Story 13: "The Web Planet" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Vicki

The giant ant creatures make a high-pitched warbling sound when communicating with each other. Vicki is the first to hear it, even while still in the TARDIS, but the others do eventually as well, in future encounters with the creatures.

By this time they have all changed into more modern attire, and the Doctor and his companions are ready to face their new challenge.

The Doctor's companions were played by William Russell (Ian Chesterton), Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright), and Maureen O'Brien (Vicki).

Answer: Atmospheric Density Jacket

The jackets are meant to counter the effects of the thin atmosphere, and they come with a respiratory compensator, which look like two half tubes attached to the front of the jackets meant to increase the oxygen flow to the area around the wearer's heads. No mask, just a couple of open tubes.

After a short time and some exertion, the Doctor claims that his A.D.J. is no longer effective, only having about an hour's supply of air, so they doff their jackets, allowing that their bodies have acclimatized to the thinner atmosphere.

Answer: True

The bracelet that had been given to Barbara by Caesar Nero in the previous serial is made of gold, and it appears that the mysterious force that affected the TARDIS and a gold pen that disappeared from Ian's hands outside is also affecting the bracelet. Barbara begins to feel strange, and at odd moments it seems as though the bracelet is trying to pull away. Eventually, the force completely overpowers Barbara, and she simply walks out of the TARDIS, her braceleted arm leading the way.

When this happens, Vicki is sleeping, trying to recover from the effects of the ant creatures' communicating with each other. She is suddenly awoken as the TARDIS begins shaking, and begins calling loudly for Barbara when she can't find her.

Hearing Vicki's cries, the Doctor rushes to see what has happened, leaving Ian behind, and is shocked to find the TARDIS gone.

Answer: Menoptra

Three Menoptra find Barbara walking in a trance, and remove her bracelet. Once again aware of her surroundings, Barbara explains what has happened to her and the other travellers. One of the Menoptra immediately recommends killing Barbara, to prevent the Zarbi from learning of their military mission and location. It becomes apparent that the Menoptra are at war with the Zarbi, who are also native to the planet, but have come under the control of an alien influence called the Animus.

Fearing for her life, Barbara escapes the Menoptra, but she is quickly recaptured by the Zarbi, who then attack the Menoptra (one is killed, one is captured, and one escapes).

The three Menoptra were:
Vrestin (the escapee), played by Roslyn de Winter,
Hrostar (captured), played by Arne Gordon, and
Hrhoonda (killed), played by Arthur Blake.

Answer: Vortis

The Doctor states that the planet Vortis is located within the Isop galaxy, with no further explanation on where that is in relation to Earth. He does mention that he is not quite certain, as the planet Vortis does not have any moons, while this planet certainly does.

It is later discovered that the moons now in orbit around Vortis were pulled their by the same attracting force that captured the TARDIS. The Menoptra, fearing extermination by the Animus and the enslaved Zorbi, fled to the moons for refuge. Now, they are attempting to retake their own planet.

Answer: They hide in a cave which then collapses.

In order to not be killed out of hand, the Doctor claims to the Animus (who speaks to him through a strange tube-like device) that he has instruments that can help find the Menoptra invasion force. He then stalls for time by claiming that the Zorbi forces in their location make it impossible to use the starmapping equipment. Obligingly, the Animus reduces the guard, which allows the opportunity for Ian to escape to try to find Barbara.

In another stalling attempt, the Doctor sends Vicki into the TARDIS to get a red box. When she returns with the red box, he insists he had sent her in for a WHITE box, and not a red one. He opens the red box to show her that it is nothing more than one of his specimens - a small dead spider. Curiously, the nearby Zorbi guard is frightened at the sight of it.

Out in the wilderness, Ian has met up with the Menoptra Vrestin, who had earlier found Barbara, then escaped the Zorbi attack that recaptured her. Just as Ian and Vrestin agree to work together to try to free Barbara and all the other captive Menoptra at the Crater of Needles, a group of Zorbi arrives. Ian and Vrestin try to hide in a crevasse in a cliff face, but as they crouch down inside, rock and dirt fall onto them as something above them collapses, and they are sucked into the earth.

Answer: The Doctor

The Doctor and Vicki continue to try to stall the Animus by claiming an instrument malfunction on the astral map device, but when the Doctor is speaking with the Animus, it overhears the radio broadcast by the spearhead indicating the landing zone.

Ian and Vrestin turn up alive in an underground cavern, and are quickly surrounded by a group of grub-like creatures who name themselves the Optera. At first they want to kill the 'death from above', but Ian and Vrestin talk them out of it, explaining that they are kin to the Menoptra.

In the meantime, Barbara and the other captives see the Zarbi amassing to repel an invasion at the Crater of Needles and make their escape to try to warn the spearhead of the danger. It is too late, however, and the invasion force is met with a crippling counterattack to end the episode.

Answer: Zombo

When Vicki refers to their captive as Zombo in passing conversation, the Doctor is puzzled at why she would do such a thing. Vicki calls him 'quite cute' this way, but the Doctor doesn't see it that way. Vicki reminds the Doctor that she has told him previously not to judge by appearances.

The Doctor and Vicki manage to find Barbara and the Menoptra that she is with. Barbara and the other escapees from the Crater of Needles had connected with the leader of the failed spearhead invasion, and were in the midst of planning on how to prevent the main attack force from meeting the same fate.

Answer: The Isop-tope Device

The Isop-tope device (taking its name from the name of the Isop Galaxy) is a living-cell destructor created by the Menoptra. After the failure of their Electron guns to affect the Zarbi, the Menoptra are unsure that their device will be effective, but they no longer have any other options but to try it.

Unknown to the group on the surface, Ian, Vrestin, and the Optera are also making their way to the Centre to try to attack the Animus.

Answer: Barbara

The Animus' great power came from harnessing the electromagnetic energy field of Vortis. The Centre of its web was centred on the northern pole. The Doctor and Vicki are captured and brought into the presence of the Animus, are mesmerized and made helpless. Rather than let the Isop-tope device get captured along with them, they manage to hide it in the astral-map device.

Upon breaching the Carsinome, Barbara and the Menoptra use the astral-map device as a communicator to contact the main invasion force. Barbara discovers the Isop-tope device hidden inside, and realize that Vicki and the Doctor must have been captured.

By a sheer effort of will against the mental power of the Animus, Barbara manages to use the Isop-tope to destroy the creature.