The BF Time Warp 017: Sword of Orion

[SiHart]

The Cybermen are back to menace the 8th Doctor...

The human race is locked in deadly combat with the 'Android Hordes' in the Orion System. Light years from the front line, the Doctor and Charley arrive to sample the dubious delights of a galactic backwater, little suspecting that the consequences of the Orion War might reach them there. But High Command's lust for victory knows no bounds.

Trapped aboard a mysterious derelict star destroyer, the Doctor and Charley find themselves facing summary execution. But this is only the beginning of their troubles. The real danger has yet to awaken.

Until, somewhere in the dark recesses of the Garazone System, the Cybermen receive the signal for reactivation...

So what do you think of this adventure/

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

I remember Charlie sitting in the Cyberman's chair and remarking how big it was. Aside from that - nothing!

[Lissa]

Very underwhelming. Briggs talks about it in one of the February podcasts - the story was originally written for the Audio Visuals as a protest when Bill Baggs rejected an "experimental" story he'd written. So Briggs went away and wrote the most cliched, unoriginal Doctor Who story he could and Baggs loved it.

Sword of Orion is the reason I took so many years to try the Cyberman miniseries - it was something I wasn't keen to revisit given how dull the original had been.

Though Rob Shearman - all hail the big talking playwright - says Sword of Orion is a grower.

[Rob McCow]

How many times do you have to listen to it before you like it then?

I might give this another go and see if it fits in the 'better than I remembered' box.

[Si Hunt]

I really like this one! The hulking big spaceship collecting space junk is creaky and claustrophobic, and there's a really good atmosphere as the characters get picked off. Plus some nice stuff with the Cybermats chewing through the systems of the ship before the Cybermen arrive. The idea of a group of androids legging it and setting up their own society is a good one, and it's all very epic but quite dank and dirty, like "Earthshock". Probably it's my favourite of McGann's opening season.

Si.

[SiHart]

I thought it was absolutely tedious and forgettable. In fact that fact that I've forgotten everything about it confirms that.

Si xx

[Paul Monk]

I've listened to this recently and its not bad. Its very cliched but I quite like it. Nothing special but enjoyable.

[Jon Masters]

I must like my audios cliched, because I really like this one too. It uses its three settings to maximum effect, and as a good contrast to each other, and all of this comes over really well on audio. The mechanism for trapping the Doctor and Charlie is a nice one, and its good that they know some of the situation before they meet the rest of the doomed crew properly. The crew are , excepting one, well acted, and again, like old Who, it's nice to guess Deeva's secret before the Doctor finds out.

What makes it more than average for me is the way in which the Cybermen are written for - they're clever and persistent and indefatigable in their pursuit of the crew, just as they should be. The use of the Cybermatt is genuinely spooky, and we get another great Doctor - Cyberleader confrontation which lets McGann really shine. The plotting crackles along nicely, with each party having a sensible reason to be there.

What stops it being great is the Soldeed level of overacting from Bruce Montegue as Grash, whose scenery chewing in the second half actually spoils many of the scenes he's in. A quieter, more sinister villain would have been much better IMO.

4/5

[MacNimon]

I can't remember too much about this either! Plotwise, I really haven't a clue but I remember my overall feelings about it. It was reasonably enjoyable, albeit something of a disappointment, at the time. I think I just expected something bigger and better as the Cybermen's introduction to the range. It probably didn't help that many (but by no means all!) of the reviews at the time were giving it great reviews, raising my expectations.

It's another that I should give a second chance. You never know, maybe it is a grower! For the moment though, 3/5.

[stuartdg]

Dull mostly,there is some atmosphere in episode one with the clanking metal,and echos,adding a sense of isolation but the plot is just meandering and uninteresting.

[Jon Masters]

Dull mostly,there is some atmosphere in episode one with the clanking metal,and echos,adding a sense of isolation but the plot is just meandering and uninteresting.

It's interesting how different our tastes are for BF (and DW in general) - I will be saying almost exactly the same for Stones of Venice, which you clearly liked Stuart (apart from the metal clanking, obviously )

[Anthony Williams]

In my mind, there's nothing inherently wrong with this story. And that, in itself, is the biggest problem. It takes no risks, and ends up being one of the most cliched stories Big Finish ever did. Cybermen? Check. Derelict spacecraft? Check. Derelict spacecraft turns out to be Cyber conversion ship, cue some horrific conversions? Check. Androids? Check.

In fact, I'm fairly certain that if you were to pitch this to JNT and Eric Saward back in 1983, they'd have absolutely LOVED it. It's a real shame that the most interesting idea in this story is the Garazone Space bazaar and we only really experience that setting for less than 10 minutes!

On top of that, it's telling that this story wasn't originally written for the Eighth Doctor and Charley. Neither gives a particularly inspired performance, and McGann sincerely lacks the depth of performance that he had during Storm Warning, while India Fisher isn't given that much to work with for Charley, either. Disappointing. Thankfully, the Eighth Doctor will not lack vibrance like this, or be this humourless again for a couple of seasons yet...

The one area where this play is very good is the soundscape. If Briggs didn't do a good job the script, he certainly did a fantastic job with the sound effects. The conversion ship creaks magnificently, while the Garazone space bazaar is really brought to life through all matter of sounds - animals, aliens. There's even the sound of an antigravity pod shooting past, knocking the Doctor and Charley down - not such an easy thing to portray on audio!

Overall, this was a let down. As I said at the beginning, there was nothing inherently wrong with it, but absolutely nothing that really made me really enjoy it. At the end of the day, this isn't BAD, but it isn't good, either. 3/5 for me - neither good, nor bad.

[Nyder]

I agree with Ant - The Doctor seemed very lacklustre in this story compared to Storm Warning, and Charley seemed a little too accepting of what was going on around her, considering she'd just been plucked out of Edwardian England. The soundscape was very good though and the story was okay. Not wonderful, just okay. 3/5 for me. Looking forward to the next story, as I'm rather partial to a bit of Magrs :-)

[Stuart Wallis]

Which bit would that be?

[Dirk Gently]

Need you ask?