SJA 2-01: The Last Sontaran Part One

A Guide to Classic Who references (and other references) New Who (including The Sarah Jane Adventure episodes.)

The Sarah Jane Adventures: Series 2 episode 1 (Story 7 part 1) in which Sarah Jane and friends meet a Sontaran.

Warning: May contain Spoilers for

"The Last Sontaran Part One"

Viewing Order:

• Sarah Jane Adventures 1-00 - "Invasion of Bane" (Suggested viewing - introduction of characters & Premise.)
• Sarah Jane Adventures 1-01 - "Revenge of the Slitheen Part 1" (Suggested viewing - introduction of character.)
• Doctor Who (2005) 4-04 - "The Sontaran Stratagem" (Part 1) (Suggested viewing - events.)
• Doctor Who (2005) 4-05 - "The Poison Sky" (Part 2)" (Suggested viewing - events.)

References:

[OLD] - Things that first appeared in the classic series of Doctor Who (1963) or the movie.

For context, the following are also covered:

[1ST] -  The first appearance of things in Doctor Who and related shows.

[NEW] - Things that first appeared previously in the new series of Doctor Who (2005).
[SJA] - Things that first appeared in Sarah Jane Adventures.

Ongoing References:

• [OLD] Sarah Jane Smith - Sarah Jane Smith was companion to the Third and Fourth Doctors (From "The Time Warriors" (Season 11) to "The Hand of Fear" (Season 14).)  She was given her own K-9 unit in the K-9 & Company pilot "A Girl's Best Friend."  She returned to the Doctor's side in "The Five Doctors" and the Doctor Who (2005) episode "School Reunion."

• [NEW] The Slitheen - A criminal family, members of the Raxacoricofallapatorian race, first appeared in the Doctor Who (2005) episodes "Aliens of London"/"World War Three."  One member later appeared in "Boomtown."  They previously appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures episodes "Revenge of the Slitheen" (Parts 1 and 2.)

• [SJA]  Xylok - A crystalline lifeform that is central to the operation of Mr Smith.  It tried to use bring the Moon crashing into the Earth to release the rest of its race from beneath the planet's surface in The Sarah Jane Adventures episodes "The Lost Boy" (Parts 1 and 2.)

• [SJA]  Mr Smith - Sarah Jane Smith's alien computer, first seen in the first Sarah Jane Adventures episode "Invasion of the Bane".  As noted above it is based on a Xylok, and needed to be rebooted to stop it destroying the Earth.

• [SJA]  Sonic Lipstick - Sarah Jane's Sonic Lipstick, obviously based on the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver.  Like the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver it doesn't work on Deadlock Seals.  The source of Sarah Jane's scanner watch isn't given on-screen, but other material states the Doctor left it inside K9 for her.  It first appeared in the first Sarah Jane Adventures episode "Invasion of the Bane".

From this episode:

• [1ST]  Unnamed device - One of the weird things that Sarah Jane has in her attic.

• [SJA]  The Bane - The alien menace in  the first Sarah Jane Adventures episode "Invasion of the Bane."

• [OLD]  Gorgon - The Second Doctor and Zoe encountered the Gorgon Medusa in the Land of Fiction in "The Mind Robbers" (Season 6).  As it was in the Land of Fiction it wasn't a real Gorgon, but rather a manifestation of the Greek myth.  The event Maria is referring to occurred in the Sarah Jane Adventures episodes "Eye of the Gorgon" (Parts 1 & 2).

• [1ST] The Trickster - An extra-dimensional entity that feeds on chaos and can manipulate timelines.  In the Sarah Jane Adventures episodes "Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane" (Parts 1 & 2).

• [1ST] TYCHO - First appearance of this organisation.  A similar organisation, the Pharos Project, appeared in the Fourth Doctor story "Logopolis" (Season 18).

• [1ST] Rigel Beta Five - First appearance of this location in space.  How it connects to real world local: the group of stars Rigel (Orionis Beta), especially Rigel B (which may be 2 or 3 stars) is unknown.

• [1ST]  Sontaran drones - The first appearance of these devices.

• [SJA] Turned to Stone - The event Maria is referring to occurred in the Sarah Jane Adventures episodes "Eye of the Gorgon" (Parts 1 & 2).

• [SJA]  Alternate realities - A reference to the events of The Sarah Jane Adventures episodes "Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?" (Parts 1 & 2).

• [OLD]  A Cloaking Device - The first use of one of these by a Sontaran.

• [OLD]  The Sontarans - A race who frequently appeared in Doctor Who (1963).  They appeared in Doctor Who (2005) for the first time in  "The Sontaran Stratagem"/"The Poison Sky," the events of which Kaagh is the sole survivor.  As Sarah Jane notes she's met the Sontarans twice before, once in 13th Century England (The Third Doctor story "The Time Warrior" (Season 11)) and a second time on Earth in the year 16807 (The Fourth Doctor story "The Sontaran Experiment (Season 12)). 

• [OLD]  Sontaran pod - A similar ship to the one Linx had crashed in the Third Doctor story "The Time Warrior" (Season 11) or the one that Styre tries to leave in in the Fourth Doctor story "The Sontaran Experiment (Season 12)).

• [OLD]    UNIT - A military organisation created to investigate alien incursions.  UNIT appeared regularly in the classic series.  In the new series organisation appeared in a small role in the "Aliens of London"/"World War Three" (Doctor Who Series 1) and in larger role in "The Christmas Invasion" (Doctor Who 2005 Christmas Special) and "The Sound of Drums"/"Last of the Time Lords" (Doctor Who Series 3).  A member of UNIT also appeared in:  "Reset"/"Dead Man Walking"/"A Day in the Death." (Torchwood Series 2)

• [1ST]  Neural Control Implant - The first appearance of this device.  As Sarah Jane points out the Sontarans have previously used hypnosis.

Previous:  "The Lost Boy Part 2"
Next: "The Last Sontaran Part 2"

~DUG.

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The Time Crash blog was created to help New Who fans understand Classic Who references - and to know if something isn't a reference but a new idea.  If there's a reference I missed or a subject that you feel needs more explaining, please comment.