Regeneration (TV story)

Regeneration is the first episode of K9, an Australian-produced spinoff series featuring K9 Mark 2. The episode first aired in the UK as a special preview on 31st October 2009.

Synopsis
In 2050, London is under the governance of a totalitarian regime. Two rebellious teenagers, Starkey and Jorjie, find themselves on the run from police and make their way into Professor Gryffen's lab building. Once there, they are witness to K9's arrival.

Plot
Two men arrive at the home and lab of Professor Alistair Gryffen with a case. Upon providing the case, containing a piece of technology from a "fallen angel", a downed alien craft, they inform him that The Department will want a full report in 24 hours.

Elsewhere, a teenage boy named Starkey, who operates under the pseudonym of "Stark Reality", is near an outdoor public display board terminal and is hacking in to post a dissident message against the government. As he finishes a teenage girl known as Jorjie arrives to yet again propose working together. Starkey adamantly refuses, but when the robot police arrive, the pair take off together. So they find themselves in a back alley with police just around both ends. In desperation they try a number of doors until they find one unlocked.

Once inside, they find the lab of Professor Gryffen. They hide in the shadows and watch as the professor begins an experiment with his Space-Time Manipulator. As the duo prepare to leave Starkey kicks the power plug from the wall and the machines goes haywire. Instead of bringing back the professor's lost family, four reptilian warriors arrive through the manipulator's beam. As the professor and two teens attempt to evade the creatures, Starkey is hit with their mucus-like projectile secretions. As Jorjie and the professor turn to aid Starkey a fifth being comes through the beam. This fifth arrival is a dog like robot who informs the humans that his power is running low and that he must self destruct in order to destroy the 4 creatures. As the trio exits the building, an explosion rocks the room and looking back they see the parts of the robot strew across the floor.

As they look around Starkey picks up a oval, palm sized object that seems to still be active. Shortly thereafter someone named Darius arrives and seeing the damage and hearing the name "Stark Reality" quietly places a call to the authorities while Starkey apologizes to the professor. Just then the palm sized ovoid begins to pulse and float into the air. Soon the parts of the robot dog are reintegrated and refashioned into a new, but still recognizable, design. The robot introduces himself as K9 and begins to recalibrate his systems, including his new flight system.

Just as K9 exits the building for a flight test, the police arrive and place Starkey under arrest, informing him of a sentence of 6 months in virtual reality (VR) detention. As everyone begins to exit the lab, a lone surviving reptile warrior, which K9 referred to as a Jixen, is seen sneaking off into the shadows.

As Professor Gryffen works with K9, K9 informs the Professor that his memory has been scrambled and that he does not remember who he is. He also tells the Professor that the mucus from the Jixen is used to mark their enemies for later tracking. As such, any other Jixen that ever smell Starkey will recognize him as their enemy. Asking about the Space-Time Maipulator, the professor tells K9 that it was reconstructed from parts found in Fallen Angels, down spacecraft that have landed on Earth.

Meanwhile Starkey is in a barren room wearing VR goggles. He sees a plain white room with absolutely nothing to do. Suddenly Jorjie appears, having used her own goggles and her hacking skills to communicate with him. From system she shows him images of aliens that have been locked up, and are being experimented on, in a secret Department facility. She tells Starkey that the reason she wanted to work together with him was to expose this facility to the public. Starkey points out that he is already in detention and can't help her.

Soon after alarms go off in the detention facility and the Jixen enters the corridor leading to Starkey's cell. The alarms trigger the end of the VR session and Starkey turns to see the Jixen enter his cell. After being sprayed a second time with the Jixen's mucus, a robot guard enters and is attacked by the Jixen. This gives Starkey enough time to exit the cell and escape the facility.

Back at Professor Gryffen's lab, Darius is tuning up Mariah, the professor's antique car. As Darius and the professor discuss K9 and how good of an idea it is to let him stay there, Starkey enters the lab. Covered with Jixen mucus, K9's still repairing systems identify Starkey to be a Jixen warrior. Only the professor's protestations and Starkey repeating some of the first words he said to K9, cause K9 to stop and reconsider his actions.

As that crisis is averted June Turner, Professor Gryffen's primary contact with the Department, arrives to discuss the explosion in the lab, a robot "dog" that was seen in the vicinity near the time of the explosion, and to ask if the professor has seen Starkey since his escape. While Starkey and K9 hide behind a bank of cabinets, June makes it clear that capturing the robot "dog" is a priority of the Department and that she expects the professor to find him and bring him in for study.

After Jane leaves, Starkey tells Darius that no one has ever stuck up for him like Professor Gryffen has, and Darius agrees that the professor is a great guy. Starkey also thanks Darius for not turning him in. Darius informs Starkey that there will be other chances. As Jorjie enters K9 tells her about nearly "neutralizing" Starkey, and to apologize K9 gives Starkey a special whistle that will call K9 wherever Starkey is.

Cast

 * K9 Mark 2 - John Leeson
 * Starkey - Keegan Joyce
 * Jorjie - Philippa Coulthard
 * Darius Pike - Daniel Webber
 * Professor Alistair Gryffen - Robert Moloney
 * June Turner - Robyn Moore

Production crew
to be added

Story notes

 * Before his "regeneration", the K9 that is seen is identical to the original models used on Doctor Who. According to K9 creator Bob Baker, this is meant to be K9 Mark 2 who was last seen on screen remaining on Gallifrey with Leela. This then implies that K9 Mark 2 survived the Last Great Time War.
 * K9 informs Professor Gryffen that much of his memory was damaged in his self destruction, as such K9 no longer seems to remember the Doctor, whether he remembers Romana and Leela is yet to be seen.
 * When Professor Gryffen triggers a piece of music stored in K9's memory, K9 informs the professor that he cannot name the tune. The 3 notes that are played are the first three notes of the Doctor Who theme song.
 * The day before this episode was broadcast, another K9 appeared in The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith.

Ratings
to be added

Myths
to be added

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors

 * When K9 gives Starkey the whistle, he says that if Starkey blows it it will "call you to my side." He must have meant it the other way around.

Continuity

 * The main K9 is an alternative to the K9 Mark 2 that first appeared in DW: The Invisible Enemy.

Home video releases
to be added