I had this dream a couple weeks back.
Giles was an incarnation of the Doctor (no idea which incarnation, but probably an AU which means he could have been any of them). Xander and Willow were his companions. Not sure about Xander's origin; Willow had things in common with Nyssa.
The first episode was a place where they landed, the forest looked idyllic, and then they ended up getting chased away from the TARDIS by dinosaurs or something. The native people managed to find and rescue them but their only strategy is running away really. They will not open their gates and allow themselves to potentially be wiped out in order to let their guests out on a suicide mission or aid them in attempting to retrieve the TARDIS. They expect their guests to integrate into the city.
They each try different approaches in preparation for an upcoming festival. The Doctor tries to make friends with everyone and get them to reveal something without meaning to, as well as getting himself on the planning committee for one of the events. Willow focuses on absorbing all the knowledge she possibly can from both the databases (not a lot, as while it’s obvious these were used before and that a bigger civilization used to be present before and these are a people in decline) and the libraries. Xander, well. The ‘haha’ way to put it would be that he does drugs, but that’s not the full story.
There’s a native plant the Doctor has never heard of that unlocks brief precognition, not too useful over the long-term but is pretty useful in a fight and is the only reason their occasional hunting parties to find survivors or other resources haven’t been slaughtered or tracked down yet. (Hence why the Doctor and his friends are very skeptical about the whole ‘it’d be too dangerous to let you leave—given how they’re barely hanging on, the Doctor suspects that it’s an excuse to try to keep them as an extra resource.) Use is required to take part in the warrior’s contest, and the Doctor has been told (though isn’t sure if it’s the truth) that winning one of the contests can give the winner one wish. Like being able to leave. The Doctor isn’t fully on board with Xander’s plan but reluctantly goes along with it. It’s a dangerous plan, he warns.
“Sure, but I can’t just sit around and do nothing. Both you and Willow are working hard to make sure we can get out of here. I’m not going to be the dead weight.”
Just in case, the Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to monitor Xander’s condition every day; it’s not perfect but it’ll have to do, since the people insist the plant is perfectly harmless and would not allow their medical equipment to be ‘repurposed’ for such an ‘unnecessary worry’. He does notice changes in Xander’s brain chemistry and cells but has no idea whether they’re dangerous or not. (This will prove to be important later in the series/season, as they’re permanent and do not fade after access to the plant is no longer possible. Though the Doctor takes a sample anyway.)
Sadly, I didn’t get to see the ending, so I don’t know how they managed to escape except that they did.
I also didn’t get to see much of the second episode, so I don’t know much except that Cordy was a big starring role and I get the feeling it might be a similar story to the great classic Star Trek TOS episode “Mark of Gideon” only with Cordy being a more active role.
Extras not in dream: This obviously means Ethan is the Master. Which actually is pretty fitting.
It’s interesting that Buffy wasn’t with them, although I get the feeling this is probably only temporary. When I think about how writing would go, I get the feeling she’s one of the bodyguards for a space futuristic Roman or Egyptian civilization run by some equivalent of Cleopatra or something. (So she’d be from the equivalent of the Mummy movies Medjai, as would the rest of the Slayers, and for once their existence isn’t a tool or a pawn but a high honor the people aspire to send their daughters to, second in divinity only to the ruler herself. Still dangerous, but as we’ve recently seen when you’re the people protecting the government from attacks from within as well as outside, there’s a certain amount of danger.) The Doctor and companions go there, help out, and in thanks the leader offers the aid of one of her most trusted bodyguards. “That’s not necessary; really, it’s not. I wouldn’t think to deprive you of any of your people—” The Doctor begins protesting.
“Oh, but you may find a use for her sooner than you think.” It’s at that point that the Doctor realizes her people have a limited ability to see into Time, like him, and she’s seen something he has not. This of course ties into whatever the series arc is for that series/season, so he stops protesting and accepts.
