The Seeds of Death
Encyclopedia
The Seeds of Death is a serial in the British
science fiction television series Doctor Who
, which originally aired in six weekly parts from 25 January to 1 March 1969. It is distinguished as the second appearance of the Ice Warriors
.
technology called "T-Mat" has replaced all traditional forms of transport, allowing people and objects to travel instantly anywhere on Earth
. Manned space exploration
has ceased due to the ease of life on Earth. The Second Doctor
, Jamie McCrimmon
and Zoe Herriot arrive in a museum on Earth run by Professor Daniel Eldred dedicated to the obsolete technology of rockets. However, something goes amiss at the T-Mat vital relay station on the Moon
and the system breaks down. With communications out, and no way to reach the Moon without T-Mat, those responsible for the system, Commander Radnor and his assistant Gia Kelly, turn to Professor Eldred to help. He has been privately building a rocket
in hopes of re-igniting interest in space travel. In the absence of a space program to provide trained astronauts, the Doctor and his companions volunteer to crew the rocket.
On the moon, the relay station has been subject to a takeover. Controller Osgood has been killed sabotaging the relay system to try to prevent a takeover, and his deputy Fewsham has been pressed into assisting the invaders. Of the other technicians, Phipps is scared but defiant of the invaders while Locke actively tries to contact Earth and explain the situation, for which he is killed. The invaders are revealed as Ice Warrior
s, a militant Martian
race, have taken control of the moonbase as a staging point for an invasion of Earth. Fewsham repairs the T-Mat link on receive mode and Miss Kelly beams through. She is put to work on repairing the full T-Mat system.
When the Doctor and his companions arrive on the moon by rocket – after a rather bumpy ride - they discover the situation and make contact with Phipps, who has evaded the invaders and is hiding in the moonbase. The Doctor accidentally reveals himself to the Ice Warriors and their leader the Ice Lord, Commander Slaar. It becomes apparent that the Ice Warriors have a deadly plan: they have seeds, which they send to various parts of Earth using T-mat, of a fungus
that will multiply and suck all the oxygen
from the surrounding atmosphere
, making it more comfortable for the Martians but uninhabitable for humans. Once the full T-Mat relay is repaired, one seed is sent to Earth Control and explodes, killing a technician called Brent and alerting Radnor and Eldred of the danger. The seed soon creates foam which multiplies its effects and imperils more and more people. Other T-Mat terminals across the world receive more seeds with similar effects. Radnor takes a while to work out that the seeds seem to have been deposited in a pattern – all in the Northern zone, where the country is facing winter. The Ice Warriors also use T-Mat to dispatch a small advance force to seize Earth's weather control
systems in London and ensure good conditions for the growth of the fungus.
Back on the moon Miss Kelly and Phipps work with Zoe and Jamie to stage diversions and attacks against the Ice Warriors. During their main assault to free the Doctor, Phipps is killed. The Ice Warriors have now retreated to their spacecraft to plan the next stage of their invasion, leaving an opportunity for most of the captives to flee the moonbase. Fewsham, however, remains behind, seemingly fearing an enquiry into his actions if he returns to Earth.
The Doctor’s first action in T-Mat control on Earth is to deduce how to stop the seed pods exploding, and works out they can be defeated using water. This explains where the Ice Warrior beamed to Earth has gone, and the Doctor tracks him down to the weather control system, where the alien has been stationed to prevent any rain fall that would be deadly to the pods. The Doctor and his allies recapture the weather control system and summon rain, destroying the fungus which is used to the dry conditions on Mars.
Fewsham has meanwhile delivered a crushing blow to the Ice Warriors. He dupes Slaar into revealing in a live link with Earth that the main Martian invasion force is following a homing signal to the Moon, for which he is killed. But at least the Doctor now knows the full extent of the Ice Warrior plans. He decides to return to the moonbase and set a new signal for the Martian fleet from there, but knows to do so will be very dangerous. The Doctor uses T-Mat to return to the Moon and confronts Slaar while cleverly substituting the alternative signal. This draws the Martian fleet away and lures it into the Sun
. Slaar moves to kill the Doctor in revenge but the arrival of Jamie in a T-Mat cubicle causes chaos, and Slaar is killed in one of the sonic beams of the last of his warriors. Jamie then kills the surviving Martian and the invasion is over. The Doctor and Jamie return to Earth and then make their goodbyes before departing in the TARDIS
with Zoe.
in July 1986.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor 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...
, which originally aired in six weekly parts from 25 January to 1 March 1969. It is distinguished as the second appearance of the Ice Warriors
Ice Warriors
Can refer to:*Ice Warriors , a TV gameshow aired on ITV*Ice Warrior, alien race in the BBC television series Doctor Who**The Ice Warriors, Doctor Who story in which the alien race makes its debut...
.
Plot
At the end of the twenty-first century, a teleportationTeleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
technology called "T-Mat" has replaced all traditional forms of transport, allowing people and objects to travel instantly anywhere on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. Manned space exploration
Space exploration
Space exploration is the use of space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
has ceased due to the ease of life on Earth. The Second Doctor
Second Doctor
The Second Doctor is the second incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by character actor Patrick Troughton....
, Jamie McCrimmon
Jamie McCrimmon
James Robert "Jamie" McCrimmon is a fictional character played by Frazer Hines in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A piper of the Clan McLaren who lived in 18th century Scotland, he was a companion of the Second Doctor and a regular in the programme from 1966...
and Zoe Herriot arrive in a museum on Earth run by Professor Daniel Eldred dedicated to the obsolete technology of rockets. However, something goes amiss at the T-Mat vital relay station on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
and the system breaks down. With communications out, and no way to reach the Moon without T-Mat, those responsible for the system, Commander Radnor and his assistant Gia Kelly, turn to Professor Eldred to help. He has been privately building a rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
in hopes of re-igniting interest in space travel. In the absence of a space program to provide trained astronauts, the Doctor and his companions volunteer to crew the rocket.
On the moon, the relay station has been subject to a takeover. Controller Osgood has been killed sabotaging the relay system to try to prevent a takeover, and his deputy Fewsham has been pressed into assisting the invaders. Of the other technicians, Phipps is scared but defiant of the invaders while Locke actively tries to contact Earth and explain the situation, for which he is killed. The invaders are revealed as Ice Warrior
Ice Warrior
The Ice Warriors are a fictional extraterrestrial race of reptilian-like humanoids in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The race originated on Mars, and first appeared in the 1967 serial The Ice Warriors where they encountered the Second Doctor and his...
s, a militant Martian
Mars (Doctor Who)
Mars, the fourth planet in our solar system, has been featured in the Doctor Who fictional universe on a number of occasions. In the various Doctor Who serials which feature the Ice Warriors, mention is made that Mars is their homeworld....
race, have taken control of the moonbase as a staging point for an invasion of Earth. Fewsham repairs the T-Mat link on receive mode and Miss Kelly beams through. She is put to work on repairing the full T-Mat system.
When the Doctor and his companions arrive on the moon by rocket – after a rather bumpy ride - they discover the situation and make contact with Phipps, who has evaded the invaders and is hiding in the moonbase. The Doctor accidentally reveals himself to the Ice Warriors and their leader the Ice Lord, Commander Slaar. It becomes apparent that the Ice Warriors have a deadly plan: they have seeds, which they send to various parts of Earth using T-mat, of a fungus
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
that will multiply and suck all the oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
from the surrounding atmosphere
Earth's atmosphere
The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention , and reducing temperature extremes between day and night...
, making it more comfortable for the Martians but uninhabitable for humans. Once the full T-Mat relay is repaired, one seed is sent to Earth Control and explodes, killing a technician called Brent and alerting Radnor and Eldred of the danger. The seed soon creates foam which multiplies its effects and imperils more and more people. Other T-Mat terminals across the world receive more seeds with similar effects. Radnor takes a while to work out that the seeds seem to have been deposited in a pattern – all in the Northern zone, where the country is facing winter. The Ice Warriors also use T-Mat to dispatch a small advance force to seize Earth's weather control
Weather control
Weather control is the act of manipulating or altering certain aspects of the environment to produce desirable changes in weather. Weather control can have the goal of preventing damaging weather, such as hurricanes or tornadoes, from occurring; of causing beneficial weather, such as rainfall in...
systems in London and ensure good conditions for the growth of the fungus.
Back on the moon Miss Kelly and Phipps work with Zoe and Jamie to stage diversions and attacks against the Ice Warriors. During their main assault to free the Doctor, Phipps is killed. The Ice Warriors have now retreated to their spacecraft to plan the next stage of their invasion, leaving an opportunity for most of the captives to flee the moonbase. Fewsham, however, remains behind, seemingly fearing an enquiry into his actions if he returns to Earth.
The Doctor’s first action in T-Mat control on Earth is to deduce how to stop the seed pods exploding, and works out they can be defeated using water. This explains where the Ice Warrior beamed to Earth has gone, and the Doctor tracks him down to the weather control system, where the alien has been stationed to prevent any rain fall that would be deadly to the pods. The Doctor and his allies recapture the weather control system and summon rain, destroying the fungus which is used to the dry conditions on Mars.
Fewsham has meanwhile delivered a crushing blow to the Ice Warriors. He dupes Slaar into revealing in a live link with Earth that the main Martian invasion force is following a homing signal to the Moon, for which he is killed. But at least the Doctor now knows the full extent of the Ice Warrior plans. He decides to return to the moonbase and set a new signal for the Martian fleet from there, but knows to do so will be very dangerous. The Doctor uses T-Mat to return to the Moon and confronts Slaar while cleverly substituting the alternative signal. This draws the Martian fleet away and lures it into the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
. Slaar moves to kill the Doctor in revenge but the arrival of Jamie in a T-Mat cubicle causes chaos, and Slaar is killed in one of the sonic beams of the last of his warriors. Jamie then kills the surviving Martian and the invasion is over. The Doctor and Jamie return to Earth and then make their goodbyes before departing in the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
with Zoe.
Continuity
- This story introduces the concept of the casteCasteCaste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
system within Martian society. There are two distinct (unnamed on screen) classes of Martians; the Ice Warriors, which were seen in The Ice WarriorsThe Ice WarriorsThe Ice Warriors is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from November 11 to December 16, 1967...
(1967), and the Ice Lords. It becomes clear at the end of Episode One that all of the warriors are subordinate to the Ice Lord Slaar. Moreover, the story indicates that there is even a hierarchy within the Ice Lord class when it introduces the Grand Marshal in Episode Five. This is illustrated by the fact that Slaar is seen taking orders from the Grand Marshal once the Ice Warriors had T-Mat under their control. The appearance of the Martians is also connected with this caste system. Whereas the Ice Warriors tend to wear heavy reptilian armour and large helmets, the Ice Lords tend to wear a slender and less bulky uniform with a more decorative helmet. - While matter transportation technology first appeared in Doctor Who in The Daleks' Master PlanThe Daleks' Master PlanThe Daleks' Master Plan is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The twelve episodes were aired from 13 November 1965 to 29 January 1966...
, it was called "particle dissemination". This story calls it "T-Mat", and subsequent stories would settle on the name "transmat" to describe the technology, which would come to be used within Doctor Who much as transportersTeleportationTeleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
are used in Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
. - The Astral Map prop, first seen in the First Doctor'sFirst DoctorThe First Doctor is the initial incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966. Hartnell reprised the role in the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors in 1973 - albeit in a...
adventure, The Web PlanetThe Web PlanetThe Web Planet is the fifth serial in the second season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 13 February 1965 to 20 March 1965...
appears in a space museum, though it is not referred to as such.
Production
- The working title of this story was The Lords of the Red Planet.
- Although Brian HaylesBrian HaylesBrian Hayles was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. His body of work as a writer for television and film, most notably for the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, lasted from 1962 to 1978....
is solely credited as the story's author, series script editor Terrance DicksTerrance DicksTerrance Dicks is an English writer, best known for his work in television and for writing a large number of popular children's books during the 1970s and 80s.- Early career :...
rewrote Episodes 3 through 6 of the script, partially as he considered Hayles's original ending lackluster and unworkable but also because originally Jamie McCrimmonJamie McCrimmonJames Robert "Jamie" McCrimmon is a fictional character played by Frazer Hines in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A piper of the Clan McLaren who lived in 18th century Scotland, he was a companion of the Second Doctor and a regular in the programme from 1966...
was to have been replaced by a new companion called Nik by this story, but then actor Frazer HinesFrazer HinesFrazer Hines is an English actor best known for his roles as Jamie McCrimmon in Doctor Who and Joe Sugden in Emmerdale. Hines was born in Horsforth, a civil parish of Leeds.-Acting career:...
postponed his departure. Dicks was co-credited on the sleeve of the VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
release for his writing duties on the serial. - Patrick Troughton does not appear in Episode 4 as he was on holiday when it was being recorded. A double stands in for him in some shots where the Doctor is seen unconscious on the floor.
Cast notes
- This story is the first story to feature Alan Bennion in the role of an Ice Lord, this one named Slaar. Bennion would return as the Ice Lords Izlyr in The Curse of PeladonThe Curse of PeladonThe Curse of Peladon is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 29 January to 19 February 1972.-Synopsis:...
and Azaxyr in The Monster of PeladonThe Monster of PeladonThe Monster of Peladon is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 23 March to 27 April 1974.-Synopsis:...
. - Sonny Caldinez, who played Slaar's second in command, is the only actor to appear as an Ice Warrior in all four televised Doctor Who stories to feature the Ice Warriors. Caldinez also appeared in The Evil of the DaleksThe Evil of the DaleksThe Evil of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in seven weekly parts from 20 May to 1 July 1967. This serial marked the debut of Deborah Watling as the Doctor's new companion, Victoria Waterfield.Evil was initially intended to...
as Kemel. - Ronald Leigh-Hunt played Commander Radnor in this story. Leigh-Hunt would play Commander Stevenson in Revenge of the CybermenRevenge of the CybermenRevenge of the Cybermen is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 19 April to 10 May 1975.-Synopsis:...
. - Steve Peters, who played an Ice Warrior, was billed simply as "Alien" in the Radio TimesRadio TimesRadio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
listing for episode one, so as not to spoil the surprise of the Ice Warriors' appearance. - Harry Towb later played McDermott in Terror of the AutonsTerror of the AutonsTerror of the Autons is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, broadcast in four weekly parts from 2 to 23 January 1971...
.
In print
A novelisation of this serial, written by Dicks, was published by Target BooksTarget Books
Target Books was a British publishing imprint, established in 1973 by Universal-Tandem Publishing Co Ltd, a paperback publishing company. The imprint was established as a children's imprint to complement the adult Tandem imprint, and became well known for their highly successful range of...
in July 1986.
VHS and DVD releases
- This story was released on VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and BetamaxBetamaxBetamax was a consumer-level analog videocassette magnetic tape recording format developed by Sony, released on May 10, 1975. The cassettes contain -wide videotape in a design similar to the earlier, professional wide, U-matic format...
in 1985 in an omnibus format. - In February 2003, an unedited remastered, VidFIREVidFIREVidFIRE is a restoration technique intended to restore the video-like motion of footage originally shot with television cameras now existing only in formats with telerecording as their basis...
d version was released on Region 2 DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. The story was chosen to represent the Patrick Troughton era as part of the Doctor Who 40th Anniversary releases. - A special edition Region 2 DVD with expanded special features and improved picture quality was released along with similarly expanded special editions of the Carnival of MonstersCarnival of MonstersCarnival of Monsters is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 27 January to 17 February 1973....
and Resurrection of the DaleksResurrection of the DaleksResurrection of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts between 8 February and 15 February 1984...
as part of the Revisitations 2 DVD boxed set on 28 March 2011.
External links
- Doctor Who Locations - The Seeds of Death