Galaxy 4 marks the debut of Hartnells third season and is widely regarded to be the first episode on par with good science fiction. The Doctor, Steven and Vicki land on a mysterious planet. After encountering some silly but not cringeworthy robots which they dub 'the Chumblies', they soon discover that the planet is the scene of a faction war between two shipwrecked alien crews. First they meet the Drahvins, consisting of Maaga and her army of female clone soldiers, which give the episode a sort of exploitation sci-fi feel. As the aggressive Maaga starts showing her true nature, the Doctor and his crew seek the alliance of the other faction - the mysterious Rills. As with the origins of the Toymaker, it is the very mystery of the Rills that makes this episode so interesting to watch. Their superior intelligence makes them understand that their appearance might come as disturbing to other alien species. Thus, the narrative justifies the lack of budget and its for the better that fans dont really see the Rills in their full repulsive glory. This is educational sci-fi at its best. First of all, while everyone loves the Daleks, this may be a greater attempt at creating a monster thats truly alien or, at least, as different as possible from being human. Secondly, the evil Drahvins are hot clones while the benevolent Rills are made to resemble Lovecraftian monsters. Galaxy 4 is an obvious tale about individuality and its a successfully entertaining one at that. The only surviving part, Airlock, gives us a good glimpse at the superior art direction and, sadly, leaves us wanting more. Fortunately, this one remains a strong enough episode even in its current missing form.
Adrian Serban lives in Bucharest, Romania where he has studied screenwriting and film criticism. But it's not all about artsy European dramas for him, as he's also a fan of horrors, kung-fu flicks and sci-fi films of all eras. Monty Python and Doctor Who are two British institutions that changed his life for the better. Or so he thinks.
