YY2 - The Space Pirates 2

It isn't really until the very end of this, the second episode, that The Doctor and his companions become even remotely involved in this story. Up until now, it would be entirely plausible to believe that what I'm watching is a new science fiction show called The Space Pirates!, which chronicles the adventures of the heroic General Hermack, his trusty sidekick Major Warne, the dastardly villain Caven, and the comedic prospector Milo Clancey.

Because of this, though. the proper The Space Pirates actually has much in common with future Holmes classics like Carnival of Monsters, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, The Ribos Operation, and The Caves of Androzani. Those classic stories all contain memorable characters that are often given larger portions of screen time, and a plot that often develops and blossoms without the involvement of The Doctor. It almost seems as if Holmes is more interested in telling the tales of the peripheral characters, rather than that of the Doctor himself, so he spends most of his time and energy creating a world of interesting characters that The Doctor can be placed into, rather than having The Doctor being the key to everything happening.

The Space Pirates doesn't quite have the memorable characters (except for Milo Clancey, who I think is a hoot) as those other stories mentioned, naturally, but the groundwork is being laid.