Once again I have chosen an alien with godly delusions. Historically Sutekh is an ancient Egyptian god of the desert, storms, disorder, violence and foreigners, also know as Set. However, the incarnation I have chosen to talk about is from Doctor Who in the seventies, the Tom Baker years. In the episode Pyramids of Mars, the Doctor and Sarah Jane are forced to land the Tardis after seeing a visions of a jackal-like head that interrupts their flight path.
This is Sutekh as he finally finds himself a minion in the form of Dr Marcus Scarman, who has just entered a burial chamber inscribed with the Eye of Horus.
Sutekh is an Osirian, an advanced race that have long since gone exticnt. He is also known as Sutekh the Destroyer and wipes out all life where he finds it. His own people were so appalled by him they ganged up with Horus to imprison him. Unfortunately they didn't kill him because they didn't believe in that.
He has been held immobile in the black pyramid in Egypt for millennia by the Eye of Horus on Mars. Sutekh uses Scarman's reanimated corpse and service robots to do his bidding by employing his formidable mental powers. He has them build a rocket missile to destroy the Eye of Horus. However, the Doctor and Sarah Jane destroy the missile. However Sutekh then takes over the Doctor and uses the Tardis to get Scarman to mars to destroy the Eye.
The only thing that saves Earth is the time it takes radio waves to get from Mars to Earth. The Doctor is able to get back in time and alter Sutekh's time tunnel to far into the future, even further than an Osirian can live.
Pyramids of Mars is one of my all time favourite episodes of Doctor Who. It combines my love of Egyptology with aliens and danger and Victorian country houses. Below is a clip of Sutekh introducing himself.
Sources: Wikipedia | Tardis Data Core
Are you a Doctor Who fan? Have you seen this episode? Are you a new Who or old Who fan or both?
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I've never watched Doctor Who, but I've heard really good things about it!
ReplyDeleteIt's worth a watch if you happen to catch it. With old Who just expect bad special effects and great plots though :)
DeleteI have watched the new Dr. Who but not the older version, sounds like a great episode.
ReplyDeleteMaui Jungalow
I think some of the plots in Old Who were amazing - after all they had no CGI to fall back on to wow people :). There are some awesome stories in New Who too, but I've not been very impressed just lately unfortunately. I like 10 best from New Who and 4 best from Old Who :)
DeleteI'm more familiar with the older Dr. Who. My kids would cry in their beds..."turn the TV down"... aliens like Suketh really scared them.
ReplyDeleteI never saw this one first time round because I was only just coming up to 3, but I now have it on DVD :) We used to watch Dr Who from behind cushions when we were a little older though - every Saturday. I remember trying to make a mask of a Fendaaleen when I was about 5 :)
DeleteThat clip is pretty creepy, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteSutekh does his best to be very evil and creepy. ;)
DeleteAncient gods have to so much to offer! Generations of story telling molded them into amazing characters. They never get old for me. I'm sad I didn't watch a lot of Dr. Who. It seems like an insurmountable task now to ever catch up ;)
ReplyDeleteYou can find me here:
ClarabelleRant
Ah, but now you have the advantage of being able to pick and choose which eps to watch :) The great thing about old Who is that most of the stories were completely individual - you don't need to have seen all the others to get them. That's why I think it is superior to New Who when it comes to episodic stories. There are ideas that carry through, but you can still enjoy every story on its own. Some of the later series of New Who seem to be very circular and involved.
Delete*covers face* I'm not a Doctor Who fan, but I can appreciate the material and the stories I hear about. You've piqued my interest, so I might watch this episode. I know enough about the good Doctor to follow along, and I'm curious about the Sutekh interpretation :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's a fun watch and as I said above, most of Old Who is put together so you can just leap in and watch an ep without knowing anything. There might be a few little things not explained, but most of it is all there.
DeleteI've watched a few, and prefer the old ones, if I'm honest. I watched a couple with David Tennant and I enjoy his humour. My daughters' also watched the Sarah Jane Adventures (not sure if that's the right title) so there were references from that :-)
DeleteYou are right with the Sarah Jane Adventures - great series :) David Tennant is my fav from New Who - love him.
DeleteYou've got my interest. I might watch it.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely worth it :)
Deletethat was what i wanted to say... i have so much "DR WHO" to catch up on...
DeleteIt will wait for you :)
DeleteWell I hate to say it but I remember watching the very first episode with William Hartnel in it, from then I was hooked on it for many years though I am afraid I can't remember you repisode on here.
ReplyDeleteIt came so close to never being - it's amazing how long it's lasted :)
DeleteWe're really learning a lot from you!
ReplyDeletePrecious Monsters
:D Welcome to my nerdom ;)
DeleteI am a huge fan of Doctor Who, but I haven't watched episodes that old. Maybe I should start looking for earlier seasons.
ReplyDeleteFrom A to Z Challenge
http://destinychildosheen.blogspot.com.au/
Number 4 is definitely worth a look as is number 7 - I love number 5 too, but his assistants are sometimes so very, very annoying IMHO ;)
DeleteHaven't seen Dr. Who, old or new, but it does sound interesting :)
ReplyDeletebetty
There are some very good stories :)
DeleteI find it highly entertaining that Sutekh was a god of disorder, violence and... foreigners. Says a lot about the society, I think.
ReplyDeleteAnd I've never seen Doctor Who. I know, I'll crawl back in my hole now. ;)
It does, doesn't it :) Never??!! S'okay you're not the only one ;)
DeleteOnce again, I need to watch more old Doctor Who :) Sutekh to me (apart from Egyptian mythology, obviously) usually brings to mind the old Vampire: the Masquearde games...
ReplyDelete@TarkabarkaHolgy from
Multicolored Diary - Epics from A to Z
MopDog - 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary
I don't remember him from Masquerade, but then I only played it live action a couple of times and it was a mixed game so the rules and background were much simplified.I once played a Malkavian who had multiple personalities, one of whom thought they were a Jedi and one who thought they were a Sith - was lots of fun :D
DeleteI haven't seen many of the older Dr. Who episodes. This does sound like a really cool one. Egyptian mythology is so cool.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good 'un :)
DeleteI've really got to go back and watch the Tom Baker years...
ReplyDeleteYep, that's a def - some really, really great stories in there.
DeleteSeems to be a lot of aliens with godly delusions, huh?
ReplyDeleteI've never watched Doctor Who, but you're making me want to. ;)
Oh yeah - loads ;) If you want to leap into Old Who, go for Tom Baker - really, the stories are superb - there's even one with vampires.
DeleteNot even a alien god-like killer can out smart The Doctor.
ReplyDeleteNope - not even :) The Doctor can take on anyone at all - them's the rules ;).
DeleteMy boys are so in to Dr. Who--the current ones. I've watched a few:)
ReplyDeleteDifficult to avoid I would imagine :)
DeleteI don't remember this episode. I'll have to search the archives and see if I can find it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the search :) this is a great ep.
DeleteGREAT Doctor Who episode, great S choice.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the A to Z Challenge!
A to Z Co-Host S. L. Hennessy
http://pensuasion.blogspot.com/
Thank you :) I do my best.
DeleteIsn't it wonderful when your geekdoms collide?
ReplyDeleteTotally :)
DeleteTom Baker was one of my favorite Dr's and I remember this episode! I want to watch it again now! Great post! Lisa, co-host AtoZ 2015, @ http://www.lisabuiecollard.com
ReplyDeleteHe's so quirky he made the most wonderful Doctor and for such a long time :)
DeleteNew Who... I'm a New Who-ist
ReplyDeleteOld Who on Who "To-Do" List.
But it's nice to have a curated idea of what to look for. This one is RIGHT up my storytelling/mythology alley. Thanks. -- Jeri from storytellingmatters :)
It was brilliant to see new fans coming in with new who - of course I think old who is occasionally a bit of a shock for some, because I know the first season new who effects weren't as high budget as now, but they are a total different league to old who ;). Definitely go for Pyramids of Mars - it's an awesome ep.
DeleteMy kids have just become obsessive Dr. Who fans. I just don't get it… Never got into it, even when everyone else was in the early '80s.
ReplyDeleteI suppose like anything else it has to push your buttons and if it doesn't then brain goes meh :)
DeleteI have vague memories about this episode - at least, the names and that clip were familiar. I'm a Peter Davison girl, myself. And a Matt Smith one :-)
ReplyDeleteAnnalisa, writing A-Z vignettes, at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep
See, when I was younger I thought I was a PD girl too because when he came in I was old enough to really remember, but looking back, it has to be Tom Baker :). For new Who I'm a Tennant girl all the way, but I can totally see the appeal of Matt :)
DeleteThere's a Darth Vader vibe to this guy, I think it's the mask! The only time I really got into Dr Who was the Sylvester McCoy series, which has been a bit forgotten - I think I was at just the right age. I've only dabbled in the new ones.
ReplyDeleteI had not thought of that, you might have a point. I love Sylvester's era - some great, great eps - I will never forgive them for canning him just as he was getting really interesting. My favs are Curse of Fenris, Ghostlight and Survival.
DeleteFunny how the gods in all these ancient religions turn out to be aliens :)
ReplyDeleteIt is isn't it - next someone will be suggesting they really did build the pyramids ... oh wait ... ;)
DeleteI watched that episode. Been hoping around Tom Baker's episodes. It was a great story line.
ReplyDelete~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee's Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
They knew how to right 'em back then :)
DeleteThat episode is from before my time. I only have memories of watching Doctor Who on PBS with my parents starting sometime in the Eighties. He does sound like an intense character, though.
ReplyDeleteIf you get a chance to see the Tom Baker eps, I heartily recommend them, there was some great writing.
Deletewatched the new. loved eccelston and tennant, smith in the couple of epis i've seen) was okay, and the new one cadelitti or whatever reminds me of jeremy irons in the three epis i wateched yesterday.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I don't like the latest eps with Capaldi :( They just don't interest me in the slightest. I really tried to enjoy them, but there were only two where I didn't want to throw things at the screen.
Delete