Barbara’s Vanishing Triggers the Chase
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Arbitan explains the teleportation devices are programmed for their destinations, and Barbara tests the device, immediately vanishing, alarming Susan, while Ian demands to know what Arbitan has done to her.
Arbitan urgently instructs the others to follow Barbara, then warns that if the Voord have taken the building upon their return, they must destroy the keys rather than let them fall into enemy hands, then he orders them to twist the dials. Ian, Susan, and the Doctor vanish.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Desperate and fatalistic, masking deep vulnerability beneath his authoritative exterior.
Arbitan, desperate and fatalistic, blackmails the crew into retrieving the keys, revealing his personal longing for his missing daughter. He explains the teleportation device and orders the crew to follow Barbara, warning them to destroy the keys if the Voord breach the building. His final words are a plea for their success, moments before a Voord assassin strikes him down from behind. His death underscores the high stakes of the mission and the Voord’s relentless hostility.
- • To coerce the crew into retrieving the keys to protect the Conscience of Marinus.
- • To ensure the Voord do not gain control of the keys, even at the cost of his own life.
- • That the crew is his only hope of saving Marinus from the Voord.
- • That his daughter’s fate is tied to the success of their mission.
Anxious and determined, but her impulsive action reveals a desire to take control of the situation.
Barbara, anxious and eager to prove herself, impulsively tests the teleportation device by twisting its dial and vanishes instantly. Her sudden disappearance shocks the group, triggering Arbitan’s urgent order for the others to follow. Her action is the catalyst that sets the entire sequence of events in motion, scattering the crew across Marinus.
- • To demonstrate her capability and take initiative in the face of danger.
- • To ensure the mission moves forward, even if it means acting without full consensus.
- • That hesitation will only put the group at greater risk.
- • That the teleportation device is safe enough to use, despite the Doctor’s skepticism.
Initially pragmatic and resigned, but shifts to alarm and urgency as the situation spirals out of control.
Ian stands as the pragmatic voice of reason, urging the Doctor to stop arguing and accept the mission. He reacts with alarm when Barbara vanishes, demanding to know what happened to her. After Arbitan’s urgent order, he is the first to vanish, his body blinking out of the Control Room as he follows Barbara into the unknown.
- • To keep the group focused and moving forward despite the Doctor’s objections.
- • To ensure the safety of Barbara and the rest of the crew after her sudden disappearance.
- • That arguing will only waste time and put them in greater danger.
- • That Arbitan’s teleportation device, though untested, is their best chance of survival.
Alarmed and panicked, her emotional state reflects the crew’s collective fear and urgency.
Susan reacts with alarm when Barbara vanishes, her voice rising in panic. She is the last of the crew to vanish after Arbitan’s order, her departure marking the final moment before Arbitan is left alone. Her emotional response underscores the crew’s collective shock and the high stakes of their mission.
- • To ensure Barbara’s safety and follow the group’s lead.
- • To comply with Arbitan’s orders, despite her fear of the unknown.
- • That the teleportation device is their only way to stay together and survive.
- • That Arbitan’s warnings about the Voord are legitimate and urgent.
Outraged and resistant at first, but shifts to resigned acceptance as the situation demands immediate action.
The Doctor expresses outrage at Arbitan’s blackmail, dismissing the submersibles as unsafe and initially resisting the teleportation device. His reluctance is palpable, but he ultimately relents, vanishing after Ian and Barbara under Arbitan’s insistent orders. His departure leaves Arbitan vulnerable, setting the stage for the Voord’s assassination.
- • To resist Arbitan’s coercion and find an alternative solution.
- • To ensure the crew’s safety, even if it means using Arbitan’s teleportation device.
- • That Arbitan’s methods are unethical and dangerous.
- • That the teleportation device, while risky, is the least bad option available.
None (Voord are depicted as emotionless, single-minded antagonists).
A Voord assassin sneaks up behind Arbitan and stabs him in the back, killing him outright. The assassination occurs moments after the TARDIS crew vanishes, underscoring the Voord’s silent, lethal efficiency and the immediate danger they pose. Arbitan’s death leaves the crew’s mission even more urgent, as they are now the only ones who can prevent the Voord from claiming the keys.
- • To eliminate Arbitan as a threat to the Voord’s objectives.
- • To secure the Conscience of Marinus by removing its guardian.
- • That Arbitan’s death will weaken Marinus’s defenses and allow the Voord to claim the keys.
- • That the TARDIS crew is a secondary threat, to be dealt with after Arbitan is eliminated.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Keys of Marinus are the critical objective of the mission, mentioned explicitly by Arbitan as the crew’s target. He warns the crew that if the Voord breach the building upon their return, they must destroy the keys rather than let the enemy claim them. This directive underscores the high stakes of their quest and the Voord’s relentless pursuit of the keys as a means to corrupt the Conscience of Marinus.
The map of the Keys of Marinus is referenced as the crew huddles around it, gauging the sprawl of their quest. It serves as a visual representation of the dangers they face and the locations of the keys, reinforcing the urgency of their mission. The map’s faded lines and glow underscore the planet’s peril and the crew’s need to act quickly.
The teleportation device is the pivotal object in this event, serving as both a tool for escape and a catalyst for the crew’s scattering. Arbitan hands the devices to the crew, explaining that they are programmed to the same destination and require only a twist of the dial to activate. Barbara’s impulsive use of the device triggers the chain reaction, with the Doctor, Ian, and Susan following in quick succession. The device’s activation marks the irreversible shift from blackmail to action, leaving Arbitan vulnerable to the Voord’s assassination.
The Voord assassin’s dagger is the weapon used to kill Arbitan, symbolizing the Voord’s silent, lethal efficiency. The assassination occurs moments after the crew vanishes, highlighting the immediate danger they face and the high stakes of their mission. The dagger’s use underscores the Voord’s hostility and their determination to claim the keys for themselves.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Arbitan’s Control Room is the tense meeting point where the crew’s blackmail turns into desperate action. The room is filled with urgency, as Arbitan reveals the teleportation device and orders the crew to follow Barbara. The atmosphere is charged with tension, fear, and the looming threat of the Voord. The room’s practical role is as a command center, but it also becomes a battleground for Arbitan’s fate, as the Voord assassin strikes him down moments after the crew vanishes.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Voord are represented in this event through their silent, lethal efficiency, as a Voord assassin sneaks up behind Arbitan and stabs him in the back. Their presence is felt even in their absence, as Arbitan warns the crew about the Voord’s potential breach of the building. The Voord’s influence is a constant threat, driving the crew’s urgency and Arbitan’s desperation.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"After Arbitan explains the mission, he explains the teleportation devices, and then Barbara uses the device and disappears."
Arbitan’s Blackmail and the Teleportation Trap"After Arbitan explains the mission, he explains the teleportation devices, and then Barbara uses the device and disappears."
Arbitan’s Assassination and the Crew’s Forced Departure"Arbitan blackmails the TARDIS crew, and, despite the Doctor being displeased, Arbitan still assures them he will release the TARDIS. This highlights his desperation and ruthlessness to get the mission started."
TARDIS locked by Arbitan’s blackmail"Arbitan blackmails the TARDIS crew, and, despite the Doctor being displeased, Arbitan still assures them he will release the TARDIS. This highlights his desperation and ruthlessness to get the mission started."
Arbitan traps crew with force field ultimatum"After being blackmailed and forced to go on a mission, Arbitan is unexpectedly killed, raising the stakes and now placing the TARDIS crew in even greater danger."
Arbitan’s Assassination and the Crew’s Forced Departure"After being blackmailed and forced to go on a mission, Arbitan is unexpectedly killed, raising the stakes and now placing the TARDIS crew in even greater danger."
Arbitan’s Blackmail and the Teleportation Trap"Ian first expresses concern about an unknown threat and is mostly dismissed, and then in the last scene of the episode, Arbitan is assassinated by a Voord from behind. This event shows the threat was real and immediate, foreshadowed at the start."
TARDIS crew debates planet exploration"Ian first expresses concern about an unknown threat and is mostly dismissed, and then in the last scene of the episode, Arbitan is assassinated by a Voord from behind. This event shows the threat was real and immediate, foreshadowed at the start."
Ian detects a hidden threat dismissed"Following Ian agreeing to help Arbitan, they are now in the control room where Arbitan assures them he will release the TARDIS and sends them on a quest"
Arbitan traps crew with force field ultimatum"Following Ian agreeing to help Arbitan, they are now in the control room where Arbitan assures them he will release the TARDIS and sends them on a quest"
TARDIS locked by Arbitan’s blackmail"After Arbitan explains the mission, he explains the teleportation devices, and then Barbara uses the device and disappears."
Arbitan’s Blackmail and the Teleportation Trap"After Arbitan explains the mission, he explains the teleportation devices, and then Barbara uses the device and disappears."
Arbitan’s Assassination and the Crew’s Forced Departure"After being blackmailed and forced to go on a mission, Arbitan is unexpectedly killed, raising the stakes and now placing the TARDIS crew in even greater danger."
Arbitan’s Blackmail and the Teleportation Trap"After being blackmailed and forced to go on a mission, Arbitan is unexpectedly killed, raising the stakes and now placing the TARDIS crew in even greater danger."
Arbitan’s Assassination and the Crew’s Forced DepartureThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"DOCTOR: I know we have no choice, but this whole affair is outrageous. Blackmail, pure and simply blackmail."
"ARBITAN: Perhaps you will bring me news of my daughter. I miss her. Yes, I miss her."
"ARBITAN: If when you return, you find the Voord have taken this building, do not let them get the keys. You understand? Destroy them!"
"ARBITAN: For the sake of all my people, I hope you succeed."