A Religious Experience (comic story)

A Religious Experience was a comic story by Tim Quinn and the first story in the Doctor Who Yearbook 1994. It featured the First Doctor and Ian Chesterton.

Summary
The First Doctor and Ian are enjoying an evening stroll along the beach on the planet Seetar in the Malachi System, when they are approached by a group of savages. A giant worm-like creature emerges from the sand and the savages begin to worship it. The worm appears ready to eat one of the natives but Ian intervenes distracting it with his torch and blinding the creature by throwing a cricket ball into its eyestalk.

Following their defeat of the creature the natives begin a celebration in the travellers honour. They are offered fruit and the savages prepare a human sacrifice. Ian prevents this sacrifice and they quickly return to the TARDIS where Barbara and Vicki are waiting. They wonder whether they will have had any lasting influence on the culture.

Many years later the Seventh Doctor arrives on the planet to find that human sacrifice has continued and they worship images of his former self, Ian and the TARDIS. The Doctor makes clear that it is time for these sacrifices to finally come to an end.

Characters

 * First Doctor
 * Ian Chesterton
 * Barbara Wright
 * Seventh Doctor

Worldbuilding

 * The Doctor visits the planet Seetar in the Malachi System for the first time. He and Ian are the first space or time travellers ever to visit the planet.
 * Ian recalls reading Carter of Mars books in his youth.
 * The Doctor carries a cricket ball, but mentions he won't be needing it "just yet".

Continuity

 * The Doctor refers to his previous visit to Quinnis in the fourth universe. (TV: The Edge of Destruction)
 * Ian refers to his encounters with Daleks (TV: The Daleks, The Dalek Invasion of Earth) and Saracens. (TV: The Crusade)
 * The Doctor contemplates whether he was right to leave Susan behind on Earth after the 2150s Dalek invasion of Earth with David Campbell. (TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth)
 * When Ian sees the savages about to carry out a human sacrifice, it reminds him of the Aztecs. (TV: The Aztecs)