Top Five Big Damn Hero Moments: Steven Taylor (Doctor Who)

I feel like Steven is a companion who doesn’t quite get off the ground the way he was intended to.  He’s still enjoyable and is a feature of the TARDIS for about a season, but it’s like there’s a potential to him that gets lost somewhere, and he winds up feeling a bit undefined.  Still, he has his moments, and that’s what we’re here to talk about today (spoilers.)

Tricking the Monk (Series 2, Episode 38 – “The Time Meddler:  The Meddling Monk”)

As you’ve likely guessed by now, I love companions being clever and outwitting their enemies.  This is a particularly Doctory trick, trapping the Monk with his own words; Steven verifies that the Monk has the Doctor by “double-checking” that the Monk recalls the “decription” of the Doctor that Steven never actually gave him.  Score one for smart companions!

Trying to Divide the Drahvins (Series 3, Episode 2 – “Galaxy 4:  Trap of Steel”)

I’m also a fan of companions working to get the upper hand when they’re captured, and Steven does pretty nicely here.  Recognizing what many of the Drahvins don’t seem to – that they’re treated differently according to rank – Steven starts planting the seeds of dissent among his captors, questioning why the Drahvin soldiers aren’t entitled to the same food as their commander.

Tricking Paris (Series 3, Episode 7 – “The Myth Makers:  Small Prophet, Quick Return”)

This one’s just fun.  Steven manages to infiltrate Troy via deliberate capture by quickly and accurately sizing Paris up.  First, he recognizes that Paris isn’t truly enough of a threat to do him any damage, and secondly, he sees how to get what he wants by appealing to Paris’s ego, playing up the Greeks’ supposed tales about Paris the badass warrior.  It’s almost too easy!

Escaping the Monoids (Series 3, Episode 29 – “The Ark:  The Bomb”)

Here, Steven and his fellow captives (a few of these Big Damn Hero moments involve Steven being captured – what are companions for, amirite?) escape the Monoids thanks to a plan that Steven works up.  He does well for himself organizing and rallying a rather dispirited band of oppressed people, and he later does a fine job leading them in the search for the bomb hidden on the ship.

Reflecting the Light Gun (Series 3, Episode 40 – “The Savages:  Episode 3”)

While being chased by the Elders’ guards, Steven figures out how to use their own weapons to his advantage.  He uses what’s handy – Dodo’s mirror – to reflect the beam of the light gun back at the guard, which then allows him to exert control over the guard and not only escape capture for him and Dodo, but gain him entrance to the city.