The ‘Empress of Mars’ featured the return of a character that hadn’t been in the series in over four decades! But who is Alpha Centauri, and why is it so fondly remembered?
"This is Alpha Centauri. Welcome to the universe."
When I heard those words in last night’s Empress of Mars, I must admit, I felt absolute joy. And I’m sure many other classic fans felt the same. Out of all the characters that could have returned this series, I must admit, I certainly wasn’t expecting Alpha Centauri.
Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of the character before now. Voiced by Ysanne Churchman, it was only in two stories from the Classic Series, both during the Pertwee era. In fact, they were both on the same planet, Peladon.
With its large single eye and six green arms, Alpha Centauri’s physical appearance was certainly memorable. I think I like that the design potentially could have been used for a more traditionally “evil monster”. But instead, they went the exact opposite with it in terms of character. So while there were moments when characters had initially been scared of Alpha based purely on its appearance, they learned to either like it or grow annoyed with it when they got know it better.
The Curse of Peladon
The Curse of Peladon introduced Alpha Centauri in 1972. A member of the Galactic Federation, it was part of a group of delegates sent to approve Peladon’s application for membership. However, when things started to go wrong and the delegates lives were all in danger, Alpha was usually the first one to want the conference cancelled immediately. It was never the bravest of characters, it has to be said.
Alpha also displayed attitudes that came across as either prejudice or even sexist. It didn’t think much of Earth (“a remote and unattractive planet at best”, in its own words). When it later met Sarah Jane Smith, it dismissed her as being of “no importance”. (Which, considering that she was a feminist, it wasn’t a statement that Sarah Jane took too kindly to.)
The Monster of Peladon
However, despite these faults, as well as being very high strung and occasionally prone to bouts of hysteria, the hermaphroditic hexapod did eventually prove to be a good ally of the Doctor’s. When the Doctor returned to Peladon in The Monster of Peladon, it was still on the planet half a century later. Which made things rather more convenient for the Doctor and Sarah Jane when they had been captured as spies. The Doctor had meant to see the king, but he had passed away years before, and his daughter was ruling instead. Alpha was the only one who could even recognise the Doctor and therefore vouch for him.
Alpha still made mistakes, such as calling for Federation help over what was a local dispute. This effectively caused the situation to rapidly escalate rather than resolve it. But, whenever the Doctor found himself in trouble on Peladon, Alpha was there to help him. It had its faults, but it was definitely still endearing, all the same.
Expanded Media
The character has made other appearances in expanded media. Back in the New Adventures – the nineties range of novels that featured the Seventh Doctor – Alpha made an appearance in Legacy, which was once again set on Peladon. It also featured in the audio stories The Bride of Peladon and The Prisoner of Peladon. Neither of those stories featured the voice of Ysanne Churchman, however.
So obviously, when that very distinctive voice popped up in Empress of Mars, and the credits confirmed that Ysanne Churchman had indeed reprised the role, you can imagine how happy I and many other Third Doctor fans were in that moment. It was a fantastic cameo, and no matter how brief, it was a very welcome return of such a great character.
Next: A History of The Ice Warriors