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The Sontarans
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Was watching AGMGTW and was wondering, following Dan Starkey's performance in that and subsequent stories, could the Sontaran's ever be taken seriously again, in particular, Dan Starkey.
Starkey's role on the TSS and TPS was as psychopathic as a Sontaran should be but now, as much as I absolutely love him as part of the Paternoster Gang, as a Sontaran trooper (The Time of the Doctor) he is reduced to comedy entertainment.
What do you think?
Starkey's role on the TSS and TPS was as psychopathic as a Sontaran should be but now, as much as I absolutely love him as part of the Paternoster Gang, as a Sontaran trooper (The Time of the Doctor) he is reduced to comedy entertainment.
What do you think?
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Keep some of the humour surrounding his character, but adding a bit of pathos.
In parts the story showed the Sontarans using brilliant military strategy, incredible personal strength and combat prowess, ruthless and selfless dedication to the Sontaran cause and a highly developed sense of honour. They were a force to be reckoned with both physically and mentally and it really restored my faith in Sontarans, to be honest.
Since when do the Sontarans in any way, become friends with the Doctor? They hate him, because he always seems to have some way of thwarting their plans. I mean, Strax? Getting pally with the Eleventh Doctor?
Doctor Who was mostly, not comedy like in the days before Chris Eccleston and so on. Yes, there were at times, a few jokes and funny moments thrown in, but they were far and few between.
One bit that I do find funny, was when Peri said to the Doctor, "Doctor. Do stop talking in riddles." Or, "Doctor, you're talking in riddles again." Good bit from 1985, that. Not sure what story it was from. Anyone know?
No. They were all Robert Holmes's idea back in 1973.
I think a bit of the appeal of the sontarans is that they're not the apocalypse. They're not sold as the ultimate evil in the same way as the daleks are - they're very good at what they do, and what they do is war, but they're also people, and they're strategists, and they're fallible. You get more dynamic range with sontarans. Strax is just one sontaran, who falls on a particular side of that spectrum.
Even if Strax does end up diminishing the sontarans, I think Vastra would enhance the silurians, so it's sort of swings and roundabouts. The silurians' schtick is that they're people, not monsters. In Vastra, we've been shown it, rather than told it.
You forget the two Strax clones from the Time of the Doctor, who where played for laughs. I just think they may have been reduced to comedy relief.
No, Robert Holmes
Fortunately this amusing exchange was between Terrance Dicks and Robert Holmes and Holmes took the basic idea and invented the whole race and background history.
I know Strax is basically a comedy foil but he's now so well established as a character in his own right that I really can't see any problem if the Sontaran race was to make a return as honest to goodness baddies again.
All the monsters were ludicrous. The wooden cyberman, the angel in the mirror - they were specifically there to be thwarted. The sontarans had personalities, so they could spout sillier lines, but that doesn't mean that's all they'll do for the rest of time.
Besides, the Sontaran Stratagem and the Poison Sky played them fairly straight and still got mileage out of their abruptness and completely disinterest in human nicety. I'd also say that a lot of Strax's humour is in being a fish out of water. If he recommended a full frontal assault with automated laser monkeys, scalpel mines and acid aboard a sontaran ship, it's still an entertaining list but rather less ridiculous. And it doesn't matter how many silly lines they get, if a little troll kills one of the Doctor's friends all that gloating gets a lot less funny very quickly.
http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/unpopular-opinion-strax-60771.htm
No didn't but I can see why you asked the question.
The whole issue only popped into my head yesterday afternoon after watching AGMGTW.
Spooky!!
Its called mixing things up a bit. Showing some variety. There is no place for simplistic notions of good and evil in modern drama. That stuff belongs in a pantomime. Audiences have matured. There is no reason why Strax cant team up with the doctor in the same way as there's nothing to stop a 'good' character going 'bad'. Which incidentally is something that I'm surprised hasn't really occurred in New Who. Keeps the viewers on there toes. Do we really want goodies vs baddies obviousness week after week? Where is the drama in that?
You can't group a whole race together in term's of their belief's or decision's. Despite the fact that they are all clones they, just like human's all have different experiences which shape their opinions and the way they see the world. He was obviously a fully fledged member of the sontaran army at one point, and may well have believed the notion that they should all hate the doctor, but since that time, his experiences as a forced nurse, and fighting alongside the doctor, mellowed him against other races, and taught him the doctor was a good man
What I like about the Sontarans (I suppose it hasn't really always been the case) is that they'e not out for power, or to get revenge, or any of that - they have a war that they must win, and the rest of the universe is justified collateral damage.
Yep, go along with that. The moment where Strax attacks Vastra in TNOTD worked well. I think from their first story there was quite a lot of sly humour in there (Well, it IS Robert Holmes who created them. Even The Two Doctors with the rather naff lanky Sontarans had a fair amount of humour) and Strax really works as a great character. Rewatched The Crimson Horror today, and he contributed well to what I personally think is a TERRIFIC story. Think it'll join the likes of The Romans, Carnival of Monsters, Androids of Tara, The Unicorn and the Wasp and The Lodger when I'm in a "what purely FUN story do I fancy watching" mood
No reason to think the bulk of other Sontarans are any less dangerous than they were because of Strax.
That's not really the point of the thread.
Of course Sontarans can be written in a ruthless as ever, the point is, has the current writing for Sontarans and the sole use of Dan Starkey and his performance turned them into a bit of a joke?