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The Judoon were a race of rhinocerid humanoids employed, as the Doctor put it, as "police-for-hire" (or, he added, "interplanetary thugs").
Biology
Judoon were two-metre high humanoids with a stocky build and rhinoceros-like heads. They had large lungs to help with breathing even in environments with low levels of oxygen. (DW: Smith and Jones) Their thick skin was capable of withstanding most forms of attacks and their ears were capable of selective hearing. (REF: Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary)
Culture
Judoon were brutish and meted out punishments that might seem cruel to some races (for example, physical assault incurred one of the Judoon's favourite punishments, execution). However, they still operated under Galactic Law. They reserved the right to execute without proper trial. The Doctor suggested they operated in terms of guilt by association, claiming they might kill everyone in the Royal Hope Hospital for assisting their target. The Doctor described them as logical, but stupid, and they seemed to favour methodical patterns of behaviour, to a fault. (DW: Smith and Jones)
Judoons sleep with their boots on to show their dedication to their job. They also believe that a studded kilt is the sign of a warrior. (REF: Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary)
Their language was composed of many one-syllable words ending in a long "o" sound, similar to the words for letters in Esperanto. Each sentence was composed of several of these words hyphenated together. (DW: Smith and Jones, The Stolen Earth)
- The Doctor's TARDIS didn't seem to translate the Judoon's speech or the Doctor's response when they first arrived on the Shadow Proclamation.
Judoon do not like Opera. (DWAM: The Great Mordillo)
Technology
In general, their technology was a dark red or black colour, and most instruments, such as their weapons, scanners and translators, were thick and pen-shaped, similar to a large sonic screwdriver. They did have a pen, a thick marker pen, used to mark "catalogued" people - those who had been scanned and deemed not to be a suspect - on their right hand.
The 'execution' punishment the Judoon were so fond of was delivered using a directed energy weapon with a red beam. The Judoon had scanners which would tell the Judoon the species of the scanned being. However, the scanners could be fooled by previous close contact with another species. Metamorphic beings capable of altering their internal biology using assimilated biomatter could also deceive the scan.
The Judoon also had translation devices which worked by analysing the recorded voice of a being. The translation was reciprocal. It also had a contact device that reached every Judoon helmet, allowing the Judoon Captain to give orders with a press of a button. (DW: Smith and Jones)
In the 25th century, the Judoon had wristbands which allowed them to teleport, provided they were in range of their ship. (NSA: Judgement of the Judoon)
Judoon wore heavy black armour, which was sealed to allow them to survive in hostile environments. Their knees, feet, wrists and torsos were heavily armoured and reinforced for both offensive and defensive purposes. (REF: Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary)
Their spacecraft were large cylindrical craft with four boosters, and four claws at the bottom which served as landing gear. Each craft could hold several thousand Judoon in troops of several hundred each. (DW: Smith and Jones) They were originally designed as military vessels and were shaped to strike fear in the hearts of their enemies. (REF: Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary)
The Judoon could also use an H2O Scoop to transport buildings across space, and shield them with force fields as required by Galactic Law. (DW: Smith and Jones)
History
The Judoon were originally a war-like race, until they became mercenaries for various Galactic organisations, including the Patrivolde Regency and the Shadow Proclamation.
At some point in the early 20th century, the Judoon were involved in a misunderstanding known as the Balmoral Incident. As a result of this, the Judoon were banned from Earth. (WEB: Captain Jack's Monster Files)
- This is a reference to Revenge of the Judoon.
At some point after the 1980s, the Judoon came to Earth, despite it being out of their jurisdiction. They came to the house on Allen Road, looking for an Eye of Akasha. The Doctor followed them and was forced to help them look for it. After threatening Tegan, he handed it over and let them leave, but using slight of hand he switched the Eye with a Cricket ball. (IDW: The Forgotten)
In 2008, a Plasmavore who was pretending to be an old lady called Florence Finnegan murdered the Child Princess of Patrivolde Regency 9 and then escaped to the Royal Hope Hospital. The Judoon used an H2O Scoop to transport the Royal Hope Hospital to the Moon, as they have no jurisdiction over Earth. The Judoon ordered the sweep of the Royal Hope Hospital as they searched for the Plasmavore. The Plasmavore had drank the blood of a Human, though, and passed as a Human to their scanners. The Doctor was able to make her drink his blood, making her seem like an alien again. Martha Jones then convinced the Judoon to check her again, and when they detected the alien residue, they put their scanners up to the second level The Judoon then returned the hospital to Earth. (DW: Smith and Jones)
The Judoon were also investigating the Slitheen activities on Earth. (SJA: Revenge of the Slitheen)
When the Doctor and Donna Noble came to the Shadow Proclamation to investigate the stolen planets, the Judoon were working as bodyguards for the Shadow Architect. (DW: The Stolen Earth)
In the 25th century, the Judoon raided Terminal 13 in New Memphis. The Judoon commander, Rok Ma, assisted the Doctor in his inquires. After the mission, Rok Ma left the Judoon and joined Nikki Jupiter's detective Agency. (NSA: Judgement of the Judoon)
Behind the Scenes
- Some fans of Doctor Who have claimed there is a similarity between the appearance of the Sontarans and the Judoon; presumably, such people can't differentiate between a horned land mammal and a potato.
- Before the Judoon appeared in Doctor Who a creature bearing a striking resemblance to a Judoon appeared in the video for Billie Piper's debut hit single "Because We Want To". The "Judoon" in the video worked as a bouncer.
- They will be appearing in the third series of The Sarah Jane Adventures.