The warrior Eldrad was a ferocious figure on the planet Kastria. His people attempted to execute him but his hand survived and made it to Earth where it was discovered during an archaeological dig. The Hand of Eldrad possessed several humans including Sarah-Jane Smith, a companion of the Fourth Doctor. This was her last adventure in Doctor Who for a long time.

The Hand of Fear

★★★★☆

TX: 02/10/1976 – 23/10/1976

Written by Bob Baker & Dave Martin    Directed by Lennie Mayne

The Fourth Doctor and Sarah-Jane arrive in a quarry shortly before the whole area is blown up by some detonated mines laid by a team of archaeologists. The Doctor and Sarah are injured and taken to hospital. Sarah-Jane is taken over by an alien hand belonging to a fugitive called Eldrad. Eldrad possesses Sarah-Jane and influences her to walk to the nearby Nunton Power Complex. Eldrad possesses several others before the Doctor arrives and tries to persuade Eldrad to leave Sarah-Jane’s body. Sarah-Jane protests saying “Eldrad Must Live!” in a childlike voice. Eldrad eventually leaves Sarah-Jane’s body and he becomes female, having previously had a male body. Eldrad is a ruthless warrior but she insists that the Doctor takes her back to her homeworld of Kastria. The Doctor puts the TARDIS into a state of Temporal Grace so that no weapons can be used inside the ship. Upon returning to Kastria, Eldrad discovers that his civilisation has come to an end and that he is now the ruler of a dead world! Eldrad is seemingly caught and destroyed by one of a series of traps while travelling with the Doctor to a regeneration chamber. Eldrad emerges in his true masculine form, however, and then commences a tirade against King Rokon upon seeing a hologram of him. Admitting that he destroyed the barriers during his attempt to usurp the Kastrian leadership, Eldrad finds the remains of Rokon and learns from a pre-recorded message that the Kastrian race accepted extinction over living a miserable existence underground, destroying their race banks in case Eldrad returned. When Eldrad decides to make his new empire on Earth, the Doctor trips the would-be tyrant into an abyss, then throwing the Kastrian’s ring into it to ensure he cannot regenerate. Back in the TARDIS, Sarah-Jane tells the Doctor that she is tired of everything that they have been through and wants to go home. She packs a bag and returns to the console room. The Doctor tells Sarah-Jane that he has been summoned back to Gallifrey and that she cannot come with him anyway because humans are not allowed. Sarah-Jane makes an emotional farewell to the Doctor where she tells him not to forget her. The Doctor drops Sarah-Jane off in what he thinks is South Croydon, but is in fact Aberdeen (School Reunion).