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Doctor Who Companion Profile: Nyssa

Doctor Who Companion Profile: Nyssa

Sarah Sutton as Doctor Who Companion Nyssa

Nyssa

Portrayed by: Sarah Sutton

Doctor(s): Fourth Doctor, Fifth Doctor

Tenure: 13 stories, from The Keeper of Traken (Jan, 1981) to Terminus (Feb, 1983)

Background: Nyssa is the princess of Traken, a planet that comes under the attack of The Master and is eventually completely destroyed, making her the sole Trakenite in the universe. In her first two stories, first her stepmother and then her father are killed, and finally her planet is eaten by a wave of entropy that threatens the entire universe. Consequentially, the Fifth Doctor takes her in, determined to protect and guide her.

Family/Friends: Nyssa’s mother died when she was young, leaving her to be raised by her father, Tremas. She also has a stepmother Kassia, but she dies after being betrayed by the Master in Nyssa’s first story and Tremas is taken over by the Master, his body stolen and soul destroyed. With

Personality: Nyssa is a brilliant bioelectronics specialist, but despite her intellect and privileged upbringing, she remains a sweet and caring young woman. She starts her tenure rather restrained, still reeling from her loss, but she eventually regains the easy smile we see in her first story. She’s brave and moral, championing the downtrodden and eventually leaving the TARDIS to help a group of lepers find a permanent cure for their disease, with which she is also infected.

Special Skills: Scientific genius, emotional resilience, kind heart

Best Story: The Keeper of Traken and Logopolis are an entertaining pair of stories with The Master, for this era, and Terminus sees Nyssa at her most inventive and proactive, prompting her departure

Worst Story: As with the Fifth Doctor, Adric, and Tegan, Nyssa’s worst story is Black Orchid. She gets more to do than her counterparts, but that doesn’t change how meandering and pointless much of it is.

Highlights of tenure: Standing up to the Master, supporting Tegan after her altercations with the Mara, and her affectionate rapport with the Fifth Doctor, to whom she is somewhat of an apprentice.

Lowlights of tenure: This era of the show suffers from having too many Companions on the TARDIS, particularly those of the Young Alien Genius variety, causing one or more to be sidelined disappointingly frequently. Nyssa has somewhat of an arc, going from a traumatized girl to a self-reliant young woman, but neither Nyssa nor Sarah Sutton receive the attention from the writers they deserve.

Memorable quotes:

“So much for my friendly aliens.”  The Visitation

[re: trains and train stations] “What a very silly activity.”  Black Orchid

Other notes: Nyssa was only intended to appear in her first story. She was not originally conceived as a Companion, but the producers liked her and Peter Davison particularly favored her as a Companion, so she ended up staying around for a couple seasons.

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