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Post by Cyggy on Mar 3, 2022 7:17:14 GMT
Please rate and discuss this story here.....
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Post by Cyggy on Mar 6, 2022 2:20:58 GMT
Just currently working my way through the animation of this one. Must admit I am favouring the colour version of the animation, where the star-scapes can look lovely and where the colour livens up the on-screen events. Yes, maybe it's not the most complex of 'Who' tales, but I like it for what it is and for the truly alien Rills, needing their ammonia to breath, etc. I wouldn't mind - or begrudge - another episode of this turning up sometime.
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Post by Servo on Mar 6, 2022 10:34:56 GMT
I watched the colour version of the animation.
I think it did add something to what is a routine version of “never judging a book by its cover.”
I don’t think I’d scream in anguish if they found another episode of this story.
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Post by Black Orchid on Mar 19, 2022 13:33:57 GMT
As an audio only it's easy to overlook Stephanie Bidmead's performance as Maaga but she is mesmerising on screen in the below scene:
DRAHVIN 2: Maaga, shall we go? MAAGA: Where? DRAHVIN 2: To patrol. MAAGA: I see no need. DRAHVIN 2: To see what the other two are doing. MAAGA: No. DRAHVIN 2: But, Maaga MAAGA: Can you hear me? DRAHVIN 2: We always go out on patrol at this time. MAAGA: Yes, but not now. Soldier Drahvins, you can't understand anything that's different, can you? You are made unintelligent, and you remain that way for the rest of your lives. I told them soldiers were no good for space work. All they can do is kill. But they wouldn't listen. If you are to conquer space, they said, you will need soldiers. So here I am confronted with danger, and the only one able to think. Very well. I am your commanding officer. I am your controller, am I not? DRAHVIN 2: Yes, Maaga. MAAGA: And you obey my orders? DRAHVIN 2: Yes, Maaga. MAAGA: Why? DRAHVIN 2: Because you are our leader. MAAGA: And? DRAHVIN 2: You think. MAAGA: And you don't know what that means. But because I think, I order that there'll be no patrol now. We have a prisoner. In order to save him, the other two must help us. DRAHVIN 1: I do not understand why they would want to help a friend. MAAGA: I know you don't. DRAHVIN 1: We would not. We would leave him here. MAAGA: Yes, we would. But I have heard of creatures like these. They help one another. DRAHVIN 3: Why, Maaga? MAAGA: I don't know. I have heard that on occasions, they even die for one another. DRAHVIN 3: Die? For their friends? MAAGA: There are many strange things in the universe. DRAHVIN 2: I do not understand. MAAGA: I know you don't. But despite that, you will obey orders. It may be that we shall kill neither the Rills nor the Earth creatures. Not with our own hands, that is. It may be better for us to escape in the Rills' spaceship and leave them here. And then, when we are out in space, we can look back. We will see a vast, white, exploding planet and know that they have died with it. DRAHVIN 1: But we will not see them die. MAAGA: You will not. But I, at least, have enough intelligence to imagine it. The fear, the horror, the shuddering of a planet in its last moments of life. And then they die - they die!
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Post by Black Orchid on Apr 28, 2022 12:59:15 GMT
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Post by Black Orchid on Jun 6, 2022 23:23:33 GMT
Colourized by Clayton Hickman
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Post by Black Orchid on Jun 22, 2022 22:57:33 GMT
Loose Cannon comparison: Galaxy 4 Episode 3
What if Galaxy 4: Airlock had never been found?
Maaga speech close up on face at 6 minutes
Maaga kills Dravhin 4 at 11 minutes
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Post by Cyggy on Jul 6, 2022 20:31:44 GMT
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Post by Cyggy on Jul 6, 2022 20:43:53 GMT
We Need To Talk About Galaxy 4... | Doctor Who Animation Review
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Post by Cyggy on Mar 15, 2023 12:38:07 GMT
From a 2022 rewatch.... Episode 1: "Four Hundred Dawns"(Using Loose Cannon Recon on Dailymotion)Never seemed to know too much about this one growing up. Yes I knew about the Chumblies from photos in Doctor Who Weekly, when they ran their first ever article on it, but it wasn't a tale that fans seemed to go on about too much. The only other time I noticed it much was seeing the sole surviving image/photograph of a Rill... ... making them a bit of an enigmatic mystery in Doctor Who - unless an episode could miraculously turn up one day? A criticism levelled at this over the years seems to be at it's simplicity. Good may be ugly and evil may be good looking. That's not a bad message to teach though - and I believe this was written by a school teacher. But does it stand up as a piece of drama? I believe that Maureen O Brien's complaining audibly about this tale led directly to her being ousted from the show. I actually like the landscape of this planet a lot. Yes, it was clearly a studio set, with lots of perspective, as can be seen here.... But those tree shapes are nice and eerie - almost like stone Triffids. Just really like it - and I think they form a nice backdrop to the tale. "I wonder if it's possible to have a planet so conducive to life - and yet without any?" wonders the Doctor aloud. The silence of this planet.. the silence of the soundtrack adds to a certain dead eerie-ness too imo. "Long deserved - undeserved - peace... for once!" Bless him! Ooh, I've just noticed. They land on a dead planet and then become aware of something moving around the outside of the ship. Wonder if William Emms saw episode 1 of "The Daleks" - or more likely read David Whitaker's novelisation before writing his tale? Maybe just a coincidence though. 4:20 - and a name is given. If the Rills were to return one day would the name "Chumblies" still apply to these robotic things? If so I suppose it could be explained that the Rills at the end of this returned home with tales of the Doctor, Stephen and Vicki and how she had named the robots "Chumblies" - which the entire race then adopts in honour of the time travellers - or something. I doubt that the robots would ever appear and not be referred to as Chumblies though? Three suns in the sky. Flowers in this dead landscape. Nice little touches to add to the strangeness of this place. The Doctor says it reminds him of Xeros, with Vicki wondering if they have jumped a time track again. Nice callback and bit of continuity. Even barely 7 minutes into this episode - and being familiar with it having seen the animation - I do feel that this is one of those tales that could benefit from being trimmed down somewhat. While I like the pacing in some ways I do feel that compressing it just a little bit would have been to the story's benefit. Perhaps a three parter - a la "Planet of Giants" or some of the McCoy tales. I do feel that four parts is pushing it's luck? Have never understood why the metal mesh causes the Chumbley to slump into a silent depression. Shorting out/earthing it's power supply I guess, or something. 9:25 and the Doctor is keen to meet the Rills despite being told they are killers - and he makes it clear that he already is distrustful of the Drahvins to their faces. I love the First Doctor! 11:15 and that surviving clip starts. The Doctor's chuckling amusement at the announced arrival of Maaga is a bit odd, but typical First Doctor. 12:50 and Vicki's accusation that Maaga wants to see them dead. This moment has always seemed a bit daft to me. If she wanted them dead they would surely already be dead? The Drahvins have guns. I doubt they would need an excuse to shoot the travellers. Vicki seems to be the one looking for trouble. If I were her I would just keep quiet and accept tea and biscuits or whatever off their hosts - not accuse them of being potential murderers. I love how the actress playing Maaga is taking the whole thing very seriously. It makes a huge difference. 18:25 and the Doctor refers to the TARDIS "force barrier" when the Chumblies are trying to get into the ship. I think one could come away from this story with those various Chumblie noises haunting them as the main memory of watching it? And suddenly it's over, with the dire warning about how short a time the planet has left. I do like this tale, but - as mentioned - feel it needed perhaps tighter editing, even to the point of losing one of the four episodes. Wouldn't complain if another episode were to return to us though.
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Post by Cyggy on Mar 15, 2023 12:40:25 GMT
Episode 2: "Trap of Steel" (Using Loose Cannon Recon on Dailymotion)"Tomorrow is the last day this planet will ever see!" I do think that's a good start for the episode, giving the whole thing some urgency. So the assembled hordes of Genghis Khan can't break down the TARDIS doors, but a chumbley outside putting two wires together at 2:00 will knock poor Steven and the Doctor off their feet. "They won't allow themselves to be caught - they're much too worried about you!". Such ruthless logic from Maaga to a worried Vicki back on the Drahvin ship. I love that scene at 5:20 where the Doctor is examining the exterior of the Drahvin ship upon his and Steven's return - and Steven gets put out by the Doctor's sudden criticism of him "standing around and admiring the scenery". Would make for a nice and charming documentary clip I think. Alas... Also like the Doctor calling the Drahvin ship "trash" to Maaga at 6:10. Steven and the Doctor must have glanced shiftily at each other at 9:10 for Maaga to suddenly suspect that it's not 14 dawns after all. Never noticed that bit at 10:50 where the Doctor ruminates about night and day on the planet - or his conclusion that the three suns mean that the night time lasts about two hours. Nice little touch I thought. So Peter Purves is playing Barbara, with her name crossed out and his written in in crayon. Can't say that that's particularly obvious so far. Will try to imagine Barbara speaking all the lines he gets from now on. I know that he wasn't happy about it at the time. ..... yes, can see Jacqueline Hill doing the whole scene where she would be trying to dupe the Drahvin guard. But Purves plays it well too. I think he was worrying about nothing tbh. 17:20 and Vicki being bolder and smarter than the Doctor in gathering information about the Chumblies, with her rock throwing antics. Another charming scene. That is a flimsy looking Rill ship. Dalek city sound at 23:00? Perhaps yet another origin story for the Daleks where the peace loving Rills mutated and ended up inside evolved Chumblies. The more Dalek origin stories the merrier, I say. I wonder if the Vicki screaming at a Rill cliffhanger was reshot for "Airlock"? A very okay episode with the plot at least moving forward. A couple of charming moments. Yes, there are many episodes I would prefer to turn up out of the 97, but wouldn't complain if this one did.
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Post by Cyggy on Mar 15, 2023 12:43:47 GMT
Episode 4: "The Exploding Planet"
(Using Loose Cannon Recon on Dailymotion)
Going in, I already think that this would be a nice episode to have returned. The ending of the story, with more of the Rills to look at. Seeing how they depicted the destruction of the planet and the demise of the Drahvins, etc. A nice addition to the lengthy episode 1 clip and the existent episode 3.
So am biased in favour of it already.
"I'd rather face the Chumblies than you any day!". Is it possible to truly say a line like that dramatically when it has the word "Chumblies" in it? Peter has a good old go though.
I think Maaga works so well because the actress portrays her as enjoying being evil. The way she purrs... "That will no work now...." to Steven as she chuckles. It is probably turn out that she was one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet in real life, as usually seems to be the case, but here she portrays evil so well without getting hokey imo.
So the Doctor, Vicki and a Chumblie rescue Steven. I like how the scene of Steven recovering from his ordeal is played to the hilt by Hartnell. "Keep breathing" - and Purves playing it as truly shaken and in need of time to recover. I don't think the show would take time out to do this these days. The airlock would pop open, the Doctor would shout run and they would all leg it with pounding music playing loudly in the background. I think I prefer this more sedate and realistic(?) approach that the old shows had.
3:00 and a bit of steel from the Rill leader, using the Chumblie as a megaphone.
A reluctant Maaga is forced back into her spaceship and hatches yet another not very promising plan. Sending a poor foot soldier to change the balance of power - instead of going to do the job herself. This is bound to end in tears.
Back at the Rill ship and they are going on about transferring power from the TARDIS to the Rill ship. I was about to say that this highlights a flaw in the story logic of why the Doctor can't just take the Rills away with him, but then on reflection they need ammonia to survive and I doubt the Doctor could duplicate that sort of set up on his ship, so repairing their ship it will have to be.
At 6:40, when the Doctor and Vicki have just departed and the Rill leader says "You have not gone with your friends? to Steven", thought this might be a great moment for it to turn out that the Rills were evil too? Just a thought. Would have added to the drama, I guess, but maybe spoiled the point of the story?
Instead we have a rather nice scene where the Rill leader calls Steven out on his lack of trust and Steven ends up finding his way to a point of trust with them, ending with him offering to help make repairs.
Back at the Drahvin ship and Maaga is telling Drahvin 3 to take a metal pipe and go and defeat the enemy. I still don't think this is going to work out well.
10:45 and Hartnell has been handed a somewhat challenging moment about the fate of the planet, which puts me in mind of Colin's "No more a butterfly" speech from "The Two Doctors" in that it's saying the end isn't really the end.
I wonder if that was chopped down from a longer speech when they realised that Bill was going to potentially struggle. As it is is is nice but seems incomplete?
11:25 and the first sign of the planet's end as the Drahvin's feel a rumble on their ship. No doubt this was achieved with the tried and tested camera shake method.
11:35 - 12:23. That's close on a minute of the Drahvin creeping up to the Chumblie with the metal pipe. Maybe it was dramatically filmed, but that did seem to be dragging it out a bit?
16:30 and the Rills are apparently revealed in all their glory. How this was done I am not sure. Or how many Rills were on display.
18:40 - and the Rill spaceship signals that it is ready to leave.
What's wrong with the offered escort of a Chumblie going into the TARDIS with them and joining them as a fellow traveller? I am wondering if William Emms left the escort Chumblie in at the end hoping for such an eventuality? If so the script editor was having none of it - but the whole thing is speculation, of course. But I do wonder if the writer was chancing his luck in getting one right up to the TARDIS door at the end.
I guess, storywise, the Rills don't want their technology loose in the universe, hence the self-destructing Chumblie malarkey?
19:44 - and that's a nice farewell speech from the Rill leader.
So the travellers get away. I like how the Doctor marvels at the sight of the Rill spaceship taking off despite the urgency of their getaway.
Loose Cannon use stock footage at 22:20 to show the volcanic planet in it's death throes. Wonder if this is based on research, or guesswork.
The lead in to "MISSION TO THE UNKNOWN" - and that's that.
Realised that this is the final science fiction episode of this Missing Episodes Reverse-Story-Order Rewatch. It's pure historicals all the way now - which I am frankly dreading a bit. "Crusade" was the one Target Book I could never enjoy reading. The two missiing episodes of "The Reign of Terror" have always struck me as a bit redundant and I can't help but wonder if "Marco Polo" is an over-rated and overlong non-epic.
Only one way to find out. :?
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Post by Black Orchid on Mar 15, 2023 13:22:34 GMT
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Post by Black Orchid on Apr 1, 2023 17:55:57 GMT
"Here’s my best shot at restoring a lost pic from William Hartnell’s ‘Galaxy 4’ colour photoshoot which took place on Friday 9 July 1965 in TC4. The original scan is from a May 1966 New Zealand TV listings magazine." Clayton Hickman twitter
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Post by Black Orchid on Apr 18, 2023 11:32:24 GMT
designed by Christopher Loftus
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