Monday, 19 September 2016

DW 4-04: The Sontaran Stratagem (Part 1)

A Guide to Classic Who references (and other references) in New Who.


Doctor Who series 4 episode 4 (Story 36):  An old friend calls the Doctor for help against an old enemy.

May contain spoilers for

"The Sontaran Stratagem"





References:

[OLD] - Things that first appeared in the classic Doctor Who series (or the film.)  Episode List.

For context, the following are also covered:
[1ST] -  The first appearance of things in Doctor Who series.
[NEW] - Things that first appeared previously in the new Doctor Who series.
[TW] - Things that first appeared previously in Torchwood.


Ongoing References:




  • [NEW]  Martha Jones - The Doctor's companion in series 3 of the new Doctor Who.  She was revealed to have joined UNIT in the Torchwood episode "Reset" in which she and Jack Harkness speculated that the Doctor may have recommended her.

  • [OLD]  The Sontarans - A race who frequently appeared in classic Doctor Who.  This is their first appearance in new Who.

From Donna's flashbacks:





From this episode:


  • [1ST]  ATMOS - First appearance of these devices, although the sticker appeared on a taxi cab in this series' first episode: "Partners in Crime."

  • [NEW]  Tom Milligan - Appeared in "Last of the Time Lords" in an alternate timeline.  In that episode she made contact with him (although in this timeline they'd never met).  In "Reset" she revealed that she had a boyfriend (implied to be Tom).

  • [OLD]  Greyhound callsigns - In classic Doctor Who serials, members of UNIT often had Greyhound callsigns, including:
"The Mind of Evil" (Season 8) - Greyhound Seven (UNIT Soldier).
"The Daemons" (Season 8) - Greyhound/Greyhound Two (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart). 
"Day of the Daleks" (Season 9) -  Greyhound (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), Greyhound Two (Captain Yates).
"The Time Monster" (Season 9) - Greyhound (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart),  Greyhound Three (Captain Yates).
"The Green Death" (Season 10) -  Greyhound/Greyhound One (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), Greyhound Three/Four (Sgt Benton).
"Invasion of the Dinosaurs" (Season 11) - Greyhound One (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart).
"Robot" (Season 12) - Greyhound Leader (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart).
"Battlefield" (Season 26) - Greyhound/Greyhound One (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart).

  • [OLD]  Trap callsigns - In classic Doctor Who serials, UNIT base of operations often had Trap callsigns:
"The Mind of Evil" (Season 8) - Trap One (UNIT Mobile HQ).
"The Daemons" (Season 8) - Trap Two (UNIT Mobile HQ), Trap Three (A local public house being used by UNIT personnel.)
"Day of the Daleks" (Season 9) -  Trap One (UNIT HQ).
"The Green Death" (Season 10) -  Trap One (UNIT HQ).
"Invasion of the Dinosaurs" (Season 11) - Trap Two (A temporary HQ UNIT evacuates to).
"Robot" (Season 12) - Trap One (UNIT HQ).




  • [OLD]  UNIT dating - A problem from the classic series, in which the UNIT episodes made in the 70s were said to have been set in the 80s, although the evidence for when it was set is mixed.

  • [NEW]  The Valiant - A UNIT flying aircraft carrier, which The Master claimed to have designed every part of.

 
  • [OLD]  Cloning Vats - The Sontarans are a clone race.  Or, as the Fourth Doctor put it in "The Invasion of Time" (Season 15):  "They're a cloned species, you see. They can multiply at the rate of a million every four minutes."

  • [1ST]  Cordolaine Signal - First appearance of this gun-jamming technique.

  • [1ST]  Fountain Six - First appearance of this search engine.



  • [NEW]  The Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade - First mention of the Fifteenth Broken Moon, however, in "The Fires of Pompeii" (Series 4), a prophetess states:
"Even the word 'doctor' is false. Your real name is hidden. It burns in the stars, in the Cascade of Medusa herself. You are a Lord, sir. A Lord... of Time."

  • [1ST]  The Lightning Skies of Cotter Palluni's World - First mention of this attraction.

  • [1ST]  Diamond Coral Reefs of Kataa Flo Ko - First mention of this attraction.

  • [OLD]  Hypnotism - A technique used by the Sontarans to control other races since "The Time Warrior" (Season 11).


  • [OLD]  Sontaran officer's baton - A weapon used by Sontaran officers.

  • [OLD]  Probic Vent - The Sontaran's primary weaken, as stated by the Third Doctor ("The Time Warriors" (Season 11)):
Every species has its own weakness, Linx. For instance, you can only be stunned by a blow on the probic vent, that small hole at the back of your neck.


  • [NEW]  The Last Great Time War - A war between the Time Lords and the Daleks, which lead to the total extinction of both races.  Except, the Doctor and the Master ("Utopia" (Doctor Who Series 3)).  And a Dalek that ended up in Harry Van Statten's collection in 2012 ("Dalek" (Doctor Who Series 1)).  And a Dalek Emperor who recreated the race from human DNA during the Fourth Great & Bountiful Human Empire ("Bad Wolf" (Doctor Who Series 1)). And the Cult of Skaro with a Genesis Ark full of Daleks who used a Void Ship (and first appeared in "Army of Ghosts" (Doctor Who Series 2)).  During the Nestene lost their homeworld ("Rose") and the Gelth were reduced to a gaseous form ("The Unquiet Dead" (Doctor Who Series 1)).  The Time War occurred between the Doctor Who telemovie and the first episode of the new Who.




  • [OLD]  Time Lord - One of the elite from Gallifrey.  They were wiped out during the Last Great Time War, leaving only the Doctor and the Master.

  • [OLD]  Sontaran pod - A one-Sontaran spacecraft regularly in classic Who since the Sontarans' first appearance.

  • [NEW]  The Wedding - A reference to Donna's first episode: "The Runaway Bride" (The 2006 Christmas Special.)



~ DUG.


The Time Crash blog was created to help New Who fans understand Classic Who references - and to know if something isn't a reference but a new idea.  If there's a reference I missed or a subject that you feel needs more explaining, please comment.
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