Story 23: "The Ark" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Whipsnade Zoo (outside London)

Dodo Chaplet (portrayed by Jackie Lane) is excited to explore, in spite of the warnings given by Steven (played by Peter Purves) about the possibilities of a poisonous atmosphere or a lack of gravity. It is quickly evident, however, that there is no imminent danger, and Dodo is sure that she has been in this location before.

Full of certainty, Dodo declares that they are in Whipsnade Zoo, outside of London, and she points out various animals to prove that they are, at least on Earth.

Answer: Humans and Monoids

Realizing that they are on a ship gives explanation to the episode title "The Steel Sky." From the beginning, we see a curious alien watching Dodo and Steven, and it is soon established that they cannot speak; they have an eyeball where the mouth is on a human, and communicate in sign language to their human counterparts on the ship.

When a Monoid reports that there are intruders in the jungle, Dodo, Steven and the Doctor are quickly brought to the control room to explain their presence. In turn, the TARDIS crew discover that they are roughly 10 million years in the future, and that the giant ship is carrying the whole of the human race, as the Earth is dying and about to fall into the Sun. They are traveling towards a habitable planet they call Refusis II, and it will take 700 years to get there.

The Monoids had also previously lost their home world, and joined together with the humans in helping them successfully escape Earth before the end. While taking a tour of the ship, Dodo and Steven are shown the early construction of a large statue of a human, to be erected at the new planet when they arrive.

Answer: Dodo Chaplet

Right from the beginning of the first episode, Dodo is continually sneezing, and it even becomes an issue when the TARDIS crew is trying to hide from the Monoids when they see them for the first time. Dodo sneezes, and gives away their position.

Even though the residents of the Ark are from far into the future, they eradicated the common cold so long ago that they no longer have any resistance to it, as though it were a completely new virus. Both the human Guardians and the Monoids begin to fall ill, exhibiting a deadly fever, with the ship's commander (played by Eric Elliot) among them.

Answer: Steven

The second episode is entitled "The Plague," and it seems as though the virus that Dodo has brought aboard may just be acting like one. Originally thinking it was just a cold, neither Dodo nor the other two travelers thought anything of it, but not only did Monoids and Guardians begin falling ill, but so did Steven.

While on trial for their actions, Steven tries to argue their case, but when the first human Guardian dies, it sways everyone to the prosecution's side. Steven, Dodo and the Doctor are to be ejected from the ship as their punishment. But then Steven collapses, having himself acquired the virus and fallen ill. Seeing this, the Commander (himself still sick) calls over the intercom to allow the Doctor to try to develop a cure, using Steven as his guinea pig.

Answer: False

The Doctor is given the opportunity to cure Steven, and from there hopefully the rest of the crew of the Ark. He has the Guardians and the Monoids collect certain animal membranes from the jungle pod that he can combine to form a vaccine, and after he is able to treat Steven, the vaccine proves to be effective.

Dodo, Steven and the Doctor are given a hero's sendoff, and they enter the TARDIS and dematerialize, only to reappear in exactly the same spot... 700 years into the future, at the end of the Ark's journey to Refusis II. But they find something amiss when they emerge from the TARDIS... the statue that was just beginning construction in the past was now complete, but instead of depicting a human, it is now a Monoid.

Answer: Working in the kitchen

In episode 3 "The Return," the TARDIS crew are surprised to discover that the Monoids are now able to speak vocally, and that the virus had not been fully eradicated. It had actually caused the humans on board to become less capable, somehow having lost their morale, which enabled the Monoids to take over.

Steven, Dodo and the Doctor are relegated to work in the kitchen with other human slaves, making food for the Monoids. In the meantime, the Monoids have a grand council to discuss their plans for the impending arrival to Refusis II.

Answer: Dodo and the Doctor

The reconnaissance group on the launcher includes the Doctor, Dodo, another human named Yendom, and the Monoid's second-in-command, who goes by the name 'Two.' The Monoid leader ('One') keeps Steven behind as insurance.

Yendom was played by Terrence Bayler, while 'Two' was portrayed by Ralph Carrigan.

Answer: They are invisible

It seems as though the planet is empty of people, but right after the landing party leaves the launcher, we see the controls being fiddled with by someone unseen. When the Doctor spies a castle in the distance, the group goes to investigate, and while everything seems clean and used, there is no one to be found. The Monoid in the group ('Two') begins threatening to destroy stuff if the Refusians won't come out of hiding, at which point an invisible force physically stops the Monoid, and it is understood that they are invisible creatures.

With the visitors being threatening, the Refusians decide to destroy the launcher, in the hopes that if they cannot return or communicate with the Ark, then the Monoids still on board will believe that the planet is too dangerous to occupy, and will leave. But that leaves the Doctor and Dodo stuck on the planet without a way to get back to the TARDIS.

Answer: A bomb was left behind by the Monoids

Appropriately titled "The Bomb," the final episode of the serial sees a race to find the bomb that the Monoids left behind to destroy the Ark and all the humans. Unbeknownst to the Monoids, though, the humans managed to overhear the plan, and they break out of their confinement with Steven's help and begin to search for the bomb.

Down on the planet, the Doctor also learns of the bomb from 'One,' who braggingly reveals where it is hidden (in the head of the Monoid statue). At this opportune time, 'Four' decides to challenge 'One' for leadership, and the Monoids divide into two camps and begin to fight. The Doctor and Dodo escape in the confusion, and get a message to the Ark, telling Steven about the location of the bomb.

'One' was played by Edmund Coulter, while 'Four' was portrayed by John Caesar.

Answer: The Refusian is able to lift the statue containing the bomb and throw it out the launch bay

Of course, the only true threat was the bomb left behind by the Monoids. Hidden high up in the massive statue's head, Steven and the remaining humans don't know how they are going to deal with the problem, but the invisible Refusian proves to have great strength. By himself, he is able to lift the statue and move it into a launch bay, from where it is ejected to blow up harmlessly at a distance.

In the aftermath of the short Monoid civil war, only 'Four' remains, in addition to the millions of Monoids miniaturized that the Ark was transporting. The Refusians decide to allow both the humans (and their millions) to stay on Refusis II, as long as they all agree to make peace with one another.

As the Doctor, Steven and Dodo depart in the TARDIS, the Doctor begins to sneeze, and the Companions wonder if he has caught Dodo's cold. But when the Doctor becomes invisible while sneezing, he says that he is under attack, leaving a lovely cliffhanger for the viewing audience for the next serial, "The Celestial Toymaker."