The E-Space Trilogy: Coming to DVD in 2009 (Do You Plan To Buy?)

Of course the news has now come out that the Restoration Team are preparing the E-Space trilogy for release in 2009. The specific date hasn't been announced, but you can read what each disc will contain in terms of 'extras' by going HERE.

So, what are everyone's thoughts about this slice of Season 18 coming to DVD?

Me, I think this is an essential component to my Doctor Who collection. I shall be buying it as soon as it comes out, and perhaps even pre-ordering it if I can find a deal on free shipping.

I'm a real saddo when it comes to Tom Baker, a bit of a completist, so I'll be buying this - but not straight away.

I like this trilogy, one passable story (Ful Circle) and two other stories I always enjoy watching (SoD, Warriors Gate). The actual central plot that holds these stories together, the E-Space thingy, is really not strong enough, though. They've passed into another universe, whats to distinguish it from the other - the sky's a bit green!

The extras look good - especially for State of Decay.

2 really brilliant stories and 1 not so brilliant. But I'll suffer even Warriors gate to own every story.

I've already ordered this, despite not liking two of the stories much (at all).

Reading the article on the RT's website is slightly depressing, though - Christopher F Bidmead is on two of the commentaries and a lot of the special features, rendering them sadly unusable...

Patrick wrote:Of course the news has now come out that the Restoration Team are preparing the E-Space trilogy for release in 2009.

*coughs*

Excuse me - I told you that months and months ago.

And no, I won't be buying it. If I never watch Warriors Gate again it will be too soon.

I feel unable to vote in the poll as I love the E-Space Trilogy (especially State of Decay) but I cannot bring myself to associate McGann with 10/10 awesomeness.

It's not 10/10 awesome, but due to my fear of the shops suddenly filling up with lotsandlotsofclassicseriesDVDsIhaven'tgotandohmigodIcan'taffordanyofthem...*hyperventilates*, I'll be buying it as soon as it comes out anyway...

The Co=Ordinator wrote:

Patrick wrote:Of course the news has now come out that the Restoration Team are preparing the E-Space trilogy for release in 2009.

*coughs*

Excuse me - I told you that months and months ago.

Yes. Yes, you did tell the Wrinklies several months ago. But the link provides details of the extras which will be on the three discs (something I don't think you knew at the time). And it was only the Wrinklies within their comfy thread at DWF who would have known from your announcement, rather than everyone at Outpost Wrinkly. Still, yes, I have to be fair: you did scoop everyone on the announcement.

The Co=Ordinator wrote:And no, I won't be buying it. If I never watch Warriors Gate again it will be too soon.

< > DO NOT BLASPHEME! DO NOT BLASPHEME! </ >

Patrick wrote:< > DO NOT BLASPHEME! DO NOT BLASPHEME! </ >

< cryon > He speaks the truth.......... </ cryon >

I voted the choice that was unfortunately burdened with the phrase "10/10 McGann Awesome!"

I'll definitely pick it up when it comes out. Tom, Romana, Tharils and the vampires sufficiently compensate for my having to endure Adric.

Zoltar wrote:I voted the choice that was unfortunately burdened with the phrase "10/10 McGann Awesome!"

Now Dance!

Zoltar wrote:I'll definitely pick it up when it comes out. Tom, Romana, Tharils and the vampires sufficiently compensate for my having to endure Adric.

Brave Heart, Zoltar. We can endure Adric because we already know his fate.

Patrick wrote:Brave Heart, Zoltar. We can endure Adric because we already know his fate.

Excellent point, Patrick.

I always loved the E-Space trilogy (I was having real trouble with Season 18 on original transmission until Full Circle started - I hated The Leisure Hive and thought Meglos was awful, apart from Bill Fraser), so I will deffo be having this.

LeeRatbag wrote:I always loved the E-Space trilogy (I was having real trouble with Season 18 on original transmission until Full Circle started - I hated The Leisure Hive and thought Meglos was awful, apart from Bill Fraser), so I will deffo be having this.

Hi, Lee.
I don't know if you're a member of DWAS (if you're not, C=O can get you information on how to join.) For issue 363 of DWAS' publication, Celestial Toyroom, Dave and myself offered contrasting viewpoints of season 18. Dave was generally less impressed with the start of the JNT era, whereas I was a bit more positive about it. Having said that, I didn't hold back on calling out something I found to be a wart.

You should find a copy. I think you'd enjoy reading Dave's and my musings on the season. I really liked the E-Space trilogy, and that includes Warrior's Gate. (And I fully expect I haven't heard the last of that, either. )

I think Warrior's Gate is good. Atmospheric. I liked that Season 18 discourse. Until reading Dave's piece I'd never really thought about the oddness of the decision to make the show "grow up" coupled with the no hanky-panky idea.

Patrick wrote:

LeeRatbag wrote:I always loved the E-Space trilogy (I was having real trouble with Season 18 on original transmission until Full Circle started - I hated The Leisure Hive and thought Meglos was awful, apart from Bill Fraser), so I will deffo be having this.

Hi, Lee.
I don't know if you're a member of DWAS (if you're not, C=O can get you information on how to join.) For issue 363 of DWAS' publication, Celestial Toyroom, Dave and myself offered contrasting viewpoints of season 18. Dave was generally less impressed with the start of the JNT era, whereas I was a bit more positive about it. Having said that, I didn't hold back on calling out something I found to be a wart.

You should find a copy. I think you'd enjoy reading Dave's and my musings on the season. I really liked the E-Space trilogy, and that includes Warrior's Gate. (And I fully expect I haven't heard the last of that, either. )

Never been a DWAS member - to be honest I've never been a paid-up member of any sort of fan organisation, Who-related or otherwise. I've just never been much of a joiner.
The article sounds interesting though, is it online anywhere? I really struggled with the initial part of S18, but there may well have been an element of culture-shock there; the feel of the show, at least to me at the age of 10, seemed so much different to the Hinchcliffe/Williams eras that made up my formative years. Full Circle seemed more like the show I loved than Meglos or The Leisure Hive had done, but maybe I was just getting used to the new style. I suppose it's a lot like those who have taken against the new series because it's not like the old one, really.
Oddly enough, S18 is one of my favourite seasons now, but I still can't get on with those two stories...

LeeRatbag wrote:Never been a DWAS member - to be honest I've never been a paid-up member of any sort of fan organisation, Who-related or otherwise. I've just never been much of a joiner.

Well, DWAS is, I think, the oldest Doctor Who fan-based organization around, but C=O would know more about that than I.

LeeRatbag wrote:The article sounds interesting though, is it online anywhere? I really struggled with the initial part of S18, but there may well have been an element of culture-shock there; the feel of the show, at least to me at the age of 10, seemed so much different to the Hinchcliffe/Williams eras that made up my formative years. Full Circle seemed more like the show I loved than Meglos or The Leisure Hive had done, but maybe I was just getting used to the new style. I suppose it's a lot like those who have taken against the new series because it's not like the old one, really.
Oddly enough, S18 is one of my favourite seasons now, but I still can't get on with those two stories...

I don't think Celestial Toyroom is available online. But I will say this: JNT made a conscious effort to make everything about Season 18 look and feel completely different from the era that had preceded it, and thus, the choice to launch Season 18 with Leisure Hive was deliberate. He (JNT) wanted something that was visually stunning to open the season.

The unfortunate side effect of that was that plot got sacrificed. The Leisure Hive is a visual feast but has a story you could comfortably fit on the back of a postage stamp.

For me, Meglos feels rather like a holding place story. It was there merely to fill a gap before the E-Space trilogy began. It had elements in it that were a bit Flash Gordon in presentation, and had a few intriguing ideas (a sentient cactus? a chronic hysterisis?), but there were a couple of problems.

First was the Tygellans in the cast. As a Doctor Who veteran, Jacqueline Hill was certainly up to the challenge of playing the priestess of Ty, but the rest of the cast around her was not. Second, the story just seemed to take too long to get to the point, mainly because of those repeated scenes in the TARDIS.

You might try PMing C=O about seeing if you can get a copy of my and Dave's articles on the subject. Now that the Christmas issue of CT is out, there might be less feelings of proprietary protection of the articles.

Yes, I will certainly buy this immediately. 'Full Circle' and 'State of Decay' are both excellent. I have the VHS set, which I will donate to a charity shop.

You're an extremely generous soul spara.

I don't know whether to donate it to Colchester Cat Rescue or the PDSA shop. Last time I took a pile of Doctor Who DVDs to Oxfam the woman turned her nose up at them & said "everyone is going over to DVDs so these won't sell".

Give it to the Cats. They lost a lot of money over Iceland. I myself will certainly be buying the DVD and I too will give my VHSs to charity (although in my case it will be the kids' school fete/bazaar/thingy)

sparacus wrote:I don't know whether to donate it to Colchester Cat Rescue or the PDSA shop. Last time I took a pile of Doctor Who DVDs to Oxfam the woman turned her nose up at them & said "everyone is going over to DVDs so these won't sell".

Hell's teeth, spara, that's bad. I can assure you that in 'my' Oxfam shop Doctor Who videos sell very well (yes, yes, sometimes to me...). Seriously, although it is true that videos aren't selling very well in general, certain videos, including Doctor Who (whether yet out on DVD or not) do still sell. Maybe not at too high a price mind you. We got some Doctor Who videos in at the weekend actually and a lot of Target novels but I haven't put the latter on sale yet.

I feel a bit shocked at the Colchester woman's lack of knowledge and understanding that Doctor Who videos were, as we all know, a special case!

FWIW, I agree with Cat Rescue. Our little 'baby', Pliget, is now 14 years old and she was a rescue cat of less than a year old when we got her, and her late sister, in 1995.

I've pre-ordered it .

Rumor has it this will be a Birthday gift for me, even though the release date misses by a bit.