History Recap / DoctorWhoS18E5WarriorsGate

* WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing: The Doctor eventually realises the way to defeat Rorvik is simply to give him enough rope to hang himself.

'''Production code:''' 5S

Written by Steve Gallagher. This four-episode serial first aired from January 3--24, 1981.

The Doctor, Romana, K-9 and Adric are still stuck in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E3FullCircle E-Space]]. While they're trying to figure out a way back into N-Space (our universe), the TARDIS is hijacked by a lion-headed {{Humanoid Alien|s}} that walks in through the TARDIS doors ''while the TARDIS is still in flight''. The alien brings the TARDIS to land, announces that his name is Biroc and that they should not trust the people they are about to meet, and departs as mysteriously as he came.

* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: The slavers are killed when they attempt to blast open the exit passage with their engines, and the energy is reflected back on them. The only part about this that the Doctor and Romana object to is their slaves are still in the cargo hold. Once they help Tharil rescue them, they step back and let it happen.

* MadeASlave: The Tharls had enslaved people in the past — "The weak enslave themselves" — and now are slaves themselves. The Doctor gives them an IronicEcho, and one concedes the justice, but they have suffered enough.

The one where ''Doctor Who'' meets that one part in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]''.

The Doctor, Romana, K-9 and Adric are still stuck in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E3FullCircle E-Space]]. While they're trying to figure out a way back into N-Space (our universe), the TARDIS is hijacked by a lion-headed HumanoidAlien that walks in through the TARDIS doors ''while the TARDIS is still in flight''. The alien brings the TARDIS to land, announces that his name is Biroc and that they should not trust the people they are about to meet, and departs as mysteriously as he came.

Our heroes find themselves in a BlankWhiteVoid, empty except for the TARDIS, a stranded spaceship (whose crew, led by Captain Rorvik, are indeed untrustworthy), and an incongruous ruined stone building.

It turns out that the void is some kind of {{pocket dimension}} that is on (or, perhaps, somehow ''is'') the boundary between N-Space and E-Space. When they eventually find the way out, consequently, our heroes are able to choose which way out to go. The Doctor and Adric return to N-Space in the TARDIS, while Romana and K-9 decide to return to E-Space and help Biroc in his continuing quest.

* * AdaptationalExplanation:

* IncrediblyLamePun: "You were the noblest Romana of them all." (Compare ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'' V.v)

* AllThereInTheManual: The novelisation shows how the Privateer came to be damaged; it was attacked by an [[SpacePolice anti-slaver patrol pilot]] who was [[CowboyCop secretly]] aiming his energy torpedoes so the detonation would [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident overload the lightspeed drive]], destroying the slaver when it tries a HyperspeedEscape. He's at too far a range however and the near-miss only cripples it; when the privateer attempts a BlindJump to escape, they end up in their present predicament.
** Though the show has never come back to the plot thread, virtually every [[Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse Doctor Who Expanded Universe]] story has run with the idea that Romana eventually made her way out of E-Space and returned to Gallifrey, ultimately running for the title of Lady President (The novel ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNewAdventuresBloodHarvest Blood Harvest]]'' showed the Seventh Doctor having figured out how to travel to and from E-Space at his own leisure, while Big Finish's ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho050Zagreus Zagreus]]'' [[HandWave HandWaved]] it by saying Romana found a mirror that could facilitate travel back home, somehow). The closest the show has come to acknowledging it was ''"The Doctor Who Experience"'', a now-defunct museum and interactive experience in Cardiff, which featured a message from Romana recorded by Lalla Ward herself, claiming to be speaking from [[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor "the final days of Gallifrey"]].

* KillEmAll: The privateer crew are wiped out when the ship explodes.

* IronicEcho: The Tharlis had enslaved people in the past -- "The weak enslave themselves" -- and now are slaves themselves. The Doctor gives them an IronicEcho, and one concedes the justice, but they have suffered enough.

* AllThereInTheManual: The novelisation shows how the Privateer came to be damaged; it was attacked by an [[SpacePolice anti-slaver patrol pilot]] who was secretly aiming his energy torpedoes so the detonation would [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident overload the lightspeed drive]], destroying the slaver when it tries a HyperspeedEscape. He's at too far a range however and the near-miss only cripples it; when the privateer attempts a BlindJump to escape, they end up in their present predicament.

* ChromosomeCasting: Romana is the only female character in this story.

* PutOnABus: Romana makes her last TV appearance; [[AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho Big Finish]] later revealed she found a way out of E-Space and wound up succeeding Rassilon as president of Gallifrey.

* AllThereInTheManual: The novelisation shows how the Privateer came to be damaged; it was attacked by an [[SpacePolice anti-slaver patrol pilot]] who was secretly aiming his energy torpedoes so the detonation will overload the lightspeed drive, destroying the slaver when it tries a HyperspeedEscape. He's at too far a range however and the near-miss only cripples it; when the privateer attempts a BlindJump to escape, they end up in their present predicament.

Written by Steve Gallagher. This serial first aired January 3-24, 1981.

%%* EnslavedElves: The Tharils.

%%* ExpoSpeakGag: %%Quotes are not acceptable context.
%%-->'''Packard''': Make safe the hatchway.
%%-->'''Crewmember''': What?
%%-->'''Packard''': Close the door.
%%--> *door closes*
%%-->'''Packard''': [[SuddenlyShouting AFTER I'VE GONE THROUGH!]]
%%--> *door opens again, somewhat sheepishly*
%%** And this one.
%%--->'''K9:''' The accuracy of this unit has deteriorated below zero utility.
%%--->'''Adric:''' You mean you're worse than useless.
%%--->'''K9:''' Affirmative.

%%* KilledMidSentence:

%%* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized: The reason for the Tharils' plight.

%%* SlaveRace: The Tharils, but this wasn't always the case.
%%* SpaceTrucker: The privateer crew.
%%* SpeedEchoes: Biroc, heading to and from the TARDIS.

%%* ThoseTwoGuys: Aldo and Royce.
%%* TooDumbToLive: Rorvik.
%%* UsedFuture: The spaceship clearly comes from one.%%How?
%%* VillainousBreakdown: "I'm FINALLY GETTING SOMETHING DONE!"

%%* VoidBetweenTheWorlds: The main setting.
%%* WeaponizedExhaust: It doesn't end well.

* EnslavedElves: The Tharils.

* ExpoSpeakGag:
-->'''Packard''': Make safe the hatchway.
-->'''Crewmember''': What?
-->'''Packard''': Close the door.
--> *door closes*
-->'''Packard''': [[SuddenlyShouting AFTER I'VE GONE THROUGH!]]
--> *door opens again, somewhat sheepishly*
** And this one.
--->'''K9:''' The accuracy of this unit has deteriorated below zero utility.
--->'''Adric:''' You mean you're worse than useless.
--->'''K9:''' Affirmative.

* IronicEcho: The Tharls had enslaved people in the past — "The weak enslave themselves" — and now are slaves themselves. The Doctor gives them an IronicEcho, and one concedes the justice, but they have suffered enough.

* KilledMidSentence: See AlmostDeadGuy.

* [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized The Revolution Was Not Civilized]]: The reason for the Tharils' plight.

--->You were the noblest Romana of them all.
* SlaveRace: The Tharils, but this wasn't always the case.
* [[SpaceTrucker Space Truckers]]: The privateer crew.
* SpeedEchoes: Biroc, heading to and from the TARDIS.

* ThoseTwoGuys: Aldo and Royce.
* TooDumbToLive: Rorvik.
* UsedFuture: The spaceship clearly comes from one.
* VillainousBreakdown: "I'm FINALLY GETTING SOMETHING DONE!"

* VoidBetweenTheWorlds: The main setting.
* WeaponizedExhaust: It doesn't end well.

* AnimatedArmor: The Gundan robots are designed to resemble decorative suits of armour when they're at rest (and are mistaken for such before their true nature is revealed).
* ArbitrarySkepticism: Rorvik and his crew are convinced that Romana has to be a time-sensitive like the Tharils despite her explaining that her ship's navigation system operates on a different principle (to be fair, she ''is'' a time sensitive, but that has nothing to do with the TARDIS's ability to work).

* BitingTheHandHumor: The privateer crew are, according to Creator/JohnNathanTurner, based on Stephen Gallagher's many tribulations while writing at Granada TV, and the poor work ethic he found there.

* ShoutOut: Aldo and Royce's interactions are reminiscent of Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead.
* ShoutOutToShakespeare: The Doctor's parting words to Romana paraphrases ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar''.