Target: Arc of Infinity

Back to familiar Terrance Dicks territory now. This is one of what I call his 'conscientious' efforts - he fills in the plot holes, but he can't make it into a good story. As with some of his other later efforts, every change of scene is painstakingly followed, which makes for a choppy, unsettling narrative. Back in the day he didn't hesitate to run scenes together if it told the story better.

Omega's image in the opening scene is negative because he's not in his proper universe.

There aren't so many backpackers nowadays, the narrator tells us, since the police started cracking down on crimes like being young and hard-up. A rather different attitude from the one shown by TD towards the 'spaceniks' in Invisible Enemy!

Robin's passport was stolen, not lost. Colin doesn't want to sleep in the crypt because he's seen too many horror films featuring young people foolishly spending the night in such places.

Talor's last words are 'An impulse laser?' Later we're told that Damon also tried to get the Castellan to take action over the data protection issues, but got the brush-off.

The Ergon resembles a lizard-man (not a chicken).

The scene where Maxill threatens to arrest Damon is a little bit less antagonistic - Maxill is more concerned to justify himself. Not much more though.

Robin's day of shock after Colin's initial disappearance is expanded a bit (on screen we just see him sitting on the steps outside the crypt).

Staser is spelt 'stasar' throughout.

Nyssa is surprised at the Doctor's manner with the Council, the manner of someone among equals - until she remembers that he's a former President.

The place to which Damon takes Nyssa for a talk is a 'recreation lounge'. I shall continue to think of it as 'Dimensions', the Gallifreyan bistro.

Maxil is told that it's very few who get to supervise the termination of a Time Lord (not destruction).

After stunning the guards, Nyssa sets her staser back to 'kill' - she really is ready to kick some High Council arse.

The execution procession passes various unhappy Gallifreyans - the news of the Doctor's arrival and condemnation has spread fast.

When Nyssa tells the Doctor that she's taking another staser 'just in case', she adds 'I'll set it on stun.' This is what I mean by conscientiously filling in the holes.

Hedin steps in front of the Doctor to take the staser blast because he knows that Omega can't complete his plan if the Doctor dies. If he has any nobler motive it's not mentioned.

Omega does not say to Tegan, 'Tell him the precise location and you will die.' It's just a plain silence-or-death threat.

The climactic scene in Omega's TARDIS is wrapped up better: Tegan reports finding Robin and Colin, and that the former will take the latter to hospital. The Doctor then says they've got to find Omega, before it's too late.

In the phone-box scene, Nyssa has a look through her own pockets, but can only find three very oddly-shaped coins.

The narrator points out that the Doctor and Nyssa are wasting their time going round the youth hostels, because neither Colin nor Tegan actually stayed in one. This is odd, because the search does eventually lead to some information.

Tegan gives us closure on Robin as well as Colin - the former is going home, and has even been provided with a new passport. Again, it's nice to have the loose ends tied up, but the thing preventing me from enjoying this story wasn't that I was worried about what happened to Robin.

The Doctor's look of dismay when he hears that Tegan wants to rejoin the TARDIS crew has been changed into a wry smile: 'Curiously enough, he found he didn't mind at all,' insists the narrator.