Regeneration (K-9)
Encyclopedia
"Regeneration" is an episode in the Australian/British science fiction
drama
television series K-9. It is the first episode of Series 1 and the first episode of the show. It features a cameo appearance from the original K-9 Mark I
.
Elsewhere, Starkey, a teenage boy, is near an outdoor public display board terminal and is hacking in to post a dissident message against the government. As he finishes Jorjie Turner, a teenage girl, arrives to yet again propose working together. Starkey refuses, but when the robot police arrive, the pair run off together. They find themselves in a back alley with police just around both ends. In desperation they try a number of doors until they find one unlocked.
Once inside, they find the lab of Professor Gryffen. They hide in the shadows and watch as Gryffen begins an experiment with his STM (Space-Time Manipulator). As they prepare to leave Starkey kicks the power plug from the wall and the machines goes haywire. Instead of bringing back the professor's lost family, four Jixen warriors arrive through the STM's beam. As Gryffen and the two teens attempt to escape the creatures, Starkey is hit with their "Jixen slim" projectile secretions. As Jorjie and Gryffen turn to aid Starkey a fifth being comes through the beam. This time it's a dog like robot who tells the humans that his power is running low and that he must self destruct in order to destroy the 4 creatures. As the team leaves the building, an explosion rocks the room and looking back they see the parts of the robot dog thrown across the floor.
As they look around Starkey picks up an object that is still active. Shortly Darius, Gryffen's assistant arrives and sees the damage. Hearing the name "Stark Reality" (a name Starkey goes by) quietly calls the CCPCs (robot police) while Starkey apologizes to the professor. Just then the object that Starkey has found begins to pulse and float into the air. Soon the parts of the robot dog are reintegrated and refashioned into a new, more futuristic, design. The robot introduces himself as K-9 and begins to recalibrate his systems, including his new flight system.
Just as the new K-9 exits the building for a flight test, the CCPCs arrive and place Starkey under arrest, telling him of a sentence of 6 months in VR (virtual reality) detention. As everyone begins to exit the lab, a lone surviving Jixen warrior is seen sneaking off into the shadows.
As Professor Gryffen works with K-9, K-9 informs the Professor that his memory has been scrambled and that he does not remember who he is. He also tells Gryffen that the "Jixen slime" from the Jixen is used to mark their enemies for later tracking. As such, any other Jixen that ever smell Starkey will recognize him as their enemy. Asking about the STM, Gryffen tells K-9 that it was reconstructed from parts found in "Fallen Angels", a spacecraft that has landed on Earth.
Meanwhile Starkey is in a room wearing VR goggles. He sees a white room with nothing to do. Suddenly Jorjie appears, having used her own goggles and her hacking skills to communicate with him. From the system she shows him images of aliens that have been locked up, and are being experimented on, in a secret Department facility. She tells Starkey that the reason she wanted to work together with him was to expose this facility to the public. Starkey points out that he is already in detention and can't help her.
Soon alarms go off in the facility and the Jixen enters the corridor leading to Starkey's cell. The alarms trigger the end of the VR session and Starkey turns to see the Jixen enter his cell. After being sprayed a second time with the Jixen's "slime", a CCPC enters and is attacked by the Jixen. This gives Starkey enough time to exit the cell and escape.
Back at Gryffen's lab, Darius is fixing Mariah, Gryffen's antique car. As Darius and Gryffen talk about K-9 and how should let him stay with them, then Starkey enters the lab. Covered with "Jixen slime", K-9's repairing systems identify Starkey to be a Jixen warrior. Only Gryffen's protestations and Starkey repeating some of the first words he said to K-9, cause K-9 to stop.
As that crisis is averted June Turner, Gryffen's primary contact with the Department, and Jorjie's mother, arrives to talk about the explosion in the lab, a robot "dog" that was seen in the vicinity near the time of the explosion, and to ask if Gryffen has seen Starkey since his escape. While Starkey and K-9 hide behind a bank of cabinets, June makes it clear that capturing the robot "dog" is a priority of the Department and that she expects Gryffen to find him and bring him in for study.
After Jane leaves, Starkey tells Darius that no one has ever stuck up for him like Gryffen has, and Darius agrees that the professor is a great guy. Starkey also thanks Darius for not turning him in. Darius tells Starkey that there will be other times. As Jorjie enters K-9 tells her about nearly "neutralizing" Starkey, and to apologize K-9 gives Starkey a special whistle that will call K-9 wherever Starkey is.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
television series K-9. It is the first episode of Series 1 and the first episode of the show. It features a cameo appearance from the original K-9 Mark I
K-9 (Doctor Who)
K-9, or K9, is the name of several fictional robotic canines in the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who, first appearing in 1977...
.
Synopsis
Whilst Starkey and Jorjie are trying to escape the police they take refuge in a large detached house, now the residence of reclusive scientist, Professor Gryffen and a robot dog, K-9 Mark I. After the ensuing battle with the Jixen, K-9 regenerates.Plot
Two men arrive at the home and lab of Professor Alistair Gryffen with a case. After providing the case, containing a piece of technology from a "fallen angel" (a downed alien craft) they inform him that The Department wants a full report within 24 hours.Elsewhere, Starkey, a teenage boy, is near an outdoor public display board terminal and is hacking in to post a dissident message against the government. As he finishes Jorjie Turner, a teenage girl, arrives to yet again propose working together. Starkey refuses, but when the robot police arrive, the pair run off together. They find themselves in a back alley with police just around both ends. In desperation they try a number of doors until they find one unlocked.
Once inside, they find the lab of Professor Gryffen. They hide in the shadows and watch as Gryffen begins an experiment with his STM (Space-Time Manipulator). As they prepare to leave Starkey kicks the power plug from the wall and the machines goes haywire. Instead of bringing back the professor's lost family, four Jixen warriors arrive through the STM's beam. As Gryffen and the two teens attempt to escape the creatures, Starkey is hit with their "Jixen slim" projectile secretions. As Jorjie and Gryffen turn to aid Starkey a fifth being comes through the beam. This time it's a dog like robot who tells the humans that his power is running low and that he must self destruct in order to destroy the 4 creatures. As the team leaves the building, an explosion rocks the room and looking back they see the parts of the robot dog thrown across the floor.
As they look around Starkey picks up an object that is still active. Shortly Darius, Gryffen's assistant arrives and sees the damage. Hearing the name "Stark Reality" (a name Starkey goes by) quietly calls the CCPCs (robot police) while Starkey apologizes to the professor. Just then the object that Starkey has found begins to pulse and float into the air. Soon the parts of the robot dog are reintegrated and refashioned into a new, more futuristic, design. The robot introduces himself as K-9 and begins to recalibrate his systems, including his new flight system.
Just as the new K-9 exits the building for a flight test, the CCPCs arrive and place Starkey under arrest, telling him of a sentence of 6 months in VR (virtual reality) detention. As everyone begins to exit the lab, a lone surviving Jixen warrior is seen sneaking off into the shadows.
As Professor Gryffen works with K-9, K-9 informs the Professor that his memory has been scrambled and that he does not remember who he is. He also tells Gryffen that the "Jixen slime" from the Jixen is used to mark their enemies for later tracking. As such, any other Jixen that ever smell Starkey will recognize him as their enemy. Asking about the STM, Gryffen tells K-9 that it was reconstructed from parts found in "Fallen Angels", a spacecraft that has landed on Earth.
Meanwhile Starkey is in a room wearing VR goggles. He sees a white room with nothing to do. Suddenly Jorjie appears, having used her own goggles and her hacking skills to communicate with him. From the system she shows him images of aliens that have been locked up, and are being experimented on, in a secret Department facility. She tells Starkey that the reason she wanted to work together with him was to expose this facility to the public. Starkey points out that he is already in detention and can't help her.
Soon alarms go off in the facility and the Jixen enters the corridor leading to Starkey's cell. The alarms trigger the end of the VR session and Starkey turns to see the Jixen enter his cell. After being sprayed a second time with the Jixen's "slime", a CCPC enters and is attacked by the Jixen. This gives Starkey enough time to exit the cell and escape.
Back at Gryffen's lab, Darius is fixing Mariah, Gryffen's antique car. As Darius and Gryffen talk about K-9 and how should let him stay with them, then Starkey enters the lab. Covered with "Jixen slime", K-9's repairing systems identify Starkey to be a Jixen warrior. Only Gryffen's protestations and Starkey repeating some of the first words he said to K-9, cause K-9 to stop.
As that crisis is averted June Turner, Gryffen's primary contact with the Department, and Jorjie's mother, arrives to talk about the explosion in the lab, a robot "dog" that was seen in the vicinity near the time of the explosion, and to ask if Gryffen has seen Starkey since his escape. While Starkey and K-9 hide behind a bank of cabinets, June makes it clear that capturing the robot "dog" is a priority of the Department and that she expects Gryffen to find him and bring him in for study.
After Jane leaves, Starkey tells Darius that no one has ever stuck up for him like Gryffen has, and Darius agrees that the professor is a great guy. Starkey also thanks Darius for not turning him in. Darius tells Starkey that there will be other times. As Jorjie enters K-9 tells her about nearly "neutralizing" Starkey, and to apologize K-9 gives Starkey a special whistle that will call K-9 wherever Starkey is.
Continuity
- The main K-9 is an alternative to the K-9 Mark I that first appeared in "The Invisible Enemy".
- "Regeneration" is the first of three parts, the second being "LiberationLiberation (K-9)"Liberation" is a episode in the Australian/British science fiction drama television series K-9. It is the second episode of Series 1.-Synopsis:Starkey goes into to hiding from the Department and the surviving Jixen warrior...
" and the third being "The Korven". - There was a production error when K-9 gives Starkey the whistle, he says that if Starkey blows it it will "call you to my side." He meant it the other way around: "call me to your side".
- K-9 informs Professor Gryffen that much of his memory was damaged in his self destruction, as such K-9 no longer seems to remember The DoctorDoctor (Doctor Who)The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
, whether he remembers RomanaRomanaRomana, short for Romanadvoratrelundar, is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
and Leela is yet to be seen. - K-9 Mark I dies by self-destruction in order to kill hostile aliens and save humans in London; K-9 Mark III met his end in the identical fashion in "School ReunionSchool Reunion (Doctor Who)"School Reunion" is the third episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It first aired on 29 April 2006. The episode's narrative takes place some time after the events of "The Christmas Invasion"...
".
Story Notes
- Before his "regeneration", the K-9 that is seen is identical to the original models used on Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. According to K-9 creator Bob BakerBob Baker-External links:...
, this is meant to be K-9 Mark I who was last seen on screen remaining on GallifreyGallifreyGallifrey is a fictional planet in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and is the homeworld of the Doctor and the Time Lords...
with LeelaLeela (Doctor Who)Leela is a fictional character played by Louise Jameson in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Leela was a companion of the Fourth Doctor and a regular in the programme from 1977 to 1978...
. This then implies that K-9 Mark I survived the Last Great Time WarTime WarTime War can refer to:*Time War , an event in the fictional Doctor Who universe.*Time War, a module in the Nintendo game Meteos.*Time War, a fantasy novel by Lin Carter, published in 1974....
. - When Professor Gryffen triggers a piece of music stored in K-9's memory, K-9 informs the professor that he cannot name the tune. The 3 notes that are played are the first three notes of the Doctor Who theme song.
- The day before this episode was broadcast in the UK on Disney XD, another K-9 (K-9 Mark IV) appeared with the Tenth DoctorTenth DoctorThe Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
in The Wedding of Sarah Jane SmithThe Wedding of Sarah Jane SmithThe Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith is a two-part story of The Sarah Jane Adventures. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 29 and 30 October 2009. It is the third serial of the third series. It guest stars David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, marking the first appearance of parent programme Doctor Whos...
on CBBCCBBCCBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
on BBC OneBBC OneBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
. - Professor Gryffen's laboratory & home is in a disused police station which still bears the exterior appearance of its former purpose (police lamp next to the front door, signage, inter alia); the building is shown in "The Cambridge Spy" to have been an active police station as recently as 23 November 1963. This parallels the TARDISTARDISThe TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
' exterior appearance as a 1963 police box.