Login or register
TV
<-- Previous EpisodeNext Episode -->

Doctor Who: The Sontaran Stratagem (1)

The Doctor reunites with Martha and UNIT as he and Donna face off against the clone hordes of a Sontaran invasion fleet


8.6/10 (21 Votes cast)

Episode Info


Episode number: 4x4
Airdate: Saturday April 26th, 2008
Special Airtime: 06:20 pm


Alternate Airdates:

US (BBC America) May 16, 2008
NL (Sci-Fi) Jul 01, 2009

Starring Roles
Freema AgyemanFreema Agyeman
As Martha Jones
Recurring

Guest Stars
Bernard CribbinsBernard Cribbins
As Wilfred Mott
Recurring
Jacqueline King (1)Jacqueline King (1)
As Sylvia Noble
Recurring
Ryan SampsonRyan Sampson
As Luke Rattigan
Recurring
Rupert Holliday-EvansRupert Holliday-Evans
As Colonel Mace
Recurring
Christopher RyanChristopher Ryan
As General Staal
Recurring
Dan StarkeyDan Starkey
As Commander Skorr
Recurring
Clive StandenClive Standen
As Private Harris
Recurring
Wesley TheobaldWesley Theobald
As Private Gray
Recurring
Christian Cooke (3)Christian Cooke (3)
As Ross Jenkins
Recurring
Eleanor MatsuuraEleanor Matsuura
As Jo Nakashima
Rad KaimRad Kaim
As Worker
Elizabeth Ryder (1)Elizabeth Ryder (1)
voiced Atmos Voice
Main Cast
David TennantDavid Tennant
As The Tenth Doctor
Catherine TateCatherine Tate
As Donna Noble

Recap

At the Rattigan Academy, students haul reporter Jo Nakashima outside and toss her out with her papers. Their leader, Luke Rattigan, is unimpressed and she gets into her car bearing an ATMOS sticker. Inside the academy, Luke recommends to an unseen ally that Jo be disposed of. Jo is driving to UNIT and trying to call in her story, while following her ATMOS car’s GPS instructions. She ends up on the riverfront and the ATMOS system takes over her car, locks Jo in, and drives into the river...

Read the full recap
Episode Notes
Following a request by the United Nations, UNIT is now known as the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, rather than the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce.



Episode Quotes
General Staal: Remember your status, boy. We do not take orders from humans.
Luke Rattigan: I said "recommend."
General Staal: Then your advice shows military wisdom. She will be terminated.
Luke Rattigan: Cool.

The Doctor: Getting a bit too close to the 1980s.
Donna: What am I gonna do, put a dent in it?
The Doctor: Well, someone did...

General Staal: (observing the UNIT soldiers) Observe their troops. Thin fabrics. Exposed skin. Feeble weapons. These are toy soldiers. The playthings of children.

Martha: That's why I thought we needed an expert.
The Doctor: Really? Who did you get?
(everyone looks at him)
The Doctor: Oh right me, yes.

Private Harris: Someone's growing a body. A human body.
General Staal: Excellent skills of deduction. I would rate you above average, soldier. Well done. (to Private Gray) Whereas you… you smell of sweat and fear.
Private Harris: Yeah? Well, we're not the ones who got out of school early, sonny. Now stop playing Humpty Dumpty and tell us who you are.
General Staal: Is that a reference to my height?
Private Harris: Short answer: yes.
General Staal: A pity. Words are the weapons of womenfolk. I must judge you unfit.
Private Harris: What you gonna do? Bite our ankles?
(Staal shoots Harris in the ankle, crippling him)
Private Gray: I'm warning you!
General Staal: A proper soldier gives no warning. Fire. I order you. Fire! (Gray pulls the trigger but the gun doesn't work) The room is contained within a cordolane signal, exciting the copper surface of the bullet and causing expansion within the barrel, rendering your guns useless and your radio signals have been blocked.
(Staal cripples Gray)
Private Gray: My legs. I can't feel my legs.
General Staal: I apologise for disabling you. Death has more honour, but you are needed for the stratagem.

Martha: Do they know where you are, your family? I mean, that you're travelling with the Doctor?
Donna: Not really. Although, my granddad sort of waved us off, but I didn't have time to explain.
Martha: You just left him behind.
Donna: Yeah.
Martha: I didn't tell my family. Kept it all so secret, and it almost destroyed them.
Donna: In what way?
Martha: They ended up imprisoned, they were tortured. My mum, my dad, my sister. It wasn't the Doctor's fault but you need to be careful. 'Cause you know the Doctor is wonderful, he's brilliant, but he's like fire. Stand too close and people get burnt.

Colonel Mace: According to the records, you travel by TARDIS.
The Doctor: Yeah, but if there is a danger of hostile aliens, I think it's better to keep a super-duper time machine away from the front lines.
Colonel Mace: I see, so you do have weapons but you choose to keep them hidden.

The Doctor: And your name?
General Staal: General Staal, of the tenth Sontaran fleet. Staal the Undefeated!
The Doctor: Oh, that's not a very good nickname. What if you do get defeated, "Staal: The Not-So-Undefeated Anymore But Never Mind"?
Ross Jenkins: It’s like a potato, baked potato, talking baked potato.
The Doctor: Now, Ross, don't be rude, you look like a pink weasel to him.

Luke Rattigan: How… do you tell each other apart?
General Staal: We say the same of humans.

Commander Skorr: Tell me, boy, how many ATMOS devices have been installed?
Luke Rattigan: They've gone worldwide but only about half.
General Staal: Which means four hundred million cars converted. A fine arsenal.
Commander Skorr: Is it sufficient to trigger the conversion?
Luke Rattigan: More than enough, yeah, and that test signal proves that it works. Fifty-two deaths in the same second, man, that was just so cool!
General Staal: Is the temperature significant?
Luke Rattigan: No… it's just a phrase.

General Staal: There is an enemy of the Sontarans known as the Doctor. A face-changer.
Luke Rattigan: Do you mean he's an alien too?
General Staal: Legend says he led the battle in the Last Great Time War. The finest war in history and we weren't allowed to be part of it. Oh, but this is excellent! The last of the Time Lords will die at the hands of the Sontaran Empire in the ruins of his precious Earth!



Episode References
The Doctor often encountered UNIT in Doctor Who, and when the Third Doctor was trapped on Earth he worked with UNIT to stop alien invasions and foil insidious alien plots.

The Sontarans were a recurring enemy in Doctor Who, appearing in 4 serials; The Time Warrior, The Sontaran Experiment, The Invasion Of Time and The Two Doctors.

Martha's fiancee, Tom Milligan, was the Doctor who helped Martha in Last Of The Time Lords.



Other Episode Crew

Executive ProducerRussell T. Davies  |  Phil Collinson  |  Julie Gardner (1)
ProducerSusie Liggat
Production DesignerMichael Edward Thomas (3)
EditorMike Hopkins
CastingAndy Pryor
First Assistant DirectorFrancesco Reidy
Second Assistant DirectorJennie Fava
MusicMurray Gold
Costume DesignerLouise Page
Make-upSteve Smith (8)  |  John Munro (2)  |  Pam Mullins
GripJohn Robinson (3)
Camera OperatorJames Moss
Set DecoratorJoelle Rumbelow
Location ManagerJonathan Allott
Production CoordinatorJess Van Niekerk
Supervising Sound EditorPaul McFadden
GafferMark Hutchings
On-Line EditorMatthew Clarke (2)  |  Mark Bright (2)
Director of PhotographyRory Taylor
Stunt CoordinatorTom Lucy
Production SecretaryKevin Myers
Storyboard ArtistShaun Williams
Assistant Production CoordinatorDebi Griffiths
Post Production CoordinatorMarie Brown (2)
Production ManagementDebbi Slater
Special EffectsWill Cohen (3)
Script EditorNikki Smith (2)
Dubbing MixerTim Ricketts
Sound RecordistBrian Milliken
ChoreographerAlisa Berk
Third Assistant DirectorSarah Davies
Costume SupervisorLindsay Bonaccorsi
Boom OperatorJeff Welch
Art Department CoordinatorAmy Pope
Visual Effects CoordinatorRebecca Johnson (2)  |  Jenna Powell
Main Title ThemeRon Grainer
Visual Effects SupervisorDavid Houghton
Production AccountantOliver Ager
Camera AssistantTom Hartley
Best BoyPeter Chester
Visual Effects ProducerMarie Jones (2)
Special Effects SupervisorDanny Hargreaves
Production ExecutiveJulie Scott (2)
Unit ManagerRhys Griffiths
ColoristMick Vincent
Assistant Costume DesignerRose Goodhart
Special Effects CoordinatorBen Ashmore
ContinuityNon Eleri Hughes
Focus PullerSteve Rees
Prop BuyerSue Jackson Potter
Supervising Art DirectorStephen Nicholas  |  Arwel Wyn Jones
Standby Art DirectorAlexandra Merchant
Construction ManagerMatthew Hywel-Davies
Standby PropsPhill Shellard  |  Nick Murray (2)
Floor RunnerHeddi Joy Taylor
Art Department Production ManagerJonathan Allison
Associate DesignerJames North
Design AssistantAl Roberts
Scenic ArtistJohn Whalley
Sound Special Effects EditorPaul Jefferies
Make-up DesignerBarbara Southcott
VFX EditorCeres Doyle
Created ByRobert Holmes
 
Episode Trailer
   
Flash

Samuel L. Jackson Will Host The 2012 BET Awards

He's been known by many names. John Shaft. Jules Winfield. Mace Windu. Nick Fury...

Reelz Channel Picks Up US Rights To Pillars Of The Earth Sequel

Last year, premium cable channel Starz aired an eight hour mini-series..

MSNBC.com To Become Liberal Political News Hub?

If you've ever wondered what the MS in MSNBC stands for, it's short for Microsoft...
TVrage Footer