Revenge of the Swarm (audio story)

Revenge of the Swarm was the one hundred and eighty-ninth story in Big Finish's monthly range. It was written by Jonathan Morris and featured Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Sophie Aldred as Ace, Philip Olivier as Hector Thomas and John Leeson as The Nucleus.

Serving as both a sequel and prequel to The Invisible Enemy, the Nucleus returns for the first time since 1977.

Publisher's summary
The Doctor thought he had defeated the microscopic Nucleus of the Swarm in his fourth incarnation. He was wrong. It survived within the TARDIS, and now it has brought it back to Titan Base, back to the point of its own creation. It has a plan that spans centuries, a plan which will result in the Nucleus becoming more powerful – and larger – than ever before.

To defeat it, the Doctor, Ace, and Hex must confront the Nucleus within its new domain — the computer-world of the Hypernet, the information network crucial to the survival of the human empire. But if the Doctor is to save the day, he has to risk everything and everyone he holds dear...

Part one
to be added

Part two
to be added

Part three
to be added

Part four
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
 * Ace - Sophie Aldred
 * Hector Thomas - Philip Olivier
 * The Nucleus of the Swarm / Computer - John Leeson
 * Shafira - Mandi Symonds
 * Root / Receptionist - Maggie Service
 * Vonchef - John Heffernan
 * Professor Oksana Kilbracken - Phyllida Nash
 * Talin - Siobhan Redmond
 * Lugerman - John Dorney
 * Security Guard Brabbeko - Paul Panting

Worldbuilding

 * The Doctor and Ace visit Pelisipodron, a planet of jewels.
 * In the 50th century, phonetic spelling is common in the English language.
 * Four crewman is typical for a moonbase the size of Titan Base. The base's crew all died from the Saturnian plague.
 * The Swarm seeks to ensure its own creation by returning to the Bi-Al Foundation on K4067, where it mutated from the Saturnian plague.
 * Professor Oksana Kilbracken developed a process of cloning on Earth in 4880.
 * In the 52nd century, the Hypernet has records of the Doctor and Ace's appearances from the previous visit to K4067 in 4920 as well as of the Fourth Doctor and Leela from their visit to the asteroid in 5000.
 * The Doctor refers to his fourth incarnation as "the fellow with the scarf".
 * Talin describes the Hypernet as "a network linking together the entire Human Empire using transmissions sent through hyperspace using a process of quantum entanglement."
 * The Doctor and Ace ride light bikes on the Hypernet.
 * While in 4920, the Nucleus cloned itself and uploaded its mind to the Bi-Al Foundation computer. Using the TARDIS' Relative Dimensional Stabiliser and the power of the Hypernet, it intends to recreate itself and become corporeal.
 * Using a neural interface helmet, it is possible for an individual to upload their mind to the Hypernet while their body was kept alive in a cataleptic trance.
 * Ace refers to Top of the Pops, The Matrix and Space Invaders.

Continuity

 * The Doctor refers to the fact that the bottle which contained Hex's memories was smashed into a million pieces. (AUDIO: Afterlife)
 * The Swarm has been dormant within the TARDIS' computer since it was defeated by the Fourth Doctor and Leela on Titan Base in 5000. (TV: The Invisible Enemy)
 * The Doctor retains an immunity to the Swarm from his previous infection in 5000. (TV: The Invisible Enemy)
 * The Doctor tells Ace that entering the vortex with the TARDIS doors open is not a good idea. (TV: Planet of Giants, The Enemy of the World, The Web of Fear)
 * Shafira refers to Ace as a spacenik. In 5000, Professor Marius assumed that the Fourth Doctor was "one of those good-for-nothing spaceniks". (TV: The Invisible Enemy)
 * Professor Kilbracken refers to the fact that humanity will begin to spread through the stars in several decades. Her prediction was accurate as the Great Breakout was underway by 5000. (TV: The Invisible Enemy)
 * The Doctor describes Ace as an explosives expert. (TV: Dragonfire, et. al)
 * Ace recalls the buggies on Terra Alpha. (TV: The Happiness Patrol)
 * The Doctor decides to take Ace and Hector to Athens, Greece in 421 B.C. to relax after defeating the Swarm. (AUDIO: Mask of Tragedy)
 * The Doctor and Ace previously had their minds uploaded to an electronic network. (PROSE: Love and War)