|
Sword of Orion Review After the opening story for Paul McGann comes Sword of Orion, the second in what can be seen as the first series of eighth Doctor audio adevntures. Big Finish did well in coaxing McGann into reprising his role as The Doctor for their audio series, and better in convincing him to star in many further stories. Due to the television series being in hiatus, and when it did come back there was a considerable gap between the 1996 TV Movie and the Christopher Eccleston era, it gives a fair bit of scope for these audio stories. The Doctor and Charley want to return Ramsay the vortisaur back to the vortex, but have found he is ill. They travel to the Garazone sector where they hope to find a remedy, and encounters Ike, a crewman aboard a scrap salvage ship called the Vanguard who is moonlighting selling smuggled goods. Another scrap salvage ship, Silver Jackal, finds a derelict Star Destroyer and the crew go aboard to liberate the contents. In there, they are battered to death by a monster. The TARDIS meanwhile has been loaded aboard the Vanguard by mistake with the new supplies ordered by new Captain Deeva Jansen so The Doctor and Charley sneak aboard themselves. They too are going to the derelict Star Destroyer, and when the ship becomes unstable, a small jump in the TARDIS lands them aboard the derelict. A Vanguard crew member goes on a scouting mission on the derelict, and whilst in contact with the rest of the crew is battered to death. The Doctor and Charley find the dead crewman, and are discovered with his body. After proving they couldn't have murdered the crewman in the way he was killed, they set about finding what did kill the crewman, whilst discovering that strange things such as power losses and electrical shorts seem to be affecting their own ships. Soon, the Star Destroyer is discovered to belong to the Cybermen, who are gradually reviving themselves, and a Cybermat is causing the damage aboard the Vanguard. Some of the Cybermen are dealt with by the mysterious Captain Jansen before The Doctor delves into her being and eventually finds her to be an android double agent from the Orion war, ostensibly there to discover the Cyberman technology for Earth to use against the androids, but actually there to gain the technology for their own ends. Eventually, The Doctor manages to defeat the Cybermen by venting an area into space and sucking out the Cybermen. In this, Charleys life support fails and Jansen sacrifices herself to save Charley, and they depart beck to the TARDIS. Sword of Orion really does begin where Storm Warning left off, and this continuity helps the tory along. Fortunately, with there being a companion there are no uncomfortable monologues to characteris the opening, and intreague is created from the beginning. Several aspects of this story are very well realised, especially the 'whodunnit' nature of the secrets regarding the ownership of the derelict, and of Jansen. This is played well, in stark contrast to a usual method in Who of showing up front the villains and their ways. This creates an air of tension, although this is broken down a little by the one line questioning remaks made by The Doctor throughout, emphasising that he's worked it out already. I didn't feel this was necessary, but it isn't a major issue. The cast is underpinned by Paul McGann as the Doctor and India Fisher as Charley. As a leading man, I think Paul McGann gives a wonderful performance here, which is pitched well given the mysterious twists regarding Jansen. His level of performance is wonderful throughout, and carries the story well from beginning to end. India Fisher I am less keen on as Charley. I don't think the character sounds naturalistic yet, although I hope this will improve throughout her tenure as companion to McGann. Of the guest cast, the outstanding member is Michelle Livingstone as Deeva Jansen. She is a delight, hard and forceful when required, then softening towards the end when her secrets are revealed. The rest of the cast give solid performances, with no complaints about any of them. All add to the story in their own way, and enhance the atmosphere throughout. Comparatively, Sword of Orion is a much better effort than the previous story, Storm Warning. It feels much more like a polished production from beginning to end. Throughout, there is feeling that the story fits, that it's right, and the production team should really be applauded for this. Also, much more than in Storm Warning, the story seems to progress the characters and fit the story to them rather than slightly awkwardly explaining detail. This is all aided by a good story idea, and a solid script. The score is also good and fits with the story well. Allied to this, the effects and voice modulation of the Cybermen goes well with their early 1980's appearances. Overall, Sword of Orion is a good story that really sets a benchmark for the Eighth Doctor played by Paul McGann. The decision by Big Finish and McGann to undertake the task of providing stories such as this to bridge the gaps left by the television adventures is bold, and one that will surely be seen in times to come as a great one for all fans of Doctor Who. Sword of Orion is a good tale in itself, and will stand repeated listening, but the continuity within a first 'series' is good, combined with the good story itself provides a great start to the audio McGann era. Rating:  |