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The Sycorax were a superstitious race of warriors. They had skeletal faces.
Biology
The Sycorax had both an endo- and exoskeleton. The latter covered part of their head (giving them a skull-like appearance). The rest of their face was exposed. The exoskeleton could vary from a smooth, skull-like shape (DW: The Christmas Invasion) to a more jagged, horned shape. Some had long flowing hair. (DWM: The Widow's Curse) They could live up to four hundred years. (REF: Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary)
Culture
The Sycorax were organised into the Sycorax empire, divided into large tribes. Among the Sycorax tribes were the Halvinor Tribe and the Astrophia Tribe. (REF: Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary, Agent Provocateur)
Sycorax had pride, honor, and some respect for the rules of war. Leadership was earned by trials of strength and combat. They wore skull-helmets to impress their enemies, and red-robes as a sign of leadership. They would take trophies of body parts such as bones, skin or hair from conquered races. Some wore belts of Judoon skin. (REF: Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary) Men also wore the ribs of their wives as a marriage bond. (DWM: The Widow's Curse)
The native language of the Sycorax was Sycoraxic. (DW: The Christmas Invasion)
The Sycorax practised slavery. They attempted to enslave humans in their Christmas Day invasion. They also had a alien imprisoned on the Fire Trap in a small cage, most likely as a result of a past invasion. (DWBIT: Battles in Time)
Religion
Though they had advanced technology including interstellar space travel and energy whips, the Sycorax were still a superstitious race who believed in magic and witchcraft. (DW: The Christmas Invasion) They worshipped the god Astrophia. (DWF: The Final Darkness) Sycorax had many ancient rituals involving suns and moons. They left a hole in their space-ships for the solar and lunar light to get in. (REF: Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary) Some Sycorax worshipped in churches. (DWM: The Widow's Curse)
Technology
Despite being spacefaring, many Sycorax relied on simple weapons, such as swords and knives, generally adorned with trophies. (REF: Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary)
The Sycorax used asteroids fitted with an All Speed Inter-System Type K engine as spacecraft. The first of these asteroids was the home world of the Sycorax, the Fire Trap. More asteroids were added by other tribes, creating the Sycorax Armada. They used teleporters to move to and from the ship. (REF: Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary) They could detect energy signatures, letting them identify advanced technology. (DW: The Christmas Invasion, DWF: The Final Darkness) They also had crystal ball-like devices which functioned as Black Box recorders, allowing later viewings of events. (DWM: The Widow's Curse)
The Sycorax used energy whips which could destroy all the flesh in a body, leaving only burnt bones. During the invasion of Earth, the Halvinor Tribe also used blood control. (REF: Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary) They had the capability to translate the languages of other species. (REF: The Time Traveller's Almanac)
History
At some point in Sycorax history, an alien spaceship crashed into the Fire Trap, the home of the Sycorax. They used its engines to turn their asteroid into a spaceship. Many tribes left their home region in their asteroid ships to explore space, to conquer and enslave other planets, expanding the empire. (REF: Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary)
In 102, the Sycorax were among the races who joined the Alliance. They came to Stonehenge and helped imprison the Eleventh Doctor in the Pandorica to"save" the Universe. (DW: The Pandorica Opens)
At Christmas 2006 a Sycorax asteroid ship of the Halvinor Tribe entered the Solar system. When the space probe Guinevere One crashed into them, they used the blood sample for blood control, threatening to kill every human with A+ blood unless they were given half the population as slaves. The Tenth Doctor (who had just regenerated) and his allies Mickey and Rose were inside his TARDIS. The Sycorax picked up a signal from the TARDIS' advanced technology and teleported them to their ship. The Doctor activated the blood control, knowing human survival instincts would break its hold. The Doctor challenged and defeated their leader in a sword duel, forcing the Sycorax to leave Earth and humanity alone. However, as the Sycorax ship was leaving Earth, Harriet Jones ordered Torchwood to fire at it with a salvaged alien ray weapon, destroying it. (DW: The Christmas Invasion) The Sycorax used an on-board energy detectors to detect this threat. They realized that they would die and so placed a curse upon Earth. (DWF: The Final Darkness)
In 2010, a Sycorax was seen at the Zaggit Zagoo bar when the Tenth Doctor came to visit Jack Harkness one last time before his regeneration. (DW: The End of Time)
The Sycorax returned to Earth in the late 21st century with hostile intentions but returned home quickly. (NSA: Snowglobe 7)
During the 41st century, the Astrophia Tribe died out during the Valhalla wars. The Doctor and Martha Jones met a lone survivor, a hunter collecting the last members of extinct species. (IDW: Agent Provocateur)
Legend has it that Sycorax will survive till the end of the universe, along with humans and Uvodni. (DWF: The Sycorax, IDW: Agent Provocateur)
Other References
- In 1599, the Sycorax became the inspiration for a character in a William Shakespeare's The Tempest, when the Doctor noted how an animal skull reminded him of a Sycorax in Shakespeare's presence. (DW: The Shakespeare Code)
Behind the scenes
- Russell T Davies' original concept for the Shadow Proclamation scene in The Stolen Earth included an appearance by several Sycorax, but his plans to feature a "rogues gallery" of alien races in the scene fell through; ultimately the Judoon were the only returning race featured.
- In terms of the voodoo-themed nature of their technology and helmets made from the bones of unknown animals, the Sycorax are somewhat similar to Faction Paradox.