I Am the Mara Trivia Quiz

Answer: Under wind chimes

The wind chimes are the first sign that the Doctor and his companions have not come to a primitive planet. While the Doctor and Adric wander off, Tegan falls asleep - the Kinda people find her and leave fruit and flowers around her. The Kinda built the chimes, but the Mara uses them to creep into unwary minds...

Answer: Reddish-pink

The actors chewed dental disclosure tablets, which stain plaque and tongues red, to get this effect. In Tegan's dreams, the other figures she encounters are primarily white, though the snakes which appear on their arms are red.

Answer: Time

According to Panna, time causes change in civilization, which causes suffering and death and eventually leads to the end of that civilization. When the Mara leaves, peace will return to the Kinda. For the Kinda, speech is a sign of wisdom--mostly, they speak telepathically.

Answer: The Dark Places of the Inside

The Mara can manifest when a person dreams alone, so among the Kinda, sleeping alone near the chimes is forbidden. If the Doctor hadn't left Tegan alone, she wouldn't have dreamed and allowed the Mara to enter the real world.

Answer: Mirrors

Evil can't stand to look at itself. Seeing its reflections reflected on itself, the Mara leaves Aris and manifests as a giant snake before exploding into pinkish light. Tegan looks at the snake through the gaps in the mirrors - perhaps this is why the Mara lingers in her head.

"Kinda" is one of the "Doctor Who" serials that, on some DVD releases, contains re-done CGI for some effects shots. The Mara snake was done with puppetry originally; on DVD, the viewer has the option to watch either the original broadcast version or the CGI effects.

Answer: An earbud

Under hypnosis, Tegan recalls the events of "Kinda," and the Mara speaks with her voice. The Doctor makes her a device that looks like an iPod with one earbud - it emits noise that suppresses brain waves that cause dreaming. Since the Mara thrives on dreams, the noise should, theoretically, keep the Mara from fully possessing Tegan. It also leaves her deaf and vulnerable, and she gets scared and runs away from Nyssa. The Mara then possesses her when another person takes off her earbud.

On the DVD commentary, the actors wonder why Tegan can't hear outside noise when wearing only one earpiece. They (somewhat jokingly) conclude that the Doctor designed it so well that the wearer needs only one earphone to hear the sound in both ears.

Answer: Sumaran

The planet Manussa was colonized by the Manussan and Sumaran Empires and was originally ruled by the Mara. The Mara was destroyed 500 years before "Snakedance" by the Federation, which now controls the planet. The Manussans cling to this story and its celebration, though they view the myth of the Mara's return as nothing more than a legend. Thus, they don't take the Doctor's warnings about the Mara seriously.

Answer: The Crystal can use brain waves to recreate the Mara's form.

The Great Crystal and the similar small ones were created to match human brain waves and create whatever people can imagine. The Mara wants to use the Crystal at the Mara ceremony, when everyone will be thinking about it, to regain its physical form and power over humans.

The Mara was originally created by the people's negative thoughts--their hatred and greed were made real in the form of the Mara.

Answer: Anger

The Mara chooses Lon to help it because he can get the Crystal from Ambril and put it in the chamber during the ceremony. Lon is also bored with his life, which makes him an easier target. Lon is played by Martin Clunes - "Snakedance" was his first television appearance.

Answer: Still point

Chela says in part three that the Mara "may only be resisted by those of perfectly clear mind." Dojjen corroborates this statement in the ruins when he tells the Doctor, "Fear is the only poison... Attach to nothing. Let go of your fear." As the Mara was created by hate and fear, letting go of these emotions and ignoring the Mara when in its presence stops it from regaining its true form.