Doctor Who: Planet of Evil

Planet of Evil is one of those episodes of Doctor Who that makes no sense, scientifically speaking. The Doctor and Sarah arrive on the “last known planet” in the universe, Zeta Minor, where a team of scientists is looking for a solution to Earth’s dwindling energy resources. However, they have in fact crossed over into the realm beyond the universe, and thus have stumbled across antimatter, and any attempt to leave with it and return to Earth will be cataclysmic. But we have people handling antimatter and one person becoming “infected” with antimatter, which turns him into “Antiman.” The Doctor manages to save Prof. Sorenson, leaving the antimatter behind. But it doesn’t make any sense if you know anything about antimatter.

The point of the story is presumably the risks we are willing to take in grasping things we still don’t understand, in an effort to provide power for our contemporary lifestyles. And that sometimes even when we find something extremely valuable, we need to leave it behind, not only for our own sake but for the sake of others.

Religion comes up explicitly in the episode when the question is raised of what a deceased soldier’s denomination was. The answer given is “Morestran Orthodox.” Nothing is made of this detail in the episode itself, but in the novel Zeta Major and other places outside of the television show, more attention has been given to it.