Doctor Newly Regenerated

Ben Jackson and Polly Wright have just watched The Doctor collapse to the floor of the TARDIS and before their very eyes change from one person to another. Polly at first is happy to accept that this stranger is The Doctor but, with Ben convinced that he is an impostor, they are both left uncertain as to the true identity of the younger man now before them.

Meanwhile the TARDIS arrives on the Earth colony planet Vulcan. On leaving the TARDIS the newly regenerated Doctor takes a stroll through the mercury swamps. But he soon discovers that he is not alone when he witnesses the murder of an Earth Examiner, who has been sent to the human colony based on the planet. On investigating the body The Doctor discovers a pass badge allowing him unrestricted access to the colony and so when the Deputy Governor Quinn and Head of Security Bragen appear, The Doctor assumes the dead man's identity.

The Doctor, along with his two companions, is escorted back to the colony where they discover that the colony has been built on the site of a 200-year crashed space capsule. But despite all the efforts of Chief Scientist Lesterson, the colonists have apparently been unable to gain access.

The Newly Regenerated Doctor

The Doctor’s curiosity about the space capsule gets the better of him and so, when he and his companions have been left alone, they sneak back to Lesterson's laboratory and manage to get inside the crashed spaceship. Inside The Doctor is shocked to discover two apparently dead Daleks and evidence that a third has already been removed… Realising the danger the colony is in The Doctor tries in vain to warn Bragen about the missing Dalek and that he suspects that Chief Scientist Lesterson may be trying to reactivate it. But his warnings are ignored.

The Doctor’s suspicions are proved to be correct when, with the help of Resno and Janley, he manages to reactivate the third Dalek - that he has had hidden away. However, the Dalek shoots Resno dead forcing Lesterson to remove the gun stick from the Dalek.

Is This Really The Doctor?

When Lesterson shows the reactivated Dalek to the leaders of the colony he is relieved when the Dalek claims to be the colony’s servant. However, a more significant event occurs – Ben witnesses the fact that the Dalek recognises The Doctor and so from that point on Ben believes he really is The Doctor.

After reactivating and removing the gun sticks from the other two Daleks they too claim to be the colony’s servants. However, the time travellers soon discover that there seem to be more than three Daleks in the colony confirming their suspicions that the Daleks have a far more malevolent agenda. The Doctor again tries to warn the colony’s leaders that the Daleks are dangerous and that they are breeding. But believing that the Daleks are just machines, and so can not breed, they do not believe him.

Unbeknown to the humans the Dalek’s space capsule contains a Dalek manufacturing unit and, using power supplied from the colony, it is producing a whole army of Daleks so as to take over the colony. When the truth is finally revealed about the Daleks a battle begins but it soon becomes clear that the Daleks have far greater fire power and have far greater numbers than the colonists realised.

Ben and Polly are Dumbfounded

Clearly outnumbered The Doctor has to find a way of destroying the Daleks and to shut down the Dalek production line. He manages to do this, with the help of Lesterson, by turning the Dalek’s power source against them.

Now free of the Dalek threat it is revealed that Bragen, in an attempt to seize command of the colony, killed the Earth Examiner. When Bragen makes a further attempt to regain power Valmar kills him.

Leaving Quinn and Valmar to rebuild the colony Ben, Polly and The Doctor head back to the TARDIS. But as the TARDIS dematerialises the eyestalk of a nearby crushed Dalek slowly rises…