"THE TENTH PLANET"
The First Doctor's final adventure sees him facing the giant silver Cybermen for the first time.
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| A recreation of the original Target novel cover using the Tenth Planet Cybermen figures. |
Arriving in the Arctic the Doctor and his companions become embroiled with a troubled space program stationed in a base beneath the icy tundra. An Earth rocket ship is having problems returning to Earth due to the mysterious arrival of another “tenth planet” that has appeared in the solar system and seems to be caught in the Earth’s orbit which is paying havoc with Earth’s communication and causing power shortages.
The base is infiltrated by the Cybermen. The Cybermen announce to the captured personnel that the tenth planet is known as “Mondas” - Earth’s long lost twin planet. The Cybermen explain that they were once human but had been forced to enhance their organic bodies with cybernetic parts in order to survive on their dying planet in the depths of space. The Cybermen's emotions have been surgically removed to better equip them to survive. Now, finally returning Mondas to Earth’s orbit, the Cybermen plan to drain the Earth of its life force and transfer it back to Mondas.
Discovering the Cybermen’s weakness to radiation the crew of the base manage to overthrow the Cybermen and take back control of their rocket program, bringing their rocket ship safely back to Earth. Having lost his plea with the Cybermen for a peaceful solution the Doctor repels Mondas out of Earth’s orbit which causes it to implode. Cut off from Mondas the remaining Cybermen crumble and die.
The Doctor’s actions have left him weakened and frail and he stumbles back across the icy wastes to reach the safety of the Tardis.
Back in the console room of the Tardis the Doctor set the controls for de-materialisation, with this final act he falls to the floor, his body dying.
To the astonishment of the Doctor’s companions his body seems to glow with light, his face shifting and blurring...
...until in his stead lies a stranger, a younger darker haired man – the Second Doctor.
