On the eve of US Election Day I am republishing my treatment for Jodie Whittaker's first female Doctor Who story 'The Menace Within'. Some elements like the Doctor carrying a big gun were used in the portrayal of the Timeless Child monster played by Jo Martin. Other elements such as Trump winning a second consecutive term as US President did not come into fruition, but Trump could still win a second term on Tuesday.
If Chibnall had followed this outline and chosen a better actress to play the Doctor then maybe Doctor Who would still exist.
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Here is my feature length season opener for the new female Doctor. I've
concentrated mainly on setting up her relationship with her new
companion and left the other scenes and characters pertaining to the
plot to be filled out in more detail later.
Jodie S11E01 The Menace Within
The year is 2024 and Donald Trump is nearing the end of his second term
as President of the United States, which has reverted to the political
values and social ideals of 100 years earlier.
Inside the TARDIS, the recently regenerated Doctor is sitting in a
chesterfield leather chair, wearing a smoking jacket, and holding a pipe
in her right hand, watching a holographic classical music recital of
Holst's Neptune, at the side of the huge dimmed down control room complex.
The TARDIS lands, the lights brighten, and the Doctor turns off the
hologram and gets out of her chesterfield and proceeds towards to
section of the TARDIS where the control console is located.
The TARDIS interior consists of white walls filled with glowing roundels.
The walls in the sitting area have occasional hunting trophies hanging
from them, including the heads of animals native to Earth and alien
species. There are also stuffed animals and alien species standing on
labelled podiums at various positions and arranged in various poses
interspersed between ornate wooden furniture and floor standing cases
for books and various paraphernalia. One of the cases in the room
contains a collection of guns and rifles. Another contains different
types of fishing rods, nets, floats and bait. Couches, arm chairs, small
polished wooden tables, rugs, and a hat stand also adorn the floor.
Below the sitting areas is a science laboratory filled with transparent
metal and glass shelf units and cases containing various types of
equipment. One shelf unit is filled with scientific equipment including
digital multimeters, a collection of sonic screwdrivers, and an
assortment of what resemble tablet computers. Inside a section cased
with glass doors are different types of flasks, pipettes, burettes,
condensers and beakers. The shelves circle a hexagonal laboratory table
with various experiments sitting on top of it and cupboards located
underneath.
Long vertical leafed plants in large floor standing pots decorate the
corners of the entire chamber.
The control console is a large hexagonal device diagonally down to the
left from the side of the room in which the Doctor was sitting. The
laboratory is diagonally down to the right from the console and below
the aforementioned sitting area.
In the centre of the control console is an illuminated transparent
cylinder which has just stopped moving vertically in and out of the
structure. Each of the six sides of the white metallic panel it is built
into are angled downwards and contain various displays and controls like
an aircraft.
The Doctor looks at a screen built into the panel, flips a leaver and
two roundeled doors open inwards towards the console showing the view
outside, a lush green mountainous landscape containing pine trees,
waterfalls, lakes, and geezers. Brown buffalo and elk can be seen
roaming around.
The Doctor looks outside, nods, flips the leaver again, and the doors
close. She pushes another button and makes gestures with her hand above
one of the screens on the panel then walks out of a door on one side of
the control room into the TARDIS wardrobe which she has repositions to
her location, and which contains various costumes. She heads towards one
section of racks.
Meanwhile, inside a newly built scientific complex within Yellowstone
National Park, NASA is preparing to pump highly pressurized water into
the magma chamber of a Super Volcano beneath the earth in Wyoming, in
order to prevent it from erupting and causing a planetary catastrophe.
The volcano last erupted 640,000 years ago and is due to erupt again
soon, geologically speaking, since it has a period of around 700,000 years.
The water will be pumped 10km underground and when it returns will reach
a temperature of 350 C and will be used to generate power, reducing the
volcano's heat by 35% where it is thought it will no longer be a threat.
The outside door of the TARDIS opens inwards and out pops the Doctor
dressed in a shirt, and khaki waistcoat, wearing below knee length
boots, and light brown leather trousers down to just below her knees
tucked into her boots. Around her shoulders she sports a light fur lined
hooded fishing coat which matches everything else she is wearing. Slung
around her back is an elephant gun and around her waist visible beneath
the fur lined fishing coat is wrapped a belt carrying the bullets for
the gun. In one hand she is carrying a fishing rod and nets and in
another a wicker box containing her fishing tackle. She heads for the
huge lake in the distance, erects a foldable seat and starts fishing.
Various people who are present at the drilling site to witness the start
of the pumping phase, including Professor Andrew Charter who hails from
Scotland, are warning that NASA's actions will in fact cause the magma
chamber to become unstable and explode like a shaken can of fizzy drink.
The force will be greater than all the nuclear bombs in the world
simultaneously detonating and the volcanic dust released into the
atmosphere will blot out the sun, which will bring about global cooling,
which will wipe out most species from the planet. Others including
officials from Donald Trump's administration are denying this. A heated
argument breaks out with Trump representatives calamining global cooling
is good since it will cancel out global warming. Charter storms out of
the building and heads to the lake in his jeep.
At the lake the Doctor is holding her fishing rod in both hands, waiting
to feel a pull signifying a fish has been successfully baited.
Professor Andrew Charter arrives at the lake and walks towards the
Doctor still holding her rod. With his fishing gear in hand he picks a
spot by the shore next to the Doctor and sits down assembling his rod.
"Caught any fish yet?" he says. "Not yet". A conversion begins about the
renewed popularity of sports like fishing and hunting and the return to
traditional conservative values under President Trump which might be
considered a mixed blessing.
The conversation moves on to geology in which Professor Charter is a
world leading expert. He finds out that the Doctor knows much about the
subject and in some areas of geophysics more than he does. He then asks
what brings the Doctor to the park other than fishing. "I'm going in
search of Bigfoot". Charter laughs, "That explains the elephant gun."
The Doctor then asks Charter the same question. He explains about the
Super Volcano. The Doctor is astonished. She says that the scientists
need to carry out further studies before proceeding, otherwise they may
trigger a super-eruption.
Back at the NASA HQ the first drilling phase is finished. Other drilling
is still in progress.
Water starts being pumped into the magma chamber, while scientists
monitor their instruments.
At the lake, fish start behaving erratically. In the forest strange
sounds can be heard, the sound of Bigfoot according to Sasquatch trackers.
The Doctor and Charter conclude this may be the first sign of a major
eruption of the Super Volcano underneath the park, and rush to Charter's
jeep and drive towards NASA HQ.
At the gates Charter introduces the Doctor as his assistant. The guards
ask the Doctor to show her ID. She shows her genuine hunting licences.
Not those they say. The Doctor is asked to prove who she is before she
can be given a pass.
She shows her UNIT pass and tells the guards to call the number of the
United Nations. The photo is that of a man. She says she used to be a
man at the time the pass was issued. Now she's a woman. Charter laughs,
and points out that its an old London number starting 01. She says
change the 01 to the current code for central London. Charter looks at
the date the UN ID was issued and says that can't be right either. She
can't have been born in the 1970s let alone any earlier, since she looks
35. Charter is around the age of 50. The chief of the base is brought to
the gate who greets Charter and eventually calls the modified number
which is confirmed by NASA to be that of UNIT London and the Doctor's
identity is confirmed with a security code that allows her access to all
NASA centres. They all think she's some sort of funny British secret agent.
Inside the NASA base the Doctor begins talking to the scientists in
charge. She says she has the authority of the UN to stop the drilling,
and water from being pumped into the magma chamber, and this authority
can be confirmed by contacting the Secretary General. The Americans
refuse to obey her. The UN has no authority here. The Doctor borrows
Charter's phone and calls UNIT telling them where she is and that the
planet faces immanent catastrophe. They tell her that American
home-grown threats are not within their current remit after Donald Trump
pulled out of the World Presidency Council. They can only take action
under treaty in case of the discovery of alien life forms on the planet
or unnatural or unprecedented phenomenon, after they are verified.
The Doctor and Charter leave the base empty handed. While on the way out
they find out that a Bigfoot or Sasquatch has been spotted by
picnickers. Park rangers are alerted and the Doctor tells Charter that
if they were able to capture a Sasquatch it might give the UN authority
to intervene. They join the convoy of rangers.
The Doctor and her companion leave the company of the main body of park
rangers and go off in a different direction. Inside the forest they are
surrounded by a tribe of twelve foot tall, club wilding Bigfoot, who
resemble the appearance of partially hairy prehistoric men, with some
human like features and some ape like. They are semi-clothed in animal
skins.
Two of the park rangers with the Doctor and Charter are killed while
attacking the Bigfoot. The bullets they were using didn't do any serious
damage.
The Doctor, Charter, and two remaining rangers are captured. The Bigfoot
take away the Doctor's elephant gun and take them to their village in
the forest where they tie them all up.
The bodies of the dead park rangers are given to the women and children
who intend to prepare them to eat. "It'll be us next", says Charter.
"They're keeping us alive so that we will remain fresh", says the Doctor.
One of the Sasquatch fumbles around with the elephant gun, points it at
the Doctor, and pulls the trigger.
Nothing happens. The gun wasn't loaded, and the Sasquatch after swinging
it around its head in various directions, throws it away since it
doesn't make a very good club.
The Bigfoot decide to go foraging for suitable vegetables for the meal,
but one is left behind on guard, along with the women and children.
The Doctor manages to wriggle free of her bonds using regeneration
energy to shrink her hands, wrists, ankles, and feet temporarily.
Charter sees this as does the Sasquatch guarding them who attempts to
attack her with lethal force. She pulls out a concealed hand gun and
shoots it in the middle of head. It falls down and dies. The women and
children flee at the sound of the blast. The Doctor sets Charter and the
rangers free using a knife from her belongings, finds her elephant gun,
loads it, and then she, Charter, and the two rangers run and carry the
Sasquatch out of the forest to Charter's jeep. The rangers then run to
their jeep and drive off to their base.
In Charter's jeep, "You're not human are you?" says Charter. "No, and I
don't think that is either." "So what are you?" "I am a Time Lord of
Gallifrey, and as for that, an autopsy will tell us."
The Doctor and Charter take the body to what she calls her mobile
laboratory, to examine it.
They get in sight of the TARDIS. The door is on the other side. They
walk round to the door. Charter says the Sasquatch is going for be
difficult to fit inside. They enter dragging in the Bigfoot. Charter
then notices it's bigger inside than out. Charter states that they must
be underground and this must be and optical illusion. "You're right it's
an optical illusion but we're not underground. We're in another
dimension", says the Doctor.
The Doctor performs an autopsy on the Sasquatch after they have laid its
body on the lab table. She picks up one of the tablets from a glass
shelf. "Medical tablet", she says after looking at the image of the
insides of the creature on the screen of the tablet. "Not very hand's
on." She passes the medical tablet to Carter and takes out some scissors
and scalpels and dissects the beast, pointing out the Charter which part
is which and the role it performs in the body.
Charter points the tablet at the Doctor and it reveals she has two hearts.
"So why is your laboratory shaped like a Police Box." "It's a type of
camouflage. It's stuck in this form because it malfunctioned and Police
Box's were near enough the only skins which didn't get corrupted."
"Can't you get them back or create some more?" "Too difficult."
"Download some more then." "I can only do that from my home planet and
I'm not on good terms with my people at the moment. Making contact will
notify them where I am." "So you're a fugitive." "You could say that. I
didn't want to live inside their bureaucratic system which forbids
interference with universal evolution, and yet is totally hypocritical,
since that's all they ever do. I wanted to explore and study the
universe, as a scientific adventurer you might say." "So have you been
to many other worlds". "So many now I've now totally lost count". "I
wouldn't mind accompanying you on a field trip some time".
Meanwhile the Park Rangers hearing the story from their colleges intend
to seek revenge for their fallen comrades, and go out in large numbers
into the forest, find dismembered bodies and cleaved bones, capture
several large tribes of Bigfoot, and cage them inside a warehouse near
the NASA compound. The different Bigfoot tribes start fighting each
other and the rangers take bets on who will win.
The Doctor concludes that the Bigfoot is the missing link between humans
and their great ape ancestors. She names the species Homo Ameripithecus
Yellostonensis, then telephones UNIT. UNIT confirms that the Bigfoot are
within their remit, but the Super Volcano is not.
Later on in the night Environmentalists and Animal Rights activists who
have long known about the Bigfoot that inhabit the park, and have been
protecting their secret, set the Bigfoot tribes free from captivity and
funnel them towards NASA HQ.
The collective tribes of Bigfoot storm NASA HQ and damage the pumping
control system causing the magma chamber to become critical. As the day
dawns geezers start bursting up all over the park causing tourists to
flee and Sasquatch to come out into the open. Magma starts to pour
through fissures. Forests catch fire and the whole park is filled with
escaping Sasquatch and panicking Homo Sapiens.
Bigfoot tribes attack nearby towns. The Doctor says that UNIT will deal
with them. What's more important is stopping the super volcano from
erupting.
Back at NASA base the US National Guard have been called out and are
shooting down Sasquatch with heavy weapons. Eventually the Bigfoot are
contained to the perimeter of the building as the Doctor and Charter
arrive in his jeep, the Doctor using her elephant gun to shoot Bigfoot
running towards them. They make it to the base and gain entry. The pumps
are shut down.
Inside the complex Charter explains that the magma chamber is behaving
like can of carbonated soft drink, which has just been shaken, with
vapour bubbles being created everywhere, and these bubbles causing
others to nucleate around them so that the can is filled with
undissolved highly pressurised gas, which if there are any fissures will
explode driving out the contents with it as a fountain of liquid and
foam. Charter asks the Doctor to elaborate. "Gas bubbles tend to
accumulate in the upper layers of magma reservoirs, which are only a few
kilometres beneath the earth’s surface, building up pressure that can
then be abruptly liberated by eruption. These bubbles mainly contain
water vapour but also sulphur. Such volcanic eruptions can be extremely
powerful and spew an enormous amount of ash and sulphur to the surface.
We've known for some time that gas bubbles play a major role in such
events, but we had only been able to speculate on how they accumulate in
magma reservoirs." Correct says Charter. "So, how would you stop it from
erupting Doctor"?
"You tell me professor, you're a leading authority". "Does anyone here
have two can's of soft drink?" They find two soft drinks and Charter
shakes both cans and hands one to a technician to hold still, while he
himself taps on the sides of his own can. "Open the can." On Charter's
command both open their cans. The technician opens his can and the drink
froths and spurts out like a volcanic eruption. At the same time,
Charter after stopping his tapping, opens his can and the drink only
slightly froths. "So if the volcano is like this can of soft drink,
tapping on it like I just did brings the bubbles to the top to form one
huge pocket of gas which slows down the formation of other bubbles
nucleating around it, due to it's increased volume to surface area
ratio, thus it will reduce the force when the volcano erupts by taming
the menace within. Therefore we need to precisely detonate several
variable yield nuclear bombs to have any chance of survival. The B61-12
could to the trick. Otherwise the entire park will explode and the force
of those bombs will be nothing compared to the force of the eruption and
the global environmental catastrophe that will ensue when the dust cloud
blocks out the sun." The Doctor offers to calculate the bomb yields, the
best positions for placing the bombs to direct the blast, and the
intervals between detonations. The Doctor also points out that a vent is
needed to relieve the pressure after the gas bubbles have consolidated
at the top of the magma chamber, otherwise the gas will continue to be a
threat if it cannot dissolve.
The US President Donald Trump is contacted to authorize the use of
nuclear weapons.
The area surrounding Yellowstone National Park is evacuated. Activists
want to save the Bigfoot but are told at gunpoint to leave the area or
lethal force will be used against them, since there isn't any time to
lose. The Environmentalists and Animal Rights extremists only have
themselves to blame.
The bombs are planted, and are detonated from a distant remote control
centre in a corner of which stands the TARDIS.
A huge eruption takes place in the centre of the Park and dies down with
land fissures eruptions and geezers flaring and dying down around the
perimeter. The Doctor and Charter look at the readings from the
instruments. The pressure in the Super Volcano has been safely released.
The scientists in the NASA control room watching the proceedings on
screens cheer and start hugging each other.
The Doctor and Charter head for the TARDIS and enter unobserved. It
dematerialises.
Inside the sitting area the Doctor erects and labels the stuffed body of
Homo Ameripithecus Yellostonensis.
"It's a piety we couldn't catch any fish, Doctor." Charter says.
"Too bad, I'm feeling really hungry," says the Doctor. How about we go
fishing somewhere else." "Where do you have in mind," asks Charter.
The Doctor activates the 3D holographic projection screen in the TARDIS
control room. "How about this place?" she says, looking at the
projection of a huge fishing lake in an alien environment. "You told me
earlier you wanted to study the geology of alien planets. Now here's
your chance to enjoy yourself." The TARDIS lands, the Doctor opens the
main doors, and they both walk out into an uncharted alien world.
>>>THE END<<<
-- The True Doctor https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCngrZwoS0n21IRcXpKO79Lw"To be woke is to be uninformed which is exactly the opposite of what it stands for." -William Shatner
On the eve of US Election Day, The Menace Within