The Silurians (also known as Eocene, Homo reptilia and Psionosauropodomorpha) were a type of Earth Reptile. Technologically advanced, they lived during prehistoric times.
Biology
Physical appearance
The Silurians were an extremely varied species, with a wide range of subspecies and different appearances. Whilst many Silurians appeared similar, among some there were subtle differences which was attributed to being the result of a different caste. There were other such clan families with differentiating physical characteristics with some suited for environments that had extreme cold or others which lived on high plateaus. (MA: The Scales of Injustice) In general, they were humanoid reptilians with scaly crests on their head.
- One group of Silurians was found at Wenley Moor. They had long fingers and three webbed toes on each foot. Their mouths were small and somewhat sucker-like. The most noticeable feature of the Silurians were their three eyes. Their main eyes were bright yellow with cat-like pupils. The third eye was red and on the forehead, surrounded by a fluting bone structure. They also had rectangular external ears. As well as having a more powerful third eye, they were active creatures who spoke quickly in a deep voice. (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians)
- Another group was found at Sea Base 4. They looked similar to those of Wenley Moor, but had had a stockier build, brown skin, suckers on the tips of their fingers, a smaller mouth, ornate curving spikes around their heads and the third eye on top. The third eye would glow along with their speech, but was not used in attack. They were also slower and spoke in a higher pitched voice. (DW: Warriors of the Deep)
- A third tribe found in Wales was radically different in appearance. They had only two eyes, a human-like face, no external ears, five digits on each hand and a crest on their head and down their neck. They had long tongues which they could fire out to inject a venom, which would be mutagenic in humans. They moved and spoke much like humans. (DW: The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood)
- There were also the distantly related Sea Devils. (DW: The Sea Devils) They were genetically divergent enough to create problems for the offspring of such matings. Such offspring suffered from biological problems such as being sterile and possessing a shorter lifespan, due to them suffering from cellular degeneration. (MA: The Scales of Injustice)
In at least one alternate reality, there was a human-Silurian hybrid which demonstrates that mating between the two was possible. (PDA: Spiral Scratch)
Anatomy
Silurians were cold blooded and were only capable of surviving in warmer temperatures. They would become sluggish and slow when too cold. (NA: Blood Heat, DW: The Hungry Earth) Silurians had a hunter's anatomy, with powerful muscles and hollow bones. Though they were taller than humans, they were also lighter and faster. Silurians were incapable of crying. (NA: Blood Heat) The typical lifespan of a Silurian was 200 to 250 years, (MA: The Scales of Injustice) though some lived up to 300 years (DW: Cold Blood).
Silurians had an organ analogous to the human pituitary gland. (MA: Burning Heart)
Third eye
Most Silurians possessed a third eye on their forehead. Their three eyes provided them with a triple-faceted form of vision, with the top eye seeing in infrared. (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians) Besides seeing, the third eye allowed them to use a variety of telepathic powers.
The Silurians used their third eyes to communicate with other Silurians in a process known as "linking". The third eye would glow along with their emotions, becoming brighter when angered. They could also sense the presence of other Silurians, even from great distances. Silurians were capable of controlling the minds of other creatures. (NA: Blood Heat) They were known to hypnotise and coerce humans through a link to a primal part of their subject's mind, though stronger wills were capable of resisting this control. (BFA: Bloodtide)
The third eye was capable of either simply harming organic beings, killing them or leaving them unconscious. Alternatively, they were able to revive a human that they had made unconscious through this third eye. Energies emanating from it allowed them to burn through walls and create tunnels. (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians, NA: Blood Heat)
The Silurians also employed their third eye in more mundane tasks, such as activating their technology, opening passageways or creating forcefields to trap prisoners. (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians)
Despite this, not all Silurians had these third eyes; the tribe found in Wales did not. (DW: The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood)
Culture
The Silurians were described as generally a peaceful race with their highest laws preventing outright warfare except in the case of defensive engagements. (DW: Warriors of the Deep) Despite this being the case, there was a great importance placed on the species' pure eugenics, which was believed to be their most important principle and most sacrosanct belief. Thus, breeding between the Silurians and Sea Devils was considered a crime punishable by death. The eggs of such a union were normally crushed and the parents were typically executed for the crime. (MA: The Scales of Injustice)
The Silurians were generally led by a Triad, three Silurians who had joint rule. (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians, Warriors of the Deep, The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood) These Silurians came from different backgrounds and controlled different sections, such as the military and the scientists. Silurians were also split up into different Tribes. (DW: The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood) The majority of Silurian warriors appeared to be female, just as the females were the more aggressive in some species of lower reptile (DW: Cold Blood, A Good Man Goes to War)
Silurians communicated by telepathically linking with the use of their third eye, as well as by body language. Though they could communicate with words, they generally only used it for effect, when talking to children or to species without telepathic linking abilities. Silurians had little in the way of literature, since their mind linking abilities were a more effective method of transferring ideas. (NA: Blood Heat)
Silurians of advanced age would festoon their third eye with pearls as a form of decoration. (NA: Blood Heat) Some Silurians kept early homonids as pets. (DWN: Doctor Who and the Cave-Monsters) Whilst in the future, they became known to take the term of Earth Reptiles, there were some amongst their kind in these eras that instead chose to refer to themselves as Silurians as they believed those that accepted the title of Earth Reptiles were pathetic assimilationists. (MA: Burning Heart)
They were also known to have possessed a Lizard God. (MA: The Crystal Bucephalus) In addition, there was an entity within their myths known as Urmungstandra, who was a devil god. (EDA: The Taking of Planet 5) The Great Old Ones including in their ranks Azathoth were a pantheon of deities that were revered by the Silurians long before the rise of humanity. (NA: All-Consuming Fire)
Technology
The Silurians had many advancements unknown to the humans.
- See also Silurian Technology.
Biotechnology
The Silurians had advanced genetic capabilities. They were capable of bringing species back from extinction, such as many species of dinosaurs. (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians, NA: Blood Heat) They could also modify species, like they did with the Myrka. (DW: Warriors of the Deep) Furthermore, they demonstrated their ability in creating a genetically engineered plague, which they once used against early humans who invaded their crop settlements. The disease was highly virulent to humans and was used as a form of 'pest control'. (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians) Despite this, they were still having problems with Silurian/Sea Devil hybrids' deficiencies. (MA: The Scales of Injustice)
The Silurians processed their own food and didn't rely on harvesting animals or plants, (MA: The Scales of Injustice) except for times of food deprivation (NA: Blood Heat). The Silurians were also able to bio-program soil, causing it react to certain events and respond, generally by dragging people underground. (DW: The Hungry Earth) They were also capable of advanced decontamination, removing diseases and poisons from the body. (DW: Cold Blood)
Weaponry
Though the Sea Devils used sonic weaponry, the Silurians relied on the Sea Devils and their third eye for defensive purposes. As such, the Silurians tended not to use weaponry, though they used a Battlecruiser for transportation and offensive purposes. (DW: Warriors of the Deep) They could amplify the powers of their third eyes, allowing them to cause even more damage. (NA: Blood Heat)
The Silurians found in Wales used guns reminiscent of Sea Devil guns which could fire fatal energy beams. They also wore armour and used special masks that covered their faces and allowed them to scan objects. (DW: The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood)
Miscellaneous technology
- They had access to cryogenic technology, which they used to preserve their civilization when they believed the Earth was in danger. (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians) These had timers which would react when the colony was in danger, (DW: The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood) though many were faulty and relied on nearby energy sources (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians).
- They could use Gravity Bubbles to travel to and from the surface. (DW: The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood) They also used mechanical airships, which Bernice used and found to be of high quality. (NA: St Anthony's Fire)
- They had some holographic technology. (MA: The Scales of Injustice)
- They could modify the atmosphere, increasing the temperature in certain areas. (NA: Blood Heat)
- They had the ability to disperse the Van Allen belt, which would have left Earth defenceless against cosmic radiation. (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians)
- They could create force fields to trap an entire village, controlling the amount of light that got in (effectively making it night). (DW: The Hungry Earth)
- They also had wrist devices. (DW: Warriors of the Deep)
History
Dominance
At some point in Earth's history, the Silurians were the rulers of the planet. They were led by the Triad and used the Sea Devils as soldiers. (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians, Warriors of the Deep) In the early era of their rule, there were many stories of the rise of their civilization. One noted legendary warrior chieftain was Masz K'll of the Third Dynasty, who fought against his evil alter-ego, the legendary Two-Faced Lizard. Another noted figure was Panun E'Ni, who was the leader of the Southern Clan and conquered much of the world, which he ruled cruelly for a brief period until his defeat at the hands of Tun W'lzz. Following that event, the previously imprisoned and cast out tribes reconverged into a new more unified civilization that ate their foes. Whether these were folk stories or historical fact was of no importance to them, as it inspired the Earth Reptiles for a millennium, with many of these writings left within their Hall of Heroes. (MA: The Scales of Injustice)
In this era, the Silurians co-existed in groups of clans that lived alongside the original ape primitives that were developing on their planet. Being a lesser species at the time, these hominids became the primary livestock of the Silurians. In order to improve the flavour of these creatures, a Silurian scientist by the name of Tulok began to genetically engineer the apes. This led to the hominids gaining an increased breeding cycle as well as intelligence and thus created the early Homo sapiens. For his genetic crimes, the Silurians banished Tulok and his creations to die in the coming cataclysm. (BFA: Bloodtide) These primitive ape-like man began to hunt in packs and began attacking the Silurians. (DWM: Twilight of the Silurians) They also began to prey on the crops of the Silurians, leading the Earth Reptiles to use plagues to exterminate them. (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians)
At the height of their civilization, the Silurians lived in cities of metal millions of years old, and had uncontested dominion over the planet. However, this era was cut short. Some of their scientists, such as Doctor Wolik, believed that a small planetoid was destined to crash into their world. While some Silurians were cynical of this coming disaster, with a few believing it to be a simple scare story, in time, they panicked at the coming event. They decided to take steps to protect themselves in hibernation chambers, so their civilization could survive the coming disaster and reclaim their world once the danger had passed. (DWM: Twilight of the Silurians)
Twelve years before the large planet came dangerously close to Earth, the Silurians were divided on the matter of a mating between the land castes and aquatic castes. Normally, such matings were forbidden, and any offspring were killed along with their parents. However, facing the dangers of the global cataclysm, they instead allowed a colony of such hybrids to remain in their Shelter near Smallmarshes. They, along with the rest of the Silurian race, took part in the Great Hibernation. (MA: The Scales of Injustice) The panicked Silurians later sealed themselves in their underground hibernation chambers. However, the hibernation technology was faulty, and never woke them. They were not aware that the dangerous planetoid that they believed would devastate their world was instead captured by the planet and became the Moon. (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians) Despite their intentions on punishing Tulok, the renegade Silurian scientist instead sabotaged a number of the hibernation chambers and destroyed them as a result. (BFA: Bloodtide)
Re-awakenings
Over the millions of years since their rule, many of their prominent structures such as the Hall of Heroes were lost due to erosion and plate movement which wiped any traces of the Silurians ancient civilization. (MA: The Scales of Injustice) After millions of years, some of the Silurian Hibernation units had been awoken.
In 102 AD, a number of Silurians were part of the Alliance of the Doctor's worst enemies that trapped the Doctor in the Pandorica. (DW: The Pandorica Opens)
In the 19th century, a group of Silurians was awoken by the creation of the London Underground, leading to the death of several. Though Vastra wanted revenge, the Doctor was able to convince her to live together with the humans in peace. She lived with her human partner Jenny, though was known to feed on human criminals. She and several of her soldiers were called up by the Doctor to fight at the battle of Demon's Run. (DW: A Good Man Goes to War)
Charles Darwin and the HMS Beagle expedition, along with the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smythe encountered a rogue Silurian group in the Galápagos Islands. It was revealed that the leader of this group had been responsible for creating humanity's prehistoric ancestors via a forbidden breeding program. (BFA: Bloodtide) At some point, H. P. Lovecraft discovered a reawakened settlement of Silurians who were freed from their hibernation by the machinations of the Master. However, they refused to follow him and decided to sacrifice both him as well as Lovecraft to their idol. During the event, Lovecraft stole a gemstone that was the key to the reactivation of the hibernation chambers and escaped with the Master to his TARDIS which was actually disguised as the sacrificial idol. Without the gemstone, the Silurians were forced to return to their sleep. (CP: Perfect Timing)
- This may have inspired Lovecraft's writings and had him turn the Silurians into the Deep Ones from his stories.
During the Howberry expedition in 1920, Lord Barset took part in an expedition to Antarctica with a group of fellow travellers. Once there, they discovered a city consisting of intelligent reptiles who were the Silurians. All of the expedition members except one were killed as a result with the sole survivor returning to civilization where he was considered insane after telling the fate of his comrades. (AV: Endurance) This later inspired a second expedition to Antarctica in 2012 led by Barset's grandson who intended to find the advanced technology of the Silurian civilization, though instead he encountered a band of Ice Warrior war criminals that were frozen in the ice. (BFA: Frozen Time) Jules Verne and the Doctor once encountered Silurians and a giant squid. This adventure would be reworked into 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, though the Doctor had some difficulties convincing Jules to remove the parts with the Silurians. (NSA: Peacemaker)
In the late 20th century a group of Silurians were awakened from hibernation by the energy from the nearby nuclear power research centre at Wenley Moor. After disagreement between Okdel and Morka over this course of action, Morka won out and the Silurians then attempted reclaim the planet from humanity by releasing a deadly virus. This plan was stopped by UNIT and the Third Doctor. Despite the Doctor's best efforts to broker a peaceful solution, the Silurian base was bombed by UNIT on Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart's order. (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians) Shortly afterward, a second base was awoken in Oregon, and was likewise dealt with by UNIT. (PDA: The Devil Goblins from Neptune) A different base of Silurians was found in the Smallmarshes, which consisted of hybrids born of unions from the Silurians and Sea Devils. They too wanted to take back the Earth, and there was also a schism of power leading to the end of the conflict. The Third Doctor, however, managed to ensure that this shelter was left in peace and that an end to hostilities emerged. (MA: The Scales of Injustice)
In 1983, Sarah Jane Smith and K-9, 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, and on her return to England, contacted the Brigadier, who was willing to make amends for his earlier mistakes. (DWM: City of Devils)
By 2003 there were Silurians serving as part of UNIT, in particular Imorkal, who was working with Liz Shaw at Tranquillity Moonbase on Earth's Moon. (NA: Eternity Weeps) A number of decades later, General Sir Lethbridge-Stewart, helped the Silurians attempt to finally make peace with the humans, though the general public believed it to be a stunt involving men in rubber suits. (BFA: The Coup) Later, the Silurians aided UNIT in finding a cure for a new deadly plague. (BFA: The Wasting)
In late 2010, a fossilised Silurian egg was discovered by the Pharos institute, Sarah Jane went to the institute to take a look at it. (SJAF: Sarah Jane's Alien Files episode 6)
In 2020, a Silurian city in Wales was awoken by a drilling expedition led by Nasreen Chaudhry and Tony Mack. Several corpses were stolen from a graveyard for study, as well as Mo Northover and later Amy Pond as living subjects. Eventually, they trapped the village in a force field and captured Elliot Northover. During this time, Alaya came to the surface and was captured, with the plan to trade her for the human hostages. While the Eleventh Doctor and Nasreen travelled to the Silurian city to negotiate, Alaya was guarded by Tony, Rory Williams and Ambrose Northover. The Doctor and Nasreen were captured, while Amy and Mo escaped. After an abortive rescue attempt, the Doctor was able to convince the leader, Eldane, to negotiate with Amy and Nasreen for the future of both their races. Back on the surface, Ambrose tried to help her family and threatened Alaya for help, but accidentally killed her just as the group were summoned to the city. Alaya's death was received badly, especially by her sister, Restac, who tried to kill all the humans in retribution. Eldane managed to lead the Doctor and his friends to a laboratory, where he then released a deadly gas into the city, forcing Restac's troops to return to their hibernation. The timer was set for a thousand years, allowing a second chance at negotiation. (DW: The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood)
Circa 2084, a group of Silurians allied themselves with the Sea Devils to invade Sea Base 4. They attempted to launch nuclear weapons to provoke a war between the two major power blocs. They were killed when the base was flooded with hexachromite gas. (DW: Warriors of the Deep)
Post-contact
At some point after the 2084 incident, a human colony faced a devastating war against the Earth Reptiles. A last-resort weapon developed by humans was the creation of a doomsday device which they placed on a moon base around the colony and designed to scour the surface of the colony. To combat this, the Earth Reptiles dispatched Quarra to infiltrate the base and take it over. However, she was unaware of an entertainer called Jen Yates who was not on the crew count and this last survivor managed to activate the weapon thus killing everyone on the colony below. Though Quarra killed Jen, the shock of the event led to Quarra taking on the entertainer's personality to shield her from the truth of the events. She believed that she was now human and that she was guarding the weapon alone in case the Earth Reptiles won the war. After a visit by the Doctor, Quarra remembered the past events and killed herself by walking onto the surface of the moon without a spacesuit. (ST: Cold War)
By the 26th century, the inter-species conflicts appeared to have come to an end. Silurians and Sea Devils were accepted into Earth society, and the term "Earth Reptile" was apparently popularized among humans. (NA: Love and War)
During the 29th century, when solar flares were threatening to engulf the Earth, the Silurians built a spacecraft, surreptiously attatching it to the bottom of the humans' own. After takeoff, a Dalek attack caused the Silurian ship to break away from the humans. What happened to the Silurian ship afterwards is unknown. (VG: Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth)
In the 30th century, the Earth Reptiles were part of the Earth Empire and were considered full members of that government, due to the fact that they were an Earthborn species. (NA: So Vile a Sin) In the 32nd century, it became illegal to trade in Earth Reptile pituitary analogue extract on the planet Dramos. (MA: Burning Heart)
In the year 3020, one thousand years after the encounter at Cwmtaff, Eldane's Clan were scheduled to reawaken and unite with humanity and their Earth Reptile cousins. (DW: Cold Blood)
In 3110, a Silurian was running the Musée d'Orsay, which the Eleventh Doctor visited. (WC: The War of Art)
In the 101st century, the Earth Reptiles were part of the Union. (MA: The Crystal Bucephalus)
Undated events
- At some point in history, a group of Silurians (similar in appearance to the Welsh tribe) joined The Alliance, and assisted in sealing the Doctor within the Pandorica. (DW: The Pandorica Opens)File:Destiny of the silurians.pngA Silurian in the TARDIS. (VG: Destiny of the Doctors)
- A group of armed Silurian warriors resembling those from Wales were called upon by The Doctor to assist him in the battle of Demons Run, to rescue Amy Pond. Vastra was among them, but came from a different time. However, many of these Silurians were killed by the Headless Monks. It is unknown how many, if any, survived (except for Vastra, who did survive), or where exactly they came from. (DW: A Good Man Goes to War)
- The Master tried to kill Graak with a group of Silurians. (VG: Destiny of the Doctors)
Alternative histories
- In one alternative version of the 1990s, the Doctor having died during the Wenley Moor incident, the Silurians ruled Earth unchecked, introducing dinosaurs into Earth's ecosystem. (NA: Blood Heat)
- In another alternative 1990s, the Doctor died during the same incident. Silurians, Sea Devils and humans live, however in peace, under the URIC or United Races Intelligence Command, formerly known as UNIT. (DWM: Final Genesis)
- In a timeline diverging from the 1970s, the Silurians (refered to as "lizards") unleashed an army of dinosaurs on London. UNIT used time-travel technology to wipe out the Silurians with nuclear weaponry before they could wake up in the 1970s. (DWU: Sympathy for the Devil)
Other references
- There were believed to be Silurians and Sea Devils on Mondas as well as Earth (much like the humans and the Mondasians being identical). They worshipped Golgoth, a primordial god-figure, who resembled a Sea Devil. (DWM: The Cybermen: The Dead Heart)
Behind the scenes
- Alan Moore's graphic novel series, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen features reference to lizard-men called Silurians and Sea Devils and retcons the Creature from the Black Lagoon into being a Silurian.
Dating issue
The Silurians have never been accurately dated. As implied by their names, they were first thought to be from the Silurian period (roughly 440 million to 415 million years ago), though this was before the first reptiles are believed to have evolved. The Third Doctor mused that the Eocene period (roughly 55 million to 35 million years ago) would have been a more accurate dating, although this was after the dinosaurs (which the Silurians were shown using) were believed to have become extinct. The Silurians were also seen to have a map of Pangaea from around 200 million years ago, which was the late Triassic period. The Eleventh Doctor told Alaya that she was "300 million years outside of your comfort zone," in The Hungry Earth which would place them around the late Permian period, although later in the same episode he referenced that they were sometimes called Eocenes. Silurians tended to make references to early apes, which are believed to have evolved at some point between 40 to 15 million years ago, or the late Eocene to the Miocene period.
The Quantum Archangel suggests that the Moon was orbiting the Earth before 150 million year ago, which means the Silurians ruled before the Jurassic.
According to current theories, the moon wasn't created elsewhere in the solar system and captured by Earth's gravity, but was actually created from the debris thrown up from the impact of a Mars-like body hitting the Earth a few million years after its formation.
Naming issue
The naming of the Silurians also tends to be inaccurate or questionable. As stated above, both Silurian and Eocene are of questionable accuracy, though the Silurians are said to be named after the Silures. [source needed] Another name given in Blood Heat, Psionosauropodamorphae, translates as psychic lizard-foot shaped. This may be intended to suggest a connection between the Silurians and the sauropod family of dinosaurs, though this seems unlikely given the near-total lack of physical resemblance and the comparatively small cerebral capacity of most sauropod dinosaurs. Homo reptilia, one of the suggested names used in City of Devils and The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood, cannot be a scientific term. The rules governing the use of genera prevent any two separate groups within a kingdom (i.e. animals) from using the same genus. A more approriate term would be Reptilia sapien.