Miniscope

A Cyberman in Vorg's miniscope. (DW: Carnival of Monsters)

Miniscopes were sideshow attractions displaying the lives of intelligent and nonintelligent creatures for the entertainment of others. The creatures on display were actually miniaturised and kept in secure micro-environments within the device itself.

Technology

Appearance

A Miniscope appeared as a cylindrical plinth topped by a control panel and an audio-visual display resembling a dome turned on its side. (DW: Carnival of Monsters)

Technology

Within the Miniscope were a number of sealed habitats, often intended to replicate the native time and place of the specimens within it, though in some cases the environment mixed and matched specimens from different times and/or places in order to maximise the habitat's entertainment value.

The specimens were reduced in size by a factor of about 72 and kept this way by a compression field generated by the Miniscope itself. Specimens extracted from the field resumed their original size.

Sentient specimens were hypnotically conditioned not to notice any signs that they might have been extracted from their native environment (such as access panels in their habitat) and generally lived through a specific set of events over and over again. (The presence of this artificial time loop further suggests that the Miniscope was the product of an extremely advanced civilisation.) The behaviour of the specimens could also be modified to a limited degree by the Scope's operator, although the fact that (for example) artificially induced aggression affected intruders in the Miniscope as well as specimens indicates that this was a separate mechanism to the conditioning. This control was only effective for creatures of some intelligence, with creatures such as Drashigs being too unintelligent to control.

The method by which individual scopes were initially populated is not known, though it most likely involved the use of technology analogous to the Time Scoop.

History

It is not known if Miniscopes were a unique technology, or independently developed by a number of different civilisations.

Ban on use

Prior to leaving Gallifrey, the Doctor learned of the existence of the Miniscopes and was outraged by their cruelty to the specimens held within. He campaigned to have them banned, and despite the non-interference policy of the Time Lords was eventually successful (DW: Carnival of Monsters). This course of action won him great respect in the galactic community. By the reckoning of the wider universe, this occurred prior to 1609. (MA: The Empire of Glass)

Most Miniscope operators ceased trading following the ban, but a few continued to run their peepshows, normally shady individuals of dubious character. (DW: Carnival of Monsters, MA: Goth Opera)

Individual Miniscopes

In his third incarnation, the Doctor found himself within the Miniscope of the Lurman showman Vorg, who was having difficulty in Customs on the planet Inter Minor. Vorg's miniscope contained a Human sea vessel, the SS Bernice and its passengers and crew from 1926 Earth, and also a plesiosaurus from the same planet's prehistory. It also contained Ogrons, Cybermen, and Drashigs. The Doctor was ultimately able to extricate himself from the miniscope and returned all the specimens to their original times and places. Vorg claimed his miniscope contained the only Humans in captivity. (DW: Carnival of Monsters)

The Doctor was aware of the disappearance of the Bernice despite the fact that he later effectively prevented it from happening - thus creating a temporal paradox. It may be that the ship never made it back to Earth although there was nothing to suggest this at the time. It is certainly possible that, as a Time Lord, the Doctor could be aware of the existence of multiple timelines, even if natives of Earth were not.

Romana was later stranded in another Miniscope by the renegade Time Lord Ruath. This Scope was in the possession of the adventurer Sabalom Glitz at the time. It also contained a Drashig habitat, suggesting this was a standard or popular feature of many Miniscopes. Romana was also able to escape. (MA: Goth Opera)

With a thought printed in his mind by the Daleks, Vorg's son Vorgenson created a similar device called the Minimiser. He used it to head a travelling show dedicated to The Doctor, so he could attract the Doctor to the show with his monsters, and capture him in the Minimiser. This plan worked, although later Vorgenson learned the truth and the plot was foiled. (SP: The Monsters Are Coming!)