Spaceport Fear

Main Range #170

Released: 11 February 2013

Listened: 9/16/20

I hope you like the phrase “Welcome to Tantane Spaceport,” because you’ll be hearing it a lot. The Doctor and Mel land in a spaceport that’s been cut off for 500 years, causing the trapped passengers to evolve a society around the tropes of airport life, reminiscent of “Paradise Towers” (which is in the future for both of them). It’s fun, and makes the people really distinctive, but it’s a bit off to assume that a spaceport in the year 6127 would be so similar to an airport in 2013, down to limitations on carrying liquids on-board. Mel’s tech background gets something of a workout, but it stays firmly grounded in the 80s, as she’s never seen a computer as advanced as the spaceport data terminals (although she will in “The Juggernauts”), and isn’t familiar with handhelds or wi-fi. (Again, it’s odd to assume that a 62nd century handheld works just like a 21st century phone.) The rest of the plot isn’t quite as satisfying as the setup, but there’s some betrayals and unexpected alliances, so it’s not bad, on the whole. It’s definitely a memorable episode, but more for the details than the story.