Hermaphrodites were organisms which could perform the biological role of both males and females. (PROSE: The Ruins of Time [+]Loading...["The Ruins of Time (short story)"])
On Earth[[edit] | [edit source]]
In 1963, Ian Chesterton taught his biology class, including Susan Foreman, about hermaphrodites, including snails and flowers. (PROSE: The Ruins of Time [+]Loading...["The Ruins of Time (short story)"])
Circa 2360, it became popular among humans to become hermaphrodites. In 2363, the fad ended. Wanting to find a way to quickly populate colony planets, the Earth government conducted experiments in super-fertility with some of the hermaphrodites. (PROSE: Dead Romance [+]Loading...["Dead Romance (novel)"])
Elsewhere[[edit] | [edit source]]
The Yaqex of Yaqexis and the Torcaldians of Torcaldi were hermaphroditic species encountered by the First Doctor. (PROSE: The Ruins of Time [+]Loading...["The Ruins of Time (short story)"])
Alpha Centaurans were hermaphrodites, sometimes pejoratively referred to as "it". Nevertheless, the Third Doctor generally used masculine pronouns to refer to the Federation ambassador to Peladon. (TV: The Curse of Peladon [+]Loading...["The Curse of Peladon (TV story)"])
Chelonians were hermaphrodites and all members could lay eggs. Despite this, Chelonians were referred to as males. (PROSE: The Highest Science [+]Loading...["The Highest Science (novel)"])
The Sloathes, (PROSE: Sky Pirates! [+]Loading...["Sky Pirates! (novel)"]) the Brascans, (PROSE: Kursaal [+]Loading...["Kursaal (novel)"]) and the Torcaldians (PROSE: The Ruins of Time [+]Loading...["The Ruins of Time (short story)"]) were also hermaphrodites.
Other references[[edit] | [edit source]]
Due to her scruffy, androgynous style of dress, the Second Minister of Chance referred to Kitty as a hermaphrodite upon first meeting her, before she corrected him and informed him she was indeed a girl. (AUDIO: The Pointed Hand [+]Loading...["The Pointed Hand (audio story)"])
Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]
In the real world, "hermaphrodite" is considered an antiquated, even offensive term, when applied to humans. The correct modern-day term is intersex.