The Heliax Rift

Main Range #237

Released: 17 April 2018

Listened: 12/15/19

This is the first part of the 2018 “UNIT trilogy” in which the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Doctors each encounter the UNIT of the 1980s, and specifically Medical Officer Daniel Hopkins, after the Brigadier had retired. There’s no specific information saying when it takes place in the Doctor’s life, but Alan Barnes says it seems like a later Fifth Doctor story, so here it is. This is also one of the earlier appearances of Jacob Dudman, who does a lot of Big Finish parts. The plot itself isn’t all that involved; the story mostly focuses on how the Doctor interacts with a UNIT that doesn’t trust him, and is actually mostly hostile toward him. It gives the Fifth Doctor a somewhat rare chance to be snarky and manipulative, even stubborn, which is always there under the surface, but doesn’t come out too often. For that reason, I enjoyed this story.