Doctor Who: Series 16, Episodes 1-4 – “The Ribos Operation” (1978)

This serial kicked off the “Key to Time” arc, which, in typical fashion for classic Who arcs, is a series of mostly-unrelated stories very loosely connected by a linking narrative device (as also seen in “The Trial of a Time Lord” and “The Keys of Marinus.”)  The adventure additionally marks the first appearance of Romana, a kickass companion in any incarnation.

The Fourth Doctor is called by the White Guardian, a cosmic force for good in the universe, to collect the six scattered segments of the ultra-powerful Key to Time.  To assist him in this mission, a new companion is assigned to him:  Romana, an inexperienced but highly intelligent Time Lady just out of the Academy.  They, along with K9, follow their search for the first segment to the planet Ribos, where they come across a pair of grifters trying to pull a con on an arrogant young warlord.

I like this story a lot.  The grifters, Garron and Unstoffe, are both really fun, and for whatever reason, I like seeing how familiar swindler tropes are adapted for different sci-fi settings (see also, “Carnival of Monsters.”)  Their interplanetary hustle is entertaining, and I like watching them try to keep their con going amid the caprices of the mercurial Graff.

Additionally, I like sci-fi featuring differing levels of technology and space awareness.  Here, we have a number of off-worlders on a planet whose sensibilities are more medieval, and that leads to some interesting interactions.  I especially love the character of Binro the heretic, a Ribos citizen who is derided for his belief in stars; his meeting with Unstoffe is one of my favorite parts of the story.

Which is saying something for a serial that also features the introduction of Romana and her relationships with the Doctor and K9.  Right away, she’s totally awesome, imperious and frosty but at the same time not as all-knowing as she thinks she is.  While her pride in her nearly boundless book smarts is well-earned, she doesn’t have a fraction of the Doctor’s street smarts, and that can get her into trouble.

It’s a great mix of personalities, Romana’s cool reasoning and Four’s innovative improvisation.  It makes them a terrific odd-couple team who work well together as they greatly entertain.  And for a first adventure in a situation wildly outside her experience, Romana does all right for herself.  Yes, she freaks out when she finds herself in close quarters with a monster shortly after leaving the TARDIS, but she rolls well with the other dangers she encounters, learns quickly to be more discerning, and keeps her eyes on the prize—finding the segment—throughout.