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Early Silurians were a Silurian subspecies identified by historians who had been allowed access to the "Monster Vaults" of the databanks in the Doctor's TARDIS. (PROSE: The Monster Vault [+]Loading...["The Monster Vault (novel)"]) The corpse of one such Silurian was recognised by Vastra, a Late Silurian, as being of the "scholar caste"; she in turn was identified on sight as a warrior by other Early Silurians. (COMIC: The Lost Dimension [+]Loading...["The Lost Dimension (comic story)"])
- You may be looking for Middle Silurian or Late Silurian.
Biology
Historians observed that, ironically, the earliest Silurians were the most physically advanced. While they were perhaps the most iguana-like in colour, skin and form, they possessed a form of telekinetic projection through the third eyes in their foreheads. With the power of the third eye, a willing Silurian could produce a force capable of killing an ape or another Silurian, or simply use it to unlock doors. The Early Silurians were distinguished by having three-clawed hands and feet, and large, ear-like fins for heat regulation. (PROSE: The Monster Vault [+]Loading...["The Monster Vault (novel)"])
History
Dominance
The Early Silurians lived side by side with apes but found them a nuisance, developing a bacterial infection to control their numbers. This was enough to instil a mortal fear of Silurians in the apes, that would endure as a race memory inherited by humans. (PROSE: The Monster Vault [+]Loading...["The Monster Vault (novel)"])
During a period of tectonic upheaval, deteriorating conditions on the land forced some Silurians to spend more time feeding and breeding in the sea until it became their sole habitat, becoming the Sea Devil subspecies. The Sea Devils followed a similar evolutionary path to turtles, developing beaks and nostrils to breathe out of the water, while their Silurian crests became, through a process of exaptation, gill arches situated at the rear of the head. Their eyes shifted to the sides of their heads as another aquatic adaptation, while their claws became dexterous webbed hands. (PROSE: The Monster Vault [+]Loading...["The Monster Vault (novel)"]) The Sea Devils came to co-exist with the land-based Silurians, with a time traveller's diary recording that the two Earth Reptile species signed a peace deal on 28 January 425,000,000 BC. (PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary)
A Silurian leader told the Third Doctor that the Silurians had discovered a small planet which was approaching the Earth and calculated that it would draw off the atmosphere, destroying all life. In order to survive, the Silurians entered suspended animation until the atmosphere would return. We built this place, and suspended our lives till the atmosphere should return. The Doctor understood that this small planet was the Moon, and that the catastrophe anticipated by the Silurians had never happened. (TV: Doctor Who and the Silurians [+]Loading...["Doctor Who and the Silurians (TV story)"])
Soon after, the Doctor encountered the Sea Devils, who claimed to have lived alongside apes. These Sea Devils also recalled that their astronomers predicted that a great catastrophe would end all life on Earth. The Doctor likewise informed them that the catastrophe they predicted never happened, adding that the apes they left behind on the surface to die became humans. (TV: The Sea Devils [+]Loading...["The Sea Devils (TV story)"])
Awakenings
In 1835, Charles Darwin and the HMS Beagle expedition, along with the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smythe, encountered a rogue Silurian group in the Galápagos Islands. The leader of this group was Tulok, who claimed to be responsible for creating humanity's prehistoric ancestors via a forbidden breeding program. (AUDIO: Bloodtide [+]Loading...["Bloodtide (audio story)"])
"Centuries" prior to 1886, the Sixth Doctor befriended a tribe of Silurian scholars led by Horlak, whom were carriers of Raldoma Syndrome, a virus which they were immune to but was lethal to other Silurian castes, the Doctor helping them quarantine on an island in the Pacific Ocean. In 1886, Vastra discovered the existence of this refuge and, unaware of the danger, sought out her fellows. Crossing paths with the Ninth Doctor, who was seeking Horlak's telepathic talents to help Rose Tyler, Vastra made it to the island but was quickly warned to flee by the Silurian scholars. When white energy from the Void began to infect the area, Horlak and his disciples pooled their telepathic talents to hold it at bay, the Doctor evacuating everyone else to 13 Paternoster Row. (COMIC: The Lost Dimension [+]Loading...["The Lost Dimension (comic story)"])
In the late 20th century a group of Early Silurians were awakened from hibernation by the energy from the nearby nuclear power research centre at Wenley Moor. After disagreement between Okdel L'da and Morka over a course of action, Morka won out, killing Okdel, and the Silurians tried to reclaim the planet from humanity by releasing a deadly virus. This plan was prevented by Dr Liz Shaw of UNIT and the Third Doctor, when they had the cure mass-produced. After this plan was thwarted, they tried using their molecular disperser to destroy Earth's van Allen belt, so that the sun's radiation would burn the humans to death while allowing the cold-blooded Silurians to survive, but Liz and the Doctor stopped them again when they overloaded the disperser and the facility's reactor. Despite the Doctor's best efforts to broker a peaceful solution, the Silurian base was bombed by UNIT by order of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. (TV: Doctor Who and the Silurians)
In 1983, Sarah Jane Smith and K9, while visiting Warren Martyn's archaeological expedition in Egypt, discovered an underground city of Silurians and Sea Devils. Sarah Jane opened diplomatic relations with them. On her return to England, she contacted the Brigadier, who wished to make amends for his earlier mistakes. (COMIC: City of Devils [+]Loading...["City of Devils (comic story)"])
In the 67th century, the image of an Early Silurian appeared among the Perils of the Constant Division listed in a vid-briefing aboard the hospital ship Tsuranga. (TV: The Tsuranga Conundrum [+]Loading...["The Tsuranga Conundrum (TV story)"])
Undated events
Early Silurians and Sea Devils were part of a fleet of Alien Monsters whose threat to destroy Earth was opposed by a Legendary Legion assembled by the Fourth Doctor. (GAME: Doctor Who Trump Card Game [+]Loading...["Doctor Who Trump Card Game (game)"])
Alternate timelines
In an alternate timeline created by the Black Guardian where the First Doctor never left Gallifrey, and became Lord President, the Silurians and the Sea Devils fought over Earth with a number of alien invaders. This timeline was destroyed when the Seventh Doctor retrieved the Key to Time. (COMIC: Time & Time Again [+]Loading...["Time & Time Again (comic story)"])
Behind the scenes
- J. K. Woodward, who worked on the Star Trek crossover Assimilation², released a piece depicting an early Silurian assimilated by the Borg.
- A figurine of an original Silurian was released in the sixty-ninth issue of Doctor Who: Figurine Collection.