

"They go in for rough justice here on Peladon. Chop off your head and apologize afterwards."

The TARDIS brings the Doctor and Sarah to the medieval planet Peladon, some half a century after the Time Lord's first visit. Now under the benign influence of the Galactic Federation, the Pel nobles enjoy new riches and new technology.

But the Federation is at war with Galaxy Five, and Peladon has taken on a new tactical importance' it is rich in the rare mineral trisilicate, which is vital to the war effort. The Pel miners, however, are in revolt. For too long they have been overworked and taken for granted by the Federation and the Pel royalty. They believe that Federation machinery has awoken the spirit of the legendary Aggedor, who is now slaughtering aliens and unbelievers. As open rebellion erupts, the Federation sends in a hard line military taskforce - Commander Azaxyr and his Ice Warriors.

The Doctor and Sarah must not only act as peace keepers between the warring factions but also discover the truth behind the 'spirit.' They soon learn that the Galactic Federation has been infiltrated by traitors and spies, determined to destroy the alliance from within . . .

• Back again for one more romp are Aggedor, the Ice Warriors, and Alpha Centauri.  They all appeared together in the previous Peladon story from two season back, "The Curse of Peladon."  You certainly don't need to see "Curse" to enjoy "Monster."

• This is the last appearance of the Ice Warriors in Doctor Who.

• More 70's British liberalism shows through in this Pertwee classic including the rights of women and the underprivileged.

• More sad fanwank.  Are you ready?  OK.  Here goes.  Donald Gee (Eckersley) made his first appearance on Doctor Who in the Troughton sleeper "The Space Pirates" as Major Warne.  Rex Robinson, who played the level headed Gebek would later return in the Tom Baker adventure "The Hand of Fear" this time as the geologist Dr. Carter.  Before either of those appearances he played another science geekling . . . astronomy Dr. Tyler in the 10th anniversary story "The Three Doctors."  Ralph Watson (fanatic miner Ettis) appeared earlier in the Troughton classic "The Web of Fear" as Captain Knight.  Hey, I just realized he croaked in both of those stories.  I'm getting a headache now, I better go have a lie down . . .

• This VHS release is now officially "out of print" which means that Warner Brothers Home Video will not be making any more copies for retail sale.  While this is certainly disappointing news, it isn't entirely surprising.  VHS is rapidly being pushed out by the DVD format.  Don't give up hope if you want this story, though.  Used copies may be available from places like Amazon.com and Ebay.com.  Good luck and happy hunting!