The Destroyers (unproduced TV story)


 * For the Big Finish audio story see: The Destroyers

The Destroyers was an unproduced pilot episode planned as a spin-off series for American television (the actual title of the proposed spin-off series is not known).

It was written by Terry Nation, and was supposed to feature the Daleks and the Space Security Service. A synopsis of the episode was published in The Official Doctor Who & the Daleks Book in 1988.

A notable aspect of the script is that one of the characters is Sara Kingdom, whom Nation had featured in The Daleks' Master Plan (along with other characters and concepts used in his aborted spin-off).

Plot
Carson and Wayne are members of a space exploration team, guarding their base dome surrounded by a force field. Despite this, Daleks penetrate the field and kill Carson. His death alerts Wayne, Morgan and Sara Kingdom. Sara sounds the alarm as the Daleks attack. There are apparently no survivors.

The Special Space Security (SSS) sends in three agents to investigate: Captain Jason Corey, Sara’s brother David Kingdom and android Mark Seven. They discover Whitman still alive. He cannot identify their attackers, but tells them that they took a few prisoners, before he dies. Sara is in fact alive but wounded, dodging the Daleks in the jungle. The Daleks have Philip Leigh as a prisoner for interrogation. Their instrumentation detects movement at the dome, and they send a patrol out to annihilate whatever is alive there. The agents have discovered the Dalek tracks and are following them when the Daleks approach the dome. Jason, Mark and David hide in the bushes, where they are attacked by man-eating plants.

Mark makes a noise, and the Daleks blast away at the bushes before proceeding on their way to the dome. Jason and David free themselves with their knives and go to Mark’s aid. Being a robot, he is mostly undamaged from the attack, and needs only minor repairs before he is functional again. Sara has taken refuge in the cave that houses the entrance to the Daleks’ underground base. They activate their defence mechanisms, shadowy spectors that attack her, enveloping her in webbing. The Daleks take her captive.

Jason, David and Mark find the cave, just ahead of the Dalek patrol returning from the dome. Their way forward is blocked by a chasm, but knowing there must be some way for the Daleks to cross it they hide, and see two Daleks activate a tubular bridge. As one crosses they jump the other, and Mark tosses it into the chasm. The first Dalek tries to return but David deactivates the bridge, sending the creature plunging into the abyss. In Dalek central control, Leigh is eliminated now that they have a better prisoner in Sara. The Black Dalek orders the ship prepared for departure. The agents arrive at the perimeter in time to see this, but not in time to stop it. The Dalek ship launches, taking Sara with it.

Audio Production
Big Finish produced a full cast audio drama of this story (The Destroyers) for The Second Doctor Boxset, a part of The Lost Stories series, released in December 2010. Terry Nation's original story about soldiers in the far future battling against the menace of the Daleks was adapted by Nicholas Briggs & John Dorney, and largely switched the roles of Sara and David. It starred Jean Marsh as Sara Kingdom, Alan Cox as Mark Seven, Chris Porter as Jason Corey, Alex Mallinson as David Kingdom and Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Daleks.