"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Top Five Big Damn Hero Moments: Zoe Heriot (Doctor Who)


I love Zoe.  She’s one of the smartest people in every room, and she damn sure knows it.  As such, her best moments usually involve her being smart like a boss, bringing her analytical mind, total recall, and badass computer skills to any problem (spoilers.)


Planning to Escape the Dominators (Series 6, Episode 3 – “The Dominators:  Episode 3”)

Okay, so this plan doesn’t actually work out, but that’s because Jamie interrupts things at the last moment – it’s still a good plan.  The Dominators are forcing Zoe and the other prisoners to haul rocks for them.  Zoe, knowing that the museum is nearby with a laser gun they can use, conspires with Cully to have him pretend to be “exhausted” so he can sneak off when the Quark guards aren’t paying attention to him.  Then, once he’s in position, Zoe creates a distraction so he can fire the gun.  If Jamie hadn’t gotten in the way, there’s a good chance it would’ve worked.  Also, when Zoe is recruiting other prisoners for her plan, one argues, “Resistance will only lead to violence,” and Zoe counters with the awesome, sharp retort, “And submission leads to slavery!”


Subduing the Karkus (Series 5, Episode 9 – “The Mind Robber:  Episode 4”)

Kickass Zoe!  When she and the Doctor come across the Karkus, a character from a comic strip in her time, she uses both her knowledge of the the character and the rules of the Land of Fiction to gain the upper hand.  She matches the Karkus blow for blow, then declares him bound to serve her as his new master.


Stumping the Computer (Series 6, Episode 12 – “The Invasion:  Episode 2”)

This is a fun one, showing off both Zoe’s smarts and her personality.  See, while this is an undoubtedly-impressive moment, it’s not one that saves the day or solves any great problem.  Rather, annoyed at the computer refusing her admittance into International Electromatics, Zoe decides she's not about to be shown up by some jumped-up number-cruncher.  With great satisfaction, she pulls the classic move of offering the computer an unsolvable problem, overloading its circuits when it can’t find an answer.  I like it because she does it for no greater reason than because the computer is annoying her and she can.


Calculating the Missile Strike (Series 6, Episode 17 – “The Invasion:  Episode 7”)

Rapidfire calculations for the win!  UNIT has a ton of Cyberships bearing down on them and a limited number of missiles in which to try and stop them.  It seems hopeless, and they’re prepared to just try and shoot down what they can, but that’s not good enough for Zoe!  In 30 seconds, she calculates precisely where to aim each of the available missiles in order to start an explosive chain reaction that will take out nearly all the Cyberships, using nothing but raw data and that brilliant noggin of hers.


Navigating the Tunnels (Series 6, Episode 26 – “The Seeds of Death:  Episode 4”)

Oh, I love this one.  With Ice Warriors running around the Moonbase, it’s too dangerous to use the corridors.  So, in order to get around, Zoe and Phipps make their way through the maintenance tunnels, but Phipps, who’s supposed to be guiding them, gets turned around and then starts freaking out.  Fortunately, Zoe’s seen a map of the base and, having thus memorized it, she’s able to apply that information to the layout of the tunnels, extrapolate where they currently are and where they need to go, and then accurately guide them through.  Zoe is awesome.

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