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{{pullout|{{Update|Information from [[PROSE]]: ''[[Downtime: Child of the New World (novel)|Downtime: Child of the New World]]'', ''[[Avatars of the Intelligence (novel)|Avatars of the Intelligence]]'', ''[[Night of the Intelligence (novel)|Night of the Intelligence]]'', ''[[An Ordinary Man (novel)|An Ordinary Man]]'', [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Web of Time (audio story)|The Web of Time]]'', [[GAME]]: ''[[Legacy (video game)|Legacy]]''}}}} | |||
{{Infobox Individual | {{Infobox Individual | ||
|image = GreatIntelliFace.jpg | |image = GreatIntelliFace.jpg | ||
|alias = The Master, [[Yog-Sothoth]], | |alias = The Master, Staff Sergeant [[Albert Arnold|Arnold]], [[Yog-Sothoth]], the Hollow Man, Maha | ||
|first = The Abominable Snowmen (TV story) | |first = The Abominable Snowmen (TV story) | ||
|appearances = | |appearances = {{Appears}} | ||
|actor = Richard E Grant | |actor = Richard E Grant | ||
|other actor = Wolfe Morris | |other actor = Wolfe Morris | ||
|other actor2 = Jack Woolgar | |other actor2 = Jack Woolgar | ||
|other actor3 = Jack Watling | |other actor3 = Jack Watling | ||
|other actor4 = Peter Silverleaf | |||
|voice actor = Ian McKellen | |voice actor = Ian McKellen | ||
|other voice actor = [[Cameron Strefford]], [[Tim Bentinck]], [[Sam Clemens]] | |other voice actor = [[Cameron Strefford]], [[Tim Bentinck]], [[Sam Clemens]] | ||
| Line 18: | Line 18: | ||
== Nature == | == Nature == | ||
According to certain sources the Great Intelligence was an aspect of [[Sunyata]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Night of the Intelligence (novel)|Night of the Intelligence]]'') an "inter-dimensional being" that resided within [[the Void]], existing in many realities, but always ending up as the "Great Intelligence" and sharing the same basic attributes, although the Intelligences originated in various ways, including an immortal soul, and various [[Great Old One]]s. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Legacies (short story)|Legacies]]'') According to this account, one imprint of the Great Intelligence was the ascended immortal soul which began life as [[James Lethbridge-Stewart]] and ended millennia later as [[Mahasamatman]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Forgotten Son (novel)|The Forgotten Son]]'') | One account identified the creator of [[Robot Yeti]] simply as an "[[evil]] [[alien]] [[intelligence]]". ([[GAME]]: {{cs|Doctor Who Trump Card Game (game)}}) According to certain sources the Great Intelligence was an aspect of [[Sunyata]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Night of the Intelligence (novel)|Night of the Intelligence]]'') an "inter-dimensional being" that resided within [[the Void]], existing in many realities, but always ending up as the "Great Intelligence" and sharing the same basic attributes, although the Intelligences originated in various ways, including an immortal soul, and various [[Great Old One]]s. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Legacies (short story)|Legacies]]'') According to this account, one imprint of the Great Intelligence was the ascended immortal soul which began life as [[James Lethbridge-Stewart]] and ended millennia later as [[Mahasamatman]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Forgotten Son (novel)|The Forgotten Son]]'') | ||
According to | According to another account, the Great Intelligence was originally the being known as [[Yog-Sothoth]], from [[Pre-universe|the universe]] before [[N-Space|the Doctor's]]; ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Millennial Rites (novel)|Millennial Rites]]'') he and his brethren survived the [[end of the universe|end of their universe]] by passing through a [[parallel universe]] that ended one second after theirs. Shifting again allowed them to enter the current universe shortly after it began expanding. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[All-Consuming Fire (novel)|All-Consuming Fire]]'', ''[[Millennial Rites (novel)|Millennial Rites]]'') Another account agreed that the Great Intelligence was a Great Old One; ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Roof of the World (audio story)|The Roof of the World]]'') another account stated that the Great Old Ones all lost their physical bodies running from the [[Fendahl]], explaining the Intelligence's disembodied nature and perpetual quest for incarnation. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[White Darkness (novel)|White Darkness]]'') | ||
Yet another account suggested that the Great Intelligence was created when a [[human]] boy, [[Walter Simeon]], began speaking to a snowman that, unbeknownst to the boy, had been created from an alien snow-like material which generated a low-level telepathic field. The snowman reflected his most dark beliefs and thoughts, and eventually formed its own consciousness, becoming the "dream [that] outlive[d] the dreamer". After Simeon's memory was erased in an ill-fated attempt to defeat both him and his inhuman creation, the growing Intelligence first displayed the ability to take over other's bodies as it possessed Simeon's mindless husk, and soon after "learned to live as a disembodied consciousness". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]'') | Yet another account suggested that the Great Intelligence was created when a [[human]] boy, [[Walter Simeon]], began speaking to a snowman that, unbeknownst to the boy, had been created from an alien snow-like material which generated a low-level telepathic field. The snowman reflected his most dark beliefs and thoughts, and eventually formed its own consciousness, becoming the "dream [that] outlive[d] the dreamer". After Simeon's memory was erased in an ill-fated attempt to defeat both him and his inhuman creation, the growing Intelligence first displayed the ability to take over other's bodies as it possessed Simeon's mindless husk, and soon after "learned to live as a disembodied consciousness". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]'') Another account suggested these events were not its origin, but instead a later attempt at survival. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Forgotten Son (novel)|The Forgotten Son]]'') | ||
After [[the War]], the [[Superior]]s sent [[Chris Cwej]] to investigate a disturbance on the surface of the devastated planet [[Nibo]]. Cwej found that a group of abandoned, deteriorating [[Time Engine]]s — weapons designed to emanate harmful [[temporal wave]]s — had generated a swarm of [[Shadow-Mantis]]es. After fighting his way into the Engines, Cwej realised that their waves had generated a life form, a cosmic fungus which metabolised time. Cwej defeated the entity in a psychic battle, but later worried that a surviving spore retained an imprint of his mind, and might grow into "a great intelligence". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Mushroom at the End of the Universe (short story)|The Mushroom at the End of the Universe]]) | After [[War in Heaven|the War]], the [[Superior]]s sent [[Chris Cwej]] to investigate a disturbance on the surface of the devastated planet [[Nibo]]. Cwej found that a group of abandoned, deteriorating [[Time Engine]]s — weapons designed to emanate harmful [[temporal wave]]s — had generated a swarm of [[Shadow-Mantis]]es. After fighting his way into the Engines, Cwej realised that their waves had generated a life form, a cosmic fungus which metabolised time. Cwej defeated the entity in a psychic battle, but later worried that a surviving spore retained an imprint of his mind, and might grow into "a great intelligence". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Mushroom at the End of the Universe (short story)|The Mushroom at the End of the Universe]]) | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
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According to one source, the Intelligence was originally Yog-Sothoth, a member, and the military strategist, of a race of beings called the Great Old Ones, who were the equivalent of the [[Time Lord]]s in a [[Pre-universe|previous universe]] to the one [[the Doctor]] resided. They shunted themselves into a [[parallel universe]] to pass into the next universe. Yog-Sothoth discovered it had gained [[god]]-like powers and decided to try the various gambits and games it had only played on [[computer]]s. Over the billennia, it mounted millions of campaigns against inhabited planets. It used the [[Hisk]] version of [[koala]]s on [[Hiskith]] and domestic animals equivalent to [[dog]]s on [[Danos]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Millennial Rites (novel)|Millennial Rites]]'') | According to one source, the Intelligence was originally Yog-Sothoth, a member, and the military strategist, of a race of beings called the Great Old Ones, who were the equivalent of the [[Time Lord]]s in a [[Pre-universe|previous universe]] to the one [[the Doctor]] resided. They shunted themselves into a [[parallel universe]] to pass into the next universe. Yog-Sothoth discovered it had gained [[god]]-like powers and decided to try the various gambits and games it had only played on [[computer]]s. Over the billennia, it mounted millions of campaigns against inhabited planets. It used the [[Hisk]] version of [[koala]]s on [[Hiskith]] and domestic animals equivalent to [[dog]]s on [[Danos]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Millennial Rites (novel)|Millennial Rites]]'') | ||
According to another source, the Intelligence had been exiled from another dimension, and was forced to wander the [[universe]] to find a body to possess. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Web of Fear (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Web of Fear]]'') | According to another source, the Intelligence had been exiled from another dimension, and was forced to wander the [[universe]] to find a body to possess. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Web of Fear (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Web of Fear]]'') Indeed, according to its distorted memories, the Intelligence had been in existence for centuries without a form. It nonetheless sought to collect other minds into its consciousness. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Forgotten Son (novel)|The Forgotten Son]]'') Other accounts suggested it was an avatar of [[Sunyata]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Night of the Intelligence (novel)|Night of the Intelligence]]'') or had origins related to the lives of people active in [[N-Space]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]''; [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Forgotten Son (novel)|The Forgotten Son]]'', ''[[The Mushroom at the End of the Universe (short story)|The Mushroom at the End of the Universe]]'') | ||
=== Born in snow === | === Born in snow === | ||
According to | According to another account, the Great Intelligence was formed when a young Walter Simeon discovered that a [[snowman]] he had built began to talk back to him. The "snow" was not actually snow but a flock of predatory, but unintelligent, [[space crystal]]s which generated a low-level telepathic field, causing it to respond to the thoughts and emotions of those around them. Because of this, the consciousness which spoke back to Simeon and began identifying itself as "the Intelligence" started out as nothing more than Simeon's own dark thoughts reflected back at him. As an adult, Simeon established the [[Great Intelligence Institute]] as the snow slowly swarmed to Earth, building a "[[big globey thing]]" in which the increasingly intelligent core of the swarm was housed. | ||
[[File:GreatIntelligenceSnowGlobe-in-TheSnowmen.jpg|thumb|left|The Great Intelligence's [[big globey thing|snowglobe]] in [[Walter Simeon|Dr Walter Simeon]]'s [[Great Intelligence Institute|institute]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]'')]] | [[File:GreatIntelligenceSnowGlobe-in-TheSnowmen.jpg|thumb|left|The Great Intelligence's [[big globey thing|snowglobe]] in [[Walter Simeon|Dr Walter Simeon]]'s [[Great Intelligence Institute|institute]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]'')]] | ||
In [[1892]], its presence was sufficient enough to consume mankind. After Simeon's mind and memories were erased from after meeting the Intelligence, the [[Eleventh Doctor]] was surprised to see the Intelligence survived. The Doctor discovered that it had learned to survive beyond physical form. Controlling the now-mindless Simeon, it attacked the Doctor, but was stopped in the last minutes of [[Christmas Eve]] when the snow changed to "rain", mimicking the form of the tears of [[Captain Latimer]]'s family after [[Clara Oswin Oswald|Clara Oswald]]'s death. | In [[1892]], its presence was sufficient enough to consume mankind. After Simeon's mind and memories were erased from after meeting the Intelligence, the [[Eleventh Doctor]] was surprised to see the Intelligence survived. The Doctor discovered that it had learned to survive beyond physical form. Controlling the now-mindless Simeon, it attacked the Doctor, but was stopped in the last minutes of [[Christmas Eve]] when the snow changed to "rain", mimicking the form of the tears of [[Captain Latimer]]'s family after [[Clara Oswin Oswald|Clara Oswald]]'s death. | ||
The Intelligence did not totally perish, and in fact learned to survive beyond physical form. It continued with the belief that the [[London Underground]] was a key strategic weakness in the [[London]] metropolitan area. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]'') | The Intelligence did not totally perish, and in fact learned to survive beyond physical form. It continued with the belief that the [[London Underground]] was a key strategic weakness in the [[London]] metropolitan area. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]'') Another account of the Intelligence's origins held that these events were not its birth, but instead occurred later in its life after it had lost many memories. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Forgotten Son (novel)|The Forgotten Son]]'') | ||
=== The Yetis === | === The Yetis === | ||
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At the [[Det-Sen Monastery]] in [[1935]], the [[Second Doctor]] and [[Edward Travers]], a westerner determined to find the [[Tibetan Yeti|Yeti]], intervened with the Intelligence's plans to take the mountain the Monastery stood on, the Lama realising that it would want to cover the world as slime. The Intelligence knew of the Doctor, and described him as "a man of great knowledge and intelligence." They destroyed the pyramids that controlled its Yeti and Padmasambhava's physical body died as the Intelligence melted away. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Abominable Snowmen (TV story)|The Abominable Snowmen]]'') | At the [[Det-Sen Monastery]] in [[1935]], the [[Second Doctor]] and [[Edward Travers]], a westerner determined to find the [[Tibetan Yeti|Yeti]], intervened with the Intelligence's plans to take the mountain the Monastery stood on, the Lama realising that it would want to cover the world as slime. The Intelligence knew of the Doctor, and described him as "a man of great knowledge and intelligence." They destroyed the pyramids that controlled its Yeti and Padmasambhava's physical body died as the Intelligence melted away. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Abominable Snowmen (TV story)|The Abominable Snowmen]]'') | ||
=== The [[London Event]] | === The London Event === | ||
{{Section stub|[[Fear of Light (novel)]]}} | |||
Accounts that claimed the Great Intelligence to be a Great Old One held that the [[London Event]] was launched when the being was placed under pressure from the other Old Ones, who themselves embarked on similar campaigns and conquered other planets. The Intelligence was forced to use the Yeti in London, an environment to which they were not well suited. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Millennial Rites (novel)|Millennial Rites]]'') By other accounts that foregrounded alternate origins, it believed the London Underground was a good strategic point to launch a new campaign. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]'') | |||
No matter the case, approximately 40 years after the events at the Det-Sen Monastery, the Yeti re-activated and the Intelligence manifested as [[the Web|webbing]]. It ensnared [[the Doctor's TARDIS]] in space and forced it to land in the London Underground. Reunited with Travers, the Doctor assisted [[British]] military in their battles with the Yeti. The Intelligence re-animated and possessed the corpse of Staff Sergeant [[Albert Arnold|Arnold]], using him to track the Doctor's actions. The Intelligence captured the Doctor and tried to use a conversion headset to take over the Doctor's body. The Doctor attempted to reverse the process, allowing him to absorb the Intelligence and destroy it. When the control spheres that formed the focus of the Intelligence were smashed by [[Jamie McCrimmon]], the Intelligence vanished, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Web of Fear (TV story)|The Web of Fear]]'') powerless but still alive, though blinded in unending darkness. ([[HOMEVID]]: ''[[Downtime (home video)|Downtime]]'') One account suggested that the [[Celestial Intervention Agency]] had maneuvered the Second Doctor into his two confrontations with the Great Intelligence in the interests of [[Gallifreyan]] [[security]]. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Universal Databank (reference book)}}) | |||
In [[October]] of that same year, the Intelligence followed Lethbridge-Stewart, [[Sally Wright]], and [[Owain Vine]] to [[New York City]], where it attempted to use Yeti and infected [[rat]]s to turn the population of the city into a vast computer. Aided by [[Edward Travers]] and [[Adrienne Kramer]], the three successfully repelled the invasion. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Times Squared (novel)|Times Squared]]'') | In [[October]] of that same year, the Intelligence followed Lethbridge-Stewart, [[Sally Wright]], and [[Owain Vine]] to [[New York City]], where it attempted to use Yeti and infected [[rat]]s to turn the population of the city into a vast computer. Aided by [[Edward Travers]] and [[Adrienne Kramer]], the three successfully repelled the invasion. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Times Squared (novel)|Times Squared]]'') | ||
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=== Further exploits === | === Further exploits === | ||
[[File:Web above New World University.jpg|thumb|The Great Intelligence's web. ([[HOMEVID]]: ''[[Downtime (home video)|Downtime]]'')]] | [[File:Web above New World University.jpg|thumb|The Great Intelligence's web. ([[HOMEVID]]: ''[[Downtime (home video)|Downtime]]'')]] | ||
The [[Fourth Doctor]] once assembled a [[Legendary Legion]] to oppose an [[Fleet of Alien Monsters' attempted destruction of Earth|invasion]] of Earth by a [[fleet of Alien Monsters]] which included the Yeti, created by an "evil alien intelligence". ([[GAME]]: {{cs|Doctor Who Trump Card Game (game)}}) | |||
In the [[1980s]] while millions of miles away in [[deep space]], the Intelligence again used the Yeti in Tibet in another attempt at world conquest. Possessing the dead body of [[Shiro Sugimoto]], the Intelligence tried to drain knowledge from [[Bruce Healy]], only to be attacked by the Lama [[Gampo]] and the real Tibetan Yeti. It was defeated when Gampo destroyed the [[power-transfuser]], draining the power from the Intelligence's base. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Yonder... The Yeti (comic story)|Yonder... The Yeti]]'') | In the [[1980s]] while millions of miles away in [[deep space]], the Intelligence again used the Yeti in Tibet in another attempt at world conquest. Possessing the dead body of [[Shiro Sugimoto]], the Intelligence tried to drain knowledge from [[Bruce Healy]], only to be attacked by the Lama [[Gampo]] and the real Tibetan Yeti. It was defeated when Gampo destroyed the [[power-transfuser]], draining the power from the Intelligence's base. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Yonder... The Yeti (comic story)|Yonder... The Yeti]]'') | ||
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=== Losing its memory === | === Losing its memory === | ||
According to one account, the Intelligence | According to one account, it was at this time when the Intelligence found itself on [[Earth]] in the year [[1842]] and fell as snow. There it met a boy, who he connected to as the boy became a man. The Intelligence grew stronger, but still felt gaps in its memory covering centuries. It chose the name Great Intelligence, as given to him in [[Tibet]]. It continued to use the man's form after his death, lingering for a hundred years in search of minds to use for its own. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Forgotten Son (novel)|The Forgotten Son]]'') | ||
=== Wi-Fi === | === Wi-Fi === | ||
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Its operation fell apart when the Eleventh Doctor used a captured Spoonhead to trick Miss Kizlet into being trapped in the Wi-Fi after she refused to release the uploaded Clara Oswald, who was under the Doctor's protection. The workers downloaded Clara, Kizlet and others captured in the server, returning them to their bodies. | Its operation fell apart when the Eleventh Doctor used a captured Spoonhead to trick Miss Kizlet into being trapped in the Wi-Fi after she refused to release the uploaded Clara Oswald, who was under the Doctor's protection. The workers downloaded Clara, Kizlet and others captured in the server, returning them to their bodies. | ||
When [[ | When [[UNIT]] arrived at the Shard, the Great Intelligence ordered Kizlet to restore their employees to their "factory settings", effectively erasing everyone's [[memory|memories]] to avoid detection. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Bells of Saint John (TV story)|The Bells of Saint John]]'') | ||
=== Entering the Doctor's time stream === | === Entering the Doctor's time stream === | ||
After the [[Siege of Trenzalore]] in [[Alternate timeline (The Name of the Doctor)| | ==== Targeting the Doctor ==== | ||
After the [[Siege of Trenzalore]] in [[Alternate timeline (The Name of the Doctor)|a later averted]] [[alternate timeline|timeline]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'') the Intelligence used the [[Whisper Men]] to kidnap Madame [[Vastra]], [[Strax]] and [[Jenny Flint]] from [[1893]] to [[Trenzalore]]. It spoke through their "[[conference call]]" link with Clara and [[River Song]] to take the Doctor from [[2013]] [[London]] to Trenzalore. | |||
[[File:11GI staredown.jpg|thumb|The Intelligence interrogates the Doctor. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'')]] | [[File:11GI staredown.jpg|thumb|The Intelligence interrogates the Doctor. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'')]] | ||
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After one failed attempt, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[A Funny Turn (short story)|A Funny Turn]]'') the Intelligence arrived in [[1937]] and found itself drawn instead to Alistair's brother, James, who carried the original soul which would, centuries later, be reincarnated as the being who would become the Great Intelligence. Its curiosity drew itself to join with James, but it then found that it could not remove itself from its own soul. After manipulating James into killing himself, the Intelligence became trapped inside [[Remington Manor]] in [[Cornwall]]. | After one failed attempt, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[A Funny Turn (short story)|A Funny Turn]]'') the Intelligence arrived in [[1937]] and found itself drawn instead to Alistair's brother, James, who carried the original soul which would, centuries later, be reincarnated as the being who would become the Great Intelligence. Its curiosity drew itself to join with James, but it then found that it could not remove itself from its own soul. After manipulating James into killing himself, the Intelligence became trapped inside [[Remington Manor]] in [[Cornwall]]. | ||
Weeks after the original London Event, in [[1969]], the Intelligence used [[Owain Vine]], another reincarnation of the Intelligence's immortal soul. A final showdown in Remington Manor between the Intelligence and Lethbridge-Stewart saw the Intelligence finally defeated. | Weeks after the original London Event, in [[1969]], the Intelligence used [[Owain Vine]], another reincarnation of the Intelligence's immortal soul. A final showdown in Remington Manor between the Intelligence and Lethbridge-Stewart saw the Intelligence finally defeated. Despite this appearing to be the final defeat of the being, the last trace of it permeated the ruins of Remington Manor. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Forgotten Son (novel)|The Forgotten Son]]'') | ||
== Alternate timelines == | == Alternate timelines == | ||
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The Second Doctor thought the best way to describe the Great Intelligence was as a "formless, shapeless thing, floating out in space like a cloud of mist, only with a mind and will." ([[TV]]: ''[[The Web of Fear (TV story)|The Web of Fear]]'') Both Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart and the Eleventh Doctor identified it as a mind parasite, whereas the Intelligence considered itself a mass of thoughts with a single thought. ([[HOMEVID]]: ''[[Downtime (home video)|Downtime]]''; [[TV]]: ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]'') It once reflected on whether or not it remembered what its original body was. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Downtime (novelisation)|Downtime]]'') | The Second Doctor thought the best way to describe the Great Intelligence was as a "formless, shapeless thing, floating out in space like a cloud of mist, only with a mind and will." ([[TV]]: ''[[The Web of Fear (TV story)|The Web of Fear]]'') Both Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart and the Eleventh Doctor identified it as a mind parasite, whereas the Intelligence considered itself a mass of thoughts with a single thought. ([[HOMEVID]]: ''[[Downtime (home video)|Downtime]]''; [[TV]]: ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]'') It once reflected on whether or not it remembered what its original body was. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Downtime (novelisation)|Downtime]]'') | ||
In all realities, the Intelligence constantly sought physical existence to replace being a shapeless, formless cloud hanging in space, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Legacies (short story)|Legacies]]'') eventually adopting Walter Simeon as a recurring avatar, speaking in that guise through a large wall-mounted video screen, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Bells of Saint John (TV story)|The Bells of Saint John]]'') modelling the Whisper Men on Simeon's appearance, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'') and appearing as Simeon to James Lethbridge-Stewart and Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart | In all realities, the Intelligence constantly sought physical existence to replace being a shapeless, formless cloud hanging in space, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Legacies (short story)|Legacies]]'') eventually adopting Walter Simeon as a recurring avatar, speaking in that guise through a large wall-mounted video screen, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Bells of Saint John (TV story)|The Bells of Saint John]]'') modelling the Whisper Men on Simeon's appearance, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'') and appearing as Simeon to James Lethbridge-Stewart and Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Forgotten Son (novel)|The Forgotten Son]]'') | ||
[[File:Downtime balls.jpg|thumb|left|The control sphere pyramid. ([[HOMEVID]]: ''[[Downtime (home video)|Downtime]]'')]] | [[File:Downtime balls.jpg|thumb|left|The control sphere pyramid. ([[HOMEVID]]: ''[[Downtime (home video)|Downtime]]'')]] | ||
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== Behind the scenes == | == Behind the scenes == | ||
* [[Yog-Sothoth]] is | * [[Yog-Sothoth]] is a cosmic entity created by [[H. P. Lovecraft]], part of a pantheon of alien "gods" that appear in his fiction. First mentioned in ''The Case of Charles Dexter Ward'', Yog-Sothoth is described in ''The Dunwich Horror'' as "the gate" and "the key" through which the [[Old One]]s entered the universe. He is described in ''The Horror in the Museum'' as resembling "a congeries of iridescent globes". In [[Andy Lane]]'s novel ''[[All-Consuming Fire (novel)|All-Consuming Fire]]'', the Doctor mentions having met Yog-Sothoth "[[The Abominable Snowmen (TV story)|in Tibet]] and [[The Web of Fear (TV story)|again in London]]", implying that Yog-Sothoth is the Intelligence. [[Craig Hinton]]'s ''[[Millennial Rites (novel)|Millennial Rites]]'', which featured the Intelligence, later made this explicit. | ||
* Whether the Great Intelligence should be referred to as "it" or "he" is perhaps best left to personal preference. Being emphatically inhuman and having not only no body, but no set physical avatar when it does incarnate itself, it is doubtful as to whether the Intelligence can be said to have a fixed gender; it is certainly | * Whether the Great Intelligence should be referred to as "it" or "he" is perhaps best left to personal preference. Being emphatically inhuman and having not only no body, but no set physical avatar when it does incarnate itself, it is doubtful as to whether the Intelligence can be said to have a fixed gender; it is certainly genderless in a biological sense. The most that can be said is that, through borrowing the face of its progenitor [[Walter Simeon]] long after the man's death, the Intelligence as depicted in [[Series 7 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 7]] can be said to be male-presenting. | ||
* Writer [[Neil Gaiman]] disclosed in ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' [[DWM 448|#448]] that earlier drafts of his script for ''[[The Doctor's Wife (TV story)|The Doctor's Wife]]'' implied that [[House (The Doctor's Wife)|House]], the villain of that story, was actually the Great Intelligence. These hints did not make it into the episode as aired. The idea of the Great Intelligence as a villain for the revived series ''Doctor Who'' would later lead to ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]''. | * Writer [[Neil Gaiman]] disclosed in ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' [[DWM 448|#448]] that earlier drafts of his script for ''[[The Doctor's Wife (TV story)|The Doctor's Wife]]'' implied that [[House (The Doctor's Wife)|House]], the villain of that story, was actually the Great Intelligence. These hints did not make it into the episode as aired. The idea of the Great Intelligence as a villain for the revived series ''Doctor Who'' would later lead to ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]''. | ||
* With a gap of | * With a gap of forty-four years, the Great Intelligence held the record for longest period of time between televised ''Doctor Who'' appearances, until the return of [[the Toymaker]] in ''[[The Giggle (TV story)|The Giggle]]'', which aired fifty-seven years after his [[The Celestial Toymaker (TV story)|one and only previous television appearance]]. | ||
* Unusually, unlike other monsters that have appeared in both the classic and revived series, the original creators of the Great Intelligence ([[Mervyn Haisman]] and [[Henry Lincoln]]) have never been credited at the end of an episode of the revival. | * Unusually, unlike other monsters that have appeared in both the classic and revived series, the original creators of the Great Intelligence ([[Mervyn Haisman]] and [[Henry Lincoln]]) have never been credited at the end of an episode of the revival. | ||
* Another origin for the Great Intelligence was to be featured in the cancelled novel ''[[Day of the Intelligence (novel)|Day of the Intelligence]]''. | |||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
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[[Category:Supposed deities from the real world]] | [[Category:Supposed deities from the real world]] | ||
[[Category:Lethbridge-Stewart family]] | [[Category:Lethbridge-Stewart family]] | ||
[[Category:Members of the earlier race of Time Lords]] | |||