The Galois Group

Short Trips #12.6

Released: 2 February 2023

Listened: 3/19/23

And here we have a Short Trip that just drops right into the middle of this set, fitting in perfectly. It’s by Felicia Barker, a relatively new writer at this point, having mostly contributed Short Trips, and narrated in first-person by Safiyya Ingar, providing smooth continuity. The story plays off the discussion that Valerie and the Doctor just had regarding fixed points, but this pushes it to the extreme. The TARDIS lands in Paris, 1832, in the attic of mathematician and revolutionary Évariste Galois, shortly before his death. Galois is a real historical figure, an amazing mathematician, and if you haven’t heard of him, the reason is probably because his accomplishments are hard for most people to understand. Speaking of hard to understand, Valerie wants to try to prevent his death, and ends up causing a paradox. She even runs afoul of the Blinovitch Limitation Effect, and the way that Felicia Barker describes it is about as well as anybody else ever has, which makes for a fascinating visual as well as a strong feeling of melancholy. Most of the story is standing around talking and doing math, so it’s clear why it’s a short trip and not part of the boxed set, but that gives Safiyya Ingar a chance to do the Eleventh Doctor’s rapid-fire dialog, which she does quite well. It’s a very nice addition to the ongoing set.