On the Doctor Who Story Reputation Exchange, this is a
story whose stock has quietly risen over the decades, so much so that it is now
reputed by fandom generally as a classic story.
At the risk of sounding a bit like a stuck record, being
as this is a season 7 story, I have precious few memories of actually watching
it. I felt the same with both “The Silurians” and “The Ambassadors of Death”,
and with both of them there were moments of sudden recognition which triggered
memories , and I’m sure that this is going to happen as I watch “Inferno”. By
many accounts, “Inferno” is something of an end of an era. This is an odd thing
to say considering that the era only really started with “Spearhead from Space”
at the start of the season, or possibly with “The Invasion” in season 6 if you
like. From the start of season 8, though, Barry Letts is in full charge at the
helm in the Producer’s seat, and the argument goes that he took the show in
completely different direction from the template that had been set in season 7,
or if not the template, at least the tone and style. Well, we’ll have to make
our own judgements about that as we watch seasons 8 through 11. For the
meantime, though, it’s “Inferno”. Right, allow me to once more play the ‘in a
nutshell’ game, as I take one minute to write down all I recall now about
“Inferno”. Ready – set – go – Don Houghton, parallel universe – hairy werewolf
men – Brigadier with an eyepatch and no moustache – great big drill.
Can’t wait.
After Watching
Having watched in their entirety three out of the 4 stories of
season 7, I think I may just now be starting to form a hypothesis why I
remembered “Spearhead from Space” so much more clearly than the other three
stories. It’s a 4 parter while the other stories are all 7 parters. It has a
couple of hooks as well – the new Doctor’s first appearance, and wanting to
know what he was going to be like – and the Autons bursting out of John
Saunders’ window. For the other three stories, though, I think the point was
that I probably just didn’t quite get them. I was only 5 or 6 when I watched
them, after all, and this season has been pitched quite a bit higher than even
a pretty intelligent six year old.
This is as true of “Inferno” as it is of the previous three stories.
You could argue that there is a certain formula at work here. The Doctor shows
up at a research centre where UNIT have been called in to provide
security/troubleshoot. It was the space centre in the previous story, and the
cyclotron at Wenley Moor before that. Now it’s Professor Stahlman’s project to
drill through the Earth’s crust to the Mohorovicic Discontinuity between the
crust and the mantle, where he believes he will be able to tap a remarkable gas
which will solve all of humanity’s energy needs. The basic problems with this
project are : -
a) it releases some rather vivid green goo which turns human beings
into virtually invulnerable primordial wolfmen who kill people because they
don’t know any better
b) once they break through the crust it is going to release forces
that will destroy the Earth.
Pretty serious drawbacks really, when all things are considered.
Somewhat surprisingly the Doctor doesn’t seem all that bothered,
although he has worked out that the computer is telling them all that
destruction will be the inevitable consequence if the drilling continues. No,
he’s far more interested in hooking up the TARDIS console, which he has had
brought to a hut on the grounds of the research facility, to the project’s
nuclear reactor. Here’s a funny thing as well. The TARDIS console had always
been light green, since on a black and white set, pure white films too white,
whereas light green actually films white. Did they not think to repaint it? Or
did they actually like the look? I’ll be interested to see next time we see it
in a story, if they kept the colour or went back to white.
Tinkering with the console results in the Doctor, TARDIS console and Bessie being catapulted
into a parallel universe.
I think that this is the point where I should make what is maybe an
overdue digression. Please stick with me because it will eventually make some
sense. Now, I am not any kind of member of serious fandom, so my comments must
be seen in this light, and if you so wish, summarily dismissed. But one thing I
have noticed about fandom, really serious fandom, is that it can sometimes get
a bit tribal. It can work like this - we belong to the Tribe of Who. This means
that we may not sympathise with the Tribe of Trek. In fact we must seek to
scorn the false idol whom the Tribe of Trek worship. Or, to put it more simply,
if you’re a ‘proper’ fan of Doctor Who, you cannot also have a sneaking liking
for the original series of Star Trek. One of the biggest, most serious, Defcon
4 criticisms that I ever hear or read fans of Doctor Who make of a specific
story is that ‘it’s the sort of thing they do on an average Star Trek Episode’.
Now, if you like “Doctor Who”, and may I respectfully suggest that
you are maybe reading the wrong book if you don’t, it is perfectly possible
that you don’t like “Star Trek”, and there are quite a number of reasons why
this might be. I have no wish to condemn anyone for that - it is your opinion
and you’re entitled to it. All I want to do is to say that there is no law
written on tablets of stone that says If thou be of the Tribe of Who, then on
no account shalt thou ever cast a glance towards the altar of the Tribe of
Trek. Or to put it another way, if you don’t like “Star Trek” then that’s fine
–Heaven alone knows that it had its faults, and I’m sure that there are valid
reasons to dislike it Disliking it because you like “Doctor Who” is not one of
them, though.
I do think that it does not do “Doctor Who” any harm to compare it
to the original series of “Star Trek” and there are some obvious points of
comparison to draw. If we look at the obvious similarities first: -
* Both of them are children of the 60s. “Doctor Who” debuted in
November 1963, while the first season of “Star Trek” began in 1966.
* Curiously, both of them had a less than successful filmed pilot,
and had a second pilot made. In the case of “Doctor Who” the original pilot was
similar in story line to the transmitted first story. In the case of “Star
Trek” the whole crew, with the exception of Mr. Spock, was replaced, and a
completely new pilot filmed. The original pilot “The Cage” was cleverly (in my
opinion) cannibalized to be used in the 2 parter, “The Menagerie”.
* Both of them are seen as fitting within the genre of Science
Fiction television, and both are drama series aimed at the whole family.
* Both of them inspired large and very loyal fan followings
* Both of them were reprieved from cancellation due to very vocal
protestations from said fan bases.
* Both of them were cancelled within a few years of being reprieved
Of course there are differences you can point out: -
*Classic Doctor Who follows a serial form. There was only ever one
‘stand alone’ episode- which actually didn’t really stand alone at all, since
it formed a teaser/trailer for the 12 part story which followed later in the
same season. The original “Star Trek” was essentially episodic and picaresque
(as opposed to Picardesque). The episodes did not run into each other, with the
exception of the special case “The Menagerie”.
* Classic Doctor Who, at its best, celebrates the individual,
non-conformity, and at least a distrust of authority and the establishment.
“Star Trek” is essentially militaristic. It celebrates conformity to the
Federation ideal, and the Enterprise only functions because the crew are
willing to obey orders, even though this usually results in the death of
several unnamed crew members in each episode. The Enterprise’s mission is
supposedly a peaceful one, but it is still one of the big sticks that gives the
Federation the option of speaking softly.
* Classic Doctor Who never had just one parent. The answer to the
question, “Who created Doctor Who?” is not an easy one to give. Maybe the idea
began with Sydney Newman, but a number of other key people all contributed to
what eventually made the screen the day after Kennedy’s assassination. Many
people worked on bringing the vision of “Star Trek” to the screen as well, but
that vision essentially belonged to one man – Gene Roddenberry. This probably
meant that there was a much tighter ‘party line’to which writers had to adhere
when preparing scripts - Roddenberry, as is common with US drama series with
continuing characters, prepared a ‘bible’ to guide writers as to what was ‘Star
Trek’ and what wasn’t. This may be responsible for the observation that “Star
Trek” was far more formulaic than “Doctor Who” A formulaic show is great as
long as you like the formula that is being applied. It’s worth noting that some
of the less appreciated and most criticized “Star Trek” episodes are those
which do make some attempt to step outside the traditional formula.
* Classic Doctor Who cannot be easily pigeonholed within any
specific genre, either within Science Fiction or outside. Just when you think
that you know what the show is all about, something comes along which blows
that idea out of the water. “Star Trek” on the other hand was actually
conceived as a ‘western’, transposed to a space milieu – Gene Roddenberry
actively touted the idea as being a “Wagon Train to the stars”.
* Classic Doctor Who celebrates bravery, but also intelligence,
intellect, and yes, cunning at times. The Doctor rarely if ever triumphs
through his physical prowess. For all that Star Trek has the crew of the Enterprise
trumpeting their peace keeping agenda, the fact is that members of the crew,
especially their leader, Captain Kirk, often end up brawling with fists or hand
weapons. If you’re familiar with the show, that piece of music they always use
when Kirk is fighting is probably going through your head right now as you read
this. Even Mr. Spock, emotionless, super intelligent Mr. Spock, happens to be
the best fighter among the whole crew, disabling opponents with the famed
Vulcan neck pinch.
Right, it’s time for a little sacrilege. I ask the heretical
question – did Star Trek at any time influence the writers of Doctor Who? Put
those stones down now, and hear me out. If – and it is an if – if they did,
when would that influence most likely have been seen? Why, right at the end of
the 60s and the very beginning of the 70s, when it was first seen on the BBC.
Right about the time when Jon Pertwee was taking over the role. Right about the
time when Doctor Who became more militaristic and more conformist than ever before.
(Alright, even the Third Doctor is not really a member of the establishment,
but he’s a lot closer to being one than his predecessors or his
successors.) Right about the time when
we had a Doctor who could seriously look after himself in a fight. But then
maybe this is a coincidence.
It isn’t easy to prove or disprove that “Star Trek” influenced the
people who made classic Doctor Who, or vice versa. There were certainly times
when both series covered rather similar ground, or certainly wanted to. I
remember reading an interview with Dennis Spooner, the show’s second script
editor, who said that he would have loved to have done a story with the Doctor
meeting ‘God’, and it turning out not to be God, of course, but a being with
incredible powers – and he drew a comparison with the “Who Mourns For Adonis”
Star Trek story – the one where the Enterprise is suddenly stopped in space by
a giant hand. That was actually one of my favourite Star Trek stories –
although the lukewarm rehash of this in the fifth Star Trek movie – “The Final
Frontier” was most definitely not to my liking.
All of which digression is a very long winded way of bringing the
subject around to “Mirror, Mirror”. This Star Trek story, from the second
season, was written by Jerome Bixby, and was first shown in 1968 in the US – I
don’t know for certain when it was first shown in the UK. Now, I’m guessing
that only the late Don Houghton could have answered if he was at all influenced
by “Mirror, Mirror” when he wrote “Inferno”, but there are similarities. You
see what you think. In a nutshell, a shore party, comprising of Kirk, McCoy,
Uhura and Scotty beam back to the Enterprise during an ion storm. This has the
effect of diverting them into a parallel universe. The Enterprise to which they
are transported is not the same one as they left. Now it is the pride of the
fleet of the Terran Empire, and it is a ship where efficiency and discipline
are achieved through a barbaric level of cruelty. The quickest way to achieve
promotion is through the assassination of a superior. Far worse than that –
Spock has a beard.
The way that “Inferno” deals with this Science Fiction trope of a
parallel universe does actually show us quite a bit about what makes the two
shows similar and different. As with “Mirror, Mirror”, the parallel world although
superficially similar to our own, is noticeably worse. Now, while the parallel
world in “Mirror, Mirror” is cruel and barbaric, it uses the idea of an evil
empire. In “Inferno” the world into which the Doctor arrives is noticeably
totalitarian. In case we don’t get the point there is a poster clearly modeled
on Big Brother from Orwell’s “1984” on the wall of the hut. The other external
trappings though are specifically Nazi, right down to the Brigadier’s
counterpart having a dueling scar, and just the hint of a slight German accent.
Now, there’s probably a good reason for all this. The experiences undergone by
the people of Britain during both world wars changed Britain more than it had
ever been changed before – that’s a stunningly obvious thing to say. Rightly or
wrongly in Britain the simplistic view that Germany was to blame for both wars
certainly was a generally held one for most of the second half of the 20th
century. Hitler, Nazism and all that went with them were and are a very
convenient symbol for why all that fighting, suffering, and sacrifice was
necessary. The fact is that in 1940, Britain could have been invaded by Nazi
led German forces, and the Invasion could have been successful. So therefore
the abhorrence of the idea Britain under Nazi rule has a grounding almost in
fact – it could have happened.
Which is not the same for the people of America. The chances that
Germany under the Nazis could ever have successfully invaded the USA are
extremely remote. Add to that the fact that it was never Nazi atrocities that
dragged the USA into World War II, but the Japanese atrocity of the attack on
Pearl Harbour prior to a declaration of War. Therefore while Star Trek did
occasionally use the trappings of totalitarianism and even Nazism in depicting
a wrong for Kirk and co to right, it never represented the nightmare scenario
that it did in the UK. In “Doctor Who”, an echo of Nazism is simple shorthand
for an abhorrent society or civilization. The Daleks are Nazis. The Cybermen
are Nazis. The War Lord and his crew are Nazis. In “Genesis of the Daleks”
Davros’ cronies even seem to be wearing SS uniforms to make sure that we get
the point. And in “Inferno” the point is that without actually telling us that
it’s what we are seeing, the story is showing us the nightmare situation of
Britain as it might have been had the Nazis successfully invaded.
And this is where it starts to get a little worrying if you start to
analyse it. For, apart from the uniforms, and the constant threats, (I vill hev
you shot, Doktor), the fact is that the parallel world isn’t all that different
from the real one. They are essentially carrying out the same project. In fact,
they seem to be carrying out rather more efficiently than world 1, since it’s
several hours ahead – which is actually very important to the story. Yes, Liz
Shaw is not a Scientist in this world, but she is actually a Section Leader. So
this is a world where there’s certainly more equality and opportunity for women
in the armed forces – you won’t see any women in the UNIT hierarchy in the
classic series. Even with the threats too, well, haven’t they got a right to
get angry about a complete stranger who has penetrated this top secret research
establishment and seems to know many of its secrets? After all, we’d never get
upset about that in this world, would we? Alright, I am putting this point
slightly tongue in cheek – but only slightly. We’ll never know for certain
whether this was a deliberate level of ambiguity on Don Houghton’s part, but
the fact that you can choose to see it his way does add a little more depth to
the story.
Not that it’s lacking in action. There’s enough toing and froing
with Primords in both worlds in the last 2 episodes to keep anyone going –
maybe a little too much even . Still, you remember that I did say that the
parallel world being a crucial few hours ahead in the drilling was a plot
point? Well, it means that the Doctor is able to get back to the real world in
order to stop the drilling with 35 seconds to spare. Not 00&? Well, that would have been going too far.
I wasn’t sure about this story at first, but I’m quite happy now
that it deserves the high reputation it has earned over the years. In the end I
had to just give in. I think it’s probably because all of the cast were taking
it so seriously, that I couldn’t help giving in to it.
What Have We Learned?
The Doctor’s normal pulse
rate is 170 beats per minute
In a parallel universe, it
seems that there would be no counterpart of the Doctor, so he really is unique.
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