Doctor Who classic moments: Ace beating up a Dalek with a baseball bat is exactly as awesome as it sounds
By James Aggas
Doctor Who has given us many great moments with the companions over the years, but few quite as awesome as Ace beating up a Dalek with a baseball bat.
Along with reviewing the story itself, we’ve been unable to resist taking a deeper look at some of Remembrance of the Daleks‘s best moments. There are several scenes that are truly iconic, and in some ways, these moments reflect the show at its very best, for several different reasons.
For example, the Dalek going upstairs is a great reminder of how brilliant Doctor Who‘s cliffhangers can truly be. The scene of the Doctor discussing the nature of cause and effect over a cup of tea explores the more philosophical side of the show, as well as revealing just how alien the Doctor is. And, in the case of today’s highlight, we’ve got an example of both the show and the companion being unbelievably awesome.
When the Doctor’s companion Ace finds herself being hunted by a Dalek, she doesn’t simply run or hide until they go away. Instead, once she has even the slightest advantage, she makes sure to bash one of them in with a baseball bat. An admittedly super-powered baseball bat, but it’s still fantastic to watch, as you can see in the clip below.
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A strong impression
The first thing that leaps out is just how bold and awesome Ace is. We’ve rarely seen companions as fighters, at least to this extent. I’m not going to say that a lot of them were damsels in distress screaming for the Doctor’s help – that’s a gross oversimplification, even with just the Classic Series in mind – but we certainly hadn’t seen one fight back this much.
Well, let’s be honest – we haven’t seen a companion fight back like this in the New Series, either. Companions like Rose and Donna were strong in their own ways and they didn’t back down from a fight. We’ve even seen companions like Jack and River ready to use weapons to destroy their enemies. But we’ve rarely seen them do anything quite like what Ace does here.
Even more impressive is that this is Ace’s first trip in the TARDIS with the Doctor. She had been introduced in the previous season’s final story Dragonfire, and Remembrance of the Daleks was the opening serial for Season 25. As a result, the character was still fairly new at this point, and audiences didn’t know her too well. So seeing her smash a Dalek before avoiding its laser fire and jumping out of a window certainly left a strong impression on the audience.
In short, the reason this moment is so fondly remembered by fans to this day is, quite simply, because it’s awesome. It’s a defining moment for Ace as a character, and ensured that she would be greatly loved by fans of Doctor Who‘s final seasons of its original run – and even beyond.
Next. The first time the Daleks went upstairs on-screen. dark
Is this one of your favorite moments for Ace? Do you think it’s one of the most awesome moments for a companion? What’s your favorite moment when a companion did something amazing? Let us know in the comments below.