Sonic screwdriver: Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox Object
{{subpage tabs}}
|image = [[Image:sonicscrewdriver.jpg|220px]]
|Object name = Sonic screwdriver
|type = Multi-functional sonic device
|origin = [[The Doctor]]
|appearances = [[Sonic screwdriver - List of Appearances|Full List of Appearances]]
}}
''"Harmless is just the word; that's why I like it. Doesn't kill, doesn't wound, doesn't maim. But I tell you what it does do: it is'' '''''very''''' ''good at opening doors."''
: - [[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]]


The '''sonic screwdriver''' was a versatile tool and defensive weapon used by [[the Doctor]] from his [[Second Doctor|second incarnation]] onwards.
{{ImageLink}}
{{Infobox Object
|image      = The Pilot Cup of Sonic.jpg
|alias      =
|type        = [[Sonic device]]
|made by    = {{il|[[The Doctor]]|[[Romana II|Romana]]|[[The Doctor's TARDIS|The TARDIS]]|[[Santa Claus]]|[[Amy Pond]]}}
|used by    = [[The Doctor]] and some of their [[companion]]s, [[Stoyn]]
|origin      = {{il|[[Gallifrey]]|[[The Doctor's TARDIS|The TARDIS]]}}
|first      = Fury from the Deep (TV story)
|appearances = {{appears}}
|clip        = The Master Summons the Sea Devil - The Sea Devils - Doctor Who - BBC
|clip2      = The Sonic Screwdriver is Destroyed! - The Visitation - Doctor Who - BBC
|clip3      = Race to Save River Song (HQ) - Doctor Who - Forest of the Dead - BBC
|bts        = The Woman Who Fell to Earth Episode 1 Closer Look Doctor Who BBC AMERICA
}}{{you may|Doctor Who: Sonic Screwdriver|n1=the mobile app}}
The '''sonic screwdriver''', also called a '''[[sonic probe]]''' or simply "the '''sonic'''", was a highly versatile [[tool]] used by many people throughout the universe, the most prominent of them being [[the Doctor]].


==Variants==
While almost always referred to as a sonic screwdriver, this device has on occasion been referred to as a sonic probe by people other than the Doctor, such as [[Dalek Sec]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'') and a version of [[Amy Pond]] who had been stuck on [[Apalapucia]] for 36 years. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Girl Who Waited (TV story)|The Girl Who Waited]]'') The [[Tenth Doctor|Tenth]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'') and [[Eleventh Doctor|Eleventh]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Girl Who Waited (TV story)|The Girl Who Waited]]'') Doctors openly disliked this and corrected those who did so. The [[Ninth Doctor|Ninth]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor Dances (TV story)|The Doctor Dances]]'') and [[Twelfth Doctor]]s ([[TV]]: ''[[The Husbands of River Song (TV story)|The Husbands of River Song]]'') also defended when others claimed it was inferior to other sonic devices like a [[sonic blaster]] or [[sonic trowel]].
===The Doctor's sonic screwdriver===
====Mark I====
A small, simple device similar to a penlight, first used by the Doctor in his [[Second Doctor|second incarnation]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Fury from the Deep]]'')  


=====Known uses=====
== Technology and functions ==
*Opening up hatches and panels ([[DW]]: ''[[Fury from the Deep]]'', ''[[The War Games]]'') and control panels. ([[DW]]: ''[[The War Games]]'')  
Identified by the [[Dalek]]s as a "[[sonic probe]]", ([[TV]]: ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'') the sonic screwdriver was considered to be very advanced [[Gallifrey]]an technology, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Heart of TARDIS (novel)|Heart of TARDIS]]'') although the Doctor could make one by using resources found on [[21st century]] [[Earth]] with help from [[Stenza]] technology. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'') During the [[Dalek-Movellan War]], [[Davros]] dismissed the sonic screwdriver as a "simple" tool. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Triumph of Davros (audio story)|The Triumph of Davros]]'')
*As a conventional screwdriver (without touching the screws). ([[DW]]: ''[[The War Games]]'').
*For cutting through a section of a wall. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Dominators]]'')


[[Image:Early-sonic-screwdriver.jpg|right|thumb|130px|Vintage model Sonic Screwdriver]]
[[The Doctor]] claimed to have either invented or designed the specific [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver|sonic screwdriver which they owned]]. In fact, the [[Seventh Doctor]] claimed to have filed a [[patent]] on the technology, ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Unknown (audio story)|The Unknown]]'') and to have [[copyright]] on the design. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Quantum Possibility Engine (audio story)|The Quantum Possibility Engine]]'')


====Mark II====
When [[Kazran Sardick]] was confused as to what to do when it looked like [[Abigail Pettigrew]] was about to [[kissing|kiss]] him, the [[Eleventh Doctor]] told Kazran to trust him and kiss Abigail, as "it's this, or go to your room and design a new kind of screwdriver. Don't make my mistakes." ([[TV]]: ''[[A Christmas Carol (TV story)|A Christmas Carol]]'') When Captain [[Jack Harkness]] asked the [[Ninth Doctor]], "Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks 'Ooh, this could be a little more sonic'?", the Doctor defensively responded, "What? You never been bored? Never had a long night? Never had a lot of [[cabinet]]s to put up?" ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor Dances (TV story)|The Doctor Dances]]'')
A larger and more elaborately detailed version, the Doctor began using this model in his [[Third Doctor|third incarnation]]. It has yellow and black stripes. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Sea Devils]]'').


=====Known uses=====
Other individuals had similar devices, such as the [[sonic pen]] (which appeared to serve a near-identical function) used by [[Cofelia|Miss Foster]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Partners in Crime (TV story)|Partners in Crime]]'') and the [[sonic blaster]] used first by Captain [[Jack Harkness]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Empty Child (TV story)|The Empty Child]]'' / ''[[The Doctor Dances (TV story)|The Doctor Dances]]'') and later [[River Song]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Silence in the Library (TV story)|Silence in the Library]]'' / ''[[Forest of the Dead (TV story)|Forest of the Dead]]'') [[Sarah Jane Smith]] had her [[sonic lipstick]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Invasion of the Bane (TV story)|Invasion of the Bane]]'', etc.) and the Doctor himself once used a [[sonic cane]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Let's Kill Hitler (TV story)|Let's Kill Hitler]]'') Even Missy used a [[sonic umbrella]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[World Enough and Time (TV story)|World Enough and Time]]''/''[[The Doctor Falls (TV story)|The Doctor Falls]]'') River Song also had [[River Song's sonic screwdriver|her own sonic screwdriver]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Silence in the Library (TV story)|Silence in the Library]]'' / ''[[Forest of the Dead (TV story)|Forest of the Dead]]'') that the Twelfth Doctor gifted her. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Husbands of River Song (TV story)|The Husbands of River Song]]'')
*As a means to open the shed containing garage containing [[the Doctor's TARDIS]] and [[Bessie]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Inferno]]'')
*Booby trap detector in [[the Master (UNIT years)|the Masters]] [[Type 40|TARDIS]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Colony in Space]]'')
*Remote detection and detonation of land mines. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Sea Devils]]'')
*To open an electronic door. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Mutants]]'')
*Undoing wrist clamps. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Mutants]]'')
*Detection of [[anti-matter]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Three Doctors]]'')
*Creation of a spark of fire and igniting swamp gas. ([[DW]]: ''[[Carnival of Monsters]]'')
It can only open electronic locks. ([[DW]]: ''[[Carnival of Monsters]]'')


====Mark III====
From time to time, the sonic screwdriver needed to be recharged. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Monsters Inside (novel)|The Monsters Inside]]'', [[COMIC]]: ''[[Bizarre Zero (comic story)|Bizarre Zero]]'') It was self-repairing and could send out a homing signal to any parts that had been separated. ([[TV]]: ''[[A Christmas Carol (TV story)|A Christmas Carol]]'') One account held that a sonic screwdriver was powered by a type of [[crystal]] that was similar to the [[Metebelis crystal]]s. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Forgotten (comic story)|The Forgotten]]'')
The [[Fourth Doctor]] remade his sonic screwdriver into a silver version that lacked the yellow and black stripes.  It was capable of extending its tip.


====Mark IV====
Sonic screwdrivers and similar technology could not unlock a [[deadlock seal]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]'', ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]'') However, Miss Foster's sonic pen could open the deadlock seals that it was programmed to within her own facility when the Doctor's screwdriver could not. ([[TV]]: ''[[Partners in Crime (TV story)|Partners in Crime]]'') It also couldn't unlock the doors to the TARDIS if they had been manually locked at the console. ([[TV]]: ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'') Some or all versions were ineffective against [[wood]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Night Terrors (TV story)|Night Terrors]]'', ''[[The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (TV story)|The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe]]'', ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'', ''[[Empress of Mars (TV story)|Empress of Mars]]'') It didn't work in the presence of some models of [[hairdryer]]s, although the Tenth Doctor stated he was working on it. ([[TV]]: ''[[Forest of the Dead (TV story)|Forest of the Dead]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[Catastrophea (novel)|Catastrophea]]'')
The [[Seventh Doctor]] uses a sonic screwdriver like his mark III to lock [[the Master]] in a casket. ([[DW]]: ''[[Doctor Who: The TV Movie]]''). This is used throughout The [[Eighth Doctor]]'s life. 
:''The mark IV is most likely Romana's sonic screwdriver that she gave the Doctor in [[NA]]: ''[[Lungbarrow]]'')''


====Mark V====
== Individual sonic screwdrivers ==
In his [[Ninth Doctor|ninth incarnation]] the Doctor had a new model with a glowing blue diode at one end and a felt-tip marker on the other. The [[Tenth Doctor|tenth incarnation]] of the Doctor also carried this model, until it was burnt out after modifying an X-Ray scanner increase the radiation output. ([[DW]]:''[[Smith and Jones]]'')
=== The Doctor's screwdriver ===
{{Main|The Doctor's sonic screwdriver}}
[[The Doctor]], throughout many of their lives, possessed a sonic screwdriver. They originally used [[Second Doctor's sonic screwdriver|a basic model]] in their [[First Doctor|first]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Venusian Lullaby (novel)|Venusian Lullaby]]'') and [[Second Doctor|second incarnations]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Fury from the Deep (TV story)|Fury from the Deep]]'') before [[Third Doctor's sonic screwdriver|upgrading]] in [[Third Doctor|their third]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sea Devils (TV story)|The Sea Devils]]'') However, according to one account, the First Doctor was unfamiliar with the sonic screwdriver when he met the [[Twelfth Doctor]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'') Similarly the accounts depicting the Doctor's life as the Timeless Child prior to their first incarnation showed at least one of them as being unfamiliar with the sonic screwdriver and dismissive of it. ([[TV]]: ''[[Fugitive of the Judoon (TV story)|Fugitive of the Judoon]]'') The Doctor continued to use the model introduced during his third incarnation until it was destroyed in [[Fifth Doctor|their fifth]] by a [[Terileptil]] leader. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Visitation (TV story)|The Visitation]]'') It wasn't until they were in their [[Seventh Doctor|seventh incarnation]] before they began to use [[Seventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver|a screwdriver]] again, taking on various different models throughout the years. ([[TV]]: ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'', ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'', ''[[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|The Eleventh Hour]]'', ''[[Hell Bent (TV story)|Hell Bent]]'', ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'', [[WC]]: {{cs|The Fourteenth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver (webcast)}}, [[AUDIO]]: {{cs|The World Tree (audio story)}})


=====Known uses=====
[[File:Jeremy Enecio 3rd Doctor cropped.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Third Doctor]] wields an early model of [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver]]. ([[GRAPHIC]]: ''[[Doctor Who Evergreen (illustration)|Doctor Who Evergreen]]'')]]
*Detecting and stopping [[telepathy|telepathic]] signals. ([[DW]]: ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'')
Early versions of their sonic screwdriver were used mainly for the [[lock picking|picking]] of [[lock]]s and for projecting [[sound]] so as to, for example, [[explosion|detonate]] objects and fry [[circuit]]ry. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sea Devils (TV story)|The Sea Devils]]'') By the time of the [[Ninth Doctor]], the sonic was able to also be used as a sophisticated [[scanner|scanning]] device, with [[medicine|medical]] applications. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Empty Child (TV story)|The Empty Child]]'') Subsequent incarnations gave it even wider functionality, such as the ability to [[hacking|hack]] into [[computer]]s, ([[TV]]: ''[[Smith and Jones (TV story)|Smith and Jones]]'') provide [[geolocation]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)|Evolution of the Daleks]]'') and actively defend against some types of assault [[weapon]]s by frying their internal mechanics and causing the weapons to burst into flames and spark from the inside. ([[TV]]: ''[[Cold Blood (TV story)|Cold Blood]]'') The tool could create powerful frequencies and signals, ([[TV]]: ''[[Partners in Crime (TV story)|Partners in Crime]]'', ''[[Thin Ice (TV story)|Thin Ice]]'') as well as use sound to carry out its functions, even to the point where three of its latest incarnations where able to create a [[sonic blast|sonic force blast]] powerful enough to repel and destroy a [[Dalek]] while working together, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'') as well as shoot green sonic energy waves to briefly incapacitate or stun a target. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor Falls (TV story)|The Doctor Falls]]'')
*Interfacing with a [[computer]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The End of the World]]'')
*As a medical scanner and diagnostic tool. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Empty Child]]'')
*Obtaining money from a cash machine. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Long Game]]'', ''[[The Runaway Bride]]'')
*Battery charging. ([[DW]]: ''[[Father's Day]]'')
*Resonating concrete. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Empty Child]]'')
*Completely corroding thin metal (e.g. barbed wire) so that it crumbles into rust. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Doctor Dances]]'')
*Re-connecting barbed wire. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Doctor Dances]]'')
*Reversing teleport devices. ([[DW]]: ''[[Boom Town]]'')
*Dematerialising the TARDIS and initalising TARDIS processes from outside the craft. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways]]'') )[[Image:Sonic_Screwdriver_Mark_1.gif|right|thumb|130px|Later version of the sonic screwdriver]]
*To transfer its powers to the viewer's remote control. ([[DW]]: ''[[Attack of the Graske]]'')
*As a lighter. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Girl in the Fireplace]]'')
*To make the [[Cybus Cyberman|Cybermen]] turn away from the Doctor's direction. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Age of Steel]]'')
*To cut rope. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Age of Steel]]'')
*To threaten [[the Wire]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Idiot's Lantern]]'')
*To partially reverse the [[Abzorbaloff]]'s absorption of [[Ursula Blake]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Love & Monsters]]'')
*Detonation of an explosive device. ([[DW]]: ''[[Doomsday]]'')
*Get money from cash machine, at both regular and extra-high rates of ejection ([[DW]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride]]'')
*To destroy the [[Robot Santa]]s with sound (used in conjunction with a professioinal sound system). ([[DW]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride]]'')
*To increase the radiation output of a device such as an X-Ray scanner; this action burned out the screwdriver. ([[DW]]: ''[[Smith and Jones]]'')


====Mark VI====
All of these [[incarnation]]s utilised the same core [[software]], though they used different [[hardware]]. While it was different individual model, for all intents and purposes the [[War Doctor]]'s sonic was the same as the [[Eleventh Doctor]]'s some 400 years later. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'') However, the [[Thirteenth Doctor]], having lost the Twelfth Doctor's sonic screwdriver, created her own version. As such, hers used unique software, and was made from 21st century Earth components, as well as part of a Recall Circuit from the Stenza Homeworld. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'') Although, by the time of the [[Fifteenth Doctor]], [[Fifteenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver|his screwdriver]] featured the same software as previous models. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|The World Tree (audio story)}})
The [[Tenth Doctor]] remade his screwdriver after the X-Ray incident. It was very similar to the Mark V, though somewhat larger. The [[Tenth Doctor]] has stated that almost nothing could interfere with its operation, save for hairdryers. ([[DW]]: ''[[Forest of the Dead]]'')  It does not work on wood; ([[DW]]: ''[[Silence in the Library]]'') whether this weakness is unique to this model or common to all models is unknown; a simular weakness was mentioned the novel [[Catastrophea]] with the Mark II, though the canonicity of this event is up to question, as with all spin-off material. A crystal similar to the crystals sought after by the Giant Spiders of Metebelis III is used in the Mark VI sonic screwdriver. ([[IDW]]: [[The Forgotten]])


=====Known uses=====
=== Romana's screwdriver ===
*Breaking into several motorway cars. ([[DW]]: ''[[Gridlock]]'')
{{Main|Romana's sonic screwdriver}}
*Trying to strip off pieces of [[Dalekanium]] ([[DW]]: ''[[Evolution of the Daleks]]'')
[[File:Romana's Screwdriver.jpg|thumb|The [[Fourth Doctor]] compares [[The Doctor's sonic screwdriver|his sonic screwdriver]] with [[Romana's sonic screwdriver|Romana's]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Horns of Nimon (TV story)|The Horns of Nimon]]'')]]
*Bypassing and turning off security systems. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Lazarus Experiment]]'')
[[Romana II]] constructed [[Romana's sonic screwdriver|her own sonic screwdriver]], which was so impressive that the Doctor attempted to substitute his own with hers, but she noticed the switch. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Horns of Nimon (TV story)|The Horns of Nimon]]'') Her version also included a silencer. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Luna Romana (audio story)|Luna Romana]]'') She later gave it to the Doctor. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Lungbarrow (novel)|Lungbarrow]]'') Nonetheless, during the final term of her presidency, her [[Romana III|third incarnation]] used a sonic screwdriver. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Intervention Earth (audio story)|Intervention Earth]]'')
*In conjunction with a pipe organ, it produced hypersonic sound waves which lead to the death of the Lazarus Creature. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Lazarus Experiment]]'')
*Scanning for the transformed Lazarus Creature after it escaped to [[Southwark Cathedral]] ([[DW]]: ''[[The Lazarus Experiment]]'')
[[Image:Sonic_Screwdriver_Mark_2.jpg|right|thumb|40px|The Tenth Doctor's new Sonic Screwdriver]]
*Locking the TARDIS navigational systems to only allow travel between its current position and its previous position. ([[DW]]: ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'')
*fixing a decades-broken Vortex Manipulator
*Uncorking a wine bottle ([[DW]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]'')
*Controlling a cable cart ([[DW]]: ''[[Partners in Crime]]'')
*Breaking into a Silo on the Ood-Sphere ([[DW]]: ''[[Planet of the Ood]]'')
*Disabling a [[Sontaran]] teleport ([[DW]]: ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem]]'')
*Scanning shadows for the presence of [[Vashta Nerada]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Silence in the Library]]'', ''[[Forest of the Dead]]'')
*Showing a hologram (of Donna Noble) ([[DW]]: ''[[Forest of the Dead]]'')
*Disabling the [[Crusader 50]]'s entertainment system ([[DW]]: ''[[Midnight (TV story)]]
*Checking [[Crusader 50]]'s control console for faults ([[DW]]: ''[[Midnight (TV story)]]
*Teleporting a [[Graske]] to the other side of the universe  ([[DW]]: ''[[Music of the Spheres]]'')
*An opera conductor's wand (a function which does not require engaging sonic output of the device). ([[DW]]: ''[[Music of the Spheres]]'')
*As a [[Sonic Toothbrush]]. ([[DWAM]]: ''[[The Continuity Cap]]'')


====Mark VII====
=== River's screwdriver ===
[[Image:River_Song_Sonic_Screwdriver.jpg|right|thumb|130px|[[The Doctor]]'s future screwdriver, loaned out to [[River Song]] ([[DW]]: ''[[Silence in the Library]]''/''[[Forest of the Dead]]'')]]
{{Main|River Song's sonic screwdriver}}
In the Doctor's personal future, he would build a new version of the screwdriver with, in addition to the Mark V settings, ''red settings'' and ''damper settings''.  (The nature of these settings is not yet clear; however, it is suggested that a red setting is a more powerful setting than the blue one and maybe dampers reduce outside interference with the sonic - similar to a [[Bio damper]]) He gave it to [[River Song]], both for her use and because it served as a way to save River's [[Data Ghost]] for uploading into [[Charlotte Abigail Lux|the main computer]] of [[the Library]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Silence in the Library]]/[[Forest of the Dead]]'').
[[File:River Gifted her Sonic Screwdriver.jpg|thumb|River receives her sonic screwdriver. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Husbands of River Song (TV story)|The Husbands of River Song]]'')]]
The [[Twelfth Doctor]] gave [[River Song]] [[River Song's sonic screwdriver|another screwdriver]] before River's final date with him at the [[Singing Towers]] of [[Darillium]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Husbands of River Song (TV story)|The Husbands of River Song]]'', ''[[Silence in the Library (TV story)|Silence in the Library]]'') This version of the sonic screwdriver somewhat resembled the [[Ninth Doctor|Ninth]] and [[Tenth Doctor]]'s [[Ninth Doctor's sonic screwdriver|model]], which was notable when she met the latter in [[the Library]], though it looked elaborately decorated and modified, featuring increased and enhanced functionality, including "[[damper]]s" and a "[[red setting]]" that allowed it to work without interference from the [[Doctor Moon]]. The Doctor gave it to River so she would be ready when she met his tenth incarnation in [[the Library]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Forest of the Dead (TV story)|Forest of the Dead]]'', [[PROSE]]: {{cs|Time Lord Technology (feature)|page=56}})


=====Known uses=====
=== Other screwdrivers ===
*Activating and disabling [[gravity platform]]s ([[DW]]: ''[[Forest of the Dead]]'').
[[Quadrigger]] [[Stoyn]] possessed [[Stoyn's sonic screwdriver|a sonic screwdriver]] in his workcase aboard [[the Doctor's TARDIS]], which he had been working on shortly before the [[First Doctor]] stole the ship. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Beginning (audio story)|The Beginning]]'')
*Fixing light bulbs ([[DW]]: [[Forest of the Dead]])


[[Second Doctor (clone)|A clone of the Second Doctor]] also possessed [[Second Doctor clone's sonic screwdriver|his own sonic screwdriver]], which he used along with the [[Fourth Doctor]]'s to send [[Hexford]] home. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Survivors in Space (audio story)|Survivors in Space]]'')


===Related Tools===
[[Narvin]] had [[Narvin's sonic screwdriver|a sonic screwdriver]] made, based on the Doctor's design, after seeing its utility when carried by the Doctor. At first he objected, preferring to call it a sonic [[lockpick]], but then admitted the nature of his new device. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Quantum Possibility Engine (audio story)|The Quantum Possibility Engine]]'')
*[[Liz Shaw]] had her own sonic screwdriver, which she used to open the Doctor's TARDIS for him. ([[DW]]: ''[[Inferno]]'')
:''This appeared like the Doctor's Mark II.''
*[[Romana]] constructed her own sonic screwdriver. Her version so impressed the Doctor that he attempted (unsuccessfully) to swap sonic screwdrivers with her. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Horns of Nimon]]'') She later gave it to the Doctor. ([[NA]]: ''[[Lungbarrow]]'')
:''This resembled a smaller, slimmer version of the Doctor's Mark II.''
*[[The Master]] had a similar tool called a '''[[laser screwdriver]]''' ([[DW]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums]]'')
*[[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack Harkness]] and later [[River Song]] possessed a '''[[sonic blaster]]'''. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Empty Child]]''/''[[The Doctor Dances]]'', ''[[Silence in the Library]]''/''[[Forest of the Dead]]'')
*Using stolen and incomplete [[UNIT]] design plans, [[Toshiko Sato]] created a '''[[sonic modulator]]'''. ([[TW]]: ''[[Fragments]]'')
*[[Matron Cofelia|Miss Foster]] had a '''[[sonic pen]]''' in [[Partners in Crime]], with a similar design, described as sleek, to [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]]'s sonic screwdriver. ([[DW]]: ''[[Partners in Crime]]'')
*The Doctor gave [[Sarah Jane Smith]] a''' [[sonic lipstick]]''', a similar tool. ([[SJA]]: ''[[Invasion of the Bane]]'')
*The Doctor mentions that he once had a "'''[[laser spanner]]'''" as well but that Emmaline Pankhurst took it from him. ([[DW]]: ''[[Smith and Jones]]'')
* [[Mrs Wormwood]] was in possession of a ring called only her '''[[sonic disruptor]]''' ([[SJA]]: ''[[Enemy of the Bane]]'').
* [[Jackson Lake]] carried what is most likely the most primitive iteration of the sonic screwdriver. His version was a regular [[19th century]] screwdriver which he claimed to be sonic by virtue of it making a sound when it was hit against a surface. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Next Doctor]]'')


==Technology and Functions==
[[Ace]] had [[Ace's sonic screwdriver|a sonic screwdriver]] which she took with her to [[Outpost Delta]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Enemy Lines (audio story)|Enemy Lines]]'')
The sonic screwdriver is apparently the product of [[Gallifrey]]an technology since other Time Lords (i.e. [[Romana]]) use the device and understand it enough to construct their own versions of it. The name of the device itself suggests that it functions using soundwaves, although the actual workings of the device have never been explained. The screwdriver also seems to have a multitude of settings, along with different versions of settings, as during ''[[Army of Ghosts]]'' he tells Rose to use "setting 15B" to help him triangulate the source of the ghosts. As shown in ''[[The Lazarus Experiment]]'' the device is shown to have a setting 85, (this may be the one used to open doors) though it is likely to have more; how the Doctor as well as his companions, many of whom have considerably less experience with it, are able to sift through these settings so quickly with only a single button is, likewise, left ambiguous, though the screwdriver may be have telekenetic controls for its individual settings, much like the TARDIS.


The different versions of the Doctor's sonic screwdrivers have exhibited different capabilities and uses, such as the interception of signals ranging from transmat beams to conscious thought; medical diagnostics and repair of organic parts; cutting, but also re-attaching together materials such as barbed wire; operating Earth machinery such as computers and even cash machines (at regular and high eject speeds); creating a spark to light a candle. Although it is primarily a tool, it can also be used as a defensive weapon, such as when the Tenth Doctor put it in a sound board to destroy the [[Robot Santa]]s. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride]]'') However, according to the [[Tenth Doctor]], the device cannot be used to wound, maim or kill living things. ([[DW]]: ''[[Doomsday]]'')
[[Doctor Ogron]] built [[Doctor Ogron's sonic screwdriver|his own sonic screwdriver]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Planet of the Ogrons (audio story)|Planet of the Ogrons]]'')


Sonic screwdrivers and similar technology cannot unlock a [[deadlock seal]] ([[DW]]: ''[[School Reunion]]''); one of few exceptions is Miss Foster's [[Sonic pen]], which was able to open the deadlock seals on and within the Adipose Industries building when the Doctor's sonic screwdriver could not. This suggests that certain sonic devices can be tailored to open certain deadlock seals, much like a key to a certain lock. ([[DW]]: ''[[Partners in Crime]]'') Some or all versions may be ineffective against wood, or in the presence of some models of hairdryers. ([[DW]]:''[[Silence in the Library]]/[[Forest of the Dead]]'').
[[Jackson Lake]] carried [[Jackson Lake's screwdriver|a regular screwdriver]] from the [[19th century]] which he claimed was sonic by virtue of it making a sound when it was struck against a surface. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Next Doctor (TV story)|The Next Doctor]]'')


==Behind the Scenes==
While trapped on [[Apalapucia]] for thirty-six years, [[Amy Pond]] cobbled together [[Amy Pond's sonic probe|a sonic device]] from various pieces of technology, but insisted upon calling it a [[sonic probe]]. She later conceded that it was a "sonic screwdriver". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Girl Who Waited (TV story)|The Girl Who Waited]]'')
*The tool was retired during the Fifth Doctor serial ''[[The Visitation]]'' as it was felt it had become overused. It was absent for the Sixth Doctor TV era and all of the Seventh, except in ''[[Doctor Who: The TV Movie]]'' in which the Seventh Doctor was seen to use it to lock the Master's remains away, and the Eighth Doctor recovered it at the end of the film. The tool was reintroduced with the Ninth Doctor and has become the show's most frequently used gadget besides the TARDIS itself.


*For unexplained reasons, the Tenth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver had a green casing in ''[[The Infinite Quest]]''.
[[Vastra]] had [[Vastra's sonic screwdriver|a sonic screwdriver]] that was a gift from the Doctor. She used it to shatter the glass of the [[Crystal Palace]]. It had a red tip, and was similar in design to that used by the Doctor's eleventh incarnation. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Crystal Throne (comic story)|The Crystal Throne]]'')


*During early production of Series 1 (2005), the production crew decided to switch from their original prop to one based on the toy Sonic Screwdriver, knowing that the fans would want a properly sized "prop" based on the show. This means that the toy and the "real" Screwdriver are the same size.
== Behind the scenes ==
According to the fiction source [[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary]]'', a sonic screwdriver was a common and basic [[Time Lord]] device. If needed, a Time Lord could make one from scratch in very little time.


*Many websites that offer this toy state that the Sonic Screwdriver is an extention of the TARDIS, or that it contains part of the TARDIS's essence.  This is unconfirmed, though given the advanced technology used to create it, as well as its seemingly endless list list of abilities, it makes sense.  However, it does not take into account that the Doctor has actually had at least two, which were hand-built and modified.
== External links ==
* [http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/archive/tsv31/sonicscrewdriver.html "Is That A Sonic Screwdriver in your Pocket, Doctor?" article by Jon Preddle]
{{Template:Sonic devices}}


*Early conceptual art of the modern era Sonic Screwdriver feature a different "tube" section, with notes referring to "glowing organic circuitry", and a movable ball-joint on the emitter, to allow use around corners and in tight spaces. Instead of the "glowing circuitry," the actual prop and toy reproductions feature a black "swivel," like a simple helix. When given a personal copy of the concept art, David Tennant himself commented on the lack of the swiveling emitter.
[[cs:Sonický šroubovák]]
 
[[Category:Sonic screwdrivers| *]]
*Another early piece of concept art, similar to a simple Bitmap drawing, reveals that the black "cap" at the reverse end of the Sonic Screwdriver was intended to be an opening set of "feet," allowing the Sonic Screwdriver to plug into a section of the TARDIS console. This features was also dropped from the eventual prop model.
 
*There are two main versions of the Sonic Screwdriver - one has a slide feature with button, and one which does not slide and has a fixed button. The two prop types varied each episode.
 
==External links==
*[http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/archive/tsv31/sonicscrewdriver.html "Is That A Sonic Screwdriver in your Pocket, Doctor?" article by Jon Preddle]
 
*[http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/cubegoodies/8cff Sonic Screwdriver toy on ThinkGeek]
[[Category:Sonic devices|Sonic screwdriver]]
[[Category:The Doctor's items]]

Latest revision as of 00:53, 22 October 2024

Sonic screwdriver
Appearances
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The sonic screwdriver, also called a sonic probe or simply "the sonic", was a highly versatile tool used by many people throughout the universe, the most prominent of them being the Doctor.

While almost always referred to as a sonic screwdriver, this device has on occasion been referred to as a sonic probe by people other than the Doctor, such as Dalek Sec (TV: Doomsday) and a version of Amy Pond who had been stuck on Apalapucia for 36 years. (TV: The Girl Who Waited) The Tenth (TV: Doomsday) and Eleventh (TV: The Girl Who Waited) Doctors openly disliked this and corrected those who did so. The Ninth (TV: The Doctor Dances) and Twelfth Doctors (TV: The Husbands of River Song) also defended when others claimed it was inferior to other sonic devices like a sonic blaster or sonic trowel.

Technology and functions[[edit] | [edit source]]

Identified by the Daleks as a "sonic probe", (TV: Doomsday) the sonic screwdriver was considered to be very advanced Gallifreyan technology, (PROSE: Heart of TARDIS) although the Doctor could make one by using resources found on 21st century Earth with help from Stenza technology. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth) During the Dalek-Movellan War, Davros dismissed the sonic screwdriver as a "simple" tool. (AUDIO: The Triumph of Davros)

The Doctor claimed to have either invented or designed the specific sonic screwdriver which they owned. In fact, the Seventh Doctor claimed to have filed a patent on the technology, (AUDIO: The Unknown) and to have copyright on the design. (AUDIO: The Quantum Possibility Engine)

When Kazran Sardick was confused as to what to do when it looked like Abigail Pettigrew was about to kiss him, the Eleventh Doctor told Kazran to trust him and kiss Abigail, as "it's this, or go to your room and design a new kind of screwdriver. Don't make my mistakes." (TV: A Christmas Carol) When Captain Jack Harkness asked the Ninth Doctor, "Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks 'Ooh, this could be a little more sonic'?", the Doctor defensively responded, "What? You never been bored? Never had a long night? Never had a lot of cabinets to put up?" (TV: The Doctor Dances)

Other individuals had similar devices, such as the sonic pen (which appeared to serve a near-identical function) used by Miss Foster (TV: Partners in Crime) and the sonic blaster used first by Captain Jack Harkness (TV: The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances) and later River Song. (TV: Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead) Sarah Jane Smith had her sonic lipstick, (TV: Invasion of the Bane, etc.) and the Doctor himself once used a sonic cane. (TV: Let's Kill Hitler) Even Missy used a sonic umbrella. (TV: World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls) River Song also had her own sonic screwdriver (TV: Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead) that the Twelfth Doctor gifted her. (TV: The Husbands of River Song)

From time to time, the sonic screwdriver needed to be recharged. (PROSE: The Monsters Inside, COMIC: Bizarre Zero) It was self-repairing and could send out a homing signal to any parts that had been separated. (TV: A Christmas Carol) One account held that a sonic screwdriver was powered by a type of crystal that was similar to the Metebelis crystals. (COMIC: The Forgotten)

Sonic screwdrivers and similar technology could not unlock a deadlock seal. (TV: School Reunion, The Night of the Doctor) However, Miss Foster's sonic pen could open the deadlock seals that it was programmed to within her own facility when the Doctor's screwdriver could not. (TV: Partners in Crime) It also couldn't unlock the doors to the TARDIS if they had been manually locked at the console. (TV: Utopia) Some or all versions were ineffective against wood. (TV: Night Terrors, The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, The Time of the Doctor, Empress of Mars) It didn't work in the presence of some models of hairdryers, although the Tenth Doctor stated he was working on it. (TV: Forest of the Dead, PROSE: Catastrophea)

Individual sonic screwdrivers[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor's screwdriver[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: The Doctor's sonic screwdriver

The Doctor, throughout many of their lives, possessed a sonic screwdriver. They originally used a basic model in their first (PROSE: Venusian Lullaby) and second incarnations, (TV: Fury from the Deep) before upgrading in their third. (TV: The Sea Devils) However, according to one account, the First Doctor was unfamiliar with the sonic screwdriver when he met the Twelfth Doctor. (TV: Twice Upon a Time) Similarly the accounts depicting the Doctor's life as the Timeless Child prior to their first incarnation showed at least one of them as being unfamiliar with the sonic screwdriver and dismissive of it. (TV: Fugitive of the Judoon) The Doctor continued to use the model introduced during his third incarnation until it was destroyed in their fifth by a Terileptil leader. (TV: The Visitation) It wasn't until they were in their seventh incarnation before they began to use a screwdriver again, taking on various different models throughout the years. (TV: Doctor Who, Rose, The Eleventh Hour, Hell Bent, The Woman Who Fell to Earth, WC: The Fourteenth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver [+]Loading...["The Fourteenth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver (webcast)"], AUDIO: The World Tree [+]Loading...["The World Tree (audio story)"])

The Third Doctor wields an early model of the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. (GRAPHIC: Doctor Who Evergreen)

Early versions of their sonic screwdriver were used mainly for the picking of locks and for projecting sound so as to, for example, detonate objects and fry circuitry. (TV: The Sea Devils) By the time of the Ninth Doctor, the sonic was able to also be used as a sophisticated scanning device, with medical applications. (TV: The Empty Child) Subsequent incarnations gave it even wider functionality, such as the ability to hack into computers, (TV: Smith and Jones) provide geolocation (TV: Evolution of the Daleks) and actively defend against some types of assault weapons by frying their internal mechanics and causing the weapons to burst into flames and spark from the inside. (TV: Cold Blood) The tool could create powerful frequencies and signals, (TV: Partners in Crime, Thin Ice) as well as use sound to carry out its functions, even to the point where three of its latest incarnations where able to create a sonic force blast powerful enough to repel and destroy a Dalek while working together, (TV: The Day of the Doctor) as well as shoot green sonic energy waves to briefly incapacitate or stun a target. (TV: The Doctor Falls)

All of these incarnations utilised the same core software, though they used different hardware. While it was different individual model, for all intents and purposes the War Doctor's sonic was the same as the Eleventh Doctor's some 400 years later. (TV: The Day of the Doctor) However, the Thirteenth Doctor, having lost the Twelfth Doctor's sonic screwdriver, created her own version. As such, hers used unique software, and was made from 21st century Earth components, as well as part of a Recall Circuit from the Stenza Homeworld. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth) Although, by the time of the Fifteenth Doctor, his screwdriver featured the same software as previous models. (AUDIO: The World Tree [+]Loading...["The World Tree (audio story)"])

Romana's screwdriver[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: Romana's sonic screwdriver
The Fourth Doctor compares his sonic screwdriver with Romana's. (TV: The Horns of Nimon)

Romana II constructed her own sonic screwdriver, which was so impressive that the Doctor attempted to substitute his own with hers, but she noticed the switch. (TV: The Horns of Nimon) Her version also included a silencer. (AUDIO: Luna Romana) She later gave it to the Doctor. (PROSE: Lungbarrow) Nonetheless, during the final term of her presidency, her third incarnation used a sonic screwdriver. (AUDIO: Intervention Earth)

River's screwdriver[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: River Song's sonic screwdriver
River receives her sonic screwdriver. (TV: The Husbands of River Song)

The Twelfth Doctor gave River Song another screwdriver before River's final date with him at the Singing Towers of Darillium. (TV: The Husbands of River Song, Silence in the Library) This version of the sonic screwdriver somewhat resembled the Ninth and Tenth Doctor's model, which was notable when she met the latter in the Library, though it looked elaborately decorated and modified, featuring increased and enhanced functionality, including "dampers" and a "red setting" that allowed it to work without interference from the Doctor Moon. The Doctor gave it to River so she would be ready when she met his tenth incarnation in the Library. (TV: Forest of the Dead, PROSE: Time Lord Technology [+]Loading...{"page":"56","1":"Time Lord Technology (feature)"})

Other screwdrivers[[edit] | [edit source]]

Quadrigger Stoyn possessed a sonic screwdriver in his workcase aboard the Doctor's TARDIS, which he had been working on shortly before the First Doctor stole the ship. (AUDIO: The Beginning)

A clone of the Second Doctor also possessed his own sonic screwdriver, which he used along with the Fourth Doctor's to send Hexford home. (AUDIO: Survivors in Space)

Narvin had a sonic screwdriver made, based on the Doctor's design, after seeing its utility when carried by the Doctor. At first he objected, preferring to call it a sonic lockpick, but then admitted the nature of his new device. (AUDIO: The Quantum Possibility Engine)

Ace had a sonic screwdriver which she took with her to Outpost Delta. (AUDIO: Enemy Lines)

Doctor Ogron built his own sonic screwdriver. (AUDIO: Planet of the Ogrons)

Jackson Lake carried a regular screwdriver from the 19th century which he claimed was sonic by virtue of it making a sound when it was struck against a surface. (TV: The Next Doctor)

While trapped on Apalapucia for thirty-six years, Amy Pond cobbled together a sonic device from various pieces of technology, but insisted upon calling it a sonic probe. She later conceded that it was a "sonic screwdriver". (TV: The Girl Who Waited)

Vastra had a sonic screwdriver that was a gift from the Doctor. She used it to shatter the glass of the Crystal Palace. It had a red tip, and was similar in design to that used by the Doctor's eleventh incarnation. (COMIC: The Crystal Throne)

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

According to the fiction source REF: Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary, a sonic screwdriver was a common and basic Time Lord device. If needed, a Time Lord could make one from scratch in very little time.

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

v • e
Sonic devices and sonic technology
Used by the Doctor
Used by the Doctor's companions
Used by River Song
Used by Iris Wildthyme
Used by the Paternoster Gang
Used by the Doctor's enemies
Dalek technology
Weapons
Other
From Non-valid stories
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