67) FRONTIER IN SPACE

An epic space-opera drama executed efficiently with grander production designs, and a variety of model shots which create a grand scale of adventure as the narrative continually moves from location to location. Overall the direction is slicker and tighter compared to others, and a  much better effort from Paul Bernard. The dialogue-heavy script is aided by a continuously moving plot, the introduction of small characters, and clever editing where the focus immediately shifts to the next scene; it cuts out any potential filler material which would have undermined the quality of the scripts. The scripts are repetitive though; the endless escapes, captures, interrogations, and certain space journeys can have a draining effect; the variety of direction elevates the repetition structure. There’s also a clever moment, where The Doctor disregards the Daleks being involved in the space war. Until episode 6 where the Daleks appear out of nowhere it subverts expectations for what would be a typical Master teaming up with alien menaces storyline. Episode 4 is possibly the strongest with The Doctor, Jo, and The Master holding down a majority of the runtime entirely on their own.
   There’s plenty more to commend in Frontier in Space, the cast of characters are richly diverse, with several non-British Caucasian characters taking on minor important roles. The chauvinism of the Draconian hierarchy and monarchy matches perfectly with the President of Earth, who is a strong female authority figure. The Draconians themselves are not merely here to fill in the monster role, their involvement within the plot allows them to take more active roles, even though their political agendas can be skipped over, they’re diversely rich in character, and it’s not surprising Jon Pertwee named them as his favourite monsters. Frontier in Space is well-structured, and can be enjoyable in one-sitting; it’s just a shame about the ending. It’s poorly realised, and doesn’t end Roger Delgado’s time on the show on a high-note (tragedy later put proper future plans on permanent hold).****

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