Arbitan’s Assassination and the Crew’s Forced Departure
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
As the companions depart, Arbitan expresses his hope for their success in saving his people, then a Voord assassinates him from behind, ending his life.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Desperate and resigned, his melancholy giving way to fatalistic urgency as he accepts his impending death.
Arbitan, desperate and melancholic, blackmails the crew into retrieving the keys while expressing longing for his missing daughter. His final act is to order the crew to teleport away, warning them to destroy the keys if the Voord breach the building. Moments later, a Voord assassin stabs him in the back, and he collapses, his dying words urging the crew to succeed. His death marks the irreversible escalation of the Voord’s campaign.
- • Ensure the crew retrieves the keys to save Marinus
- • Protect his people from the Voord, even at the cost of his life
- • The Voord will stop at nothing to seize control of Marinus
- • The crew is his only hope, despite their reluctance
Fearful and desperate, her impulse to act driven by a need to escape the tension and danger.
Barbara, overwhelmed by fear and the weight of the mission, impulsively activates the teleportation device, vanishing in a flash. Her sudden disappearance triggers panic in the group, forcing Arbitan to order the others to follow. Her action sets the mission in motion, leaving the crew no choice but to comply.
- • Escape the immediate threat of the Voord and Arbitan’s coercion
- • Unknowingly force the crew into action by demonstrating the device’s function
- • The teleportation device is the safest path forward, despite its unknowns
- • Delaying will only increase the danger for everyone
Frantic and protective, shifting from exasperation to alarm as the situation spirals beyond his control.
Ian reacts with alarm as Barbara vanishes, his urgency to begin the mission now overshadowed by panic. He demands answers from Arbitan, his voice sharp with concern, before Arbitan’s orders force him to twist the teleportation dial. His body dissolves into light, leaving the control room as the Voord threat closes in.
- • Ensure Barbara’s safety and locate her immediately
- • Comply with Arbitan’s orders to secure the keys and escape the Voord threat
- • Arbitan’s methods are reckless but necessary given the Voord danger
- • The crew must stick together to survive, especially in hostile environments
Alarmed and concerned, her silence masking deep anxiety for Barbara’s safety.
Susan reacts with alarm as Barbara vanishes, her concern for her friend immediate and visceral. She is quickly teleported away by Arbitan’s orders, her body dissolving into light as the Voord threat closes in. Her departure is silent but fraught with unspoken fear.
- • Follow Barbara to ensure her safety
- • Comply with Arbitan’s orders to avoid further danger
- • The crew must stay together to survive
- • Arbitan’s urgency is justified by the Voord threat
Resigned frustration giving way to urgent compliance, with underlying concern for Barbara’s safety.
The Doctor initially resists Arbitan’s blackmail and dismisses the teleportation device as primitive, but the urgency of Barbara’s disappearance forces his compliance. He vanishes with the others, his skepticism giving way to action as the Voord threat looms. His departure leaves Arbitan vulnerable to the assassin’s strike.
- • Retrieve Barbara and ensure the crew’s survival
- • Assess the teleportation device’s reliability while prioritizing escape from the Voord
- • Arbitan’s desperation is genuine, but his methods are flawed
- • The Voord pose an immediate, existential threat that must be evaded
Cold and determined, their actions driven by the Voord’s singular goal of seizing control.
A Voord operative, silent and lethal, approaches Arbitan from behind and stabs him in the back as the crew teleports away. The assassination is swift and brutal, marking the Voord’s escalation from threat to outright violence. The operative’s action leaves Arbitan dying, his final words a plea for the crew’s success.
- • Eliminate Arbitan to remove the last obstacle to Voord dominance
- • Ensure the keys are not retrieved by the crew
- • Arbitan’s resistance must be crushed to achieve Voord supremacy
- • The crew is a direct threat that must be neutralized
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The teleportation devices, wrist-worn gadgets provided by Arbitan, become the catalyst for the crew’s forced mission. Barbara impulsively activates hers, vanishing in a flash, and the others follow under Arbitan’s frantic orders. The devices function as programmed, teleporting the crew to the first key’s location, but their use leaves Arbitan vulnerable to the Voord assassin’s strike. Their activation marks the irreversible commitment to the quest and the crew’s separation from Arbitan’s fate.
The Keys of Marinus, though not physically present in this scene, are the macguffin driving the entire mission. Arbitan’s final warning to the crew—‘do not let them get the keys’—highlights their critical importance. The keys are the Voord’s ultimate prize, and their retrieval by the crew is the only hope of preventing Marinus’s fall. Their absence in this moment underscores the urgency of the quest and the crew’s desperate race against time.
The Voord assassin’s dagger is the instrument of Arbitan’s death, plunged into his back as the crew teleports away. The weapon is wielded with silent precision, its strike swift and lethal, marking the Voord’s escalation from threat to outright violence. The dagger’s use underscores the Voord’s ruthlessness and the high stakes of the mission, as Arbitan’s death leaves the crew as the sole hope for Marinus.
The teleportation devices, wrist-worn gadgets provided by Arbitan, become the catalyst for the crew’s forced mission. Barbara impulsively activates hers, vanishing in a flash, and the others follow under Arbitan’s frantic orders. The devices function as programmed, teleporting the crew to the first key’s location, but their use leaves Arbitan vulnerable to the Voord assassin’s strike. Their activation marks the irreversible commitment to the quest and the crew’s separation from Arbitan’s fate.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Arbitan’s control room serves as the tense epicenter of the scene, where coercion turns to violence and the crew’s mission is forcibly set in motion. The room’s atmosphere is thick with urgency, desperation, and the looming threat of the Voord. It functions as both a meeting point for Arbitan’s blackmail and a battleground where his assassination occurs, leaving the crew to teleport away as his dying words echo. The location’s symbolic significance lies in its role as the last bastion of resistance against the Voord, now fallen.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Voord’s presence is felt through the silent, lethal action of their assassin, who strikes Arbitan down as the crew teleports away. Their involvement in this event marks the escalation from threat to outright violence, removing the last obstacle to their dominance of Marinus. The Voord’s power dynamics shift from coercion to outright aggression, their influence mechanisms now including assassination and the seizure of Arbitan’s stronghold.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
Within this episode
"The companions depart on their missions. The Voord assassinates Arbitan."
Barbara’s Vanishing Triggers the Chase"After being blackmailed and forced to go on a mission, Arbitan is unexpectedly killed, raising the stakes and now placing the TARDIS crew in even greater danger."
Arbitan’s Blackmail and the Teleportation Trap"Ian first expresses concern about an unknown threat and is mostly dismissed, and then in the last scene of the episode, Arbitan is assassinated by a Voord from behind. This event shows the threat was real and immediate, foreshadowed at the start."
Ian detects a hidden threat dismissedAcross episodes
"The Doctor's initial willingness to investigate unknown environments (petrified jungle) directly leads to Arbitan's blackmail trap in Episode 21. His refusal to heed Ian's warnings enables the crew's entrapment on Marinus."
Petrified jungle reveals alien catastrophe"In Episode 5, the Doctor's authoritarian stance ('I will not be questioned. Uninvited passengers.') directly mirrors his later blackmail situation in Episode 21, where Arbitan forces the crew into a dangerous mission ('If when you return, you find the Voord have taken this building, do not let them get the keys.'). Both reflect a loss of autonomy for the Doctor."
False alarm exposes TARDIS vulnerability"The Doctor’s eventual moment of consolation with Sabetha over Arbitan’s death explicitly references the earlier dark event—Arbitan’s assassination—propelled by the same conflict: the fight over the Keys of Marinus."
The Doctor’s Legacy for Sabetha"Barbara's destruction of the Morphos control devices mirrors her earlier impulsive teleportation—both are desperate, solitary acts of intervention in the face of authority and manipulation."
Barbara destroys the Morphos' control"Arbitan's warning to the Doctor ('If when you return, you find the Voord have taken this building, do not let them get the keys. You understand? Destroy them!') foreshadows Barbara's desperate struggle to destroy Morphoton's influence when she alone sees the city's decay."
Barbara’s Resistance and Desperate Flight"Arbitan's assassination (Episode 21) directly enables Yartek's coup and consolidation of power (Episode 26). The Voord's infiltration and killing of Arbitan creates the power vacuum that Yartek exploits."
Yartek secures final micro-keys"Arbitan's assassination in Episode 21 forces Barbara into a vulnerable position, materially causing her separation and placement in Morphoton's illusion in Episode 22. This escalates the stakes for the crew, isolating Barbara and forcing her to confront dangers alone."
Morphoton’s Illusion and Barbara’s Resistance"Arbitan's teleportation devices in Episode 21 directly lead to the companions being scattered across Marinus and, in Barbara's case, into Morphoton's captivity in Episode 22."
Barbara’s Resistance and Desperate Flight"Barbara's impulsive activation of the teleportation device in Episode 21, driven by guilt and frustration, directly leads to her isolation and emotional distress in Episode 22's Morphoton."
Morphoton’s Illusion and Barbara’s Resistance"Barbara's impulsive act of teleporting away in Episode 21 (fueled by fear) is mirrored by Susan's secret defiance in Episode 22 (where she follows the Doctor despite his instructions). Both actions stem from a desire to take control in chaotic situations, despite the Doctor's contrary guidance."
Susan secretly defies the Doctor"Barbara's initial impulsive action in Episode 21 leads to her defiant physical destruction of the Morphos' control in Episode 22, escalating her willingness to take aggressive action against oppressive systems."
Barbara destroys the Morphos' control"Barbara's impulsive activation of the teleportation device (forcing the crew to split up) parallels Susan's secret defiance of the Doctor's authority in Episode 22, where she disobeys his instructions to follow him alone."
Susan secretly defies the Doctor"Arbitan's blackmail forcing the crew to retrieve keys in Episode 21 escalates the conflict between the Doctor's intellectual curiosity and Ian's caution, which reaches a breaking point when Ian discovers blood and forces the Doctor to act in Episode 22."
Ian Forces the Doctor to Act"Arbitan's assassination elevates the stakes and shifts power dynamics, culminating in Yartek's reckless activation of the machine and the catastrophic explosion."
Yartek’s reckless activation triggers explosion"Barbara's impulsive activation of the teleportation device in Episode 21 leads directly to her becoming stranded in Morphoton in Episode 22, setting the stage for her subsequent isolation and conflict with the illusion."
Morphoton’s Illusion and Barbara’s Resistance"The aftermath of Arbitan's assassination and the crew's teleportation to retrieve the keys leads directly to Yartek's execution of the plan to control the Conscience machine in Episode 26."
Yartek’s reckless activation triggers explosion"Arbitan’s assassination after forcing the crew to retrieve the keys mirrors Yartek’s subsequent coup d'état, where he removes Arbitan’s authority and impersonates him to control the Conscience machine."
Yartek secures final micro-keys"Arbitan's assassination in Ep 21 (a guardian killed by Voord) parallels Sabetha's psychological imprisonment by the Morphos in Ep 22, both showing characters trapped in illusions or deceptions set up by external forces."
Barbara probes Sabetha’s fragmented memories"The teleportation trap and forced separation of the crew in Episode 21 mirrors the confinement and interrogation of Altos and Sabetha in Episode 26. Both episodes feature characters trapped and separated from allies by the Voord/Yartek."
Yartek’s reckless activation triggers explosionThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"ARBITAN: "If when you return, you find the Voord have taken this building, do not let them get the keys. You understand? Destroy them!""
"ARBITAN: "For the sake of all my people, I hope you succeed.""
"IAN: "What! What have you done to Barbara?""