SHORT STEPS AND SIDE STRIPS: Star Tigers (part one)
Issues: 27 – 30 of Doctor Who Weekly
Credited to: Moore + Dillon (parts 1 – 3), Moore + Lloyd (part 4)
Page Count: 16 (four pages per part)
Main Characters: Abslom Daak, Salander
Synopsis:
Prince Salander of the Draconian Empire is trying to persuade the Draconian Emperor that more ships should be sent to strengthen their defenses against possible dalek attack, a move opposed by Axiron who wishes to negotiate peace with the Daleks. Four ships enter draconian territory, three dalek craft and an unknown. They watch as the unknown craft skillfully destroys the dalek ships and the Draconians get the pilot to land to congratulate him. It turns out the pilot is none other than a very inebriated Abslom Daak. Salander befriends him and arranges for the Draconian medics to look at the cryogenically frozen Taiyin but there is nothing that they can do for her. Salander’s enemies seize the chance to accuse him of treason and has the two of them arrested. Salander manages to show Daak his prototype war ship and they plan to depart. Salander is conned into disowning his own son and Daak is delayed by an unexpected inspection tour of the spaceport and ends up attacking the Draconian Emperor. Salander and Daak manage to get away but are pursued by a ship commanded by Salander’s son and Salander is forced to open fire, destroying the ship. Salander and Daak, joined in grief over losing the ones they loved most, travel off to find a crew for their ship.
Episode Endings:
One – The unknown pilot staggers out of his ship, clearly drunk. He slurs his name… Abslom Daak, dalek killer…
Two – Salander and Daak are arrested on suspicion of treason.
Three – Daak arrives at the spaceport only to find that he’s there at the same time as the arrival of the Emperor.
Four – Daak tells Salander that he has a potential crew in mind but doesn’t know if they’re still alive or not.
Continuity
There are references to Mazam and Daak’s activities there.
Daak was drunk on Jinwa wine. His name is pronounced to rhyme with Quark. It took him about twenty minutes to get Taiyin into the cryogenic freezer unit after she was shot. He calls several Draconians “fish face” and cuts off the Emperor’s right ear as a gift for Salander.
Salander owns the Draconian Empire’s biggest shipyard. His full title is Prince Salander, Noble of the First Degree, All-Seeing Eye of the Imperial Intelligence Service, Minister of the Imperial Left-Hand, or simply My Lord in the company of others. The registration of the scout ship commanded by Salander’s son is DT-447
In the twenty-sixth century, the Draconians are aloof from the Earth-Dalek war. The Draconians have a station on planetoid AQ-437 and also on AQ-21. They know what dalek craft look like but don’t recognise Taiyin’s space yacht. They have a link to the dalek commander on the hyperspace relay. Diamonds act as a bribe. A thorion is the Draconian equivalent of a tiger. There is a western continent on Draconia.
The prototype ship has a laser cannon, ship to ship missiles with photon-fusion warheads and a neutrino conversion nuclear bombing function. Ideally it needs a crew of six but four would surfice.
Comments:
After the first, action packed Abslom Daak story, “Star Tigers” is a little bit of a let down. We see more of the Draconian way of life and learn how much importance they place in honour etc. but there’s not a great deal going for this story. It’s fairly slow and the change in artwork for the last part is fortunately not too noticeable. As an introduction for Salander it serves its purpose but it achieves little else.
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