The narrative lacks LGBTQ+ characters or any exploration of non-heteronormative identities. The story focuses entirely on the temporal conflict between the Cybermen and Silurians.

Tegan Jovanka disrupts conventional hierarchies by demonstrating significant agency and challenging the Doctor's leadership. This creates a collaborative power dynamic rather than a traditional protector/protected trope.

The human cast is largely homogeneous, reflecting the production era's constraints. While Silurians serve as a metaphor for marginalized species, the human cast lacks racial breadth.

The serial explores moral relativism through the ethics of survival between species. Turlough also introduces themes of rebellion and hidden agendas, moving away from purely heroic archetypes.

There is no explicit focus on visible or invisible disabilities. The Cybermen represent a loss of biological autonomy, but they function as antagonists rather than characters with disability agency.