In the second story of ‘Classic Doctors, New Monsters’, the Fifth Doctor is taken back to a time of war, fighting an ancient enemy, in ‘Empire of the Racnoss’!
For anyone who remembers Tenth Doctor Christmas special The Runaway Bride, one thing that stood out about the Racnoss was that they were supposed to have been extinct for millennia. More than that – it was the Doctor’s own people who had wiped them out. So it’s almost surprising that we’re getting another Racnoss story at all! But that’s exactly what Classic Doctors, New Monsters Volume 2 gives us.
Thankfully, Empire of the Racnoss avoids repeating The Runaway Bride and doesn’t simply focus on another survivor of that war. Instead, it takes the more interesting approach of the Fifth Doctor summoned back to the war itself. I was a little bit surprised how easily it was done. I thought something that involved the ancient history of the Time Lords would be time locked, like the Time War. Then again, pre-Time War Gallifrey seemed relatively easy to get to in Twelfth Doctor episode Listen. So it was something I wasn’t too bothered by.
One thing I particularly enjoyed about this story was how it explored a race like the Racnoss at their prime. In The Runaway Bride, we saw only one survivor, and her single ship was dangerous enough to almost destroy the Earth. In Empire of the Racnoss, we see a lot more of their race. Their hierarchy, their code of honour, even their relationships.
The rulers of the Racnoss
BBC
In fact, Racnoss relationships are very much the heart of this story. There is a lot of drama going on between the rulers of the empire, and it’s causing a civil war. Something the Racnoss really don’t need when they’re already fighting the Time Lords. How these two rulers act towards each other and why essentially forms the basis of this story.
I like that, for a story told on as large of a scale as a galactic war, there’s an intimate focus on two individual Racnoss. It adds just a little bit more depth and fleshes them out more as a race. Of course, when we first saw the Racnoss back in 2006, they didn’t seem to be particularly friendly. This still remains true. We might feel some sympathy for the Racnoss in this story, but they still show themselves to be quite the ruthless race. Especially with each other.
A very moral Doctor
This is a really good story for Davison’s Doctor, too. The Fifth Doctor is at his best when he’s trying to do the right thing, especially when it’s almost impossible. When every side is as bad as the other, and there are very few people who even want his help. The Fifth Doctor to me isn’t just a strongly moral Doctor, he’s a desperately moral Doctor, too.
In some ways, he shares a lot in common with Eight. In fact, with Five in the middle of a Time Lord war, there’s a lot of very noticeable foreshadowing of the Time War. It’s still a long time away from his perspective, but it’s nice to have some nods to it.
Empire of the Racnoss may not be my favourite of Classic Doctors, New Monsters Volume 2. As much as I enjoy the character focus, some moments come across as closer to soap opera than space opera. But overall, it’s a great look at a race that we only briefly saw in the New Series. It also suits the Fifth Doctor rather well.
Next: Review: ‘Classic Doctors, New Monsters Volume 2: Night of the Vashta Nerada’