One of the last greats of Jon Pertwee, and Sarah Jane Smith's first story. We join them at a temporary shelter for scientists after a spate of disappearances involving such people. Before long the Doctor has detected an intruder from the past and is journeying back to medieval England for his first (on-screen) encounter with a Sontaran.
This is a fine adventure. Not only is it a fast-paced story full of strong characters, it's a satirical take on the military and empire-building (the Sontaran Lynx puts a flag in the ground and claims the Earth for the Sontaran Empire in the style of British or US imperialists). Lynx himself is a brilliant and inspired villain (played as a character who happens not to look human rather than as a stereotype alien) and his design is superb. He is even introduced as a dark flip-side of the Doctor. After something strange falls to earth, an alien in a crippled vessel joins a military group as their 'scientific adviser' and starts helping them deal with their enemies.
This is a fine adventure. Not only is it a fast-paced story full of strong characters, it's a satirical take on the military and empire-building (the Sontaran Lynx puts a flag in the ground and claims the Earth for the Sontaran Empire in the style of British or US imperialists). Lynx himself is a brilliant and inspired villain (played as a character who happens not to look human rather than as a stereotype alien) and his design is superb. He is even introduced as a dark flip-side of the Doctor. After something strange falls to earth, an alien in a crippled vessel joins a military group as their 'scientific adviser' and starts helping them deal with their enemies.