Sensorites were a telepathic humanoid race native to the Sense Sphere.
Biology
The Sensorites possessed bulbous heads with large black eyes (which had no eyelids) and white whiskers around their mouths. They were sensitive to loud noise and feared the dark; in darkness, they were left blind as well as terrified. (TV: The Sensorites)
Culture
The Sensorites appeared almost identical, even to themselves. They wore accessories with their otherwise identical grey bodysuits to denote various ranks: (TV: The Sensorites)
- First Elder — Two crossing black sashes
- Second Elder — Single black sash
- City Administrator — Black collar
- Scientist — Swirling pattern insignia on chest
- Warrior — Three black bands on forearms
When the Sensorites had their backs turned, it was difficult to see who was who, as Carol Richmond discovered when she inadvertently mistook the City Administrator for the Sensorite scientist who was treating John. (TV: The Sensorites)
History
Early in their history, the Sensorites worshipped the Zilgans, since they lived in the darkness that they feared. They would feed them criminals and would be left on their own. The First Doctor accidentally arrived on the planet in a cave of a Zilgan. He was able to kill it. When the Sensorites learned of this, they planned to kill him. With the help of Tony and Amy Barker, he was able to scare them off by shouting and was able to escape. (PROSE: The Monsters from Earth)
In the 28th century, an exploration mission from the Earth Empire made contact with the Sensorites and attempted to exploit their world's mineral wealth. The humans appeared to die when their spacecraft exploded and the Sensorites began to suffer a plague shortly afterwards.
Years later, when a second exploration mission from Earth arrived, the Sensorites feared they would also attempt to exploit them and held them prisoner aboard their own ship. The situation was resolved by the First Doctor and his companions, who made peace between the Sensorites and the humans, and revealed that the plague was actually atropine (or nightshade) poisoning caused by the insane survivors of the first expedition. (TV: The Sensorites)
Lucie Miller encountered the Sensorites during her travels with the Monk. She later told the Eighth Doctor that they were "not as much of a laugh" as the "well bonkers" Roman Emperor Caligula. (AUDIO: The Resurrection of Mars)
Behind the scenes
- Russell T Davies has acknowledged the Sensorites as an influence on the basic concept of the Ood in The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit. Computer read-outs (as shown in Planet of the Ood (and a mention by Davies in an episode commentary) [which?] revealed that the Ood Sphere and Sense Sphere are part of the same star system.
