Kaldor was a desert planet colonised by humans for the many minerals in its sands, among which were zelanite, keefan, and lucanol (which was most prized).
The most prominent structure on the planet was Kaldor City, one of three original man-made colonies on the planet, populated by humans with sandminer robot servants that tended to their whims and also helped manage the sandminers themselves. The city itself was surrounded by the Outer Zones, which were inhabited by less wealthy members of the society. (AUDIO: Occam's Razor) The sandminers which collected minerals from the deserts needed to keep moving to avoid sinking into the sand, and windstorms constantly swept over the desert. (TV: The Robots of Death)
By the 29th century, the Founding Families, descendants of the original terraformers, were well established as the governing body of Kaldor, in charge of the powerful Kaldor City Corporation. (AUDIO: Occam's Razor) While the people of Kaldor were aware that they were descended from off-world colonists, they purposefully isolated themselves from any contact with other planets for generations, as the Company feared that it might lead to loss of profits. (AUDIO: Occam's Razor).
The Fourth Doctor and Leela visited Kaldor in the 29th century, and became involved in a plot by Taren Capel to make the robots kill all humans. (TV: The Robots of Death)
Years later, however, the people of Kaldor were in contact with other planets and launched spaceships such as The Lorelei. (AUDIO: Robophobia)
Behind the scenes
- In the book Doctor Who: 100 Scariest Monsters, Kaldor is misspelled Caldor.
- The comic Crisis on Kaldor has the Doctor stating the planet's name to be Kaldor, while the name was previously only thought to be applied to the city.
- PROSE: Legacy claims that TV: The Robots of Death was set on the moon Japetus, but all other source indicate that it is located on the planet Kaldor.