Overview: The Doctor and company skip a time track and see themselves as exhibits in a space museum. In order to prevent this fate, they encourage a youth rebellion against the colonial forces that also administer the museum. (4 episodes)
Regulars: The Doctor (William Hartnell); Ian Chesterton (William Russell); Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill); Vicki (Maureen O'Brien).
Memorable Guest Performance: Richard Shaw, as Governor Lobos, has lots of fun moments as he expresses the desiccated boredom of colonial administration, rolls his eyes at his subordinates' incompetence, and is flummoxed by the Doctor's immunity to Lobos's mental interrogation equipment.
Great Line: Vicki encounters a Dalek on display in the museum: "It's not a bit the way I imagined it. Oh, I mean, the books describe them all right, but... Well, this one looks quite friendly!"
First Seen: Ian borrows Barbara's cardigan (he dies so again in the next story), unwinding it to leave a trial in the first of many Who references to the Minotaur myth.
The Last Refuge: The subject people, the Xerons, want to rebel against their oppressors but have not weapons, so Vicki procures them -- making possible a successful armed revolt. Chalk up another war started by the Doctor and his friends.
Watchability: This is actually quite a cute story, with some good material for Vicki and a nicely droll test of wills between the Doctor and the governor. The Xerons are fairly poor -- their leader seems to think, quite wrongly, that he'll come across as more butch if he plants his fists on his hips at every conceivable opportunity -- but the regulars have a peculiar dilemma for which an unflappable Vicki, enjoyably enough, provides the solution.
Production Details: Broadcast Apr. 24-May 15, 1965. Written by Glyn Jones. Directed by Mervyn Pinfield.
Home Video: "The Space Museum" and "The Chase" were packaged together for DVD release. Features for "The Space Museum": Commentary by actors William Russell (Ian), Maureen O'Brien (Vicki), and writer Glyn Jones, moderated by Peter Purves; Defending the Museum: Re-evaluation by Robert Shearman; My Grandfather, the Doctor: Jessica Carney on William Hartnell; A Holiday for the Doctor: Spoof with Christopher Green as Ida Barr.
