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Producers Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt had found their feet, and not a moment too soon. No sooner had they established a new and bold style after a very uneven season, than the 35th anniversary rolled around. There were challenges ahead. Over and above the expectations of fans and viewers, there was the crowded situation on board the TARDIS. The contracts for the regulars had been finalized before Season 33 ended; Feryal Akhim’s Haleh was a late addition, hired unexpectedly as the third companion after the producers were impressed by her performance in Crescent, Cross, Star and Pentagram. Hiring her was one thing; making use of her was another. The producers were determined that Haleh was not to be a fifth wheel, but the writers were resisting. Joss Whedon began to admit that Haleh wouldn’t flourish as long as Sue and Ryan were on board the TARDIS.
As a result of these challenges, intensive story meetings were called and the structure of the season established. Early on, it was decided that since this was the jade anniversary of the program, it should leave its mark. An anniversary story was planned, but the producers wanted more. Fans still remembered the success of the Timewyrm season, the cohesive nature of the eighth Doctor’s first and last seasons, and the season-spanning Dalek time travel storyline and wanted something similar. Attention turned to Season 33’s Dead Ringers. Three story slots were filled with the continuation of these plotlines. To balance off these continuity heavy stories, three stand-alones were commissioned to be spaced throughout.
The season length was cut by two episodes, so that more bang could be provided for the buck. Even so, the sixteen full-hour episodes represented the equivalent of 32 old-style episodes, arranged thus: 3-3-2-2-3-3 (6-6-4-4-6-6). Doctor Who fans were still getting more television content than ever before.
Filming continued without incident, and the first episode of season 34 debuted on Sunday, September 6, 1998. |
Death by D’Syne by Edward Chan & Brad Connors |
“Hitler had it wrong: FIRST we’ll take Manhattan, THEN we’ll take Berlin!” |
The fall fashions for 1995 are in and the chic look is deadly. In New York City, the Doctor plucks at the threads of a tapestry first seen in Minneapolis a few months before, and finds that they combine to form a net that has been cast wide around the Earth. |
The Golden Owl by Greg Gick |
Greg envisioned a very Chandler-esque story with a private detective working with the Doctor and his companions (especially Haleh) in finding a famous Golden Owl with certain Lovecraftian properties… |
A Common Disaster by Dan Kukwa |
Time rifts, space battles, piracy and more. Just another day at the office for the ninth—and the sixth—Doctors. |
Meant to be the thirty-fifth anniversary story, A Common Disaster is the only instance of a multi-Doctor story appearing in the Trenchcoat/Ninth Aspect canon. |
The Black Files by Andrew Gurudata |
“Tell me, agent Vance, are you at all familiar with… the Black Files?” |
In November 1996, F.B.I. agents Sue Novak and Ryan Parnel disappeared on duty and were subsequently declared “Missing in Action.” Six months later, when agent Nell Vance is placed on the case of determining their whereabouts, she soon finds far more questions than answers. Who is the mysterious UNIT agent known only as “The Doctor”? What was his involvement in the disappearance of the two F.B.I. agents? Why is the only F.B.I. information on this “Doctor” in the hands of a mysterious informant known only as “Platte DeVice”? And perhaps strangest of all, what is the connection of all this to a new weapon of incredible power being constructed by the U.S. Government? When all trails lead to unbelievable conclusions, Vance finds herself calling on the assistance of two F.B.I. agents who are experts in dealing with the unbelievable… |
The Steel Nursery by Steve Wolterstorff |
We thought we knew the truth behind one of the Doctor’s oldest adversaries. We were wrong. |
The Doctor and his companions land on the planet Earth during the Devonian age, and witness the last days of the Silurians as they fight to ward off planetary disaster. At least, that’s what they think. |
The Land of the Free by James Bow |
“Anarchy is the ultimate freedom” |
It’s 1999, and the Greenhouse Crisis is about to begin. For the United States, however, the instability starts early as terrorist attacks sweep through American cities. Are foreign terrorists involved, or is somebody organizing a coup? And is the dark figure behind the Minneapolis and New York operations the one manipulating events? Or have things spiralled out of even his control? |
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