Thirteenth Azmael
The thirteenth and final incarnation of Azmael reunited with the Doctor, himself having just regenerated into his sixth incarnation, before sacrificing his life to destroy Mestor. (TV: The Twin Dilemma)
History
Regeneration
Azmael regenerated into his thirteenth incarnation while on Gallifrey. Having been strongly involved with the Matrix and influenced by Matrix Rassilon in his previous incarnations, the president Helron and his government planned to use this event as an excuse for Azmael to receive a forced retirement to stop him from studying the Matrix further. (PROSE: The Legacy of Gallifrey) This was an offer which Professor Chronotis was the only Time Lord ever to actually accept. (PROSE: Shada)
Leaving Gallifrey
According to the Scrolls of Gallifrey, Azmeal left Gallifrey to escape Helron's goons and continue his experiments. (PROSE: The Legacy of Gallifrey) By another account, he left for Vitrol Minor because he was tired of his life and wanted to make a fortune. Knowing that his knowledge and experience could be used against the Time Lords by their enemies, the High Council found him guilty of various fabricated charges in his absence and condemned him to death, (PROSE: The Twin Dilemma) with Helron sending a warrior race (PROSE: The Legacy of Gallifrey) of Seedle Warriors to execute him.
On Vitrol Minor the Seedle Warriors committed genocide, (PROSE: The Twin Dilemma) destroying the planet and its inhabitants to bring Azmeal back to Gallifrey for his trial. (PROSE: The Legacy of Gallifrey) Azmael began his own legal proceedings against the Lord President and High Council in response; however, they bought witnesses and accused him of hiring the Seedle Warriors himself in a bid to gain exclusive rights to Vitrol Minor's minerals. Angered, Azmael shot down the High Council with a laser rifle, (PROSE: The Twin Dilemma) becoming the first official renegade Time Lord. (PROSE: The Legacy of Gallifrey)
Disgusted with what he had done, Azmael left his homeworld once more. (PROSE: The Twin Dilemma) The next High Council cautiously allowed him to make his escape. (PROSE: The Legacy of Gallifrey)
As the first of many renegade Time Lords to formally renounce the values and laws of Gallifrey, Azmeal became an inspiration to a whole generation of young Time Lords at the Academy, including the Doctor, the Master, and the First Rani, who deemed that Rassilon had been right to pronounce Time Lord society decadent upon his deathbed and that a change must be undergone. In turn, each of the three left Gallifrey, (PROSE: The Legacy of Gallifrey) as did others of their classmates, such as Drax and the Monk. (PROSE: Divided Loyalties)
On Jaconda
Azmael travelled for several years, earmarking Titan III in Maston Viva as a place to escape to should Seedle Warriors be sent after him once more, before settling on Jaconda where he was elected as their leader. Months after his election, the Gastropods attacked. To save the Jacondans, Azmael surrendered to Mestor. (PROSE: The Twin Dilemma)
Mester used a telepathic link with Azmael to dominate his mind. Mestor forced Azmael, who used the name Professor Bernard Edgeworth, (PROSE: The Twin Dilemma) to kidnap the two young genius identical twins Romulus and Remus Sylvest. By this time, Azmael had reached the end of his regeneration cycle.
Recently regenerated himself, the Sixth Doctor and Peri came to Titan III. There they saw the wreckage of a ship and rescued Lieutenant Hugo Lang. While exploring some tunnels on the asteroid, Peri and the Doctor were captured and taken to meet Azmael. Co-operating with Mestor to save his people, Azmael abandoned the Doctor and Peri, letting them be taken captive. However, when the Doctor and Peri were able to follow him to Jaconda. (TV: The Twin Dilemma)
Death
After being attacked by the Doctor due to post regeneration trauma, Azmael sided with the Doctor when his observations revealed Mestor's true plan to trigger a solar eruption that would destroy Jaconda and send Mestor's eggs out across the universe. When Mestor took possession of Azmael's body and the Doctor destroyed Mestor's real body, Azmael, with Mestor's consciousness within him, forced himself to die by attempting to regenerate. Since Azmael had already used all twelve of his regenerations, initiating a thirteenth regeneration resulted in both his and Mestor's deaths, which Mestor was unprepared for. (TV: The Twin Dilemma)
Undated events
- Azmael and the Fourth Doctor had an encounter in which Azmael drank so much alcohol that the Doctor had to throw him into a fountain to sober him up. (TV: The Twin Dilemma) As the Doctor lacked money, Azmael had to pay. When the two Time Lords encountered each other next, the Sixth Doctor recognised Azmael from this experience but Azmael did not recognise the Doctor due to regeneration. (PROSE: The Twin Dilemma)
Parallel universe
In a parallel universe in which Doctor Who was a fictional television series, the image of Azmael featured on the DVD release of The Twin Dilemma. (COMIC: The Girl Who Loved Doctor Who)
Appearance
In his thirteenth incarnation, Azmael was an elderly man with a shiny bald head, looking like Father Christmas without a beard. He wore a long brown smock. (PROSE: The Twin Dilemma)
Behind the scenes
- Harry Andrews, Bernard Archard, Geoffrey Bayldon, and Peter Cushing were considered for the role before Maurice Denham was cast.
