List of Doctor Who robots
Encyclopedia
The long-running British science fiction television
series Doctor Who
has featured many robot
s. The Dalek
s and Cybermen
are not listed as they are cyborg
s, and therefore not true robots.
.
. The advertising satellite was able to use the TARDIS' viewing screen to show the advertisement.
. The androids contain a gun inside their fingers.
". When the ship broke down in the Dagmar Cluster, they did not have the necessary parts to make repairs, so they used body parts of the crew. To complete repairs the androids required a new command circuit for the ship's main computer. Believing that the brain of Madame de Pompadour
at age 37—the same age as their ship— was compatible, they used the ship's quantum drive to open time windows to 18th Century France, trying to find one that led to her 37th year.
They disguised themselves in masquerade
costumes to blend in. They are equipped with a short range teleporter, scanners, tranquilizers, and various tools. They can heat themselves if they get frozen and can drain excess fluid from their system. The operation of their clockwork parts makes a constant ticking sound. The Doctor
defeated them by disconnecting the time window that led back to the ship, which caused them to shut down due to lack of purpose, and not being rewound.
Steven Moffat
expressed an interest to bring back the clockwork androids in the 5th series, stating their camouflage would take the guise of a different era's style; however, this did not happen.
in the 1980 story Warriors' Gate
by Stephen Gallagher
. They were designed by the human slaves of the Tharils and used as a spearhead in the revolution which overthrew the Tharil empire. Designed with the primary purpose to resist and kill Tharils, the Gundans could travel the time winds like their prey and butchered many during the revolt. Each Gundan was armed with an axe and decorated with horns to make the robots seem more frightening. The revolt began on the day of the Great Feast. Several inert and decaying Gundans were found by the Doctor when he visited the feasting hall in the Gateway between the universes. The skeletons of their defeated enemies remained in their seats around the feasting table. The Doctor repaired the memory wafers of a Gundan to discover what had caused the decay of the Gateway.
, K1 was a robot designed in the 20th century to replace humans in dangerous environments, but was subverted by a group of intellectuals who wanted to take power for themselves.
ic killer from 1988's Seventh Doctor
story The Happiness Patrol
(written by Graeme Curry). Employed by the egocentric Helen A, the Kandy Man delighted in creating methods of torture
and destruction using confectionery, such as drowning people in sugary solutions like its "fondant surprise". It was sadistic
and had a warped sense of humour, claiming it liked its victims to "die with a smile on their faces" by making candies that were so sweet the human body was unable to cope with the pleasure.
Composed of things like sherbet, marzipan
and caramel
, it was created by Gilbert M, with whom it shared an almost symbiotic relationship. The Doctor stuck the Kandy Man to the floor using lemonade
—it had to keep moving or its constituent ingredients would coagulate. The Kandy Man died when its external candy shell was dissolved in a pipe by fondant released by the oppressed Pipe People.
Although it resembled the trademarked character of Bertie Bassett
, the BBC
's internal investigations revealed the resemblance was entirely coincidental, though they promised Bassetts that the character would not return.
The Seventh Doctor encountered the Kandy Man again on the planet Tara in The Trials of Tara, a short story by Paul Cornell
from Decalog 2 written entirely in iambic pentameter
. In that story, Count Grendel rebuilt the Kandy Man after its charred body crashed on Tara.
. Mechonoids which had been sent to prepare the planet Mechanus for human colonisation kept the astronaut Steven Taylor
prisoner, since he did not have the Mechonoids' control codes. Dalek
s, following the TARDIS
crew, engaged the Mechonoids in battle; it is unknown which side was victorious.
The Mechonoids appear in the Big Finish
audio drama
The Juggernauts
. In this story, Davros
adds human nervous tissue to robotic Mechonoid shells to create the Juggernauts of the play's title. The Mechonoids also appear in the comic strip The World That Waits in the 1965 annual The Dalek World.
Dalek Wars, in the third issue of Doctor Who - Battles in Time
features the Daleks battling the Mechonoids on Mechanus. The Mechonoids shown are computer-generated.
The Mechanoids appeared in the comic TV 21 which featured a strip based on the Daleks, but in which the Doctor did not appear. The Mechanoids are the sworn enemies of the Daleks. A race of blue-skinned humanoids subtly interfere in order to prevent a war.
The Mechonoids made appearances in:
, nanogenes inadvertently use a dead child as a template, reproducing the same injuries on anyone the child touches. The nanogenes restore those it converted after they are provided with a complete human template.
serial The Dominators
by Henry Lincoln
and Mervyn Haisman
in 1969.
The Quarks were used on Dulkis by the Dominators to enslave and terrorise the indigenous Dulcian population to ensure the drilling of bore holes through the planet's crust. The Dominators planned to use their technology to fire seeds down the holes which would force the core to erupt, thus providing a new fuel source for their fleet.
The Quarks were rectangular, with four arms: one pair which folded into the body, the other pair being retractable. On the end of each arm was a solitary claw. The spherical head was divided into octants; the upper four octants formed the sensory hemisphere, which detected changes in light, heat and motion. At five of the corners of the octants were directional crystal beam transmitters (the sixth corner joined with the robot's extremely short neck). Quarks communicated by means of high-pitched sounds. Their tendency to run out of energy quickly was their primary weakness.
A Quark was also seen in the serial The War Games
. The Quarks were designed as an, albeit unsuccessful, attempt at creating a merchandise property, as the Dalek
s had become earlier.
Quarks are also referred to in the Big Finish Productions
audio drama Flip-Flop. When they attacked the space yacht Pinto, the Seventh Doctor
and Mel
sought leptonite crystals in order to defeat them. It is not known whether the Doctor defeated the Quarks on that occasion. The Quarks were also mentioned, and mocked viciously, in the Doctor Who Unbound audio play Exile
.
Quarks can be seen on the VHS cover of The Five Doctors
, although they did not appear in the story because they were drafted out at an early stage. They were replaced by a Raston Warrior Robot, encountered by the Third Doctor
.
On the BBC website, Captain Jack's Monster Files entry for the Vespiform mention that they may have been at war with "Quark rebels".
The Quarks were portrayed by children.
Additional information on the Quarks can be found in:
; it could move faster than lightning and was capable of taking out a troop of Cybermen (The Five Doctors
) in seconds. It moves so fast that it appears to just teleport from place to place, only visible when it remains stationary. Its own targeting systems are primarily based on detecting movement. Physically, the robot is very lithe, always moving around to scan its environment for targets, and jumping around almost like a ballet dancer when attacking (the actor portraying the robot wears a silver ballet bodysuit, in contrast to the clunky and slow-moving Cybermen). Its face is smooth with no visible eyes. In combat, it launches spike-like projectiles from its hands. The spikes are carried internally, apparently capable of collapsing down to a very small size to fit inside, but when fired they expand out to about three feet long. The spikes are launched out of the hands using a flicking motion directed at a target, and the robot is capable of firing many spikes in rapid succession. The spikes are capable of tearing apart Cybermen with ease. The robot is also capable of holding onto the spikes and wielding them as a melee weapon; it did this to decapitate a Cyberman that was already disabled. The robot is ruthlessly efficient, but apparently also somewhat sadistic: when it encountered the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane, who were unarmed, it could easily have killed them but instead fired spikes at the ground near them then ran around in circles, prompting the Doctor to state that it was toying with them. However, as soon as the well-armed Cybermen arrived, the Raston warrior robot shifted to attacking them with quick volleys of spikes. The Third Doctor considers them to be "the most perfect killing machine ever devised". The Doctor himself could find no means of disabling the robot, but simply avoided it by fleeing past it while it was distracted by a squad of Cybermen. According to the Eighth Doctor Adventures
novel The Eight Doctors
by Terrance Dicks
, the robots were built by an ancient race, older than the Time Lords, who were ultimately destroyed by their own weapons. However, the novel Alien Bodies
by Lawrence Miles
claims this was false advertising on the part of their manufacturers. It uses atomic radiation as a power source, drawing it from the atmosphere, and locks onto electrical impulses in the brain of its victim, but can become confused if it meets two beings with the same brain pattern. A Raston Warrior Robot appears in the Past Doctor Adventure
World Game
, also by Dicks, and in the game Destiny of the Doctors
.
Russell T Davies, in the March 2008 issue of Doctor Who Magazine
, expressed interest in bringing the Raston Warrior Robot back in the new series of Doctor Who, citing the battle between the Robot and the Cybermen in The Five Doctors as one of the finest in the show's history.
, there were three types of slave Robots, created by a distant human society. The robots were originally built to perform menial tasks. In at least one instance these robots took to raising a human child, Taren Capel. He eventually learned to reprogram the robots to kill humans, and attempted to stage a Robot Revolution.
There were three classes of robots:
These robots made appearances in:
, Linx.
" (broadcast 2005). The pilot fish wanted the Doctor
's regenerative energy
and so tried to kill Rose, Jackie and Mickey as they were in the way. They were disguised as Santas in a brass band
, and attacked using weapons concealed within the instruments. They remote controlled a Christmas tree that swirled at high speed, cutting through nearly anything in its path. The Doctor indicated that pilot fish indicated that something bigger was coming; their presence preceded the arrival of the Sycorax.
In "The Runaway Bride
" (2006), the pilot fish, still disguised as Santas, were controlled by the Empress of the Racnoss who referred to them as "roboforms". The Doctor said the pilot fish were "mercenaries". They used bomb
s disguised as Christmas baubles that could fly and then swoop at a target before detonating. They were revealed to have golden faces, featureless except for black eyepieces. The Roboforms later makes a brief appearance in "The Pandorica Opens
".
" and "New Earth
".
They are small robots with four tentacle
-like appendages and two saucer-shaped body parts. The top part has a red 'eye' which can emit light. Individually, they aren't very strong or dangerous, but can be formidable in large groups. They were transported as metallic orbs, which were in turn transported by the Adherents of the Repeated Meme.
In "The End of the World
", the spider robots were used by Cassandra to disrupt the systems of Platform One (namely the sun filter systems) so that she could claim the insurance money to pay for her plastic surgery bills. In "New Earth
", they were used for spying around the eponym
ous planet.
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...
has featured many robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s. The Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
s and Cybermen
Cyberman
The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
are not listed as they are cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
s, and therefore not true robots.
Adherents of the Repeated Meme
Robots that worked for Lady Cassandra and were defeated by the Ninth DoctorNinth Doctor
The Ninth Doctor is the ninth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by Christopher Eccleston....
.
Advertising satellite
A small robot that delivers junk mail to advertise events, as in The Greatest Show in the GalaxyThe Greatest Show in the Galaxy
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 14 December 1988 to 4 January 1989.-Plot:...
. The advertising satellite was able to use the TARDIS' viewing screen to show the advertisement.
Androids (Cyberman)
Two androids created by the Cybermen to guard a bomb. The androids are defeated with concentrated fire and Adric's help.Androids (Karfel)
Blue androids portrayed as the police and servants of Karfel.Androids (Kraal)
These androids were created by the Kraals for an invasion on earth by duplicating people such as Harry SullivanHarry Sullivan
Harry Sullivan is a fictional character from the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who and is a companion of the Fourth Doctor...
. The androids contain a gun inside their fingers.
Clockwork Droids
The clockwork androids (aka the Clockwork Men) were repair robots on board the spaceship SS Madame De Pompadour in the 51st century, in the episode "The Girl in the FireplaceThe Girl in the Fireplace
"The Girl in the Fireplace" is the fourth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 6 May 2006, and is the only episode in the 2006 series written by Steven Moffat...
". When the ship broke down in the Dagmar Cluster, they did not have the necessary parts to make repairs, so they used body parts of the crew. To complete repairs the androids required a new command circuit for the ship's main computer. Believing that the brain of Madame de Pompadour
Madame de Pompadour
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, also known as Madame de Pompadour was a member of the French court, and was the official chief mistress of Louis XV from 1745 to her death.-Biography:...
at age 37—the same age as their ship— was compatible, they used the ship's quantum drive to open time windows to 18th Century France, trying to find one that led to her 37th year.
They disguised themselves in masquerade
Masquerade ball
A masquerade ball is an event which the participants attend in costume wearing a mask. - History :...
costumes to blend in. They are equipped with a short range teleporter, scanners, tranquilizers, and various tools. They can heat themselves if they get frozen and can drain excess fluid from their system. The operation of their clockwork parts makes a constant ticking sound. The Doctor
Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
defeated them by disconnecting the time window that led back to the ship, which caused them to shut down due to lack of purpose, and not being rewound.
Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat is a Scottish television writer and producer.Moffat's first television work was the teen drama series Press Gang. His first sitcom, Joking Apart, was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage; conversely, his later sitcom Coupling was based upon the development of his...
expressed an interest to bring back the clockwork androids in the 5th series, stating their camouflage would take the guise of a different era's style; however, this did not happen.
Clockwork soldiers
Robots in the fictional world created by the Master of the land of fiction.Cyberking
The Cyberking was a giant robot controlled by the Cybermen and Miss Hartigan in 2008's The Next Doctor.Gadget
Gadget was a robot invented and controlled by junior technician, Roman Groom, for the Bowie Base One Mars station. After the Doctor saved Gadget, along with Adelaide Brooke, Mia Bennett and Yuri Kerenski, the robot stopped working due to loss of signal.Gundan
The Gundans were war robots encountered by the Fourth DoctorFourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
in the 1980 story Warriors' Gate
Warriors' Gate
Warriors' Gate is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was written by the English author Stephen Gallagher and first broadcast in four weekly parts from 3 January to 24 January 1981...
by Stephen Gallagher
Stephen Gallagher
Stephen Gallagher is an English writer.He has written several novels and television scripts, including for the BBC television series Doctor Who — for which he wrote two serials, Warriors' Gate and Terminus — as well as for the series Rosemary & Thyme and Bugs, for two seasons of...
. They were designed by the human slaves of the Tharils and used as a spearhead in the revolution which overthrew the Tharil empire. Designed with the primary purpose to resist and kill Tharils, the Gundans could travel the time winds like their prey and butchered many during the revolt. Each Gundan was armed with an axe and decorated with horns to make the robots seem more frightening. The revolt began on the day of the Great Feast. Several inert and decaying Gundans were found by the Doctor when he visited the feasting hall in the Gateway between the universes. The skeletons of their defeated enemies remained in their seats around the feasting table. The Doctor repaired the memory wafers of a Gundan to discover what had caused the decay of the Gateway.
The Host
The Host were golden robotic angels who gave information to passengers aboard the Titanic space cruiser. Initially thought to have been malfunctioning, the Host were controlled by Max Capricorn who instructed them to kill all remaining passengers after a meteor collided with the ship. They used their halos as weapons and had the ability to fly. After Max Capricorn was killed, the Host obeyed the next highest authority on board the Titanic—the Doctor.K1
In RobotRobot (Doctor Who)
Robot is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 28 December 1974 to 18 January 1975...
, K1 was a robot designed in the 20th century to replace humans in dangerous environments, but was subverted by a group of intellectuals who wanted to take power for themselves.
Kandy Man
The Kandy Man (or Kandyman) was a pathological, psychopathic robotRobot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
ic killer from 1988's Seventh Doctor
Seventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
story The Happiness Patrol
The Happiness Patrol
The Happiness Patrol is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in three weekly parts from 2 November to 16 November 1988.-Plot:...
(written by Graeme Curry). Employed by the egocentric Helen A, the Kandy Man delighted in creating methods of torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
and destruction using confectionery, such as drowning people in sugary solutions like its "fondant surprise". It was sadistic
Sadism and masochism
Sadomasochism broadly refers to the receiving of pleasure—often sexual—from acts involving the infliction or reception of pain or humiliation. The name originates from two authors on the subject, Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch...
and had a warped sense of humour, claiming it liked its victims to "die with a smile on their faces" by making candies that were so sweet the human body was unable to cope with the pleasure.
Composed of things like sherbet, marzipan
Marzipan
Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal. Persipan is a similar, yet less expensive product, in which the almonds are replaced by apricot or peach kernels...
and caramel
Caramel
Caramel is a beige to dark-brown confection made by heating any of a variety of sugars. It is used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, and as a topping for ice cream, custard and coffee....
, it was created by Gilbert M, with whom it shared an almost symbiotic relationship. The Doctor stuck the Kandy Man to the floor using lemonade
Lemonade
Lemonade is a lemon-flavored drink, typically made from lemons, water and sugar.The term can refer to three different types of beverage:...
—it had to keep moving or its constituent ingredients would coagulate. The Kandy Man died when its external candy shell was dissolved in a pipe by fondant released by the oppressed Pipe People.
Although it resembled the trademarked character of Bertie Bassett
Liquorice allsorts
Liquorice allsorts consist of a variety of liquorice sold as a mixture. These confections are made of liquorice, sugar, coconut, aniseed jelly, fruit flavourings, and gelatine. They were first produced in Sheffield, England, by Geo...
, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's internal investigations revealed the resemblance was entirely coincidental, though they promised Bassetts that the character would not return.
The Seventh Doctor encountered the Kandy Man again on the planet Tara in The Trials of Tara, a short story by Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as Doctor Who fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield....
from Decalog 2 written entirely in iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter is a commonly used metrical line in traditional verse and verse drama. The term describes the particular rhythm that the words establish in that line. That rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables; these small groups of syllables are called "feet"...
. In that story, Count Grendel rebuilt the Kandy Man after its charred body crashed on Tara.
Mechonoid
The Mechonoids were large, spherical robots originally created to serve humans in The ChaseThe Chase (Doctor Who)
The Chase is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 22 May to 26 June 1965. The story is set on multiple locations including the Mary Celeste, the Empire State Building, and the planet Aridius...
. Mechonoids which had been sent to prepare the planet Mechanus for human colonisation kept the astronaut Steven Taylor
Steven Taylor (Doctor Who)
Steven Taylor is a fictional character played by Peter Purves in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A space pilot from Earth in the future, he was a companion of the First Doctor and a regular in the programme from 1965 to 1966.-Character history:Steven first...
prisoner, since he did not have the Mechonoids' control codes. Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
s, following the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
crew, engaged the Mechonoids in battle; it is unknown which side was victorious.
The Mechonoids appear in the Big Finish
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
audio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
The Juggernauts
The Juggernauts
The Juggernauts is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
. In this story, Davros
Davros
Davros is a character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Davros is an archenemy of the Doctor and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks...
adds human nervous tissue to robotic Mechonoid shells to create the Juggernauts of the play's title. The Mechonoids also appear in the comic strip The World That Waits in the 1965 annual The Dalek World.
Dalek Wars, in the third issue of Doctor Who - Battles in Time
Doctor Who - Battles in Time
Doctor Who – Battles in Time is a trading card game and fortnightly magazine from the partwork publishers, GE Fabbri, who acquired the license to produce Battles in Time...
features the Daleks battling the Mechonoids on Mechanus. The Mechonoids shown are computer-generated.
The Mechanoids appeared in the comic TV 21 which featured a strip based on the Daleks, but in which the Doctor did not appear. The Mechanoids are the sworn enemies of the Daleks. A race of blue-skinned humanoids subtly interfere in order to prevent a war.
The Mechonoids made appearances in:
- The ChaseThe Chase (Doctor Who)The Chase is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 22 May to 26 June 1965. The story is set on multiple locations including the Mary Celeste, the Empire State Building, and the planet Aridius...
, a First DoctorFirst DoctorThe First Doctor is the initial incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966. Hartnell reprised the role in the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors in 1973 - albeit in a...
episode with Ian ChestertonIan ChestertonIan Chesterton is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and a companion of the First Doctor. He was played in the series by William Russell, and was one of the members of the programme's very first regular cast, appearing in the bulk of the first two...
, Barbara WrightBarbara WrightBarbara Wright was an English translator of modern French literature.Wright, born in Worthing, studied music and art in Paris in the years before World War II...
, Vicki PallisterVickiVicki is a fictional character played by Maureen O'Brien in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. An orphan from the 25th century, she was a companion of the First Doctor and a regular in the programme in Seasons 2 and 3 in 1965...
, Steven TaylorSteven Taylor (Doctor Who)Steven Taylor is a fictional character played by Peter Purves in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A space pilot from Earth in the future, he was a companion of the First Doctor and a regular in the programme from 1965 to 1966.-Character history:Steven first...
and The DaleksDalekThe Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
written by Terry NationTerry NationTerry Nation was a Welsh screenwriter and novelist.He is probably best known for creating the villainous Daleks in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who...
. - The JuggernautsThe JuggernautsThe Juggernauts is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
, a Sixth DoctorSixth DoctorThe Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
Big FinishBig Finish ProductionsBig Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
audio dramaRadio dramaRadio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
with Melanie BushMelanie BushMel, also sometimes referred to as Melanie, is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A computer programmer from the 20th Century who is a companion of the Sixth and Seventh Doctors, she was a regular in the programme from 1986 to 1987...
and DavrosDavrosDavros is a character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Davros is an archenemy of the Doctor and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks...
along with The DaleksDalekThe Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
, written by Scott Alan Woodard. - War of the DaleksWar of the DaleksWar of the Daleks is an original novel written by John Peel, published in 1997, based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor and Sam. This novel was the first appearance of the Daleks in an original Doctor Who novel; they had not...
, an Eighth DoctorEighth DoctorThe 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...
BBC BooksBBC BooksBBC Books is an imprint majority owned and managed by Random House. The minority shareholder is BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation...
novel in the Eighth Doctor AdventuresEighth Doctor AdventuresThe Eighth Doctor Adventures are a series of spin off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. 73 books were published overall...
line written by John PeelJohn Peel (writer)John Peel is a British writer, best known for his books connected to several television series. He has written under several pseudonyms, including John Vincent and Nicholas Adams. He lives in Long Island, New York and his wife is a U.S...
.
Nanogene
Nanogenes are 'flocking' nanobots that repair damaged tissue. In The Empty ChildThe Empty Child
"The Empty Child" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 21 May 2005. It is the first of a two-part story. The concluding episode, "The Doctor Dances", was broadcast on 28 May...
, nanogenes inadvertently use a dead child as a template, reproducing the same injuries on anyone the child touches. The nanogenes restore those it converted after they are provided with a complete human template.
Osirian service robots
The Osirian service robots made appearances in:- Pyramids of MarsPyramids of MarsPyramids of Mars is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 25 October to 15 November 1975.-Synopsis:...
, a Fourth DoctorFourth DoctorThe Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
serial with Sarah Jane SmithSarah Jane SmithSarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running British BBC Television science-fiction series Doctor Who and its spin-offs K-9 and Company and The Sarah Jane Adventures....
and Sutekh an Osiran, written by Stephen Harris, Robert HolmesRobert Holmes (scriptwriter)This entry is about the television scriptwriter. For other people with the same name, see Robert Holmes .Robert Colin Holmes was an English television scriptwriter, who for over twenty-five years contributed to some of the most popular programmes screened in the UK...
and Lewis Greifer. - The Sands of TimeThe Sands of Time (Doctor Who)The Sands of Time is a Virgin Missing Adventures original novel written by Justin Richards based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan...
, a Fifth DoctorFifth DoctorThe Fifth Doctor is the fifth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison....
novel with Tegan JovankaTegan JovankaTegan Jovanka is a fictional character played by Janet Fielding in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. An Australian airline stewardess and a native of Brisbane who was a companion of the Fourth and Fifth Doctors, she was a regular in the programme from 1981 to...
, Nyssa and the Osirans, written by Justin RichardsJustin RichardsJustin Richards is a British writer. He has written science fiction and fantasy novels, including series set in Victorian or early-20th-century London, and also adventure stories set in the present day...
.
Quark
The Quarks appeared in the Second DoctorSecond Doctor
The Second Doctor is the second incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by character actor Patrick Troughton....
serial The Dominators
The Dominators
The Dominators is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in five weekly parts from 10 August to 7 September 1968.-Plot:...
by Henry Lincoln
Henry Lincoln
Henry Lincoln is an English author, television presenter, scriptwriter and former Supporting actor. He co-wrote three Doctor Who multi-part serials in the 1960s, and —starting in the 1970s— authored a series of books and inspired documentaries for the British television channel BBC2,...
and Mervyn Haisman
Mervyn Haisman
Mervyn Haisman was a television and film script writer. Prior to this career he worked as an actor and managed a theatre company as well as working in insurance.- Overview :...
in 1969.
The Quarks were used on Dulkis by the Dominators to enslave and terrorise the indigenous Dulcian population to ensure the drilling of bore holes through the planet's crust. The Dominators planned to use their technology to fire seeds down the holes which would force the core to erupt, thus providing a new fuel source for their fleet.
The Quarks were rectangular, with four arms: one pair which folded into the body, the other pair being retractable. On the end of each arm was a solitary claw. The spherical head was divided into octants; the upper four octants formed the sensory hemisphere, which detected changes in light, heat and motion. At five of the corners of the octants were directional crystal beam transmitters (the sixth corner joined with the robot's extremely short neck). Quarks communicated by means of high-pitched sounds. Their tendency to run out of energy quickly was their primary weakness.
A Quark was also seen in the serial The War Games
The War Games
The War Games is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in ten weekly parts from 19 April to 21 June 1969. It was the last regular appearance of Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor, and of Wendy Padbury and Frazer Hines as companions Zoe...
. The Quarks were designed as an, albeit unsuccessful, attempt at creating a merchandise property, as the Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
s had become earlier.
Quarks are also referred to in the Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
audio drama Flip-Flop. When they attacked the space yacht Pinto, the Seventh Doctor
Seventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
and Mel
Melanie Bush
Mel, also sometimes referred to as Melanie, is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A computer programmer from the 20th Century who is a companion of the Sixth and Seventh Doctors, she was a regular in the programme from 1986 to 1987...
sought leptonite crystals in order to defeat them. It is not known whether the Doctor defeated the Quarks on that occasion. The Quarks were also mentioned, and mocked viciously, in the Doctor Who Unbound audio play Exile
Exile (Doctor Who audio)
Exile is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The Doctor Who Unbound dramas pose a series of "What if...?" questions.-Plot:...
.
Quarks can be seen on the VHS cover of The Five Doctors
The Five Doctors
The Five Doctors is a special feature-length episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced in celebration of the programme's twentieth anniversary. It had its world premiere in the United States, on the Chicago PBS station WTTW and various other PBS member stations...
, although they did not appear in the story because they were drafted out at an early stage. They were replaced by a Raston Warrior Robot, encountered by the Third Doctor
Third Doctor
The Third Doctor is the third incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by actor Jon Pertwee....
.
On the BBC website, Captain Jack's Monster Files entry for the Vespiform mention that they may have been at war with "Quark rebels".
The Quarks were portrayed by children.
Additional information on the Quarks can be found in:
- Harris, M. The Doctor Who Technical Manual 1983. Severn House London/J. M. Dent Pty Ltd Boronia/Australian Broadcasting Corporation Publishing, Sydney.
Raston Warrior Robot
The Raston Warrior Robot was found in the Death Zone on GallifreyGallifrey
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...
; it could move faster than lightning and was capable of taking out a troop of Cybermen (The Five Doctors
The Five Doctors
The Five Doctors is a special feature-length episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced in celebration of the programme's twentieth anniversary. It had its world premiere in the United States, on the Chicago PBS station WTTW and various other PBS member stations...
) in seconds. It moves so fast that it appears to just teleport from place to place, only visible when it remains stationary. Its own targeting systems are primarily based on detecting movement. Physically, the robot is very lithe, always moving around to scan its environment for targets, and jumping around almost like a ballet dancer when attacking (the actor portraying the robot wears a silver ballet bodysuit, in contrast to the clunky and slow-moving Cybermen). Its face is smooth with no visible eyes. In combat, it launches spike-like projectiles from its hands. The spikes are carried internally, apparently capable of collapsing down to a very small size to fit inside, but when fired they expand out to about three feet long. The spikes are launched out of the hands using a flicking motion directed at a target, and the robot is capable of firing many spikes in rapid succession. The spikes are capable of tearing apart Cybermen with ease. The robot is also capable of holding onto the spikes and wielding them as a melee weapon; it did this to decapitate a Cyberman that was already disabled. The robot is ruthlessly efficient, but apparently also somewhat sadistic: when it encountered the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane, who were unarmed, it could easily have killed them but instead fired spikes at the ground near them then ran around in circles, prompting the Doctor to state that it was toying with them. However, as soon as the well-armed Cybermen arrived, the Raston warrior robot shifted to attacking them with quick volleys of spikes. The Third Doctor considers them to be "the most perfect killing machine ever devised". The Doctor himself could find no means of disabling the robot, but simply avoided it by fleeing past it while it was distracted by a squad of Cybermen. According to the Eighth Doctor Adventures
Eighth Doctor Adventures
The Eighth Doctor Adventures are a series of spin off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. 73 books were published overall...
novel The Eight Doctors
The Eight Doctors
The Eight Doctors is a BBC Books original novel written by Terrance Dicks and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was the first of the Eighth Doctor Adventures range and features the Eighth Doctor and introduces his new companion, Sam Jones.The novel...
by Terrance Dicks
Terrance Dicks
Terrance Dicks is an English writer, best known for his work in television and for writing a large number of popular children's books during the 1970s and 80s.- Early career :...
, the robots were built by an ancient race, older than the Time Lords, who were ultimately destroyed by their own weapons. However, the novel Alien Bodies
Alien Bodies
Alien Bodies is an original novel written by Lawrence Miles and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor and Sam. This story marks the first appearance of Faction Paradox, a time travelling Gallifreyan voodoo cult...
by Lawrence Miles
Lawrence Miles
Lawrence Miles is a science fiction author known for his work on original Doctor Who novels and the subsequent spin-off Faction Paradox...
claims this was false advertising on the part of their manufacturers. It uses atomic radiation as a power source, drawing it from the atmosphere, and locks onto electrical impulses in the brain of its victim, but can become confused if it meets two beings with the same brain pattern. A Raston Warrior Robot appears in the Past Doctor Adventure
Past Doctor Adventures
The Past Doctor Adventures were a series of spin-off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. For most of their existence, they were published side-by-side with the Eighth Doctor Adventures...
World Game
World Game (Doctor Who)
World Game is a BBC Books original novel written by Terrance Dicks and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Second Doctor and the Lady Serena and is set during "Season 6B"...
, also by Dicks, and in the game Destiny of the Doctors
Destiny of the Doctors
Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctors is a PC computer game based on the British science fiction television series Doctor Who; released on 5 December 1997 by BBC Multimedia.- Overview :...
.
Russell T Davies, in the March 2008 issue of Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, expressed interest in bringing the Raston Warrior Robot back in the new series of Doctor Who, citing the battle between the Robot and the Cybermen in The Five Doctors as one of the finest in the show's history.
Robots of death
In The Robots of DeathThe Robots of Death
The Robots of Death is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 29 January to 19 February 1977.-Synopsis:...
, there were three types of slave Robots, created by a distant human society. The robots were originally built to perform menial tasks. In at least one instance these robots took to raising a human child, Taren Capel. He eventually learned to reprogram the robots to kill humans, and attempted to stage a Robot Revolution.
There were three classes of robots:
- D-class, colloquially known as Dums, were incapable of speech and merely followed orders.
- V-class or Vocs were capable of verbal response, but no more intelligent than the D-class.
- SV-class, or Supervocs were capable of reason and decision-making, and were used to co-ordinate the other robots in an organisation. Supervocs have been utilised in detective work.
These robots made appearances in:
- The Robots of DeathThe Robots of DeathThe Robots of Death is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 29 January to 19 February 1977.-Synopsis:...
, a Fourth DoctorFourth DoctorThe Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
episode with LeelaLeela (Doctor Who)Leela is a fictional character played by Louise Jameson in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Leela was a companion of the Fourth Doctor and a regular in the programme from 1977 to 1978...
, written by Chris BoucherChris BoucherChris Boucher is a British television writer, best known for his frequent contributions to two genres, science fiction and crime dramas.-Biography:... - Corpse MarkerCorpse MarkerCorpse Marker is a BBC Books original novel written by Chris Boucher and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Fourth Doctor and Leela. The concepts and characters are derived from the 1977 television serial The Robots of Death and reused in...
, a Fourth DoctorFourth DoctorThe Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
novel with Leela written by Chris Boucher - Kaldor City: Occam's Razor, a Kaldor City audio play, written by Alan StevensAlan StevensAlan Stevens is a British writer and producer who is currently based in the Southeast of England, where he runs his own audio production company, Magic Bullet Productions....
and Jim SmithJim Smith (Writer)James Edward Smith is a writer and critic best known for writing film and television criticism and directorial critical biographies - including studies of George Lucas, Tim Burton and Quentin Tarantino... - Kaldor City: Death's Head, a Kaldor City audio play, written by Chris Boucher
- Kaldor City: Hidden Persuaders, a Kaldor City audio play, written by Jim Smith
- Kaldor City: Taren Capel, a Kaldor City audio play, written by Alan Stevens
- Kaldor City: Checkmate, a Kaldor City audio play, written by Alan Stevens
- Kaldor City: Storm Mine, a Kaldor City audio play, written by Daniel O'MahonyDaniel O'MahonyDaniel O'Mahony is a half-British half-Irish author, born in Croydon. He is the oldest of five children, his siblings including Eoin O'Mahony of the band Hamfatter, and Madeleine O'Mahony, who has designed and made hats for Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.-Biography:O'Mahony's first professionally...
- RobophobiaRobophobiaRobophobia is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It contains a four part story...
, a Seventh DoctorSeventh DoctorThe Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
audio play, written by Nicholas BriggsNicholas BriggsNicholas Briggs is a British actor and writer, predominantly associated with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and its various spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Daleks. Briggs sometimes uses the pseudonym Arthur Wallis...
Robot Doctor Who
A duplicate of the First Doctor, created by the Daleks to infiltrate the TARDIS crew.Robot Dracula, Robot Frankenstein's Monster and Robot Grey Lady
Lifelike humanoid robots created from the Festival of Ghana 1996. They mimicked characters from horror films to frighten visitors of a 'haunted house'.Robot knight
A knight-like robot created by the SontaranSontaran
The Sontarans are a fictional extraterrestrial race of humanoids from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and also seen in spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. They were created by writer Robert Holmes.-Culture:...
, Linx.
Roboform
The Pilot Fish (as described by The Doctor) first appeared at Christmas 2006 in "The Christmas InvasionThe Christmas Invasion
"The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is Christmas, but there is little cause for celebration as planet Earth is invaded by aliens known as the Sycorax...
" (broadcast 2005). The pilot fish wanted 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....
's regenerative energy
Regeneration (Doctor Who)
Regeneration, in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, is a biological ability exhibited by Time Lords, a race of fictional humanoids originating on the planet Gallifrey. This process allows a Time Lord who is old or mortally wounded to undergo a transformation into a new...
and so tried to kill Rose, Jackie and Mickey as they were in the way. They were disguised as Santas in a brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
, and attacked using weapons concealed within the instruments. They remote controlled a Christmas tree that swirled at high speed, cutting through nearly anything in its path. The Doctor indicated that pilot fish indicated that something bigger was coming; their presence preceded the arrival of the Sycorax.
In "The Runaway Bride
The Runaway Bride (Doctor Who)
"The Runaway Bride" is a special episode of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor...
" (2006), the pilot fish, still disguised as Santas, were controlled by the Empress of the Racnoss who referred to them as "roboforms". The Doctor said the pilot fish were "mercenaries". They used bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
s disguised as Christmas baubles that could fly and then swoop at a target before detonating. They were revealed to have golden faces, featureless except for black eyepieces. The Roboforms later makes a brief appearance in "The Pandorica Opens
The Pandorica Opens
"The Pandorica Opens" is the twelfth episode, and first in a two-part story, in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, broadcast on 19 June 2010. The Doctor's friends send him a warning; he deals with a message on a cliff, a mysterious box and a love story that...
".
Smilers
Smilers are a security task force that were employed on the Starship UK in "The Beast Below" They resmble carnival fortune telling robots and are monitor the population of the ship from thousands of booths aboard the spaceship. The population is terrified of Smilers due to their relationship with the "beast below" whom citizens who displease them are sacrificed to. They have three faces that they can change to depending their mood ranging from Smiling to Angry. Cyborg version of Smilers also exist although they are much rarer.Spider robots
Spider robots were used by Lady Cassandra in "The End of the WorldThe End of the World (Doctor Who)
"The End of the World" is the second episode of Series One of the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by show runner Russell T Davies and directed by Euros Lyn, the episode was first broadcast on 2 April 2005....
" and "New Earth
New Earth
"New Earth" is the first episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on 15 April 2006. It is a sequel to the first series episode "The End of the World", and brings back its villain who was thought to be destroyed, Lady Cassandra, as...
".
They are small robots with four tentacle
Tentacle
A tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...
-like appendages and two saucer-shaped body parts. The top part has a red 'eye' which can emit light. Individually, they aren't very strong or dangerous, but can be formidable in large groups. They were transported as metallic orbs, which were in turn transported by the Adherents of the Repeated Meme.
In "The End of the World
The End of the World (Doctor Who)
"The End of the World" is the second episode of Series One of the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by show runner Russell T Davies and directed by Euros Lyn, the episode was first broadcast on 2 April 2005....
", the spider robots were used by Cassandra to disrupt the systems of Platform One (namely the sun filter systems) so that she could claim the insurance money to pay for her plastic surgery bills. In "New Earth
New Earth
"New Earth" is the first episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on 15 April 2006. It is a sequel to the first series episode "The End of the World", and brings back its villain who was thought to be destroyed, Lady Cassandra, as...
", they were used for spying around the eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous planet.