Tobias Vaughn
Tobias Vaughn was the managing director of International Electromatics, the world's leading electronics company.
Biography
Vaughn made contact with the Cybermen, formed an alliance with them, and then masterminded an invasion of Earth in return for a share of the power. He would claim the entire invasion was his work and the Cybermen merely providing the muscle for his plan. Vaughn was semi-converted into a Cyberman; all the modifications were physical and his mind remained untouched. He intended to betray the Cybermen once the planet was conquered and was aware he couldn't trust them.
Using Cyberman technology, Vaughn turned International Electromatics into a world leader in microprocessor technology. He planned to use IE appliances to help the Cybermen in their invasion. He had great political power due to his wealth and by brainwashing figures in the establishment. (TV: The Invasion)
In an effort to attract Professor Watkins to IE, Vaughn hired Watkins' niece Isobel to take several photos of himself which would later be used in an IE marketing campaign. (PROSE: Prelude Iceberg)
For five years, Vaughn prepared for invasion. He bought a large area of South England, including the 'disappearances' of people who wouldn't sell, to build a vast industrial compound for IE. Workers were partially converted into Cybermen and key people were kidnapped or threatened into helping him. Radio telescopes in the area guided Cyber-ships into the compound over the last year and he transported the Cybermen into London's sewers as the invasion's vanguard. He attempted to condition the Cybermen to obey him but couldn't be sure it worked.
After realising the Cybermen were scared of Watkins' Cerebration Mentor, a device capable of inducing emotions, he kidnapped Watkins to force him to finish the device so he could use it to defeat Cybermen. However, Vaughn's plans for domination were disrupted when the Second Doctor and UNIT investigated him. Unable to keep the Doctor rescuing his friends from IE, Vaughn had to advise the Cybermen to start their invasion far earlier than planned. He was repulsed that the Cybermen openly talked about converting the whole planet, a violation of their deal. Learning the Doctor had a travel machine, he planned to find it so if the Cerebration Mentor failed, he could escape Earth.
His plans for conquest fell apart after British Army missiles took out the first wave of invaders. The Cyberman now believed he had failed them as an ally and decided to exterminate the planet with a bomb; the Cybermen at the IE facility were revealed to not be under his control as he'd hoped. Out of hatred for the Cybermen for his ruined plans, rather than any desire to save the world for its own sake, he helped the Second Doctor battle the invaders around the IE radio transmitter. He was killed on a rooftop after being shot by a Cyberman. (TV: The Invasion)
At the moment of death, Vaughn's consciousness was transmitted via satellite into one of fourteen identical robot copies of himself. (PROSE: Original Sin) He infiltrated Department C19 through his old employee Martyn Townsend, and began influencing its operations. As Townsend's superior, Vaughn effectively controlled C19's "darker side" and the Vault during this time. He had Townsend organise the capture of a Silurian, intending to use its DNA to create a superhuman army. This plan was foiled by the Third Doctor and UNIT, who remained unaware of Vaughn's involvement. (PROSE: The Scales of Injustice)
Some years after the invasion, a film based on its events was shot by Lloyd Kingsley-Sayle. The role of Tobias Vaughn was played by an actor named Michael. The Second Doctor, using the public's ignorance of the Cybermen to his advantage, changed the name of the alien invaders to the fictional Zexians while also adding that Vaughn had a troubled childhood, explaining his motivation for helping the aliens. (PROSE: Scientific Adviser)
Over the centuries, Vaughn influenced and manipulated humanity's development. He invested the remains of International Electromatics' empire into new technologies, such as the BOSS supercomputer, the development of the Time Scoop, and Professor Kettlewell's inventions. As the Cybermen repeatedly attempted to invade Earth, Vaughn bought pieces of their technology in order to repair his failing body with what was left of his money.
In the 30th century, Vaughn encountered the Seventh Doctor. Vaughn captured the Doctor, hoping to learn the secret of time travel from him. The Doctor trapped Vaughn in the TARDIS, preventing him from transferring his consciousness to another body. The Doctor later removed Vaughn's brain crystal and installed it in Chris Cwej's mother's food irradiator. (PROSE: Original Sin)
Alternate timelines
In River Song's World, (TV: The Wedding of River Song) Tobias Vaughn unveiled the IEPad. (PROSE: Just a Minute...)
Behind the scenes
- In earlier drafts, Vaughn was going to have a background as a former fascist. (REF: The Invasion production subtitles)
- Likely due to copyright issues, Vaughn is never identified explicitly by name in the audio adaptation of Original Sin, although the dialogue between the unnamed villain and the Doctor makes it clear that the enemy is still intended to be Vaughn. Although not stating in which story, Nicholas Briggs mentioned his voice performance of Tobias Vaughn. (BFX: The Eighth Doctor: Time War: Volume Two)
