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{{Update|Information from [[COMIC]]: ''[[A Confusion of Angels (comic story)|A Confusion of Angels]]''}}
{{Infobox Object
{{Infobox Object
|Object name = Heavenly Host
|image        = Heavenly Hosts close up (VOTD).jpg
|image = [[Image:Host.jpg|250px]]
|type         = [[Robot]]
|type = [[Android]]
|origin       = [[Max Capricorn Cruiseliners]]
|origin = [[Max Capricorn Starcruisers]]
|first        = Voyage of the Damned (TV story)
|appearances = [[DW]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]''
|appearances   = [[COMIC]]: ''[[A Confusion of Angels (comic story)|A Confusion of Angels]]''
}}
|clip          = Attacked by Angels - Doctor Who - Voyage of the Dammed - BBC
}}{{dab page|Host (disambiguation)}}
{{ImageLink}}
The '''Heavenly Host''', or '''the Host''', were service [[robot]]s used by [[Max Capricorn Cruiseliners]]. They were fashioned to look like [[Earth]]'s [[angel]]s. Their purpose was to provide information and other assistance to [[crew]] and [[passenger|passengers]]. However, the Heavenly Host lacked autonomy and would do anything their master authority ordered, including criminal acts such as [[murder]].


{{Quote|Information: You are all going to die.|Heavenly Host.|Voyage of the Damned}}
== History ==
Under the command of [[Max Capricorn]] himself, the machines turned deadly. They killed many of the passengers and crew of the ''[[Titanic (spaceship)|Titanic]]'' spaceship replica in the [[2000s]]{{note|Although ''[[Voyage of the Damned (TV story)|Voyage of the Damned]]'' is supposedly set the [[Christmas]] after the [[2007]] setting of ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'', the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' series which aired immediately before and after ''Voyage'' give [[Aliens of London dating controversy|contradicting dates]] for when their present day is set. [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Paradox Moon (short story)|The Paradox Moon]]'' places [[Martha Jones]]' present day in [[Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 3]] in [[June]] 2007. [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Recruits (audio story)|Recruits]]'' dates it to [[March]] [[2008]]. A newspaper clipping in [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Secret Lives of Monsters (short story)|The Secret Lives of Monsters]]'' places ''[[Smith and Jones (TV story)|Smith and Jones]]'' on a [[Sunday]] [[4 June]], which in the real world does not fall on a Sunday in either 2007 or 2008. [[Donna Noble]]'s present day in [[Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 4]] is set in 2008 according to [[TV]]: ''[[The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)|The Fires of Pompeii]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[The Waters of Mars (TV story)|The Waters of Mars]]'', and [[AUDIO]]: ''[[SOS (audio story)|SOS]]'' (and is heavily implied by [[TV]]: ''[[The Star Beast (TV story)|The Star Beast]]'' and [[TV]]: ''[[The Giggle (TV story)|The Giggle]]''), or in approximately [[April]] to [[June]] [[2009]], according to [[PROSE]]: ''[[Beautiful Chaos (novel)|Beautiful Chaos]]''.}} as part of Capricorn's scheme to destroy his own ship and then [[retire]] a wealthy man. Several malfunctioned during the trip, leading to some rather nasty incidents: when one first-class passenger asked a Host to fix her necklace, the robot misunderstood the request and instead nearly broke her neck.


The '''Heavenly Hosts''', or '''the Hosts''', were [[angel]]ic service [[robot]]s working for [[Max Capricorn Starcruisers]]. Under the command of [[Max Capricorn]] himself, the machines killed the majority of the passengers and crew of the [[Titanic (spaceship)|Starship Titanic]] in [[2008]] as part of Capricorn's scheme to destroy his own ship and then retire a wealthy man. After Capricorn's death, the Host obeyed the next authority figure— [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]] —and aided him in his saving of the Titanic.
Some of the Host were destroyed by an [[electromagnetic pulse]] set off by [[Bannakaffalatta]], who used the last of his [[cyborg]] body's energy at the cost of his own life.


The Hosts speech pattern involves starting a sentence with "information" and then the answer to a query. Protocol 1 allowed the person who executes it to ask three questions, which would temporarily override whatever command they have until the three questions have been asked.
After Max Capricorn was killed by [[Astrid Peth]], the Host reverted to the next highest authority figure, the [[Tenth Doctor]], helping the Doctor reach the bridge of the ship to save it. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Voyage of the Damned (TV story)}})
The Hosts used the [[Halo]]s on their heads as weapons, which they threw at enemies. They could also fly. Some of the Hosts were destroyed by an [[electromagnetic pulse]] set off by [[Bannakaffalatta]], who used his [[cyborg]] body at the cost of his own life. ([[DW]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]'')


{{Series 4 aliens}}
Historians concluded that incidents with the Heavenly Host, as well as the [[Kerblam! Men]], [[Voc Robot]]s and [[Handbot]]s, gave electronic robots a [[reputation]] for being dangerously unreliable, causing [[engineer]]s to revert to earlier, classic technologies leading to the [[Clockwork Droid]]s of the [[51st century]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Monster Vault (novel)|The Monster Vault]]'')


== Technology ==
The Host spoke in a monotone voice and started sentences with the word "information". Replies to requests were kept very concise, even to the point of poor grammar such as sentence fragments; for example: "Information: stowaway." and "Information: no witnesses.". Security Protocol One allowed the person who executed it to ask three questions, which would temporarily override whatever other command the Hosts were executing until the three questions were answered, to which it would promptly return to its previous command. Additionally, at least one of the Host could be diverted from its current orders for a few seconds when the Doctor asked it in a raised voice: "Information override. You will tell me the point of origin of your command structure." The Host complied, answering with: "Information: Deck 31."
Each Host had a hinged jaw, which moved when they spoke. When given the command to commit murder, they would repeat the word "kill" numerous times. Each Host used a single [[Halo]], mounted on struts protruding out of their heads, as a weapon which they threw at enemies, causing great harm due to its razor-edges. They also seemed to have a remote link to their users, as they would relentlessly bounce back towards them if they were deflected. The [[Tenth Doctor]] and his fellow surviving passengers used chunks of stray metal to deflect the halos with little success. However, the group combatting them was saved by the [[cyborg]] [[Bannakaffalatta]] who used an [[electromagnetic pulse]] to disable the Hosts. A host could recover from the effect after a short time.
[[File:TenthDoctorVOTD1.jpg|thumb|The Hosts restrain the Doctor. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Voyage of the Damned (TV story)}})]]
Without its halo, when damaged, a Host would resort to hand-to-hand combat such as strangling a human by grabbing their neck and striking with their metal hands. They were capable of flight even without moving their wings and could hover mid-air.
An individual Host had the strength of ten men and had a button on the back of their neck which would switch them off, making them rigid. When switched off, one could be carried and moved with ease. Its default position was standing still with their hands pressed together in front of them, seemingly as though they were praying. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Voyage of the Damned (TV story)}})
== Behind the scenes ==
* The Heavenly Host were voiced by [[Colin McFarlane]].
* A free printable {{w|paper model|papercraft}} Heavenly Host [[Christmas]] tree ornament was featured in the 2007 [[Adventure Calendar]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/advent07/host/1.html Make a Heavenly Host Christmas Tree Ornament], BBC.co.uk</ref>
=== ''The Visual Dictionary'' ===
The [[Tardis:Valid sources|non-narrative]] source ''[[Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary]]'' gave further information about the Heavenly Host: their metal hands could be used for dishing out karate-style blows to others, and their default position was standing upright with their hands in the prayer position.
The non-narrative source ''[[The Ultimate Monster Guide]]'' gave an additional piece of information about the Host—their "face" was a gold-coloured blank metal mask.
== External links ==
{{Dwlx}}
== Footnotes ==
=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}
=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Heaven]]
[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category:Tenth Doctor enemies]]
[[Category:Androids]]
[[Category:Henchmen]]
[[Category:Murderers]]
[[Category:Weeping Angel hosts]]

Latest revision as of 19:21, 3 May 2024

This article needs to be updated.

Information from COMIC: A Confusion of Angels

These omissions are so great that the article's factual accuracy has been compromised. Check out the discussion page and revision history for further clues about what needs to be updated in this article.

You may wish to consult Host (disambiguation) for other, similarly-named pages.

The Heavenly Host, or the Host, were service robots used by Max Capricorn Cruiseliners. They were fashioned to look like Earth's angels. Their purpose was to provide information and other assistance to crew and passengers. However, the Heavenly Host lacked autonomy and would do anything their master authority ordered, including criminal acts such as murder.

History[[edit] | [edit source]]

Under the command of Max Capricorn himself, the machines turned deadly. They killed many of the passengers and crew of the Titanic spaceship replica in the 2000s[nb 1] as part of Capricorn's scheme to destroy his own ship and then retire a wealthy man. Several malfunctioned during the trip, leading to some rather nasty incidents: when one first-class passenger asked a Host to fix her necklace, the robot misunderstood the request and instead nearly broke her neck.

Some of the Host were destroyed by an electromagnetic pulse set off by Bannakaffalatta, who used the last of his cyborg body's energy at the cost of his own life.

After Max Capricorn was killed by Astrid Peth, the Host reverted to the next highest authority figure, the Tenth Doctor, helping the Doctor reach the bridge of the ship to save it. (TV: Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"])

Historians concluded that incidents with the Heavenly Host, as well as the Kerblam! Men, Voc Robots and Handbots, gave electronic robots a reputation for being dangerously unreliable, causing engineers to revert to earlier, classic technologies leading to the Clockwork Droids of the 51st century. (PROSE: The Monster Vault)

Technology[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Host spoke in a monotone voice and started sentences with the word "information". Replies to requests were kept very concise, even to the point of poor grammar such as sentence fragments; for example: "Information: stowaway." and "Information: no witnesses.". Security Protocol One allowed the person who executed it to ask three questions, which would temporarily override whatever other command the Hosts were executing until the three questions were answered, to which it would promptly return to its previous command. Additionally, at least one of the Host could be diverted from its current orders for a few seconds when the Doctor asked it in a raised voice: "Information override. You will tell me the point of origin of your command structure." The Host complied, answering with: "Information: Deck 31."

Each Host had a hinged jaw, which moved when they spoke. When given the command to commit murder, they would repeat the word "kill" numerous times. Each Host used a single Halo, mounted on struts protruding out of their heads, as a weapon which they threw at enemies, causing great harm due to its razor-edges. They also seemed to have a remote link to their users, as they would relentlessly bounce back towards them if they were deflected. The Tenth Doctor and his fellow surviving passengers used chunks of stray metal to deflect the halos with little success. However, the group combatting them was saved by the cyborg Bannakaffalatta who used an electromagnetic pulse to disable the Hosts. A host could recover from the effect after a short time.

The Hosts restrain the Doctor. (TV: Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"])

Without its halo, when damaged, a Host would resort to hand-to-hand combat such as strangling a human by grabbing their neck and striking with their metal hands. They were capable of flight even without moving their wings and could hover mid-air.

An individual Host had the strength of ten men and had a button on the back of their neck which would switch them off, making them rigid. When switched off, one could be carried and moved with ease. Its default position was standing still with their hands pressed together in front of them, seemingly as though they were praying. (TV: Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"])

Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Visual Dictionary[[edit] | [edit source]]

The non-narrative source Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary gave further information about the Heavenly Host: their metal hands could be used for dishing out karate-style blows to others, and their default position was standing upright with their hands in the prayer position.

The non-narrative source The Ultimate Monster Guide gave an additional piece of information about the Host—their "face" was a gold-coloured blank metal mask.

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ Although Voyage of the Damned is supposedly set the Christmas after the 2007 setting of The Runaway Bride, the Doctor Who series which aired immediately before and after Voyage give contradicting dates for when their present day is set. PROSE: The Paradox Moon places Martha Jones' present day in series 3 in June 2007. AUDIO: Recruits dates it to March 2008. A newspaper clipping in PROSE: The Secret Lives of Monsters places Smith and Jones on a Sunday 4 June, which in the real world does not fall on a Sunday in either 2007 or 2008. Donna Noble's present day in series 4 is set in 2008 according to TV: The Fires of Pompeii, TV: The Waters of Mars, and AUDIO: SOS (and is heavily implied by TV: The Star Beast and TV: The Giggle), or in approximately April to June 2009, according to PROSE: Beautiful Chaos.

Citations[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ Make a Heavenly Host Christmas Tree Ornament, BBC.co.uk
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