Empress of Mars
The Doctor (Peter Capaldi), Nardole (Matt Lucas), and Bill (Pearl Mackie) travel to Mars, but upon arrival, they find themselves in the middle of a conflict between the Ice Warriors and Victorian soldiers.
In the present, NASA finds the words "God save the Queen" made of rocks buried under the Mars ice cap.
Witnessing this, the Twelfth Doctor, Bill, and Nardole venture to Mars in 1881 to investigate and discover that the planet is occupied by human soldiers from Victorian Britain.
In exchange, Friday allowed the soldiers to use his species' technology to travel to Mars, establish a small breathable atmosphere within a cavern, and mine the planet.
She decides to relent based on Bill's word, but then a soldier suddenly fires his rifle, the shot harmlessly glancing off Iraxxa's helmet.
To assist the Ice Warriors, the Doctor covertly contacts Alpha Centauri, a representative of the Galactic Federation he first met in his third incarnation.
[3] Upon the discovery of the Ice Empress' tomb, the Doctor says "I've got a bad feeling about this," a recurring phrase in the Star Wars franchise.
[19] The episode received positive reviews from 92% of 13 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and the site consensus reads, "'The Empress of Mars' gives fans an entertaining standalone breather between major arcs that makes the most of its leads' considerable chemistry.
"[10] Nivea Serrao of Entertainment Weekly awarded the episode a grade of B+, approving the story and comparing it to Hidden Figures.
He commented how the episode addresses the issue where "no one side is truly right in the end", and gives the Ice Warriors a definition other than a "clear-cut villain" like the Daleks or Cybermen.
[13] Ross Ruediger of New York Magazine gave the episode a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars, approving the return of the Ice Warriors after their previous appearance in the seventh series.
[16] Patrick Mulkern from the Radio Times also gave the episode a score of 5 stars out of 5, appreciating the story and stating that it was "well-crafted".
