Doctor Who (1963) s23e04 Episode Script

Hurry, Peri, there isn't much time.
How long before this black light thing blows up? There's no telling.
We got to get past Queen Katryca, into the castle and make that demented robot see sense.
So, you have returned.
Merdeen.
Missed your train? The train is noisy.
We hunt by foot.
Oh.
What are you hunting? You.
Why, Grell? Why? - You betrayed -No! We were not meant to live like this.
We were not meant to We should be free.
He wanted the glory of your capture to please the Immortal.
-Don't blame yourself, Merdeen.
-I've known him all his life.
I asked for him to join the guards.
I helped him.
Even hoped that one day he would see there is no reason for the cullings.
Well, perhaps I can convince the Immortal of that.
-I must get to his castle.
-He'll kill you! Not if he thinks I can still be of use to him.
Come, there isn't much time.
The black light system will collapse in upon itself and we shall all cease to function.
-We should leave here, Humker.
-But where would we go? I don't know, but Drathro says if we stay for this explosion, we shall all be killed.
So, the logical course is to leave.
The wild ones! We're too late! You know, I've always said you talked too much.
Come on.
They are iron, Katryca.
They will not yield.
Then we will cut down the wall.
Fetch tools! Wait! The doors open.
Come, the Immortal is dead.
We have nothing to fear.
It can't be! -Why have you entered here? -The guns, Broken Tooth! Lay aside your useless toys.
I asked, why have you entered here? We are the Tribe of the Free.
You are fossils.
Outside the law.
Outside the plan.
You have brought disorder where order reigned.
I am Katryca, queen of the You cause me to waste energy.
Now return to wait outside.
You will be culled in accordance with the plan.
-Oh, great Immortal One -Go! Do not attempt to hide.
My guards will track you down.
I remember these subways from my childhood.
Is this the way to the surface? I said I remember the subways, Tandrell.
Not where they led.
If we do not find the surface, Drathro will send his guards after us.
First he must deal with the wild ones and then if there's an explosion Ah, Tumker and Handrail.
Now, where are you two off to? -We are leaving, Doctor.
-Drathro says -there's going to be an explosion.
-I know.
-It is a mechanical fault.
-Electronic.
There is a constant external discharge from one pole to another.
Then I may only have minutes.
Come along! I didn't appear to be hurrying there, did I? But that deceptively easy gait of mine covers the ground at amazing speed.
I did not interrupt the evidence to commend you on your athleticism, Doctor.
Oh.
Well, you can if you like.
All compliments gratefully accepted.
And may I remind you yet again that this is a serious trial.
It is not serious! It's a farce! A farrago of trumped-up charges! You will have the opportunity in due course to rebut any or all of the Valeyard's charges.
Oh, the Valeyard's charges! I always thought Valeyard meant learned court prosecutor.
-And so it does.
-Not in your case, sir.
Your points of law are spurious, your evidence weak, verging on the irrelevant, and your reasoning, quite unsound.
In fact, your point of view belongs in quite another place.
Perhaps the mantle of Valeyard was a mistake.
I would therefore suggest that you change it for the garment of quite another sort of yard.
That of the knacker's yard.
For your argument is as tired and worn out as the poor, unfortunate creatures that end up there! -You will apologise at once! -For telling the truth? Never! The Doctor is well known for these childish outbursts.
I do not find the ramblings of an immature mind offensive.
-Immature? -It is that particular state of mind that has made it necessary for you to be brought before this court.
Immature? I was on Ravalox trying to avert a catastrophe! The deaths of several hundred innocent people! Surely not even in the eyes of Time Lords can that be deemed either immature or a crime! The crime was in being there, Doctor! Your immaturity was in not realising you had broken a cardinal law of the Time Lords! Your presence initiated the whole chain of events that we have witnessed.
Thank you, Valeyard.
It was that point about the relevance of the testimony -that I had intended to raise.
-My pleasure, Inquisitor.
Oh, this is ridiculous.
May we continue? I tire of this empty banter.
Of course, my lady.
What's happened? Alas, Doctor, these are woeful times for the Tribe of the Free.
-The queen is dead.
-Katryca? How? The Immortal struck her down with a bolt of lightning.
-Where is he now? -The all-powerful is in his castle.
-Why'd he let you go? -We are waiting to be culled.
Oh, you'll be culled all right if I don't get inside that castle, along with everybody else around here.
Drathro, this is the Doctor.
-Let me in at once, do you hear me? -It's no good, Doctor.
You can only speak to the Immortal through the communication box.
Oh.
I forgot, he doesn't exactly entertain a lot, does he? Right.
Quickly, man, take me to the nearest one.
How do we find this castle? Dibber, stop.
I must rest.
I am exhausted.
If we ever do find this castle and we knock out the L3, how do we know we're gonna find all these secrets that you keep on about? Would I have spent all the time, effort, not to mention a small fortune, if I wasn't certain on that point? Yeah, but even if we do find them, they might not be worth anything.
Not after 500 years.
Do me a favour, Dibber.
The Sleepers found a way into the the biggest net of information in the What is going on? That question had formed in my mind, Valeyard.
The information extracted is for your eyes and ears only, my lady.
Something else that is not in the public interest to reveal? -Exactly, my lady.
-Well, this is a charade! If that information was known to those two rogues, what possible reason can there be from concealing it from this court? This trial is concerned only with your actions, Doctor, and their consequences, nothing else.
Wider issues, if there are any, are not within our terms of reference.
Perhaps that is something I should decide, Valeyard.
Of course, my lady.
But my own instructions were to pursue only matters pertinent to the central issue.
That is accepted.
However, I should like to see the last sequence again.
Yes.
Do me a favour, Dibber.
The Sleepers found a way into the the biggest net of information in the universe.
Do you think they were nicking recipes for making chutney? Yeah, but do you know what the secrets are? Facts, my son, figures, formulas.
Travelling faster than light, anti-gravity power, dimensional transference.
Scientific stuff like that.
-Worth a fortune! -How? We sell it, Dibber.
A government here, a federation there.
They're all in the market for that sort of hi-tech cobblers.
Don't think about it, Dibber.
You'll give yourself a hernia.
-The Immortal does not always answer.
Yes, Merdeen? Immortal, you commanded me to find the Doctor.
I have him here.
Show me.
-I have returned to help you, Drathro.
-You are too late.
If I believed that, I would not be here.
You are here because Merdeen found you! No, Drathro.
I came voluntarily.
There may yet be time to repair the black light system.
Very well, Doctor.
Present yourself at my portals, alone.
-Merdeen? -Yes, Immortal.
Assemble my guards.
Cull all the organics who stand waiting outside my castle.
At once, Immortal.
Humker? Tandrell? You can't do it, Merdeen.
You can't kill all those innocent people! Peri is right.
You have seen the truth.
It would be murder to kill them.
Neither can I free them.
Well, just leave them.
Leave them for the present anyway.
The Immortal will kill me.
Oh, Merdeen, if the Doctor's right, we're all in danger anyway.
We might all die.
Well, I don't need a computer to tell me that system is defunct.
-I must shut it down! -No! You will not shut it down! But it's the only way.
If the system is shut down, I, too, cease.
But if it's allowed to run wild and lead to Termination point.
Yes! Then you'll cease then, Drathro.
And so will everything else around here.
That does not matter, Doctor.
All that you see is my creation.
But there are several hundred people here as well, Drathro.
The work units exist only to serve me.
Without me, they would have no function.
You can't see beyond the end of your tin nose, can you? Is that abuse? -Listen.
-I am listening.
You are only a robot! The people out there, the work units, the organics, whatever you choose to call them, they're living creatures, Drathro.
-They have a right to their lives.
-Explain why.
In your terms, I can't.
Whoever programmed you forgot to include moral values.
I know of values.
Is your point that organics are of more value than robots? Yes, if you want to look at it that way.
Then why should I be in command of organics if they are of greater value? But without organics, there wouldn't be any robots.
There'd be no one to create them.
Accepted.
This shows that robots are more advanced, therefore of more value.
Is there another way into the castle, Merdeen? Another way? Well, you know what I mean.
A back door or something.
There are only the big doors.
-There must be some other way in.
-Why? The Doctor might need help.
I've gotta get in there.
-There's the ration chute.
-Ration chute? Of course.
Each day the Immortal sends out food to the work units.
Perhaps that leads into the castle.
Oh, Merdeen, you're a pal.
Oh, you're both pals.
Now show me.
Your trouble is, Drathro, you've no concept of what life is.
I have studied my work units for five centuries.
I understand all their responses.
What you would call life.
Understanding is not the same as knowing, Drathro.
Your work units are the result of millions of years of development.
Life, Drathro.
I understand evolution.
But But you don't! If you could understand one tenth of what life was about, you'd want me to save those people out there.
Why? I have said that without me they have no purpose.
But everything in life has its purpose, Drathro.
Every creature plays its part.
But the purpose of life is too big to be knowable.
A million computers couldn't solve that one.
This discussion is of no value.
I do not wish the work units to continue when I have ceased to function.
Oh, that's it, isn't it? Hubris! -Hubris? -Yes, hubris.
False pride! A human sin.
You've controlled your pointless little empire for too long.
Now you can't see anything beyond it.
We'll have to blast through them, Dibber.
Don't like it, Mr Glitz.
Five rounds rapid should do the trick.
-And what if the L3's still functioning? -Eh? What if he's got an emergency backup support system? There are a lot of ''what ifs'' there, lad.
Yeah, but the most important of all is what if I'm right? Oh, I don't know.
All these subways look the same to me.
Are you sure this leads into the castle? -It must do.
-There's nowhere else it could go.
-Talk about the tradesman's entrance.
-Well, well! Glitz and Dibber.
I wondered where you two had got to.
How do you do? Where is your friend the Doctor? -He's in the castle.
-He didn't hang about, did he? -I'm worried about him.
-So am I.
Well, Merdeen thinks we can get in through this hatch.
Go on, then.
It's only a matter of minutes, Drathro.
Can't I make you see sense? It is finished! It's not just this planet! Nobody knows where a black light explosion might end.
-There's never been one.
-There will be soon.
Some people think it might cause a chain reaction which could roll on until all matter in the galaxy is exhausted! -Is that what you want? -It is no longer of concern to me.
Others believe an explosion might cause dimensional transference, which would threaten the stability of the entire universe! -Look! -What is it? Intruders in the food production chamber.
So, that was your intention, Doctor.
-What? -To distract me.
That's Peri! You can't do that! You can't! No! What's happening? What are we gonna do? If we don't drown to death, we'll be fried! No! Stand back! We come in friendship! -Doctor, are you all right? -I'm all right for the moment, -though not for long I fear.
-What? I would kill you all now, but it is unnecessary.
We are waiting for something the Doctor tells me is unique.
A black light explosion.
-Do something, Dibber.
-Such as what? I've been trying to convince this mobile junk heap here that none of this need happen if only he'd let me shut the system down.
-That seems eminently sensible.
-Oh, he won't listen to reason.
He needs black light to function, so he sees no reason why the rest of us should survive.
That is roughly your narrow, egotistical little view, isn't it, Drathro? If I am doomed, then you are all doomed.
Now, wait a minute.
Why don't we just I mean, if it's only black light you want, Drathro, we have plenty of that.
Don't we, Dibber? Do we? -On the ship, Dibber.
-Oh, the black light, yeah.
We've got so much of that, sometimes we can hardly see.
There is black light on your ship? As my friend says.
So what I suggest we do is you come with us, -and we'll fix you up, eh? -Why? Well, I hate to see a good-looking robot like you go to waste.
I'll tell you what else we can do for you.
We can drop you back in the constellation of Andromeda.
-How about that? -It is possible? And, oh, the secrets, of course, you must bring them.
They'll expect you to bring them.
How far from here is your ship? Oh, right outside really.
No distance at all.
-I could function for a short distance.
-Of course you could.
Then I accept your offer.
Take that.
Tie these others up.
I will fetch the secrets.
-You two, over there.
-Well done! -Sorry, Doc.
You heard what he said.
-Don't be a fool! Slipknot, Doctor.
The best I can do for you.
Strange how low cunning succeeds where intelligent reasoning fails.
Don't knock low cunning, Doctor.
You're still here, aren't you? Oh, that's it, is it? The secrets.
My word, there should be a lot there.
All microdots, no doubt.
Come along then, Dibber, open the door for the Immortal.
Quickly, you've got to help me.
It's a three-stage cut-out.
We've got to try and shut the machine down.
-Will that prevent an explosion? -All I can do now is hope to contain it.
Peri, press that row of buttons in front of you.
-Which ones? -All of them! Merdeen, flick up all the switches with red neons on top.
-Neons? -Oh, show him, Peri.
Those.
-How much time do we have? -Not long.
Oh! These nodes haven't been moved in centuries.
Now what? -Get out of here, the pair of you.
-What about you? Get out! Merdeen, take her.
There you are.
I did my best.
I only hope it's enough.
You're not going to like this, Mr Glitz.
-Is it finished? -All finished.
-And the secrets.
-Eh? Well, except for this.
And what's that? It's a piece of black light converter aerial.
Pure silictone.
-The hardest known metal in the galaxy.
-And the most expensive.
What's more, there's got to be a couple of tons of the stuff I'm way ahead of you, my son.
You know, we could clean up on this job very nicely.
What's more, we have a tasty little kitty for the next venture.
Fresh air! What a wonderful smell.
Do you know, you're right.
Absolutely wonderful.
And still the lobster held on.
You're in a worse mess than I am.
Are Merdeen and Peri safe? -You can ask them for yourself.
Balazar! Oh, I wish you wouldn't keep frightening me like this.
I told you to get out of here.
Please don't start.
I'm too tired and too scared to cope.
-All right.
-This seems to be the end, Doctor.
As it is written in the Books.
No, Balazar.
For you, this is the beginning.
Chapter 1, paragraph 1, as they say.
Take your people up to the surface.
Where they belong.
Yes! Perhaps at last we shall find the habitat of the Canadian goose.
Perhaps.
Mmm.
I think dinner's on him.
Farewell, my loquacious friend.
Right, let's get back to the Tardis.
-It's the other way.
-What is? -The Tardis.
-I know.
It's that way.
Yes.
Farewell.
But there are still one or two questions that have to be answered.
Like who moved this planet two light years off its original course? And what was in that box that Glitz and Dibber were so interested in? Goodbye, Old One, and thank you for your help.
Old One! Hey, that's cute.
I always knew there was an evil streak in you.
Old One indeed.
Well, that's one up to me, I think.
There can't be many people who can literally claim to have saved the entire universe.
Well, if that's all the muck you can rake up Sit down! Smugness does not become you, Doctor.
That is an irrelevant observation.
I think it's now my turn to present the case for the defence.
In due course.
Well, that's not fair.
Look, I wish it put on record that my involvement in the affairs of that planet resulted in the freedom of Drathro's underground slaves.
That has been noted.
And despite the fact that evidence has been withheld, my presence there was most specifically requested.
You showed little reluctance in complying with the request.
Well, lives were at stake.
Lives were lost, and because of your meddling, Doctor.
I deny that.
Without my help, an entire civilisation might have been wiped out.
Without your interference, it might have involved less sacrifice of human life.
-That was a risk I had to take.
-Risk! Risk! Hear how the Doctor condemns himself by his own words.
Gentlemen! Doctor, perhaps you should heed the Valeyard.
May I suggest that for the time being you have said enough? Said enough! Said enough? I have a great deal more to say.
I wish to demonstrate Be silent, Doctor! You will have your turn when the Valeyard has finished his presentation.
Thank you, Inquisitor.
Well, if the rest of his presentation is as riveting as the first little epic, wake me when it's finished.
Finished? I've barely started.
Well, nothing more than your future in the legal profession.
I only hope your evidence gets a little better.
Oh, yes, Doctor.
Much better.
The most damning is still to come.
And when I have finished, this court will demand your life!