The Doctor and Romana become involved with an alien race who number in the billions, and who have landed in the Sahara desert on Earth. The Earth military are afraid of invasion, and businessman Cuthbert wonders if there's something in the alien lifeforms that he can put to good use.
Tropes
- Buried Alive: Subverted; Romana is caught in an explosion during the Laan's battle with the soldiers and is buried under the sand, but the Laan placed her there in a protective bubble to keep her alive.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Cuthbert
- Insane Admiral: The General who interrogates Romana but who doesn't believe a thing she says when it contradicts his own beliefs, and who assumes that the aliens are invading. He refuses to even consider a non-violent response to them.
- MegaCorp: The Conglomerate, which controls basically every major business on earth.
- Monster Is a Mommy: Thousands of Laan have come to the Sahara in order to birth their young.
- Oop North: Cuthbert speaks with a (somewhat lapsed) Yorkshire accent.
- Our Presidents Are Different: Sheridan Moorkurk is a President Minority and a President Personable, though Cuthbert means to turn her into a President Puppet.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Cuthbert addresses Sheridan, the President of Earth, with dismissive, sexist nicknames, such as "love" and "sweetheart" in addition to generally talking down to her.
- Poor Communication Kills: Cuthbert and the general refuse to listen to Romana or even attempt to communicate peacefully with the Laan, instead choosing to fire on them at the first opportunity. It does not go well.
- Psychic Link: Among other things, the Laan are capable of creating these with other beings they feel a connection to.
- Running Gag: The Doctor mournfully searching for a hard-boiled egg in various life and death situations.
- Sand Worm: The Laan, though they are also compared to Sand Turtles and Sand Manatees. Romana notes that the analogies start to become a little blurred.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Cuthbert sincerely believes there is nobody he can't buy and control, including the President of Earth.
- Sinister Shades: As seen in the cover image, Cuthbert's shades are merely tinted, but he is plenty sinister.
- Trampled Underfoot: Poor K9.
- Women Are Wiser: The Laan initially only create a psychic connection with women because they themselves are all females about to give birth, and they believe that women of other species will be able to sympathize with them better than men. They are particularly attached to Romana, as she is a woman who also travels in time, like they do.
