Solarian (Embrace the Darkness)

You may be looking for Solarian (Prisoners of the Sun).

Solarians were a race of aliens living in and near the Cimmerian System. They were small creatures, standing roughly one metre tall. Their appearance was much like small human children.

History

Some of the Solarians had psychic powers of molecular telekinesis and healing. They had powerful compulsions to heal any ills they found. When a plague hit the Solarian home world, they tried to heal the plague victims until they were spent. Many of the healers died from the effort. The healers fled to Cimmeria IV, hoping to find respite, but the plague victims followed.

In a titanic effort to escape, the healers used their powers to cause the Cimmerian sun to go black. With no way to power their solar sail ships, the Solarians lost them and were forced to deal with the plague by other means. Eventually the Solarians forgot about the healers and relegated them to legend.

Many centuries later, a group of Throxillian explorers and miners set up a system of mini-suns around Cimmeria IV, hoping to mine the planet. The healers (now called Cimmerians) tried to stop the suns from being lit, fearful of being rediscovered. The Eighth Doctor misunderstood the situation and activated the system. Nearby Solarian sail ships registered the humans as trespassers and swiftly arrived with a show of force. Those Solarians turned out to be archaeologists. They were overjoyed to find that their Cimmerian kin were still alive. (AUDIO: Embrace the Darkness)

Technology

The Solarians were called so because their spaceships made use of solar sails: large sails meant to catch the solar wind and convert it into propulsion or energy. The ships were described by Charlotte Pollard as "... flickering in the breeze, like watching the yachts coming back across the Solent at the Cowes Regatta."

However, the ships were capable of travelling in any direction, and were swift, able to traverse the Cimmerian System within a few hours.

For potential combat situations, the Solarians would typically make use of a miniature battle tank rather than direct contact. (AUDIO: Embrace the Darkness)