Fey Truscott-Sade
Encyclopedia
Fey Truscott-Sade, also known as Fey or Feyde, is a fictional character
who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine
comic strip based on the long-running British
science fiction television
series Doctor Who
. She was a companion
of the Eighth Doctor
. The canonicity of the comic strip with respect to the television series, like other Doctor Who spin-offs
, is open to interpretation.
in the early 20th century. She first appeared in the comic strip story Tooth and Claw, published in DWM #257-#260, written by Alan Barnes and drawn by Martin Geraghty and Robin Smith. In 1939, Fey was an undercover operative working for the British government, and had previously encountered the Doctor
in an unpublished adventure involving psychic weasel
s in Russell Square
. The Doctor had given her a Stattenheim Summoner — a device disguised as a tin whistle that could contact the TARDIS
— and Fey called on the Doctor and his companion Izzy
to help her investigate the sinister Varney.
The events of Tooth and Claw proved costly for the Doctor. Although they ultimately defeated Varney, the Doctor had injected himself with a deadly bacillus
and was dying. Fey somehow managed to pilot the TARDIS back to Gallifrey
, where the Doctor's body was cured and his mind placed into the Matrix
to heal.
While within the Matrix, an attempt was made on the Doctor's life by a secret Time Lord sect known as the Elysians. This was foiled by Shayde
, a construct of the Matrix and an old ally of the Doctor's. The assassination attempt was part of a plot by Overseer Luther, an insane Time Lord who wanted to rewrite Gallifrey's history and set himself up as a god. The Doctor managed to thwart Luther by short-circuiting his watchtower (a gigantic TARDIS), but apparently at the cost of his eighth body. As Izzy and Fey watched, the Doctor regenerated into a new incarnation (The Final Chapter, DWM #262-#265).
However, this was a ruse. The Doctor had realised that Fey was under external control when she had managed to pilot the TARDIS even though the TARDIS manual was in Gallifreyan script, which she did not understand. Just before the Doctor prepared to sacrifice himself, Shayde offered to take his place and fake a regeneration. This way, the group that was controlling Fey — the Threshold, a mercenary organisation that the Doctor had tangled with before — would seize the opportunity to bring a newly regenerated and thus weaker Doctor to them. Both disguised with personal chameleon circuits, Shayde would hold their attention while the Doctor sabotaged the Threshold's operations.
In a Wild West
town on an alien moon run by the Threshold, the Doctor's plans came to fruition. The Threshold removed an implant from Fey, gloating that she had been an unwitting spy for them ever since they kidnapped her in 1937 and placed the device in her head. Preparing for the final confrontation, Shayde and the Doctor revealed themselves to the Threshold. However, Shayde had to contend with the Pariah, an immensely powerful being who was a prototype version of himself. Shayde was unable to defeat the Pariah on his own, and she crushed his skull.
Comforting the dying Shayde, Fey merged with the Gallifreyan construct and together they were able to kill the Pariah and eliminate the Threshold. The shared being, dubbed "Feyde" by the Doctor, although both of them retained their own consciousness, decided to leave and deal with what had just happened to them (Wormwood, DWM #266-#271).
Fey returned to 1939, where she continued to work for the British government. Fey spent two years fighting the Nazis
with Shayde, frustrated that Shayde would not allow her to use their powers to kill Adolf Hitler
, as this would change history. In 1941, she received a sub-ether summons from the Doctor — Izzy had been kidnapped, and the Doctor needed Shayde's abilities to track her whereabouts. Together, they succeeded in recovering Izzy, and "Feyde" returned to World War II
after sharing a farewell kiss with Izzy (Oblivion, DWM #323-#328).
As a merged entity, Fey is able to share Shayde's powers, including the ability to travel through time and space unaided, phase through solid objects and fire self-generated "psychic bullets". Fey's penchant for dressing in masculine clothing and her relationship with Izzy implied that she was a lesbian
, but her actual orientation was never made explicit, however given certain pieces of dialogue with the Doctor, there is evidence that she is actually bisexual. Fey and Shayde have also developed a love/hate relationship over the course of their unison, Fey telling Shayde things of her own life, but often resents his unswerving loyalty to Rassilon
and preserving the web of time. Her initial appearance in Tooth and Claw was inspired by Katharine Hepburn
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
comic strip based on the long-running British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. She was a companion
Companion (Doctor Who)
In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
of the Eighth Doctor
Eighth Doctor
The Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
. The canonicity of the comic strip with respect to the television series, like other Doctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
, is open to interpretation.
Character history
Fey is a native of EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
in the early 20th century. She first appeared in the comic strip story Tooth and Claw, published in DWM #257-#260, written by Alan Barnes and drawn by Martin Geraghty and Robin Smith. In 1939, Fey was an undercover operative working for the British government, and had previously encountered the Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
in an unpublished adventure involving psychic weasel
Weasel
Weasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....
s in Russell Square
Russell Square
Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. To the north is Woburn Place and to the south-east is Southampton Row...
. The Doctor had given her a Stattenheim Summoner — a device disguised as a tin whistle that could contact the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
— and Fey called on the Doctor and his companion Izzy
Izzy Sinclair
Isabelle "Izzy" Sinclair, is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was a companion of the Eighth Doctor...
to help her investigate the sinister Varney.
The events of Tooth and Claw proved costly for the Doctor. Although they ultimately defeated Varney, the Doctor had injected himself with a deadly bacillus
Bacillus
Bacillus is a genus of Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria and a member of the division Firmicutes. Bacillus species can be obligate aerobes or facultative anaerobes, and test positive for the enzyme catalase. Ubiquitous in nature, Bacillus includes both free-living and pathogenic species...
and was dying. Fey somehow managed to pilot the TARDIS back to Gallifrey
Gallifrey
Gallifrey is a fictional planet in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and is the homeworld of the Doctor and the Time Lords...
, where the Doctor's body was cured and his mind placed into the Matrix
Matrix (Doctor Who)
The Matrix, in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, is a massive computer system on the planet Gallifrey that acts as the repository of the combined knowledge of the Time Lords....
to heal.
While within the Matrix, an attempt was made on the Doctor's life by a secret Time Lord sect known as the Elysians. This was foiled by Shayde
Shayde
Shayde is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, a construct of the Matrix and an old ally of the Doctor's. The assassination attempt was part of a plot by Overseer Luther, an insane Time Lord who wanted to rewrite Gallifrey's history and set himself up as a god. The Doctor managed to thwart Luther by short-circuiting his watchtower (a gigantic TARDIS), but apparently at the cost of his eighth body. As Izzy and Fey watched, the Doctor regenerated into a new incarnation (The Final Chapter, DWM #262-#265).
However, this was a ruse. The Doctor had realised that Fey was under external control when she had managed to pilot the TARDIS even though the TARDIS manual was in Gallifreyan script, which she did not understand. Just before the Doctor prepared to sacrifice himself, Shayde offered to take his place and fake a regeneration. This way, the group that was controlling Fey — the Threshold, a mercenary organisation that the Doctor had tangled with before — would seize the opportunity to bring a newly regenerated and thus weaker Doctor to them. Both disguised with personal chameleon circuits, Shayde would hold their attention while the Doctor sabotaged the Threshold's operations.
In a Wild West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
town on an alien moon run by the Threshold, the Doctor's plans came to fruition. The Threshold removed an implant from Fey, gloating that she had been an unwitting spy for them ever since they kidnapped her in 1937 and placed the device in her head. Preparing for the final confrontation, Shayde and the Doctor revealed themselves to the Threshold. However, Shayde had to contend with the Pariah, an immensely powerful being who was a prototype version of himself. Shayde was unable to defeat the Pariah on his own, and she crushed his skull.
Comforting the dying Shayde, Fey merged with the Gallifreyan construct and together they were able to kill the Pariah and eliminate the Threshold. The shared being, dubbed "Feyde" by the Doctor, although both of them retained their own consciousness, decided to leave and deal with what had just happened to them (Wormwood, DWM #266-#271).
Fey returned to 1939, where she continued to work for the British government. Fey spent two years fighting the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
with Shayde, frustrated that Shayde would not allow her to use their powers to kill Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, as this would change history. In 1941, she received a sub-ether summons from the Doctor — Izzy had been kidnapped, and the Doctor needed Shayde's abilities to track her whereabouts. Together, they succeeded in recovering Izzy, and "Feyde" returned to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
after sharing a farewell kiss with Izzy (Oblivion, DWM #323-#328).
As a merged entity, Fey is able to share Shayde's powers, including the ability to travel through time and space unaided, phase through solid objects and fire self-generated "psychic bullets". Fey's penchant for dressing in masculine clothing and her relationship with Izzy implied that she was a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, but her actual orientation was never made explicit, however given certain pieces of dialogue with the Doctor, there is evidence that she is actually bisexual. Fey and Shayde have also developed a love/hate relationship over the course of their unison, Fey telling Shayde things of her own life, but often resents his unswerving loyalty to Rassilon
Rassilon
Rassilon is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In the backstory of the programme, he was the founder of Time Lord society on the planet Gallifrey...
and preserving the web of time. Her initial appearance in Tooth and Claw was inspired by Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
.