State of Decay Part 3
The Doctor and Romana must navigate a sinister plot by Aukon and the Great One to exploit their powers, while facing an ancient evil threatening the universe.
In the screenplay 'State of Decay - Part Three', the Doctor and Romana find themselves on a planet where they encounter Aukon, a powerful and manipulative character who serves the Great One, an ancient vampire-like entity. Aukon seeks to harness the Doctor's mental power to aid the Great One's resurrection. The Doctor and Romana must pretend to cooperate while seeking an opportunity to escape and thwart the Great One's plans.
The story unfolds as the Doctor and Romana are taken to the Inner Sanctum, where they meet other characters, including Zargo and Camilla, who are preparing for a ceremony. The Doctor learns that the Great One is an ancient vampire that was thought to be defeated by the Time Lords.
The Doctor and Romana soon discover that they are not the only ones searching for a way to stop the Great One. They meet Tarak, a rebel who helps them in their quest. Tarak leads them to a rebel cave where they meet Veros, Kalmar, and Ivo, who are planning to attack the Tower.
The Doctor and Romana devise a plan to rescue Adric, a young boy who has been taken by Aukon, and to stop the Great One's resurrection. The Doctor uses the TARDIS to access the Record of Rassilon, an ancient document that holds the key to defeating the vampire.
The Record of Rassilon reveals that the vampire can only be killed with a wooden stake through the heart. The Doctor and Romana successfully rescue Adric and prepare to face the Great One.
In the climax of the story, the Doctor and Romana face off against Aukon and the Great One. The Doctor uses his knowledge from the Record of Rassilon to defeat the vampire, saving the universe from its evil plans.
Events in This Episode
The narrative beats that drive the story
The Doctor and Romana arrive on the planet, immediately confronting Aukon, who boasts of the Great One's power and intent to escape E-space. Aukon reveals his true identity as the original Science Officer O'Connor, granted unending life, and attempts to coerce the Doctor into joining them by revealing Adric's capture. The Doctor refuses, declaring his intent to destroy the Great One, leading to a brief mental struggle with Aukon that Romana disrupts. Aukon then reveals the Great One's desire for Time Lord blood. Subsequently, guards imprison the Doctor and Romana. Inside their cell, the Doctor recounts a Time Lord legend of giant vampires, and Romana recalls a reference to the 'Record of Rassilon' in Type 40 TARDIS data banks. Tarak, a rebel disguised as a guard, then intervenes, fighting their captor and facilitating their escape from the cell.
Aukon reveals his true identity as O'Connor and exposes his grotesque immortality, empowered by servitude to the Great One. He wields Adric's capture as leverage, threatening to sacrifice the Doctor …
Aukon offers the Doctor and Romana a grotesque bargain: join the Great One's inner circle and gain eternal power, or become sacrifices to awaken the ancient evil. The Doctor refuses, …
Zargo and Camilla prepare for the ritual in the Inner Sanctum, their cleansing ritual a thin veil over escalating unease. Camilla’s confidence rings hollow as she insists all will be …
Camilla reveals the Doctors imminent capture and transformation as an integral part of the ritual set for the following night. Her gleeful anticipation underscores the unyielding certainty of the Great …
Following their escape, the narrative introduces a group of local rebels—Veros, Kalmar, and Ivo—in their hidden cave. Kalmar demonstrates a new scanner, but Ivo, grieving his son's death at the hands of the 'fiends,' expresses a desperate plan to attack the Tower prematurely, despite the others' pleas for caution. The Doctor, Romana, and Tarak regroup, with the Doctor instructing Tarak to tell Kalmar to prepare for an attack but to await his signal. Romana reminds the Doctor of Adric's plight. They formulate a plan: the Doctor will return to the TARDIS to access the 'Record of Rassilon' for crucial information, while Romana, accompanied by Tarak, will infiltrate the Inner Sanctum to locate Adric. Romana and Tarak then execute a ruse, using a stolen keycard and Romana's quick thinking, to bypass a guard and gain entry to the heavily protected Inner Sanctum.
In the tense aftermath of Tarak’s failed escape attempt, Romana’s casual reference to her archival work unexpectedly illuminates the Doctor’s quest. She reveals knowledge of the legendary Record of Rassilon, …
Romana stumbles upon a critical clue linking the Record of Rassilon to Type 40 time vessels just as the Doctor connects this to the TARDIS. Their fragile plan to research …
Under siege in the Tower, the Doctor and Romana face their gravest split yet. With Aukon and the Great One’s ancient evil threatening to spill across the universe, the Doctor …
Romana and Tarak press forward to breach the Inner Sanctum, the heavily protected command center of Aukon’s forces and locus of the Great One’s growing power. Their plan hinges on …
Romana and Tarak move stealthily through the Inner Sanctum, discovering Zargo and Camilla lying in a death-like state, confirming the need for a wooden stake to destroy them. Romana then finds Adric, also in a similar, unsettling repose, raising concerns about his condition. Simultaneously, the Doctor struggles to access the 'Record of Rassilon' within the TARDIS, initially finding K9 unable to locate the specific data. He eventually discovers a magnetic card system and a physical book trolley, which allows him to retrieve the ancient document. The 'Record of Rassilon' confirms the legend of the King Vampire, revealing its escape from Time Lord destruction. Crucially, the record specifies that energy weapons are useless against these creatures, and only a 'mighty bolt of steel' through the heart can destroy them. The Doctor recognizes the practical value of this information, despite the immediate challenge of acquiring such a weapon, as Romana has now located Adric, bringing both halves of their mission to a critical juncture.
Romana and the Doctor race to unlock Rassilon's Record to thwart the Great One and Aukon's schemes but find the security beyond their understanding. Their initial attempts fail, exposing a …
K9 reveals the existence of a magnetic card system that could bypass the unknown security locking the Record of Rassilon. The Doctor immediately pivots from his failed attempts to break …