Ancient Lights

The Ancient Lights were peace-obsessed energy entities which were able to disobey the physical laws of the universe using the power of astrology. They also used the power to channel their own power into other lifeforms, giving those individuals abilities while also controlling them.

Biography

Luke Smith, Rani Chandra and Sarah Jane Smith speculated that the Ancient Lights originated from "a time before", predating the Big Bang, an "other universe" where physics were "different", and, among other things, astrology worked. Martin Trueman said that the Lights had existed for at least thirteen billion years and, seemingly confirming Luke's theory, that they had survived the Big Bang.

The Ancient Lights' powers derived from the Zodiac and from birth dates, though of no significance in the rational universe, were fundamental to the workings of the Lights. Their powers operated in such a way that Mr Smith could not detect them, as if they did not exist at all. According to Trueman, the purpose of the Ancient Lights was control.

Though they had existed for billions of years, they needed the stars to be in a specific alignment to be able to act. One of The Lights manifested on Earth in 2009 as a comet-like stream of orange light and possessed Martin Trueman, who had a special destiny. His birthdate had said he would act as channel for the Lights. Using the Lights' power, Trueman could tell people's names, command them to do small tasks, and shoot deadly energy beams from his fingers. Foremost among his powers, he could transfer the power of the Lights onto others, which, in effect, acted as a form of mind control.

Trueman built a career for himself, using the powers granted to him by the lights. The Lights' power depended on astrology, and people's birthdates. Luke, who had no birthdate due to being created by the Bane, had an immunity to the Lights' power. The Lights depended on a certain conjunction of all the stars in the universe to possess all of Earth, in order, according to their star signs. They had proceeded up to Aries, the next-to-last sign of the Zodiac before the completion. When Luke Smith broke their power, they either destroyed Martin Trueman or turned him into one of them and returned into space. (TV: Secrets of the Stars)

Behind the scenes

Secrets of the Stars was originally going to use the Mandragora Helix. However, it was decided that "Mandragora had to change too much, and was too easily defeated, in order to fit this plot" and the Ancient Lights were created instead. Russell T Davies has said he likes to think both entities are "distant cousins". (DWMSE 23)