Pescaton
Pescatons were a technologically advanced race of humanoid sharks. They were cousins to the Piscons. (AUDIO: Peri and the Piscon Paradox)
Biology
They were significantly taller than humans, having the head, body and texture of a shark, very sharp teeth, clawed fins, and webbed feet. They were cunning, ravenous, and ferocious, attacking and feeding on anything that crossed their path. Although their steel-themed skin made them invulnerable to conventional weapons, they could be killed by either long periods out of salt water or prolonged, high-pitched noise, after which their flesh disintegrated, leaving behind their vertebrae. (AUDIO: Doctor Who and the Pescatons)
History
The Fourth Doctor first encountered the Pescatons on their dying home world in the 15th century. Their leader, Zor, had brought him there to help them find a new planet. The Doctor refused because of their barbaric qualities, defeated Zor in mental combat, and escaped back to the TARDIS.
In the late 20th century, the Pescatons invaded Earth, attacking and killing many people in London. The Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith discovered their weakness to high-pitched noise and set a trap for Zor, killing him. When he died, all the other Pescatons followed suit. (AUDIO: Doctor Who and the Pescatons)
The comedian Gentax Nondrian once said, "You can bring a Pescaton to Water, but you can't make him sink" (AUDIO: The One Doctor)
In a marketplace on the world of Hyspero, Jenny and Barbra saw a few Pescatons. (PROSE: Enter Wildthyme)
Other references
After suffering from memory loss, Sarah Jane Smith could not tell the difference between Pescatons and Krynoids. (PROSE: Interference - Book Two)
The Fourth Doctor later told the Hornets that they were not as much of a threat to Earth as Pescatons, Vogons, Trods or Krynoids. (AUDIO: A Sting in the Tale)
Behind the scenes
- The Pescatons are depicted with different appearances across the numerous covers of Doctor Who and the Pescatons.
- Their first look is seen on the original Argo Records release.
- A second look appears on the release by Silva Screen and the novelisation The Pescatons.
- A third look appears on the BBC Audio release.
- Unusually, the Doctor called the Pescatons "evil" on many occasions. This characterisation of another species is atypical for the Doctor. Indeed, it lays the foundation for another extraordinary feature of the story: the Doctor and Sarah devise and participate in the genocide of the Pescatons, without either character displaying even a tinge of remorse.
- For April Fool's Day 2020, Big Finish released a spoof CD cover, for a story called The War Pescatons, featuring the Eighth Doctor and bronze Daleks using Dalek battle subs in the Last Great Time War. The Pescatons are depicted with an updated image resembling their BBC Audio incarnation.[1]
