Bring Back… Sky Smith

Guest contributor Eddie SC Thomas thinks the Sarah Jane Adventures character should return.

Series 8 is on the horizon and I for one cannot wait until the Doctor and Clara grace our screens once again, along with some new additions to the Whoniverse. However I think there should be one character that deserves to return with an adventure with the Time Lord himself – Sky Smith (Sinead Michael).

For those who’ve been stuck in a parallel universe without Doctor Who, let me explain, in brief, who Sky Smith is. Sky Smith is a character from Doctor Who’s youngest relative, The Sarah Jane Adventures. She makes her debut in Series 5 episode 1, in which she suddenly appears on Sarah Jane Smith’s doorstep one night, as a baby. Throughout the course of her introduction, Sky becomes the plot device, which draws to warring alien species, one of which is her “mother”, to Earth in hopes of finding her. Long story short, she metamorphosis’s in to a twelve year old, is revealed to be a biological weapon and loses all of her destructive abilities in an attempt to prevent an intergalactic battalion of metalkind aliens from creating war on Earth. All that in 50 minutes.

Since then, Sarah Jane decided to adopt Sky and she joined the Bannerman Road gang, having solved(ish) The Curse of Clyde Langer and becoming pivotal in unearthing The Man Who Never Was. Whilst her air time was cut short, due Elisabeth Sladen’s saddening passing, Sky proved herself to be a rather bright, alien character, finding herself confused by human lifestyles, with no knowledge of all the basic info e.g. finding out what girls are and mis-interpreting the meaning behind toad in a hole. Along with her lack of social understanding, Sky also possessed eidetic memory and been proven to be an exceptionally fast learner and problem solver (The Curse of Clyde Langer), not mention her liking for cheesy one-liners. However there is one slight issue; Sky is the only SJA character, apart from Maria Jackson, who hasn’t had an escapade with the Doctor…yet.

Why bring Sky back?

Sky has so much infinite potential and future possibilities that need to be explored, much like her adoptive brother, Luke Smith. It’ll be interesting to Sky gelling in with the rest of teen culture, with some anomalous social differences. Also, to see Sky meeting the Doctor would be glorious and perhaps intriguing, considering you’ll have a grandfather figure with melancholic character traits working with a teenager who’s sort of fitting in and is proven to be an adept student. There are plenty of social scenarios in which you can place Sky.

Social Scenarios.

Here’s a list of social situations, which Sky can be placed in, should she be return:

1. Teenager struggling to fit in. In this scenario, Sky could be a teenager trying to adapt to a normal life without Clyde and Rani at school and Luke having to raise Sky in the absence of their mother, alongside trying to manage with bullying and obtaining new friends her age.
2. Stereotypical teen. This is the one where Sky still is clueless and unadventurous, losing the traits, which made her unique, such as her superb memory, problem solving and looking for trouble, in favour for a life of typical feminine traits, which can ruin an already great character.
3. Bright spark/adventurer. This scenario is quite interesting. Sky could be moulding into her current life but this time, she’s developed intellectually, though obviously not to Adric’s level. Sky would’ve learnt about almost everything she can about human culture and Earth science (thanks to her memory) and perhaps indulges in some alien battling adventures away from school, with Luke, Mr. Smith and possibly Rani and Clyde (otherwise known as Clani.)

Also, with the aforementioned scenarios, the reintroduction of Sky could also bring back the return of Luke and Mr. Smith.

How can Sky be featured in a Doctor Who episode?

Some suggestions to how Sky can return and be a prominent character in a Doctor Who episode:

1. A Doctor Lite episode. Okay, so Sky won’t be helping the Doctor but she could have some affiliations with the Time Lord by helping his current companion in a grave situation which can endanger Earth in someway and will perhaps meet the Doctor after the day is saved as thank you for her help.
2. LINDA style. In this particular episode, Sky could end up bumping into the Doctor in some way and decides to “research” him, which would then lead Sky to seek the Doctor in hope of him returning to defend Earth.
3. Monstrous encounter. Sky, and the rest of the Bannerman Road gang, is on a mission to scout for a rogue alien. Before long, Sky encounters the alien and is saved by the Doctors intervention. Perhaps the two can endure after their encounter. This scenario could also tie in with the previous one as well.

These are only a selection of scenarios, which can be used to introduce Sky, and you can merge any of them together, which can create some inventive ways in reviving Sky.

Final Words.

So to conclude, Sky should be brought back to grace our screens once more. I know her chances appearing in Series 8 are pretty much impossible but let’s hope that she returns in Series 9. All we can do is wish that Moffat reads this article (which seems very slim) and decides to bring back the bright spark that is Sky Smith.

And happy birthday to Sinead Michael!