Cyberman
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- For the Cybermen of Cybus Industries, see here. For other uses of Cyberman, see here.
The Cybermen of the Doctor's universe were a race of artificially modified near-Humans which originated on the planet Mondas, Earth's twin planet.
Characteristics
Physical characteristics
The Cybermen were cybernetically augmented humanoids. Though the Cybermen varied greatly in design through time, the various versions of the Cybermen had several things in common. Nearly all were silver in colour, with the exception of a a black variety which also existed in the London sewers (DW: Attack of the Cybermen). They also exhibited exposed circuitry and tubing which may contain hydraulic fluids for motion, covering a rubber or mylar-like outer skin. Cybermen frequently attempted to increase their numbers by cyber-conversion.
- It seems that the evolution of the Cybermen has not proceeded in a linear fashion or in the same way in the same places.
The Cybermen which the Doctor met on Snowcap Base in 1986 had undergone a less radical conversion and still retained biological hands; it is possible these Cybermen were prototypes. (DW: The Tenth Planet)
All other Cybermen were entirely covered up in their metallic suits. (DW: The Moonbase onwards) Cybermen like this invaded Earth before 1986, co-existing with the "MK I" versions. (DW: The Invasion)
Many versions of Cybermen were slim, but in the 26th century the standard was to have bulkier, more imposing forms. (DW: Earthshock) Cybermen like this also existed in the 1980s. (DW: Silver Nemesis)
- It is presumed that inside the more advanced Cybermen, there still exist organic components and they are not completely mechanical, but this has not been confirmed.
The Snowcap Cybermen (MK I) had a quavering voice which put certain inflection on certain syllables in a seemingly random, sing-song manner. (DW: The Tenth Planet) Later Cybermen spoke in more of a monotone, emphasizing their lack of emotion. (DW: The Moonbase onwards)
Vulnerabilities
Cybermen had a number of major weaknesses, of which the most notable was the element gold. Gold, having a non-corrosive nature, choked their respiratory systems, a property exploited by the glittergun weapon used during the Cyber-Wars. (DW: Revenge of the Cybermen, Earthshock, Silver Nemesis) On occasion, the mere touch of gold seemed toxic to them, with gold coins or gold-tipped arrows able to destroy them. (DW: Silver Nemesis) Gold also blocked their sensors and caused the cybermats to malfunction. (DWN: Revenge of the Cybermen)
Other weaknesses of the Cybermen included the combination of solvents known as Polly Cocktail (DW: The Moonbase) and excessive levels of radiation. (DW: The Tenth Planet)
Cybermen affected by the Cerebration Mentor, an emotion enhancing device, went "mad", although this could be because they either put too much fear into it, or simply because the fear caused the robotic parts to malfunction. (DW: The Invasion).
It is unknown how but Cybermen; or MK VI Cybermen at least, could 'vomit'. (DW: The Five Doctors)
20th century guns barely phased Cybermen, though explosives and bazooka shells were capable of taking them down. (DW: The Invasion, Silver Nemesis) UNIT would develop gold-tipped rounds for Cybermen. (DW: Battlefield) In later centuries, the Cybermen would take hits from laser guns and energy weapons: at close range, this could destroy them. (DW: Earthshock)
Technology
Technology
The Cybermen forces in 2526 employed the use of the Cyberlance, a powerful hand-held cutting weapon. They also made use of the Cyberscope, an observation device that allowed Cyber commanders to both view the battlefield remotely and access a computer database (containing, at least, information on their race's encounters with the Doctor). (DW: Earthshock)
Weapons (Short Range)
Cybermen have possessed a variety of short range weapons, some in-built.
During their attack on Earth in 1986 they had large hand-held energy weapons. (DW: The Tenth Planet)
On the Moon in 2070, Cybermen possessed the power to generate arcs of electricity from their hands which had the power to stun and disable. (DW: The Moonbase)
In the 21st century, the Cybermen who attacked Space Station W3 had death rays built into their chest units. (DW: The Wheel in Space)
The Cybermen encountered by UNIT in the late 20th century had displayed these same built-in weapons as well as also carrying large rifles for medium distance combat. (DW: The Invasion)
The Cybermen who attacked the Nerva Beacon had their weapons built into their helmets, activated with a touch of a hand. (DW: Revenge of the Cybermen)
Other appearances have shown them armed almost exclusively with hand-held cyber-guns. (DW: The Invasion onwards)
Weapons (Other)
In the 20th century, the Cybermen invasion fleet had a megatron bomb that could destroy all life on Earth. (DW: The Invasion)
In 2070, the Cybermen possessed a cannon which could operate in vacuum. (DW: The Moonbase)
Cybermen in 2526 (DW: Earthshock), the invaders of Voga (DW: Revenge of the Cybermen), and the Cybermen removed by Time Scoop to the Death Zone (DW: The Five Doctors) had portable cyber-bombs that could devastate planets.
Neurotrope X has acted as a means to incapacitate Humans before making an overt move. (DW: The Moonbase). On some occasions they have used a Cybermat to spread the virus. (DW: Revenge of the Cybermen)
Culture
Cybermen made "survival" their central objective. Since they could not reproduce naturally, they needed to create new members of their population by other means, via cyber-conversion. At times they have tended to focus on converting the population of Earth, at other times with simply destroying it. (DW: The Tomb of the Cybermen)
Cybermen tended toward covert activity, scheming from hiding and using Human or other agents (DW: Revenge of the Cybermen, Earthshock, Attack of the Cybermen), cybermats or androids (DW: Earthshock) to act as their proxies until they appear.
Individuality and emotion
Throughout their history, Cybermen have, for the most part, lacked individuality or names.
Some Cybermen had individual names such as Krang (DW: The Tenth Planet) or Kroton. (DWM: Throwback: The Soul of a Cyberman)
- In the script and cast listings for The Tenth Planet the individual Cybermen had names. They were Krail, Talon, Shav, Krang, Jarl and Gern. (REF: Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia)
Cybermen in positions of authority had included the ground level Cyber-Leader, sometimes aided by a Cyber-Lieutenant. Immobile computer-like Cyber-Planners would sometimes made decisions (DW: The Wheel in Space, The Invasion). The Cyber-Controllers, which enlarged craniums, had, possibly, the position of highest possible authority. (DW: The Tomb of the Cybermen, Attack of the Cybermen)
- Only one Cyber-Controller ever appeared at one time.
Cybermen no longer possessed emotions and viewed them as a weakness. However, several of the Cyber-Leaders sounded angry, amused, and, at times, quite smug. (These could be simulations) (DW: Earthshock)
History
Early history
Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of Near-Humans who originated on Earth's former twin planet, Mondas. Mondas drifted into the outer solar system (and became an orphan planet) and to survive, the natives of that world adapted by turning themselves into cyborgs. (DW: The Tenth Planet) Eventually, all of the Mondasians underwent forced cyber-conversion. (BFA: Spare Parts)
- See Creation of the Cybermen for more details
There were three known groups. One group, the CyberMondasians, retained more of their organic form, and still had personal names. Another group, the CyberFaction, left Mondas and headed for Planet 14. These eventually developed into separate groups without connection with one another. (NA: Iceberg) Yet another, the CyberNomads, would eventually head out in space. (MA: Killing Ground)
Mondas developed a drive propulsion system in place of the planet's core to move the entire world. As the original Cybermen were limited in numbers and were continually being depleted, the Cybermen decided to invade Earth. (DW: The Tenth Planet)
Later history
20th century
The Doctor and Ace fought Cybermen in 1940 London (PDA: Illegal Alien) The same team would fight them in 1950s Nevada. (DWM: The Good Soldier)
By 1970 or before, Cybermen, specifically the CyberFaction led by a Cyber-Planner (NA: Iceberg) had established a base on the dark side of Earth's Moon. The Cyber-Planner had contacted the industrialist Tobias Vaughn, the head of the International Electromatics corporation. The Cybermen had him install mind control circuits in electrical appliances manufactured by his company, paving the way for a ground invasion. They had also grafted cybernetic arms onto several of his workers. Vaughn had a Cyber-Planner installed in his office and communicated with it. The plot was uncovered by the newly formed UNIT and by the Doctor who assisted in beating off the invasion both on the ground and from the Cyberman base on the Moon. (DW: The Invasion)
- The exact date of this invasion remains unknown, though estimates range of its date range from 1969 to 1979. It occurred shortly after the formation of UNIT.
From the mid 1970s through 1985, Cybermen lurked in the sewers below London, awaiting another invasion, which would come in 1986.
At some point a Cyberman's head was taken and was stored in Henry van Statten's Vault, where he collected alien artifacts. (DW: Dalek)
- According to its label, it was recovered from the London sewers in 1975, though its design seems subtly anachronistic for its era and more typical of the designs seen in the post-Cyber Wars era.
Cybermen in the future, having captured a time vessel, knew that the Doctor would destroy Mondas, so planned, instead, to divert Halley's Comet towards Earth. (DW: Attack of the Cybermen)
In December 1986, the Doctor met an advance force of CyberMondasians that landed near Snowcap Base in Antarctica. This advance force was to prepare for the return of Mondas to the Sol system and the draining of Earth's energy for the use of the Cybermen. Mondas absorbed too much energy and was destroyed, as were the Cybermen on Earth who depended on Mondas for power. (DW: The Tenth Planet) Following the destruction of Mondas, the Cyberman would make Lonsis their new home. (BFA/BBCR: Human Resources)
In November 1988 a fleet of CyberNomads from the future was assembled to turn Earth into New Mondas now that their homeworld had been destroyed. A scouting party was sent to Earth in search of a statue made of validium called Nemesis, a Time Lord weapon. (DW: Silver Nemesis,REF: Doctor Who: Cybermen)
As these Cybermen were Mark VI Cybermen, they were most likely time travelers from the Cyber-Wars
21st century
Roughly in the mid-2000s, Cybermen from the future (see below) would use time travel to return to Earth to announce them to the public. They hoped to flood Earth. The survivors would then, the Cybermen believed, willingly undergo cyber-conversion. (DWM: The Flood)
In 2006, Cybermen once more invaded the South Pole of Earth. (NA: Iceberg) In the same year, the Cybermen on Lonsis tried to invade Earth via the portal in the main branch of Hulbert Logistics. Lucie Miller managed to destroy them by using a quantum crystalliser to make the Cybermen and their ship rapidly rust to dust. This would see the last of the original Cybermen. (BFA/BBCR: Human Resources)
In the middle to late 21st century, Space Station W3 was the site of a takeover by Cybermen on Earth. (DW: The Wheel in Space)
In 2070, by which time Earth's weather was being controlled by the Gravitron installation in the Moonbase, Cybermen planned to use the Gravitron to disrupt the planet's weather patterns and destroy all life on the planet. (DW: The Moonbase)
Post-21st century
The Doctor encountered Cybermen in 2191. (MA: Killing Ground)
The Cybermen had all but passed into legend when an archaeological expedition to the planet Telos found the CyberTombs, where hordes of Cybermen waited in cryogenic suspension. This tomb was sealed again (DW: The Tomb of the Cybermen) and re-activated (DW: Attack of the Cybermen). It was also not the only CyberTomb. There were dozens across the galaxy and more wars were started off. Bernice Summerfield, who spoke of the Telos expedition in the past tense, discovered one in the early 27th century. (BFBS: The Crystal of Cantus)
Cyber-Wars
In 2526 several planets would unite in war against the Cybermen in an event called the Cyber-Wars. A force of Cybermen tried to devastate Earth using a Cyberbomb and convert the survivors. Failing this, they hoped to crash the freighter into Earth and cause an ecological disaster. Although the attempt failed, the freighter was catapulted back in time to become the "meteor" that wiped out the dinosaurs. (DW: Earthshock)
One of the last acts of the Cybermen during this war was attempt to blow up the planet Voga in order to stop the production of glitterguns. (DWN: Revenge of the Cybermen) In the aftermath of their failure, the Cybermen were reduced to the scattered remnants (DW: Revenge of the Cybermen)
Later history
On Telos, the Cybermen plotted to change history and, as already noted, divert Halley's Comet to Earth in order to destroy it and to save Mondas. This would lead to their loss of Telos. (DW: Attack of the Cybermen)
- As noted previously, these actions would have repercussions in the year 1985.
At some point, Telos was shattered by an asteroid impact. (BFA: Telos (audio drama))
During the Orion War between humanity and a race of androids, both sides would attempt to use the long-dormant Cybermen to win the war. This would lead to both races nearly wiped out and the temporary conquest of Earth before the Cybermen resurgence was stopped. (BFA: Sword of Orion, Cyberman (audio series))
By 3286, the Cybermen had been thought dead for centuries. The Cybermen eventually developed into cyborgs indistinguishable visually from Humans. (BFA: Real Time)
Later Cybermen would again use time travel and return back in time circa the 2000s to convert it. They used rain that caused extreme emotions (sadness, fear, anger) in an attempt to convince the peoples of the world emotions were bad in order to accept conversion willingly. The reason they needed Humans from a past era was clear to the Doctor; in the future of the Cybermen, the human genetic template had been corrupted and augmented by their interactions with varied alien races; as the Cyber-conversion protocols were keyed to Human or Mondasian biology, the number of available converts dropped dramatically.
The Doctor offered to regenerate for them, so they could gather the data of his regeneration and upgrade their conversion protocols to include other races, in exchange for leaving the Earth alone at the moment. While the Cybermen agreed, they betrayed him at the last moment (the Doctor was expecting this anyway). Using the fragment of the Time Vortex the future Cybership was using as a power source, the Doctor destroyed the Cyberfleet and dissolved the rain. (DWM: The Flood)
Final evolution
By the 101st century, the Cybermen had nearly died out. Several centuries before that, they choose a new name for their species and became pacifists. (PDA: Synthespians™)
Transcending into pure energy, the Cybermen would ultimately redeem the whole of sentient life and become the most peace loving-species in the whole of creation, becoming purely thought with no biological presence. (DWM: The World Shapers)
Undated historical events
- During the Dark Times on Gallifrey, the Cybermen were excluded from the games held in the Death Zone, due to the fact that the Time Lords believed they possessed an unfair advantage over other victims of the games. Borusa, nevertheless, having found the Game of Rassilon, transported a Cyberman squadron to the Death Zone to threaten and harass the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith. (DW: The Five Doctors)
- A Cyberman was among the life-forms exhibited in Vorg's Miniscope. (DW: Carnival of Monsters)
- The Cybermen were part of the Supremo's alliance in the war against Morbius. (PDA: Warmonger)
Other References
- An image of a Cyberman is one of the fears pulled from the Doctor's mind when he faces the Keller machine. (DW: The Mind of Evil)
- During their encounter with the Cybermen the Cult of Skaro noted their resemblence to the Cybermen from our universe although it isn't known whether the Cybermen of our world have encountered the Daleks. (DW: Doomsday)
Mysteries and discrepancies
- On Telos, the Doctor seemed to have knowledge, if not foreknowledge of the Cyber-Tombs. (DW: The Tomb of the Cybermen) The Cyber-Planner's reference to having met the Doctor on Planet 14 also remains obscure (DW: The Invasion), though one account tries to explain this in a way which contradicts previously disclosed information about the creation of the Cybermen (DWM: The World Shapers)
Behind the Scenes
Inspiration for the Cybermen
The idea from the Cybermen came from Kit Pedler's interest in new medical advances and his fears as to where they might possibly lead. Earlier conceptions of the Cyberman design would have emphasized the "man" part of the equation, but the proposed design would have cost too much money. Indeed, the televised version of The Tenth Planet featured much more human-like Cybermen, who had human hands.
Prologues to certain Target Books novelisations reflect the earlier ideas about the Cybermen, which state that perfected the science of cybernetics as a means to gain immortality. The Cybermen were the result: immortal, but at the cost of losing their humanity.
Development of the characters
The second appearance of the Cybermen in The Moonbase (pre-planned by the production team even before The Tenth Planet had aired), re-designed them rather radically, making them appear much more robot-like in appearance. The Cybermen went through another major re-design in The Invasion, yet another in Earthshock, and one in the comic strips in The Flood. Various minor re-designs would take place as well. As the Cybermen stories do not appear in a chronological order, this makes their evolution rather confusing: more 'advanced' Cybermen are around at the same time as more 'primitive' ones and vice versa.
See also
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