The Sensorites were the second alien race to be introduced in "Doctor Who" after the Daleks. The Daleks, however, have gone on to become a frequent fixture throughout the history of the programme and probably the Doctor's most familiar adversaries, whereas this was the Sensorites' one and only appearance. (The Ood, who appear in some adventures in the post-2005 revival of the series, are said to be a related species). Unlike the Daleks, and some other races featured in the programme such as the Cybermen, Ice Warriors and Sontarans, the Sensorites are not an aggressive warrior race. (We learn that they do have a warrior caste, but never see anything of their fighting capabilities). They are a rather timid, nervous people with a particular fear of darkness and loud noises. Like humans they are aware of the difference between good and evil and of the responsibility to choose between them. (This is a moral concept incomprehensible to a Dalek who, faced with a choice between good and evil, would invariably choose the evil option).
The First Doctor, his granddaughter Susan and their companions Ian and Barbara visit the Sense-Sphere, the home planet of the Sensorites. They find that they are treated with suspicion by the Sensorites, whose previous interactions with humans have led them to be wary of them. (The Sense-Sphere is rich in the valuable mineral molybdenum, and the Sensorites believe that humans are only interested in exploiting this source of wealth). The planet is being afflicted by a mysterious disease, and the Doctor hopes that he can win the trust of the Sensorites by finding a cure. Some of the Sensorites, including the planet's ruler the First Elder, are won over, but another faction within their political leadership remains distrustful, and the Doctor and his companions find themselves in danger.
This serial marks something of a softening in the First Doctor's character. In some of the episodes during the programme's first season he could come across as a pompous, grumpy old curmudgeon, cowardly and selfish with an inflated opinion of himself and few moral principles. In "The Keys of Marinus" he actually manages to disappear from the middle two episodes of the serial without affecting it too much; an in-series explanation is given, but the real reason is that William Hartnell had gone on holiday. In "The Sensorites", however, although the Doctor is occasionally grumpy and frequently pompous, he also shows himself capable of both courage and selflessness, as well as the diplomatic skills to deal with the Sensorites. Susan reveals hat she has a gift for telepathy, which she puts to good use in these diplomatic negotiations. (Susan also reveals that her home planet, not yet named Gallifrey, is like Earth but with an orange sky and silver leaves on the trees. These details have not always been followed in subsequent serials).
The second "Doctor Who" serial, "The Daleks", was essentially a justification of the "just war" doctrine, with Ian persuading the previously pacifist Thals to stand up to the Dalek enemy. "The Sensorites", by contrast, takes a more pacific stance, advocating trust, mutual understanding and the peaceful resolution of differences. Its main drawback, however, is one which it shares with "The Daleks". That serial took seven episodes to tell a story which could have been told as easily in four or five; similarly "The Sensorites" seems very slow-paced at times, taking six episodes where four would probably have been enough. It probably didn't help that two different directors were used, with Mervyn Pinfield being responsible for the first four episodes and Frank Cox for the last two. With that one reservation, however, a found this an interesting and thought-provoking serial, a change from the normal "humans good, aliens bad" school of science fiction. 7/10.
A goof. The aqueduct which supplies water to the Sensorites' city plays an important part in the story; the mysterious disease is caused by poison in the water supply. At one point an actor playing a Sensorite refers to "the viaduct" when he means "the aqueduct"; either the director did not notice or there was insufficient time for a reshoot. There are a number of other verbal fluffs which go uncorrected, but this is the most noticeable one.
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