Castles, knights, and a potato-headed alien with anger issues. Oh, and Sarah Jane Smith joins the party.
Short Synopsis
The Doctor investigates the disappearance of scientists and finds himself in the Middle Ages, where a Sontaran warrior named Linx is kidnapping boffins to fix his spaceship. Sarah Jane tags along, mistakes the Doctor for a villain, and then proves she’s much smarter than most of the men around her.
Extended Storyline
The story kicks off with scientists mysteriously vanishing in the 20th century. Naturally, the Doctor is called in, because when clever people disappear it’s always either aliens or a dodgy temp agency.
Sarah Jane Smith, a plucky young journalist, sneaks into UNIT pretending to be her scientist aunt. She overhears the Doctor talking about time travel and promptly stows away in the TARDIS, proving immediately that she is far more interesting than most of the lab-coated men being abducted.
The TARDIS lands in medieval England, where the Doctor and Sarah discover that the missing scientists are being kidnapped by Linx, a squat, potato-shaped Sontaran warrior whose spaceship crash-landed in the 13th century. Needing repairs, Linx has been nabbing scientists from the future to do the heavy lifting. Because when you’re a genius warrior race, outsourcing is key.
Meanwhile, a local warlord named Irongron (excellent name, less excellent hygiene) is making deals with Linx to gain advanced weapons in exchange for medieval hospitality. Basically: “I’ll give you a bed and some stew if you hand me a laser cannon.”
Sarah, naturally unimpressed with the sexist medieval attitudes, organizes a mini-rebellion with some captured peasants. She initially suspects the Doctor of being in league with Irongron (reasonable, given his cape and eccentricity), but quickly realizes he’s the good guy. Together, they launch a plan to stop Linx, thwart Irongron, and rescue the kidnapped scientists.
The climax involves sword fights, lasers, collapsing castles, and Linx taking an arrow to the “probic vent” on the back of his neck — the Sontaran equivalent of an off-switch. The Doctor rescues the scientists, Sarah proves she’s every bit as brave and clever as the Doctor, and Irongron meets the sort of sticky end you’d expect from a medieval villain who made friends with an alien spud.