Sarcophagus was the ninth episode of Series C it was first broadcast 3 March 1980.
Synopsis
From the VHS release:
With the chance of ever returning to Auron gone, Cally is feeling alone and vulnerable. Then an alien life force reaches out to her mind, from its tomb in space...
Plot
In a mysterious space capsule, a group of robed figures perform a ceremony around the body of an alien, conjuring up images of a lonely woman, a jester, a harpist, a warrior and a dark stranger. As they leave, the capsule takes off.
Some time later, the Liberator stumbles across the capsule. Cally appears to sense something from it but denies it. Avon, Vila and Cally teleport over and find the alien corpse but no sign of a crew or controls. Cally realises the capsule is a tomb. Back on the Liberator, Tarrant and Dayna detect a power build up that could be a self-destruct. They try to teleport the three back but only Cally reappears, along with an alien artifact she picked up. She teleports back and grabs Avon and Vila's hands: This time all three of them come through just before the capsule explodes.
The incident creates a lot of tension and mistrust between the two, provoking a fierce argument between Avon and Tarrant. While the others are distracted, Cally activates the artifact and retires to her quarters: She is also hiding a ring that she took from the corpse. She has a vision of herself as the lonely woman.
During the night, a power surge from the artifact knocks out most of the Liberator's systems, including Zen and Orac. Tarrant leaves Vila on the flight deck while he and Dayna go to search for the others. Dayna fails to wake Cally and is knocked unconscious by someone. On the flight deck, Vila is menaced by Dayna's harp before being confronted by a gold-skinned alien who resembles Cally.
Both Avon and Tarrant join Dayna and they work out that the alien corpse they find has been using a telepathic link with Cally to recreate itself. Tarrant hurries to the flight deck to confront the alien. She intends to use the Liberator to return home and invites the crew to serve her on the journey, which will last longer than their life spans: In a vision, Tarrant, Vila and Dayna appear as the warrior, the jester and the harpist. Tarrant and Dayna are both overcome by her powers.
Avon, the dark stranger, enters and refuses to submit, goading the alien into trying to kill him. He has realised that Cally's loneliness and isolation means she isn't resisting the alien. The Liberator consoles explode but Cally refuses to let the alien kill Avon and wakes up. Avon kisses the alien and slips the ring from her finger. He tosses it onto a damaged console, destroying it, and the alien disintegrates.
Later, as the crew get underway again, Avon and Cally share significant looks.
Cast
- Avon - Paul Darrow
- Vila - Michael Keating
- Cally - Jan Chappell
- Tarrant - Steven Pacey
- Dayna - Josette Simon
- Zen/Orac - Peter Tuddenham
- Alien - Jan Chappell (Uncredited)
Crew
- Production Assistant - Edwina Craze
- Production Unit Manager - Sheelagh Rees
- Director's Assistant - Eileen Staff
- Assistant Floor Manager - Antony Root
- Film Cameraman - Peter Chapman
- Film Recordist - Ian Sansam, Stan Nightingale
- Film Editor - Sheila S. Tomlinson
- Series Videotape Editors - Sam Upton (Uncredited), Malcolm Banthorpe (Uncredited)
- Visual Effects Designer - Steve Drewett, Jim Francis
- Video Effects - A.J. Mitchell
- Graphic Designer - Doug Burd
- Technical Manager - Peter Valentine
- Senior Cameraman - Dave White
- Vision Mixer - Paul del Bravo
- Studio Lighting - Brian Clemett
- Studio Sound - Richard Partridge
- Special Sound - Elizabeth Parker
- Costume Designer - Nicholas Rocker
- Make Up Artist - Sheelagh J. Wells
- Music By - Dudley Simpson
- Dayna's Song By - Tanith Lee
- Series Created By - Terry Nation
Story notes
- This is the first of two episodes written by Tanith Lee, the other being "Sand".
- This is the first episode to have no mention of the Federation.
- This is the only episode to have no credited guest actors.
Ratings
9.9M
Filming locations
To be added.
Production errors
To be added.
Continuity
- Cally mentions that she cannot return to Auron, presumably following the events of Children of Auron.
- Both Avon and Cally state only another Auron could communicate with Cally, even though Cally has sensed non-Aurons in Shadow, Killer and Dawn of the Gods.
- Tarrant references the failure of Avon's fraud scheme and his needing Blake to escape, as established in Space Fall, and the fact he expected to have undisputed control of the Liberator until he found Tarrant aboard, as established in Powerplay.
Quotes
Avon: (Calling from outside Cally's quarters) Cally!
Cally: What is it?
Avon: Well, it looks like a door. And it's closed.
Tarrant: Do you want to forget I said all that?
Avon: It wasn't particularly memorable.
Tarrant: Tomorrow everything will look different?
Avon: If it does, you can safely assume you're on the wrong ship.
(After Avon steals the ring during a kiss)
Alien: Give it to me!
Avon: That would be a little foolish, with what I just went through to get it.
Home video releases
DVD cover
- In edited form as part of compilation video Aftermath in 1986.
- Original BBC video release (Volume 18) in 1992.
- Fabulous Films video reissue (Volume 18) on 3 May 1999.
- DVD release as part of the Series 3 box set on 20 June 2005.
External links
References
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