The peaceful planet Aneth was once at war with the mighty Skonnon empire, and now Skonnon spaceships demanding tribute have returned to Anethan skies. As the final consignment is being taken to Skonnos, an accident forces the ship off-course. Meanwhile, the Doctor has decided that the TARDIS is in need of an overhaul. After materializing the TARDIS in deep space, he dismantles most of the ship's key circuitry. The incapacitated TARDIS and the Skonnon ship are moving toward a gravity field that could destroy them both. Back on the Skonnos home planet, the mysterious Nimon has promised new glory to the Skonnon empire on receipt of the tribute from Aneth. Yet none of the Skonnans have sought to examine the Nimon's plan for their glorious future.
In "The Horns of Nimon," the declining Skonnon Empire's quest for the technology to launch a second galactic empire rests upon tributes from the people of the planet Aneth. The fourth doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Lalla Ward), encounter a starship full of such young people, including Janet (
Blue Peter) Ellis, on their way to be sacrificed to the bull-like alien Nimon. While Romana becomes trapped in the Nimon's ever-changing labyrinth, the doctor struggles to repair the Tardis and finds that someone, or something, is engineering an artificial black hole.
Doctor Who had previously explored the Cretan legend of the Minotaur in "The Time Monster" (1972), and here pays homage to the story without attempting to incorporate it into the Who mythos. Tom Baker is in good form and script editor Douglas Adams keeps the story tight without allowing the humor to take over. The best performance comes from Lalla Ward, fully at home as Romana and a commanding presence in her own right. The set and costume design are notable except for the Nimon itself, which is rather laughable. This story is an entertaining if ultimately unexceptional adventure for the good Doctor. --Gary S. Dalkin
