Rodan's First Birthday is another story that highlights some of the differences between Gallifrey and Earth as well as between the social classes on Gallifrey. It opens with Marion having her photograph taken with Rodan by one of those skilled artisans of the Caretaker class who have their own businesses. The photographer doesn’t recognise Rodan as of his own class because she is dressed as an aristocrat child. When I first thought of the concept of an underclass on Gallifrey, I toyed with the idea of them being a different colour. Rika’s surname, Desai, comes from an Indian writer, Anita Desai. But I dropped the idea because it would be too difficult for Aineytta, Rika, even Rodan, to integrate when they were raised through the ranks, as well as it smacking of unintentional racism.
The flowers in the garden are one of those reminders that Marion is on another planet, of course.

“There were flowers starting to grow in the garden. Marion looked at the first of the Gallias. They grew almost anywhere, their bulbs deep in the soil of the flower beds and the edges of the lawns. They came up in the early spring like daffodils did in England. Gallias were more like a cross between a tulip and an orchid, though. They had long stems that pushed up towards the little sunshine there was and then huge flowers that seemed too big for the stem to support. Six petals, each about four inches long spread out from where the tulip like centre curved up, protecting the delicate stamen from any late frost. Gallias came in many different colours. When they grew wild, they were a riot of red, yellow, blue, purple, orange.”

The incident in the kitchen when the maid didn’t know how to make jelly is an example of differences between Earth and Gallifrey. It is also a class distinction. Jelly made from a packet isn’t the sort of thing anyone in a professional kitchen would use. A cook like the one at Mount Lœng House would make jelly from scratch with real fruit juice and gelatine. It’s time consuming but the results are far superior to anything you can buy at Tesco. Marion comes from a class where jelly comes in packets to a world where the cook would make it from scratch.

Rodan’s birthday present, a tricycle, is an alien thing, never seen on Gallifrey before. But her visiting grandfather, who has travelled in the freight service, understands it. Marion’s thoughts about that, of course, are ambiguous. She is glad that Rodan gets on with her grandfather, but a little jealous of him, too. Future stories will, of course, approach this subject again.