The Aztecs (Doctor Who)
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| 006 – The Aztecs | |
|---|---|
| Doctor Who serial | |
 Ian and the Aztec warrior Ixta fight to the death atop a pyramid, dangerously close to the edge. |
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| Cast | |
| Doctor | William Hartnell (First Doctor) |
| Companions | Carole Ann Ford (Susan Foreman) |
| Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright) | |
| William Russell (Ian Chesterton) | |
| Guest stars | |
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| Production | |
| Writer | John Lucarotti |
| Director | John Crockett |
| Script editor | David Whitaker |
| Producer | Verity Lambert Mervyn Pinfield (associate producer) |
| Executive producer(s) | None |
| Production code | F |
| Series | Season 1 |
| Length | 4 episodes, 25 mins each |
| Originally broadcast | May 23–June 13, 1964 |
| Chronology | |
| ← Preceded by | Followed by → |
| The Keys of Marinus | The Sensorites |
| IMDb profile | |
The Aztecs is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in 4 weekly parts from May 23 to June 13, 1964.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
[edit] Synopsis
The TARDIS crew arrive in Mexico in the 15th Century. With the TARDIS trapped in a tomb, Barbara is mistaken for a reincarnation of the ancient high priest Yetaxa, and assumes his guise and identity. In her new position of power Barbara sees her chance to bring an end to human sacrifice. She sees the good side of Aztec culture manifested in Autloc, the High priest of knowledge, and the gruesome side embodied in 'the local butcher' High Priest Tlotoxl. As somewhat of an expert on this period, she sees how advanced their culture really is and believes that if sacrifice were abolished, they would be spared destruction at the hands of the Spanish. The Doctor's warnings that she cannot change history fall on deaf ears.
The bloodthirsty Tlotoxl begins to suspect Barbara is not Yetaxa returned, especially because she is trying to ban human sacrifice. He sets a series of elaborate traps for her and her companions. For example, Ian has been compelled into the military and fights the strongest warrior, Ixta, to prove his ability to command the Aztec forces. Thus Ixta develops a grudge against Ian and is used by Tlotoxl to try and prove Barbara is not Yetaxa. The Doctor unwittingly tells Ixta how to defeat Ian in combat using a drugging agent, and this battle nearly ends in the Doctor witnessing his friend's death. When this fails to be conclusive, Tlotoxl convinces the priest Tonila to make a poison for Barbara; the death of Barbara following consumption of the poison would prove she is not immortal and therefore not a god. But Ian silently warns her from his hiding place and Barbara refuses to drink the poison. She tells Tlotoxl that she is not Yetaxa but warns him not to tell the people. He now knows the truth - but must find a way to unmask the false goddess.
Susan and the Doctor have meanwhile both become involved in marriage-making scenarios. She has transgressed Aztec law and has been promised to the Perfect Victim, who has been scheduled for sacrifice by Tlotoxl on the day of the next eclipse; while the Doctor, who knows little of Aztec customs, has become engaged to an Aztec woman named Cameca after they shared a cup of cocoa. Cameca is a kind lady and helps the Doctor and Ian find a way to re-enter the tomb by a secret entrance, despite realising this will help her beloved leave her. Ian braves a treacherous tunnel in which he is almost drowned to re-enter the tomb by a secret door and soon tells his friends that they can flee.
Despite her efforts Barbara realises she cannot change an entire culture, although she does succeed in changing the views of one man, the High-Priest of Knowledge, Autloc, although this comes at a high price to Autloc, who exiles himself. He helps her become reunited with her friends before departing to meditate in the desert on what remains of his faith. In a pitched battle to gain access to the tomb door, Ian kills Ixta in a fight to the death, as shown in the picture, to protect the TARDIS crew.
The Doctor and his companions leave knowing that despite their intervention history will take its pre-destined course. As they depart Tlotoxl is very much in control and sacrifices the Perfect Victim to end the naturally occurring eclipse.
[edit] Continuity
The Doctor tells Barbara "You can't rewrite history! Not one line!" It is unclear if this means it is impossible to alter established history or that it is an ethical principle. By contrast, the Time Lords break their stated policy of non-intervention and explicitly charge the Doctor with changing history in Genesis of the Daleks, and in "The Unquiet Dead" the Doctor tells Rose that history is always in flux and it can change "just like that" – possibly because the Time Lords are by then gone from the universe (in "Father's Day" he says of a time disturbance that his people would have stopped it). An explanation for this difference would eventually be given in The Fires of Pompeii. The phrase "Not one line!" in regards to rewriting history would also be used in "Forest of the Dead" in regards to the possibility of the Doctor altering her personal time line, which she will not allow him to do even if it cost's her her life.
This serial is often cited as one of the earliest hints of a romantic side to the Doctor's character, with supporters arguing that although there were solid plot reasons for the Doctor to court Cameca, as performed there appears to be real attraction between the two characters. At one point Cameca presents the Doctor with a brooch as a token; at the end of the story the Doctor, as the last to board the TARDIS, puts it down briefly then on second thought retrieves it.
[edit] Production
- The four episodes of the serial have individual titles. They are, respectively, "The Temple of Evil", "The Warriors of Death", "The Bride of Sacrifice" and "The Day of Darkness".
- Carole Ann Ford took a two-week holiday in the middle of filming for this story; as a result, she appeared only in pre-filmed inserts in Episodes 2 and 3.
- This is one of the classic "educational" historical stories that were discontinued later in the show's history.
- The incidental music for this story was by classical composer Sir Richard Rodney Bennett.
[edit] Commercial releases
- This story was released on VHS in 1992.
- On October 21, 2002, was released on Region 2 DVD. This release was the first Doctor Who DVD to use the VidFIRE process across the whole production.
[edit] In print
| Doctor Who book | |
|---|---|
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| The Aztecs | |
| Series | Target novelisations |
| Release number | 88 |
| Writer | John Lucarotti |
| Publisher | Target Books |
| Cover artist | Nick Spender |
| ISBN | 0 426 19588 4 |
| Release date | 20 September 1984 |
| Preceded by | Warriors of the Deep |
| Followed by | Inferno |
- A novelisation of this serial, written by John Lucarotti, was published by Target Books in June 1984. The novelisation dates the story to the year 1507. Barbara dates the death of the original Yetaxa at around 1430, so the serial must take place after that, but otherwise mentions no specific date. Interestingly, there was no total solar eclipse visible from Mexico that year, but there was one on 08 August 1496, and it would have been visible in mid-day, as it was in the story.
- Whereas in the televised story Ixta is the son of the architect, in the book he is the grandson.
[edit] External links
- The Aztecs at bbc.co.uk
- The Aztecs at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel)
- The Aztecs at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- The Aztecs at Outpost Gallifrey
[edit] Reviews
- The Aztecs reviews at Outpost Gallifrey
- The Aztecs reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide
[edit] Target novelisation
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