Doctor Who (TV Series) The Space Pirates: Episode 1 (1969) User Reviews

Star Trek type western in space: One of the less successful Doctor Who adventures in my opinion.

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 4/10 · 19 September 2014]

Review of all 6 episodes:

This story is one of the lower points of Doctor Who for me. It does not have a reputation as a great story but according to many commentators it is reasonably OK. In my opinion though it is surely one of the 10-15 weakest entries in the series first 50 years. Bear in mind that I am comparing it to the immensely high standards of what I think is one of the finest TV series of all time. This story is not terrible compared to the bad TV shows out there (e.g. The Bold and the Beautiful) or even the bad science fiction shows (e.g. 10.5 Apocalypse, Flash Gordon 2007) - compared to a lot of dross on TV this is reasonably acceptable. For Doctor Who though this is very disappointing with cheesy delivery of dialogue, often unimpressive American accents and weak performances. As well as that the story lacks any real excitement or cleverness. I was a bit bored at times.

This is a 'space opera' similar to some 60s Star Trek, based around Western motifs. It has 'Space Pirates' who are like bandits, a mining company and an old prospector type, 'Milo Clancey', who some fans see as a fun and interesting character. I see him as an embarrassment with his dodgy accent, over the top acting and poor, sometimes laughable delivery of strange Western style dialogue. There is nothing of great quality or interest in any of the guest characters, the acting or the direction. One thing which is of good quality according to what evidence remains is the special effects. Almost Gerry Anderson style space ships and space stations all done very well giving some great visuals going by reviews of the original production and sequences in reconstructions. The story and script are OK, if unexceptional. It is nowhere near writer Robert Holmes later classics, but the direction (by Michael Hart) and delivery by the actors is what makes it dull and really cheesy.

Apart from the good effects, this is in my opinion one of the weaker stories in the series' rich history.

My Ratings: Episodes 1, 4 and 6 - 4/10, Episodes 2 & 5 - 4.5/10, Episode 3 - 3/10

Overall: 4/10

Man the Beacons.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 4/10 · 1 March 2021]

In the future, Space Pirates are causing havoc by attacking beacons, and making away with a valuable resource, argonite, the subsequent thefts are causing irreperable damage to important beacon stations.

It has a very poor reputation, and I'm afraid to say, I can't contradict the various negative views on offer.

The idea itself is great, I love the idea of space pirates attacking, and pinching valuable materials.

Sadly, the realisation is incredibly dull, it's so static, it feels flat. I've listened to the audio a few times, and watched the reconstruction videos, and as good as they are, they can't hide the fact that this missing episode is just plain poor.

Episode one is often the key part, it's vital to set the scene, add atmosphere, and grip you, sadly all this does, is put you off.

I hoped I'd be the one to enjoy it, and give a different slant on it, sadly now I can't. 4/10.

Just no.

[wetmars · 3/10 · 21 January 2021]

The TARDIS materialises in Earth's future on a space beacon just before it is attacked by pirates. The travellers find themselves trapped in a sealed section of the beacon. It is blown apart and flown to where the pirates will plunder it of the precious mineral argonite. They witness a conflict between the pirates and the Interstellar Space Corps, led by General Hermack and Major Warne.

The ISC are convinced that the pirates' mastermind is an innocent yet eccentric space mining pioneer named Milo Clancey, while their true leader is a man named Caven. Caven has a secret base on the planet Ta. He is assisted by Madeleine Issigri, daughter of Clancey's ex-partner Dom, who - unknown to her - is now his captive.

When Madeleine discovers Caven's full treachery, she helps to bring him to justice. The time travellers are given a lift back to the TARDIS by Clancey in his rickety old ship, the LIZ 79.

Shame that this is missing but thank god, this is the last one. I must thank for the survival of Episode Two. I like how there is realism that there is deep space sickness. The sets are nice. Love the idea of a solar-toaster and the design of the super-thin spaceship. The helmet of the Space Pirates does give me a vibe of the Ice Warriors, lol.

I get the production issues where the main cast had to do acting for The War Games which explains why the main cast isn't in this story that much. Funny enough, John Nathan-Turner worked as a floor assistant for this story. I would say that this is a filler with no excitable moments but with only a little bit of action, but that explosion at Episode Six was pretty awesome if you asked me! I don't think that this story would probably be better if it was found. Patrick Troughton was angry and was complaining about how dull and unwatchable The Space Pirates was going to be as he said: "This is episode two and we're still trapped in that bloody awful spaceship set. I told them people will just turn off." which I can agree with. Terrible dialogue and slow.

Next up... You guessed it!