Doctor Who spin-off review: Gallifrey: Time War: Unity
By James Aggas
Romana and Narvin are finally reunited with Leela in Unity, the dramatic and shocking conclusion to Doctor Who spin-off box set Gallifrey: Time War 3.
This is it. This is the story that Gallifrey fans have been waiting for. In the previous story, Mother Tongue, Leela returned after a two-year absence from the Doctor Who spin-off. But Unity is the crucial episode that finally reunites her with Romana and Narvin.
In some ways, the approach that Unity takes with its story is surprising. To describe it as small in scale is putting it mildly, especially for a Time War story. All the stories in Gallifrey: Time War 3 have featured a smaller scale than the previous two volumes of the series, but this is especially true of its finale.
However, the fact that it does feature such a small scale allows the story to be tightly focused, particularly on the reunion of these three friends. Leela has been living on Unity for a long time, protecting a family that she’s grown extremely close to. So she has a lot of catching up to do with her old friends. More than that – she doesn’t want to leave this world.
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A classic Western
What immediately leaps out about Unity is how much it embraces being a Western. With Leela fighting off constant attacks from raiders and a villain who even has a strong cowboy accent, the story owes a lot to the Western genre. And it works brilliantly for it. Like Nevernor, this is a story that gives us a fresh take on the Time War due to using a completely different genre for it.
However, while the story has a relatively small scale, make no mistake – in terms of Gallifrey‘s ongoing mythology, Unity is huge. The story builds to a huge climax and a shocking ending – one that will leave listeners eager for the fourth (and final?) box set next year.
David Llewellyn’s opening story Hostiles was a genuinely solid story. But his second and final episode for Gallifrey: Time War 3 is even better. Unity is an episode that packs a strong emotional punch, and is a perfect way to round off another fantastic volume of one of Doctor Who‘s strongest spin-offs.
Next. Spoiler review: Ascension of the Cybermen. dark
Have you enjoyed any stories in the Doctor Who universe told in the style of a Western? Do you think Doctor Who should use the Western genre more often? Let us know in the comments below.