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{{Infobox Individual | {{Infobox Individual | ||
|image = Old K9 Mark III front.jpg | |image = Old K9 Mark III front.jpg | ||
|species = Robot | |species = Robot | ||
|first = | |first = A Girl's Best Friend (TV story) | ||
|appearances = | |appearances = {{appears}} | ||
|voice actor = John Leeson | |voice actor = John Leeson | ||
}}{{K9s}} | }} | ||
{{K9s}} | |||
'''K9 Mark III''' was the designation given to the third known version of the robot [[K9]]. This version was given by [[the Doctor]] as a present to his former companion, [[Sarah Jane Smith]]. The Doctor left him in a crate in her [[flat]] in [[Croydon]] in [[1978]], but she did not actually open the crate until she visited [[Moreton Harwood]] in [[December]] [[1981]]. | '''K9 Mark III''' was the designation given to the third known version of the robot [[K9]]. This version was given by [[the Doctor]] as a present to his former companion, [[Sarah Jane Smith]]. The Doctor left him in a crate in her [[flat]] in [[Croydon]] in [[1978]], but she did not actually open the crate until she visited [[Moreton Harwood]] in [[December]] [[1981]]. | ||
This model of K9 eventually broke down to the point of deactivation during his time alongside Sarah Jane, and sat motionless in an attic for many years because his futuristic inner-workings could not be shared with other [[human]]s. Though Mark III was later given the repairs he needed from the Doctor, he remained in poor condition and did not get to enjoy his reactivation for long. In a sacrificial final act, K9 Mark III valiantly gave up his life to eliminate a horde of [[Krillitane]]s preying on the human race. | This model of K9 eventually broke down to the point of deactivation during his time alongside Sarah Jane, and sat motionless in an attic for many years because his futuristic inner-workings could not be shared with other [[human]]s. Though K9 Mark III was later given the repairs he needed from the Doctor, he remained in poor condition and did not get to enjoy his reactivation for long. In a sacrificial final act, K9 Mark III valiantly gave up his life to eliminate a horde of [[Krillitane]]s preying on the human race, and was rebuilt, with a new and improved body, as [[K9 Mark IV]]. | ||
== Biography == | == Biography == | ||
=== | === Adventures with Sarah and Brendan === | ||
[[ | {{Section stub|Info from ''[[A Forever Home (audio story)|A Forever Home]]'' needs to be added}} | ||
The Doctor left K9 for [[Sarah Jane Smith]] in [[1978]], potentially at the same time he built Mark II, at the only [[address]] he had for her: the home she had shared with her aunt, [[Lavinia Smith|Dr Lavinia Smith]], on [[Hill View Road]] in [[South Croydon]]. He left a message with K9: he was to inform Sarah Jane that he was a gift from the Doctor and to "give Sarah Jane Smith my fondest love, tell her I shall remember her always." ([[TV]]: ''[[The Hand of Fear (TV story)|The Hand of Fear]]'', ''[[A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)|A Girl's Best Friend]]'') Sarah Jane had already moved out of her aunt's home by that time and was travelling extensively. Unaware of its contents, Lavinia stored the shipping crate in her attic until [[1979]]. By then, she had purchased a manor house in [[Moreton Harwood]] and relocated there. She had the crate moved to the drawing room in anticipation of Sarah Jane's [[Christmas]] visit in [[1981]], coinciding with her own departure for a [[lecture]] in the [[United States]]. Sarah Jane and her aunt's ward [[Brendan Richards]] discovered and opened the crate on [[18 December]] 1981. Two days later, K9 helped Sarah Jane defeat [[Moreton Harwood]]'s [[Hecate Cult]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)|A Girl's Best Friend]]'') | |||
[[File:Sarah_Jane_and_K9_Shroud_of_Azaroth.jpg|thumb|Sarah Jane and K9 dodge debris ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Shroud of Azaroth (short story)|The Shroud of Azaroth]]'')]] | |||
After the Hecate Cult incident, Sarah, Brendan, Lavinia and K9 continued to investigate and stop other [[cult]]s and [[witchcraft]] [[coven]]s present in Britain. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Powerstone (short story)|Powerstone]]'', ''[[The Shroud of Azaroth (short story)|The Shroud of Azaroth]]'', ''[[Hound of Hell (short story)|Hound of Hell]]'', ''[[The Monster of Loch Crag (short story)|The Monster of Loch Crag]]'', ''[[Horror Hotel (short story)|Horror Hotel]]'', ''[[The Curse of Kanbo-Ala (short story)|The Curse of Kanbo-Ala]]'') | |||
=== | === Further Journeys with Sarah === | ||
[[File:SJSK9FiveDocs.jpg|thumb|K9 tries to warn Sarah about the Time Scoop. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'')|left]] | |||
Circa [[1983]], K9 Mark III lived with Sarah Jane in a semi-detached house; their gate bore a <small>BEWARE OF THE DOG</small> sign. On one occasion, he warned her of impending danger somehow involving the Doctor. Sarah Jane dismissed his warning, and declined to either stay home or take him with her (in the case of the latter, Sarah's car was "in dock" so she had to take the bus). As a result, he did not accompany her as she was abducted to the [[Death Zone]] on [[Gallifrey]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'') Later, K9 went with Sarah to an [[archaeology|archaeological]] dig in [[Egypt]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[City of Devils (comic story)|City of Devils]]'') | |||
In the early [[1990s]], K9 assisted Sarah Jane in investigating a supposedly haunted house. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Housewarming (short story)|Housewarming]]'') In [[1995]], K9 helped Sarah Jane to contact [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart]] by using his large [[databank]] of [[telephone number]]s. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Downtime (novelisation)|Downtime]]'') In [[1996]], Sarah used K9 to hack into records and find [[Sam Jones]]'s home address, and to translate [[Lost Boy]]'s speech. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Interference - Book One (novel)|Interference - Book One]]'') | |||
[[ | |||
K9 was briefly possessed by a [[demonic pig spirit]], but was freed when Sarah accidentally [[Electrocution|electrocuted]] him. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Sow in Rut (short story)|The Sow in Rut]]'') | |||
=== Breakdown === | === Breakdown === | ||
K9 began slowly breaking down and Sarah Jane was not able to replace K9's failing recharge batteries and self-repairing systems. He spent months or years between times he was awake, and Sarah Jane abandoned him in a cardboard box behind a television set in her lounge. At one point, he was awakened by two [[burglar]]s lifting the box he was in. He immobilised the burglars with stun blasts and called the [[police]] before Sarah Jane got home, depleting the last of his emergency power and shutting down. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[A Dog's Life (short story)|A Dog's Life]]'') | |||
Having essentially given up on being able to repair him, Sarah Jane relegated K9 to a cardboard box in [[13 Bannerman Road#The Attic|her attic]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Moving On (short story)|Moving On]]'') [[Hilda Winters]] had K9 dismantled and analysed. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre]]'') | Having essentially given up on being able to repair him, Sarah Jane relegated K9 to a cardboard box in [[13 Bannerman Road#The Attic|her attic]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Moving On (short story)|Moving On]]'') [[Hilda Winters]] had K9 dismantled and analysed. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre (audio story)|Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre]]'') Sarah Jane was able to rebuild him enough to resemble a "dog", as he would appear when the twosome reunited with the Tenth Doctor. | ||
=== Sacrifice === | === Sacrifice === | ||
In early [[2007]], Sarah Jane encountered the [[Tenth Doctor]]. He was able to repair K9 sufficiently to restore basic functionality, restricted to minimal power. He used K9 to identify the intelligence-enhancing oil used in a school's [[chips]] as [[Krillitane oil]]. | In early [[2007]], Sarah Jane encountered the [[Tenth Doctor]]. He was able to repair K9 sufficiently to restore basic functionality, restricted to minimal power. He used K9 to identify the intelligence-enhancing oil used in a school's [[chips]] as [[Krillitane oil]]. | ||
When [[Mickey Smith]] woke K9 to break into the school during the ensuing fight with the [[Krillitane]]s, K9 pointed out they were in a car. Although Mickey did not immediately understand what K9 was suggesting, he eventually did and drove the vehicle straight through the glass doors. As the Doctor, [[Rose Tyler]], Sarah Jane, Mickey and [[Kenny (School Reunion)|Kenny]] were cornered by the Krillitanes, K9 rescued them through use of his [[laser]]. This delayed the Krillitanes until he ran low on power and was left alone. Short on power with only one shot of his laser remaining, K9 needed to be right next to a vat of Krillitane oil, which was now lethal to the Krillitanes, for "maximum impact" to destroy them, and the Doctor and K9 sadly said their goodbyes. | |||
According to [[K9 Mark IV]], as related to Sarah Jane, the Doctor rebuilt Mark III into | [[File:K9 iii last stand.jpg|thumb|K9 faces the Krillitanes. ([[TV]]: ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]'')]] | ||
As the Krillitanes closed in on him, K9 fired his laser, covering then in oil. Their leader called him a "bad dog" after figuring out what he had done, with K9 defiantly responding with, "Affirmative". The resulting explosion blew up the now empty school, along with himself and the Krillitanes. Sarah was distraught when she learned what her robot companion had done, prompting the Doctor to design a new model that would carry on the memories of the old one. According to [[K9 Mark IV]], as related to Sarah Jane, the Doctor "rebuilt" Mark III into him with "new omniflexible hyperlink capabilities". ([[TV]]: ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]'') Infact, the Doctor had completed construction of Mark IV as early as his [[eighth incarnation]]. The Doctor indicated that the building Mark III was "nothing" in comparison to Mark IV. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Interference - Book Two (novel)|Interference - Book Two]]'') | |||
Sarah Jane kept a photograph of K9 Mark III and her younger self on the wall of her attic study at [[13 Bannerman Road]], [[Ealing]], along with portraits of [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart]] and [[Harry Sullivan]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Invasion of the Bane (TV story)|Invasion of the Bane]]'') | |||
=== A different fate === | === A different fate === | ||
According to another account, K9 stayed in the family for generations until he was inherited by a stockbroker named [[Frank (Tautology)|Frank]] in [[4997]]. Since neither Frank nor his [[fiancée]] [[Gloria (Tautology)|Gloria]] were mechanically-minded, they decided to give | According to another account, K9 stayed in the family for generations until he was inherited by a stockbroker named [[Frank (Tautology)|Frank]] in [[4997]]. Since neither Frank nor his [[fiancée]] [[Gloria (Tautology)|Gloria]] were mechanically-minded, they decided to give K9 to Gloria's uncle, [[Professor]] [[Frederick Marius]]. The professor was amazed when he examined the old machine, its technology being far in advance of the 20th century. However, Marius was forced to have K9 scrapped rather than take him with him to the [[Bi-Al Foundation]] due to [[shuttle]] weight restrictions. He watched as K9 was destroyed, compacted into a tiny metal square. He kept the motherboard as a memento, and later used it as the basis of a new computer which he had constructed at the Foundation, naming it [[K9 Mark I|K9]] as well. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Tautology (short story)|Tautology]]'') | ||
=== Legacy === | |||
In [[Doctor Who Adventures Issue 232 (in-universe)|an issue]] of ''[[Doctor Who Adventures (in-universe)|Doctor Who Adventures]]'', the [[Eleventh Doctor]] ranked his top three robots, placing [[Sarah Jane Smith]]'s K9 at first place. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Doctor, Doctor! (DWA 232 short story)|namedpart=The Doctor's Top 3 Robots!|''Doctor, Doctor!'' 232|page=29}}) | |||
== Features == | == Features == | ||
Mark III included some improvements over past models. The new mechanics of K9 Mark III included larger wheels and a front and back-wheel drive. K9 also had a brand new coat of paint (this time a metallic-blue), ([[TV]]: ''[[A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)|A Girl's Best Friend]]'') though over time, Mark III rusted to some extent. The paint on his metal casing had faded and chipped away a bit by the time | [[File:K9_Defense_Mode_Loch_Crag.jpg|thumb|K9 enters defense mode. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Monster of Loch Crag (short story)|The Monster of Loch Crag]]'')]] | ||
Mark III included some improvements over past models. The new mechanics of K9 Mark III included larger wheels and a front and back-wheel drive. K9 also had a brand new coat of paint (this time a metallic-blue), ([[TV]]: ''[[A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)|A Girl's Best Friend]]'') though over time, Mark III rusted to some extent. The paint on his metal casing had faded and chipped away a bit by the time Sarah Jane brought him to the [[Tenth Doctor]] to restore some of his functionality. ([[TV]]: ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]'') Mark III also had a handle on the top of the shell to make carrying him easier. Although Sarah Jane indeed carried K9 Mark III to load him in and out of her car, ([[TV]]: ''[[A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)|A Girl's Best Friend]]'') the [[Eleventh Doctor]] later implied that Mark IV was not the first to be capable of hovering. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Power of Three (TV story)|The Power of Three]]'') | |||
K9 claimed that he was shaped like a [[dog]] because "the human ego requires a familiar reference point to aid in adjusting to new concepts | K9 claimed that he was shaped like a [[dog]] because "the human ego requires a familiar reference point to aid in adjusting to new concepts" and "animal forms are comforting to the majority of humans". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Housewarming (short story)|Housewarming]]'') | ||
K9 ran on an electron-fusion nuclear battery. Though K9 usually recharged himself when necessary, Sarah Jane had occasionally done so by clipping jump leads to his antennae. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Housewarming (short story)|Housewarming]]'') | K9 ran on an electron-fusion nuclear battery. Though K9 usually recharged himself when necessary, Sarah Jane had occasionally done so by clipping jump leads to his antennae. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Housewarming (short story)|Housewarming]]'') | ||
| Line 51: | Line 59: | ||
== Technology == | == Technology == | ||
K9 was an advanced computer built in the shape of a robot dog. Among the technology included were a [[three-state logic|tri-state]] [[bus (computing)|bus driver]], a [[universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter]] and [[holographic memory]]. He was powered by a self-charging [[nuclear battery]]. K9 Mark III was programmed with a wide variety of technical knowledge and scientific data which included, among other things, horticulture. K9 could also provide data printouts of any information requested from his memory banks. ([[TV]]: ''[[A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)|A Girl's Best Friend]]'') | K9 was an advanced computer built in the shape of a robot dog. Among the technology included were a [[three-state logic|tri-state]] [[bus (computing)|bus driver]], a [[universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter]] and [[holographic memory]]. He was powered by a self-charging [[nuclear battery]]. K9 Mark III was programmed with a wide variety of technical knowledge and scientific data which included, among other things, horticulture. K9 could also provide data printouts of any information requested from his memory banks. ([[TV]]: ''[[A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)|A Girl's Best Friend]]'') | ||
K9 was able to perceive in [[infrared]]. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Monster of Loch Crag (short story)}}) | |||
== Behind the scenes == | == Behind the scenes == | ||
=== ''K9 and Company'' === | === ''K9 and Company'' === | ||
In the original outline to ''K9 and Company'', it would have been eventually revealed that K9 Mark III was actually sent by and under the control of {{Ainley}}, but this element never made it to the screen. <ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/k9/detail.shtml</ref> The idea of a mechanical companion to Sarah Jane being partially controlled by an enemy was recycled with [[Mr Smith]] in ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' story ''[[The Lost Boy]]''. | In the original outline to ''K9 and Company'', it would have been eventually revealed that K9 Mark III was actually sent by and under the control of {{Ainley}}, but this element never made it to the screen.<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20171121055017/https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/k9/detail.shtml</ref> The idea of a mechanical companion to Sarah Jane being partially controlled by an enemy was recycled with [[Mr Smith]] in ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' story ''[[The Lost Boy (TV story)|The Lost Boy]]''. | ||
A publicity photograph of Sarah Jane and K9 Mark III from ''K9 and Company'' was displayed in a pan across the 13 Bannerman Road attic at the start of ''[[Invasion of the Bane (TV story)|Invasion of the Bane]]'' | A publicity photograph of Sarah Jane and K9 Mark III from ''K9 and Company'' was displayed in a pan across the 13 Bannerman Road attic at the start of ''[[Invasion of the Bane (TV story)|Invasion of the Bane]]''. This is only the second use of classic era footage in the revived era, the first being a photo of [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]] an instant earlier. | ||
=== Other matters === | === Other matters === | ||
The [[Sixth Doctor]] make-your-own-adventure novel ''[[Search for the Doctor (novel)|Search for the Doctor]]'', published in 1986, features a descendant of Sarah Jane in the [[2050s]] inheriting K9 Mark III. This book was published two decades before ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]'' and the destruction of this K9 unit. | |||
== Footnotes == | == Footnotes == | ||
{{Companions of the Fourth Doctor}} | {{Companions of the Fourth Doctor}} | ||
{{Companions of the Tenth Doctor}} | {{Companions of the Tenth Doctor}} | ||
[[Category:Companions of the Doctor]] | [[Category:Companions of the Doctor]] | ||
[[Category:20th century individuals]] | [[Category:20th century individuals]] | ||
| Line 75: | Line 80: | ||
[[Category:K9 models]] | [[Category:K9 models]] | ||
[[Category:Tenth Doctor companions]] | [[Category:Tenth Doctor companions]] | ||
[[Category:Sarah Jane Smith's possessions]] | [[Category:Sarah Jane Smith's possessions]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Robots who have been inside the Doctor's TARDIS]] | ||
[[de:K9]] | |||
[[es:K9 Modelo III]] | |||
[[Category:Gifts given by the Doctor]] | |||
Latest revision as of 12:08, 24 November 2024
K9 Mark III was the designation given to the third known version of the robot K9. This version was given by the Doctor as a present to his former companion, Sarah Jane Smith. The Doctor left him in a crate in her flat in Croydon in 1978, but she did not actually open the crate until she visited Moreton Harwood in December 1981.
This model of K9 eventually broke down to the point of deactivation during his time alongside Sarah Jane, and sat motionless in an attic for many years because his futuristic inner-workings could not be shared with other humans. Though K9 Mark III was later given the repairs he needed from the Doctor, he remained in poor condition and did not get to enjoy his reactivation for long. In a sacrificial final act, K9 Mark III valiantly gave up his life to eliminate a horde of Krillitanes preying on the human race, and was rebuilt, with a new and improved body, as K9 Mark IV.
Biography[[edit] | [edit source]]
Adventures with Sarah and Brendan[[edit] | [edit source]]
Info from A Forever Home needs to be added
The Doctor left K9 for Sarah Jane Smith in 1978, potentially at the same time he built Mark II, at the only address he had for her: the home she had shared with her aunt, Dr Lavinia Smith, on Hill View Road in South Croydon. He left a message with K9: he was to inform Sarah Jane that he was a gift from the Doctor and to "give Sarah Jane Smith my fondest love, tell her I shall remember her always." (TV: The Hand of Fear, A Girl's Best Friend) Sarah Jane had already moved out of her aunt's home by that time and was travelling extensively. Unaware of its contents, Lavinia stored the shipping crate in her attic until 1979. By then, she had purchased a manor house in Moreton Harwood and relocated there. She had the crate moved to the drawing room in anticipation of Sarah Jane's Christmas visit in 1981, coinciding with her own departure for a lecture in the United States. Sarah Jane and her aunt's ward Brendan Richards discovered and opened the crate on 18 December 1981. Two days later, K9 helped Sarah Jane defeat Moreton Harwood's Hecate Cult. (TV: A Girl's Best Friend)
After the Hecate Cult incident, Sarah, Brendan, Lavinia and K9 continued to investigate and stop other cults and witchcraft covens present in Britain. (PROSE: Powerstone, The Shroud of Azaroth, Hound of Hell, The Monster of Loch Crag, Horror Hotel, The Curse of Kanbo-Ala)
Further Journeys with Sarah[[edit] | [edit source]]
Circa 1983, K9 Mark III lived with Sarah Jane in a semi-detached house; their gate bore a BEWARE OF THE DOG sign. On one occasion, he warned her of impending danger somehow involving the Doctor. Sarah Jane dismissed his warning, and declined to either stay home or take him with her (in the case of the latter, Sarah's car was "in dock" so she had to take the bus). As a result, he did not accompany her as she was abducted to the Death Zone on Gallifrey. (TV: The Five Doctors) Later, K9 went with Sarah to an archaeological dig in Egypt. (COMIC: City of Devils)
In the early 1990s, K9 assisted Sarah Jane in investigating a supposedly haunted house. (PROSE: Housewarming) In 1995, K9 helped Sarah Jane to contact Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart by using his large databank of telephone numbers. (PROSE: Downtime) In 1996, Sarah used K9 to hack into records and find Sam Jones's home address, and to translate Lost Boy's speech. (PROSE: Interference - Book One)
K9 was briefly possessed by a demonic pig spirit, but was freed when Sarah accidentally electrocuted him. (PROSE: The Sow in Rut)
Breakdown[[edit] | [edit source]]
K9 began slowly breaking down and Sarah Jane was not able to replace K9's failing recharge batteries and self-repairing systems. He spent months or years between times he was awake, and Sarah Jane abandoned him in a cardboard box behind a television set in her lounge. At one point, he was awakened by two burglars lifting the box he was in. He immobilised the burglars with stun blasts and called the police before Sarah Jane got home, depleting the last of his emergency power and shutting down. (PROSE: A Dog's Life)
Having essentially given up on being able to repair him, Sarah Jane relegated K9 to a cardboard box in her attic. (PROSE: Moving On) Hilda Winters had K9 dismantled and analysed. (AUDIO: Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre) Sarah Jane was able to rebuild him enough to resemble a "dog", as he would appear when the twosome reunited with the Tenth Doctor.
Sacrifice[[edit] | [edit source]]
In early 2007, Sarah Jane encountered the Tenth Doctor. He was able to repair K9 sufficiently to restore basic functionality, restricted to minimal power. He used K9 to identify the intelligence-enhancing oil used in a school's chips as Krillitane oil.
When Mickey Smith woke K9 to break into the school during the ensuing fight with the Krillitanes, K9 pointed out they were in a car. Although Mickey did not immediately understand what K9 was suggesting, he eventually did and drove the vehicle straight through the glass doors. As the Doctor, Rose Tyler, Sarah Jane, Mickey and Kenny were cornered by the Krillitanes, K9 rescued them through use of his laser. This delayed the Krillitanes until he ran low on power and was left alone. Short on power with only one shot of his laser remaining, K9 needed to be right next to a vat of Krillitane oil, which was now lethal to the Krillitanes, for "maximum impact" to destroy them, and the Doctor and K9 sadly said their goodbyes.
As the Krillitanes closed in on him, K9 fired his laser, covering then in oil. Their leader called him a "bad dog" after figuring out what he had done, with K9 defiantly responding with, "Affirmative". The resulting explosion blew up the now empty school, along with himself and the Krillitanes. Sarah was distraught when she learned what her robot companion had done, prompting the Doctor to design a new model that would carry on the memories of the old one. According to K9 Mark IV, as related to Sarah Jane, the Doctor "rebuilt" Mark III into him with "new omniflexible hyperlink capabilities". (TV: School Reunion) Infact, the Doctor had completed construction of Mark IV as early as his eighth incarnation. The Doctor indicated that the building Mark III was "nothing" in comparison to Mark IV. (PROSE: Interference - Book Two)
Sarah Jane kept a photograph of K9 Mark III and her younger self on the wall of her attic study at 13 Bannerman Road, Ealing, along with portraits of Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart and Harry Sullivan. (TV: Invasion of the Bane)
A different fate[[edit] | [edit source]]
According to another account, K9 stayed in the family for generations until he was inherited by a stockbroker named Frank in 4997. Since neither Frank nor his fiancée Gloria were mechanically-minded, they decided to give K9 to Gloria's uncle, Professor Frederick Marius. The professor was amazed when he examined the old machine, its technology being far in advance of the 20th century. However, Marius was forced to have K9 scrapped rather than take him with him to the Bi-Al Foundation due to shuttle weight restrictions. He watched as K9 was destroyed, compacted into a tiny metal square. He kept the motherboard as a memento, and later used it as the basis of a new computer which he had constructed at the Foundation, naming it K9 as well. (PROSE: Tautology)
Legacy[[edit] | [edit source]]
In an issue of Doctor Who Adventures, the Eleventh Doctor ranked his top three robots, placing Sarah Jane Smith's K9 at first place. (PROSE: "The Doctor's Top 3 Robots!" [+]Part of Doctor, Doctor! 232, Loading...{"page":"29","namedpart":"The Doctor's Top 3 Robots!","1":"Doctor, Doctor! (DWA 232 short story)","2":"''Doctor, Doctor!'' 232"})
Features[[edit] | [edit source]]
Mark III included some improvements over past models. The new mechanics of K9 Mark III included larger wheels and a front and back-wheel drive. K9 also had a brand new coat of paint (this time a metallic-blue), (TV: A Girl's Best Friend) though over time, Mark III rusted to some extent. The paint on his metal casing had faded and chipped away a bit by the time Sarah Jane brought him to the Tenth Doctor to restore some of his functionality. (TV: School Reunion) Mark III also had a handle on the top of the shell to make carrying him easier. Although Sarah Jane indeed carried K9 Mark III to load him in and out of her car, (TV: A Girl's Best Friend) the Eleventh Doctor later implied that Mark IV was not the first to be capable of hovering. (TV: The Power of Three)
K9 claimed that he was shaped like a dog because "the human ego requires a familiar reference point to aid in adjusting to new concepts" and "animal forms are comforting to the majority of humans". (PROSE: Housewarming)
K9 ran on an electron-fusion nuclear battery. Though K9 usually recharged himself when necessary, Sarah Jane had occasionally done so by clipping jump leads to his antennae. (PROSE: Housewarming)
Technology[[edit] | [edit source]]
K9 was an advanced computer built in the shape of a robot dog. Among the technology included were a tri-state bus driver, a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter and holographic memory. He was powered by a self-charging nuclear battery. K9 Mark III was programmed with a wide variety of technical knowledge and scientific data which included, among other things, horticulture. K9 could also provide data printouts of any information requested from his memory banks. (TV: A Girl's Best Friend)
K9 was able to perceive in infrared. (PROSE: The Monster of Loch Crag [+]Loading...["The Monster of Loch Crag (short story)"])
Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]
K9 and Company[[edit] | [edit source]]
In the original outline to K9 and Company, it would have been eventually revealed that K9 Mark III was actually sent by and under the control of the Tremas Master, but this element never made it to the screen.[1] The idea of a mechanical companion to Sarah Jane being partially controlled by an enemy was recycled with Mr Smith in The Sarah Jane Adventures story The Lost Boy.
A publicity photograph of Sarah Jane and K9 Mark III from K9 and Company was displayed in a pan across the 13 Bannerman Road attic at the start of Invasion of the Bane. This is only the second use of classic era footage in the revived era, the first being a photo of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart an instant earlier.
Other matters[[edit] | [edit source]]
The Sixth Doctor make-your-own-adventure novel Search for the Doctor, published in 1986, features a descendant of Sarah Jane in the 2050s inheriting K9 Mark III. This book was published two decades before School Reunion and the destruction of this K9 unit.
Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]
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