Doctor Who: The Jupiter Conjunction

The Doctor and TARDIS crew arrive on the comet 8/Q Panenka in the early 24th century, discovering a small colony used for slow-rate freight transport through the solar system. The Doctor and Turlough are immediately accused of a crime, while Nyssa and Tegan become embroiled in the search for a missing hitchhiker. From here, things steadily become more complicated for everyone involved.

The setting does feel like something straight out of '80s Who, with the planetoid in Dragonfire being the inspiration that immediately leapt to my mind. The plot has just the right amount of twists, being neither overly complex or particularly straightforward. The cast is larger than usual, but while I sometimes had difficulty keeping it straight who was where on the comet, there was no confusion as to who was who.

Despite the setting, one can't really call this hard science fiction - if nothing else, once the monsters turn up they don't at all fit with that designation. But then, the plot is really more about politics and intrigue than it is about the aliens per se. On the downside, there's one fairly dodgy American accent, and if you want to get really picky, I don't think “conjunction” means what the writer thinks it does. (The naming scheme for comets has also clearly changed in the last 300+ years... but then, why wouldn't it?)

This isn't a story that really breaks any new ground, but it isn't intended to, and both the setting and the resolution fit well with the era of the TV show that it's evoking. A good solid story, in a traditional style, but with a twistier plot than we'd normally get.