Shada

This article is about "Shada" as used in the Doctor Who Universe. For other uses see Shada (disambiguation)

Shada
Type:	Planetoid or asteroid
Appearances:	DW: Shada NA: Christmas on a Rational Planet (brief) WC: Shada FP: Movers FP: A Labyrinth of Histories

Shada was a planetoid (or asteroid) into which Time Lords built a prison for would-be conquerors of the universe.

History

The Prison stood outside of Space and Time as an extra security measure and from Shada all of history could be witnessed. In case history was ever altered so that the Time Lords never existed, a backup of the Spiral Politic was stored on Shada and would be remapped onto the universe if ever time was altered. (FP: A Labyrinth of Histories)

The villainous Skagra managed a successful jail break of the prisoners while in search of Salyavin, the notorious Time Lord criminal who had developed a means of projecting his own thoughts into the mind of anyone. Skagra believed that with this power, he could impose his own thoughts and will on the universe. Salyavin, though, had already escaped and had lived a peaceful life as Professor Chronotis of the University of Cambridge. (DW: Shada)

Other Notable Prisoners

A view of the Shada prisons (WC: Shada)

While searching for Salyavin, Skagra accessed the records of war criminal Rungar and mass-murderer Sabjatric - also prisoners held in perpetuity. Apart from Salyavin, Shada held at least one other renegade Time Lord. The Master was imprisoned there, though he also escaped. This would happen immediately prior to the Doctor's first confrontation with him since the latter's exile to Earth (VD: Prisoners of the Sun).

Grandfather Paradox was also later held there but apparently also escaped. (NA: Christmas on a Rational Planet) Faction Paradox members Cousin Justine and Kresta Ve Coglana Shuncucker were also imprisoned in Shada. (FP: Movers) Several members Faction Paradox then infiltrated Shada and let all the prisoners free. Before the House Military arrived to keep order Cousin Justine escaped in a TARDIS. (FP: A Labyrinth of Histories)

Behind the scenes

• In the unaired serial (DW: Shada) Shada was originaly going to include a Dalek,a Cyberman and a Zygon.
• The webcast illustration of Shada's interior contains several Daleks, as well as Arthur Dent and Zaphod Beeblebrox from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, as a nod to Douglas Adams.