The Krotons

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The Krotons is a Doctor Who story from 1968–1969, featuring the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) with his companions Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Zoe (Wendy Padbury). It was shown in four episodes.

On a distant planet, the Gond people live under the control of the Krotons, crystalline aliens who harvest the brightest Gond minds as “companions.” Thara, son of the Gond leader Selris, suspects something is wrong and questions the system.

The Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe arrive just as one of the chosen companions, Abu, is vaporised, and they work to warn the Gonds and expose the Krotons’ danger. The Krotons’ power comes from a Dynatrope and its teaching machines, which have kept Gond society in ignorance for years.

The Doctor and Zoe are chosen as “high brains” to help power the Kroton ship, while Jamie is captured. Inside the Dynatrope, two Krotons are created from chemical vats, and a power struggle ensues among Gond leaders. Eelek and Axus push for war, while Selris tries to avoid fighting.

The truth emerges: the Krotons transfer mental power into energy, using it to sustain themselves. To defeat them, the Gonds attack the ship from underneath and the Doctor and Zoe, inside the Dynatrope, work to disrupt the Krotons’ power. Outside, Jamie and Beta strike the ship’s support structure with sulfuric acid. The attacks destroy the Krotons and their craft, the Dynatrope dissolves, and the Gonds are freed. Thara is chosen to lead, and the Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe return to the TARDIS.

Production notes: The story was written by Robert Holmes and directed by David Maloney, with Terrance Dicks as script editor. It was filmed on locations including the Malvern Hills. Philip Madoc guest-starred as Eelek, with James Cairncross as Beta. The serial was produced as an emergency replacement and became a memorable entry of the era.

Reception and legacy: Episode 1 drew high viewing figures (around nine million), but the overall reception was mixed, with some viewers finding the Krotons’s creatures a bit silly, though others praised the atmosphere, pacing, and performances. A novelisation by Terrance Dicks appeared in 1985, and the story has since been released on VHS and DVD, with a soundtrack edition released in 2008.