The Creed of the Kromon

Main Range #53

Released: 20 January 2004

Listened: 8/16/21

The deal with the Divergent Universe was supposed to be that time didn’t exist there. Unfortunately, it’s tough to tell a story without cause and effect, so in practice it’s a normal story, but nobody understands what the word “time” means. In addition, the Doctor doesn’t have any knowledge of the races or planets here. He and Charley are moving through “zones,” barriers they can walk through, in search of the TARDIS. This particular zone is ruled by giant, sentient termites, who’ve enslaved the local population, lizard-like humanoids who can change the color of their skin. Specifically, they come across C’rizz, who seems to be an unusual member of his species, for reasons that aren’t made clear in this story. Unfortunately, he has to euthanize his intended mate, who was genetically altered by the Kromon, and that sends him rather over the edge. He doesn’t really seem like companion material, although he is willing to make sacrifices for the Doctor and Charley, whom he’s just met. The bad guys aren’t particularly effective as a threat; they’re powerful, but not particularly bright, as a species, and obsessed with bureaucracy. However, they are skilled genetic engineers, which leads to a major body horror incident for Charley, for the second story in a row. On the whole, the story is somewhat uneven and not very memorable, even if it introduces a new companion.