“Sneezes, space elephants, and a one-eyed mop rebellion.”
Short Synopsis
The Doctor, Steven, and new companion Dodo arrive on a giant spaceship carrying the last remnants of humanity and their zoo. Unfortunately, Dodo’s cold turns into a devastating plague, and when the TARDIS later revisits centuries in the future, the ship’s alien servants — the goofy Monoids — have staged a coup and seized control.
Extended Storyline
The TARDIS materializes inside what looks like a tropical jungle, but is actually an enormous spaceship hauling humanity, their pets, and a suspicious amount of elephants across the stars to their new home on Refusis II. The Guardians, a robe-wearing bunch who run the place, welcome the Doctor and his friends — until they realize Dodo has just given them the sniffles. Cue catastrophe: the cold mutates into a plague that no one on board has immunity to, spreading like wildfire and proving once and for all that the deadliest weapon in the universe is a teenager’s runny nose.
The Doctor narrowly avoids execution by whipping up a cure with what we can only assume was spit, leaves, and scientific hand-waving. The crisis resolved, the crew bids farewell and returns to the TARDIS. But in one of the show’s cleverest twists, the ship later materializes on the Ark again — centuries later. This time, the tables have turned: the Monoids, previously mute servants with Beatles haircuts and only one eye, are now the rulers, while the humans fetch them tea. It seems the Monoids, given centuries to stew in resentment (and awkward body language), decided overthrowing their masters was preferable to sweeping up elephant dung for eternity.
As the Ark nears Refusis II, the Monoids prepare to colonize by planting bombs and plotting general unpleasantness. Unfortunately for them, the Refusians — invisible, super-powered aliens — aren’t thrilled by the idea of being invaded by mop-headed cyclopses. The Doctor and Steven stir up a rebellion among the humans, and with the Refusians’ casual assistance, the Monoids’ plan collapses spectacularly. With order restored, humanity is left to continue its journey, and the Doctor, Steven, and Dodo wisely leave before anyone else sneezes.