From TARDIS Index File, the free Doctor Who reference.

Doctor Who – The Space Pirates
Series:	Doctor Who - Target Novelisation
Release Number:	147
Doctor:	Second Doctor
Companions:	Jamie McCrimmon, Zoe Heriot
Enemy:	Caven
Setting:	Space Beacon Alpha 4 V Ship LIZ 79 Ta
Author:	Terrance Dicks
Publisher:	Target Books, W. H. Allen and Co. Ltd. UK
Publication:	March 1990
Format:	Paperback Book, 132 Pages
ISBN:	ISBN 0-426-20346-1
Previous Story:	Doctor Who - The Seeds of Death
Following Story:	Doctor Who and the War Games

Novelisation

• This novelisation is based on the original television serial DW: The Space Pirates which was shown from 8th March 1969 and written by Robert Holmes.
• The cover and information shown on the right is for the original Target novel and featured the artwork of Tony Clark. (See below for information on other UK and international editions which published with a different cover).
• The first edition cover art has the distinction of being the last Target Books edition to not feature an image of the Doctor.
• This was the last Target novelisation to be published under the ownership of W.H. Allen; henceforth Virgin Publishing would publish the range.

Publisher's Cover Blurb

The charges detonate in a series of silent explosions, and space beacon Alpha One disintegrates into lumps of metal. The space pirates have discovered a new source of precious argonite…
General Hermack of the Space Corps diverts his V-ship to investigate - and arrives in the Pliny system in time to witness the destruction of another beacon. Determined to trap the pirates, he leaves a squad of guards on beacon Alpha Four - and shortly afterwards, in the beacon’s computer bay, the incongruous shape of a blue police box materializes.
Suspected by the Space Corps of being pirates, and then pursued as spies by the pirates themselves, the Doctor, Zoe and Jamie risk asphyxiation in the vacuum of space, execution and explosion in their attempts to unmask the mastermind behind the thefts of argonite.

Illustrations

• Contains no illustrated pages

Deviations from the Televised Story

To be added

Author, Writing and Publishing Notes

• Cover artist Tony Clark first realised that he was expected to do the cover at a convention in the USA. His first submission was rejected as it featured the likeness of the Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon was not considered a well-known enough face to be used on the cover. The pose used by the pirate is inspired by the 1984 film Runaway
• This was Terrance Dicks last Doctor Who novelisation for the Target range of Doctor Who novelisations. He would later adapt the independent film Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans as the Virgin New Adventures novel, Shakedown. His next TV adaptation would not be published until 2007 when he adapted Invasion of the Bane, the first episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
• Back pages include; full page advert for Doctor Who Magazine and

Target Books advert for Doctor Who 1963-1989 THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES-IN PRINT!

Associated Images

To be added

Publishing History (UK)

One single paperback edition, priced £2.50 (UK), estimated print run: 24,000 copies.

International Editions

To be added

External Sources

• The Target Book by David J Howe (Telos Publishing 2007)
• On Target a comprehensive guide to the Target novelisations by Tim Neal