Doctor Who & Spin-Offs A-Z Game

[Guest]

Z ~ Zarbi - The Zarbi appeared in 'The Web Planet' and are an (ant-like) insectoid species, with some characteristics associated with beetles, from the planet Vortis, which were controlled by the power of the Animus. They are roughly eight feet long, and the Menoptra claim, perhaps a little callously, that they are "little more than cattle".

They possess little intelligence but were not at all aggressive until the Animus arrived. They were enslaved to the alien consciousness and considered the butterfly-like Menoptra (with which they once lived peacefully) their mortal enemies. Only they could control the woodlouse-like venom grubs (also known as larvae guns).

They returned to their normal ways after the Animus was defeated by the First Doctor, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright and Vicki. It is presumed that the various species on Vortis are now living peacefully together.

[Alan]

A ~ Ark, The - 1966 story starring William Hartnell as "The Doctor", Peter Purves as "Steven Taylor", & Jackie Lane as "Dodo Chaplet".

Synopsis
---------
Materialising in what appears to be a jungle on Earth, the Doctor, Steven and Dodo soon realise that things are not what they seem: the sky is made of steel, and the jungle merely a colossal life chamber in a craft that has embarked on the most important expedition in the history of mankind...

It is ten million years in the future, and the Earth is soon to be engulfed by the Sun in a catastrophic explosion. A gigantic space ark has been launched, taking the last humans to a new life on the distant planet of Refusis, serving the Guardians of Earth are the Monoids, mute reptilian aliens.

But the Ark's mission of deliverance is threatened by the arrival of the time travellers; Dodo inadvertently passes her cold to the Guardians - to them, it is a long-forgotten virus against which they have no defence. It is not long before people start to die and the TARDIS crew are on trial for their own lives...

[Guest]

B ~ Bees - A story arc in Series 4 dealt with their disappearance, culminating in 'The Stolen Earth', where it was revealed that some of them are aliens.

[Alan]

C ~ Caves of Androzani, The - 1984 story starring Peter Davison in his final regular appearance as "The Doctor", Nicola Bryant as "Peri Brown", and introducing Colin Baker as "The Doctor".

Synopsis
---------
Arriving on the barren world of Androzani Minor, the Doctor and Peri find themselves embroiled in a long-running underground war.

Military troops mount an armed blockade whilst gunrunners bring in weapons for the sinister, masked renegade, Sharaz Jek. Meanwhile, lethal androids guard the caves, a deadly creature lurks in the shadows, killing all in its path. At the heart of the conflict is a substance called Spectrox — the most valuable item in the universe... and the deadliest!

The very presence of the Doctor and Peri on Androzani sets in motion a chain of events that will have dramatic consequences for everyone involved. As the situation gets even more desperate, the Doctor realises time is running out - both for Peri and himself.

Will the Doctor make the ultimate sacrifice to save his young friends life..?

[Guest]

D ~ Data Ghost - A data ghost is an echo of a dead human's last few moments alive. Data Ghosts are caused when a person dies within a Commander Lux suit, leaving an imprint of their consciousness on the suit's neural relay. In 'Silence in the Library', Data Ghosts appear at the death of Miss Evangelista and Proper Dave. The Data Ghosts are only available on the Commander Lux suits, and may last two minutes or more. The Data Ghost of Miss Evangelista was "saved" onto the Library's hard-drive as a result of mixed wireless signals. This meant that in the library's computer world, Miss Evangelista was saved, but as a deformed version of her former self.

[Alan]

E ~ Earth Empire - The Earth Empire existed from circa the early 26th century until its fall circa the late 30th century.

[off_the_post18]

F = Forest of Cheem

Collective name for the revered tree-people of Cheem. They distrusted machines and found the Time War terrifying and saddening. Made entirely of wood, they were understandably frightened of fire. (as seen in episode 1.2, The End of the World)

[Alan]

G ~ Girl in the Fireplace, The - 2006 story starring David Tennant as "The Doctor", Billie Piper as "Rose Tyler", & Noel Clarke as "Mickey Smith".

Synopsis
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The Doctor, Rose and Mickey arrive on a spaceship in the far future and find that the Clockwork Droids who run the ship are fixated on Madame de Pompadour, a girl from the 18th century and have been opening up time windows so they can interact with her. The Doctor travels back to France through the time windows to save her, falling in love during the process.

[off_the_post18]

H = Hypervodka

The result of Captain Jack Harkness instructing his Chula ship's computer to activate Emergency Protocol 417 was the arrival of this drink. Jack recalled that, the last time he had faced execution, he'd had four for breakfast and, instead of dying, ended up in bed with both his executioners. (as referenced in episode 1.10, The Doctor Dances)

[Alan]

I ~ Invisible Enemy, The - 1977 story starring Tom Baker as "The Doctor", Louise Jameson as "Leela", and introducing John Leeson as the voice of "K-9 Mk. I".

Synopsis
---------
In the 51st century, a three-man shuttle crew are completing the final stages of their journey to Titan base, when a course deviation puts the shuttle in the path of a mysterious cloud in space. The crew members arrive on Titan, but they have been somehow changed, infected by an intelligent virus that threatens everyone in the galaxy. The TARDIS picks up a Mayday message from Titan base, but before the Doctor and Leela can fully respond, the police box also passes through the mysterious cloud. With the infection spreading from person to person, the Doctor and Leela seek assistance on a medical station in the asteroid belt. As the situation worsens, their only hope lies in the unlikely combination of the eccentric scientist Professor Marius, and his dog-shaped computer K-9...

[Guest]

J ~ Jagaroth - The Jagaroth are an ancient and extinct race of aliens introduced in the serial 'City of Death'. The Doctor remarked that the Jagaroth were “a vicious, callous, warlike race whom the universe won't miss.” The story reveals that life on earth moved from being amino acids in a primordial soup to functioning cells because a Jagaroth space ship exploded on earth 400 million years ago. (Due to an error by production, it should have been 4,000 million years, or 4 billion years ago.)

The sole surviving Jagaroth, Scaroth, manipulated human civilization to advance the species technologically, in an effort to eventually create a time machine which he could use to prevent the initial explosion.

[Alan]

K ~ Kamelion - Kamelion was a shape-changing android. Used by the the Master, he went on to travel as a companion to the Doctor.

Kamelion was the creation of Gelsandorans and went on to become a tool of an invader of the planet Xeriphas. When the Master was trapped on that planet, he discovered Kamelion and used him in his next encounter with the Doctor. Although Kamelion was sentient to a degree, it was also extremely weak-willed, and therefore open to manipulation by any strong personalities around it. The Doctor freed Kamelion from the Master's grip, and it joined the Doctor in the TARDIS.

Kamelion preferred to remain in the TARDIS for fear of being taken over by a stronger personality and used against the Doctor. However, he did help to rescue the Doctor and Turlough during a trip to the moon with a Victorian lunar expedition in 1878; initially confined to the TARDIS by a force field preserving an atmosphere on a lunar park, Kamelion was later able to depart the park and rescue the Doctor as he died of asphyxiation on the surface, later helping the Doctor and Turlough salvage weapons to use against the ruthless Vrall.

Kamelion eventually fell under the Master's remote influence in Lanzarote and assumed the shape of Peri's loathed stepfather Howard Foster and then the Master himself. In the end, Kamelion begged the Doctor to end its life. The Doctor reluctantly honoured that request.

Kamelion was voiced by the late Gerald Flood. He appeared in the 1983 TV story The King's Demons and the 1984 story Planet of Fire. A vision of Kamelion appeared in the story The Caves of Androzani.

[Guest]

L ~ Laser Screwdriver - A weapon used by the Master in 'The Sound of Drums' which resembles the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. It can kill with a directed laser beam or artificially age a target (provided the device has a blueprint of the victim's biological data) using a smaller version of the Hypersonic Sound Wave Manipulator technology designed by Professor Richard Lazarus. It is built with isomorphic controls, preventing anyone but the Master from using it. A toy version has been produced to go alongside the toy Sonic Screwdriver. Removed from the Master by the Doctor using telekinesis and not seen again.

[Alan]

M ~ Mara - The Mara was an entity which tempted and bullied beings into allowing it to possess them. In physical form, it manifested as a giant snake or as a snake-shaped mark on the arm. The Mara was an entity created from the evil in the minds of the people of the planet Manussa in the Scrampus system. It and given independent life via the Great Crystal, which the Manussans created in a zero gravity environment. The Mara then founded the Sumaran Empire. It existed in the minds of its victims and can transfer itself in the form of a tattoo-like mark, to those who yielded to it. It was so evil that it cannot bear the sight of its own reflection. In the Dark Places of the Inside, it manifested as Dukkha, Anatta, and Annica. On Manussa, the Mara was defeated and driven out by an ancestor of the future Federator and cast into the "dark places of the inside".

On the planet Deva Loka the Doctor, Tegan and Adric encountered the Mara. Tegan fell asleep listening to wind chimes and mentally entered the Dark Places of the Inside, where the Mara tormented her until she agreed to let Mara take over her body. The Mara possessed, Aris, one of the peaceful Kinda tribe. Kinda tradition did not allow men (other than "idiots") to speak. Aris called himself "Aris, He Who Has Voice" and began to rally them against Human colonists led by Hindle. The Doctor managed to trap the Mara in a circle of mirrors and face itself, therefore, driving it back into the Dark Places of the Inside. Unknown to all, the Mara still had influence over Tegan. Later, the Mara guided Tegan to take the Doctor's TARDIS to Manussa, the birthplace of the Mara, where a ceremony was to be held to mark the 500th anniversary of its banishment. The Mara used Tegan, the showman Dugdale, and the son of the Federator, Lon, to obtain the Great Crystal to restore itself to physical itself. The Doctor was guided by an old mystic named Dojjen who showed him how to find the "still point". When the Mara tried to make its return at the ceremony, the Doctor concentrated his thoughts with a small replica of the Great Crystal, and by finding the still point was able to repel the Mara. Then by grabbing the Great Crystal, the Doctor broke the Mara's hold over its controlled Manussans, and destroyed its new snake body. This time, the Mara had apparently been completely destroyed for good.

The Mara featured in the 1982 TV story Kinda and 1983 story Snakedance. Part-Mara creatures manifested themselves in the 2006 Torchwood episode Small Worlds.

[Guest]

N ~ Nitro-9 - An explosive substance created and used by the Seventh Doctor's companion Ace, often carried around in her backpack in aerosol spray cans, despite the Doctor's warnings.