Production 6G: "Terminus" (February 15-23, 1983) - Classic Doctor Who Season 20 Review
The TARDIS crew faces heartbreak as beloved companion Nyssa of Traken makes her emotional departure from the Doctor's travels. After narrowly escaping the Black Guardian's schemes in the previous adventure, the Fifth Doctor, Tegan, and newly-arrived Turlough find themselves trapped aboard Terminus - a massive deteriorating space station serving as a quarantine facility and leper colony for victims of the incurable and dreaded Lazar's disease (also known as Lazars' Syndrome). This plague causes horrific decay and degeneration, with sufferers banished to Terminus where the mysterious robotic Vanir administer inadequate treatment using controlled doses of radiation from the station's unstable engines.
As the Doctor investigates Terminus's terrible secret - that the station sits at the exact center of the known universe and may have caused the Big Bang itself - compassionate Nyssa witnesses the suffering of countless Lazar victims denied proper care. In a stunning character-defining moment, Sarah Sutton's Nyssa chooses to leave the TARDIS forever, dedicating her scientific knowledge and Trakenite healing abilities to finding a genuine cure for Lazar's disease and providing humane treatment to the abandoned plague victims. Her selfless sacrifice represents one of Classic Doctor Who's most noble companion exits.
Join podcaster John S. Drew and acclaimed writer/editor Jim Beard as they master time and space, delivering comprehensive reviews of every Classic Doctor Who serial. In this bittersweet Season 20 analysis, they discuss the poignant farewell to Nyssa after two and a half seasons of adventures, critique how writer Stephen Gallagher and script editor Eric Saward frustratingly sideline both Turlough and Tegan throughout the serial (reducing them to passive observers despite being featured cast), and highlight the desperate need for stronger script editing to tighten Steve Gallagher's ambitious but unfocused and meandering narrative that struggles to balance cosmic mythology with human drama.
Jim candidly admits he will genuinely miss Nyssa's presence and Sarah Sutton's consistently excellent performances, but acknowledges her departure feels appropriately timed - her character role had been significantly diminished throughout Season 20 as the crowded TARDIS team left insufficient story material for her scientific expertise and compassionate nature to shine. The Black Guardian Trilogy continues with cosmic stakes and emotional consequences.
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Hashtags: #DoctorWho #ClassicDoctorWho #FifthDoctor #PeterDavison #Terminus #Season20 #Nyssa #SarahSutton #NyssaDeparture #CompanionExit #FarewellNyssa #Turlough #MarkStrickson #TeganJovanka #JanetFielding #BlackGuardianTrilogy #LazarsDisease #LazarsSyndrome #SpaceStation #BigBang #UniverseOrigin #StephenGallagher #EricSaward
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