Judoon
The Judoon were a race of rhinoform humanoids from the planet Judoonia, frequently employed as a mercenary police force. They were known to be brutish and single-minded in carrying out their tasks, without regard for unintended consequences of their actions.
Biology
Described as rhinoform bipeds, (AUDIO: Judoon in Chains) Judoon were two-metre high humanoids with stocky builds. Their heads were rhinoceros-like, with a reduced nose and a horn on the forehead and between the eyes. (TV: Smith and Jones) They descended from the Juran. (AUDIO: Patience)
They had large lungs and could breathe even in environments with low levels of oxygen. They were resistant to even harsh physical assault, such as being hit with a marble statue. (TV: Smith and Jones) Judoon had yellow blood. (TV: Prisoner of the Judoon) They also had rather small brains; a Judoon brain was able to fit in a chest that could easily be held in a humanoid palm, or fit in a teaspoon. (WC: Brain Trafficking, AUDIO: Judoon in Chains) The Judoon had canines, incisors, molars and pre-molars - the teeth of an omnivore, which meant they ate meat and vegetables. (WC: Teeth and Eating)
Judoon were largely non-sexually dimorphic, with males and females looking and sounding identical. The only noticeable difference was that females had hair on their scalps, while males were completely bald. (TV: Fugitive of the Judoon) Baby Judoon were called Judlings, and resembled baby rhinoceroses. (AUDIO: Patience)
Culture
The Judoon were known for their strict obedience to the law and their brutal efforts in maintaining it. Crimes like physical assault towards a Judoon incurred the death penalty, without chance for trial. (TV: Fugitive of the Judoon) The Tenth Doctor described them as logical, but stupid, and they seemed to favour methodical patterns of behaviour to a fault. While they would always attempt to arrest any criminals, they were quick to execute them if they did not comply. (TV: Smith and Jones) A Judoon captain once stated that Judoon preferred to eradicate law-breakers, rather than incarcerate them, as this was the cheaper option. (COMIC: Gangland) They also did not have the patience to be polite and request assistance from civilians; having held Tegan at gunpoint to make the Fifth Doctor comply with their inquiry if he had an object in question, completely ignorant to the fact he would have complied if they asked nicely. (COMIC: The Forgotten)
Even on crucial missions, Judoon would obey local laws and signs, including traffic laws and "Authorised personnel only" and "Pay and Display" signs. Similarly, they would follow mission procedure rigidly and always get a form signed when commandeering transport. The Judoon were trained to use all known forms of transit, albeit not very well in the case of cars. (TV: Prisoner of the Judoon) Their strict compliance with an established order even made them reject development even with their culture, and those who went out of their norms were often ostracised. (AUDIO: Judoon in Chains) They also had a complex statute of limitations, as they arrested a version of the Doctor who was several centuries older than the one who committed a crime. (TV: Fugitive of the Judoon) They also lack honour; willingly betraying clients if the opposing side promises a higher price. (COMIC: Fugitive)
Their language was composed of many one-syllable words ending in a vowel, generally an "o" sound (such as "blo mo co jo") but occasionally an "a". Each sentence was composed of several of these words strung together. (TV: Smith and Jones, The Stolen Earth, PROSE: Judgement of the Judoon)
Although they did not laugh, Judoon would shake and make laughter-like noise when amused. (AUDIO: Judoon in Chains, PROSE: Judgement of the Judoon)
A favourite sport among the Judoon was nukeball, but it was illegal on their planet to avoid the destruction of the population. (PROSE: The Coming of the Terraphiles) They also object to opera, (COMIC: The Great Mordillo) as well as rock music. (TV: Prisoner of the Judoon)
The Judoon had nothing to compare with poetry. (AUDIO: Judoon in Chains)
If a Judoon lost their horn under any circumstance, it was considered a great dishonour, especially amongst captains. (TV: Fugitive of the Judoon)
Technology
In general, Judoon technology was a dark red or black colour, and most instruments, such as their weapons, scanners and translators, were thick and pen-shaped, similar to a large sonic screwdriver. (TV: Smith and Jones)
Communication and scanning
The Judoon had scanners which would tell the Judoon the species of the scanned being. However, the scanners could be fooled by previous close contact with another species. Metamorphic beings capable of altering their internal biology using assimilated biomatter could also deceive the scan. They also were known to use a thick marker pen or stamp to mark "catalogued" people — those who had been scanned and deemed not to be a suspect — on their right hand.
The Judoon had translation devices which worked by analysing the recorded voice of a being. The translation was reciprocal. It also had a contact device that reached every Judoon helmet, allowing the Judoon Captain to give orders with a press of a button. (TV: Smith and Jones, Fugitive of the Judoon)
They used crime scene forensic scanners. The Seventh Doctor bought a second hand one from a retired Judoon. (AUDIO: The Blood Furnace)
Transportation
Judoon rockets
- Main article: Judoon rocket
The Judoon rockets were large, cylindrical craft with four boosters and four claws at the bottom which served as landing gear. (TV: Smith and Jones)
Other transportation
The Judoon also had teleport technology. (PROSE: Judgement of the Judoon, TV: The Pandorica Opens, A Good Man Goes to War)
The Judoon were known to use an H₂O scoop to transport buildings across space, and shield them with force fields as required by Galactic Law. (TV: Smith and Jones, AUDIO: Judoon in Chains)
Judoon operated various land vehicles to find lawbreakers, including motorbikes that hovered, tanks and tall, all-terrain machines with four legs. (COMIC: A Rare Gem)
Weaponry and armour
The "execution" punishment was delivered using a directed energy weapon with a red beam which could incinerate the target.
Judoon wore heavy black armour, and with their helmets on closely resembled Sontarans. (TV: Smith and Jones)
Other
In the 25th century, the Judoon were able to remotely lock down the communication and transport systems of spaceships. (PROSE: Judgement of the Judoon)
The Thirteenth Doctor considered Judoon chocolates to be of high quality. (PROSE: The Secret in Vault 13)
History
Early history
The Judoon were originally a warlike race. They became mercenaries for various Galactic organisations, including the Padrivole Regency and the Shadow Proclamation. (WC: Monster File: Judoon) They came to be one of the universe's most trusted mercenary races largely at the expense of the Ogrons, who lost their dominant position as "hired guns" because of a string of defeats by the Third Doctor. (COMIC: Fugitive)
Early in universal history, the Judoon joined Rassilon in the Alliance of Races against the Hyperions. After the Hyperions were defeated, the Alliance then went on to purge the universe of other threats to universal harmony, one of those threats being Count D'if of the Cybock Imperium. (COMIC: Gangland)
19th century
Judoon Captain Kybo of the Nineteenth Judoon Interplanetary Force became stranded in a Victorian circus, on 19 May 1884. He was bound in chains and forced to perform. Hot on his tail, the Sixth Doctor followed closely behind and met the same fate. Together with Eliza Jenkins, the three of them successfully delayed the following fleet of Judoon, and successfully revealed to the galaxy the truth behind Meretricious Gedge's plans regarding the terraforming of an inhabited planet. (AUDIO: Judoon in Chains)
20th century
In 1902, while working for the Galactic Council, the Judoon were conned into assisting in a plot to use Temporal Reversion Devices on Earth. As they abducted Balmoral Castle during this, the misunderstanding would be known as "the Balmoral Incident". As a result of this, the Judoon were banned from Earth. (WC: Monster File: Judoon, PROSE: Revenge of the Judoon)
In 1963 the Judoon attempted to prevent the Cybock Imperium from stealing the Time-Gun of Rassilon from the vaults on Janizzar. The member of the Imperium used the time-gun on the Judoon captain, wiping them from history and preventing them from having brought their platoon to the planet. (COMIC: Gangland)
In 1966, a "big fight" resulted in a Judoon placing her child in a survival pod and sending them to safety, with the pod crashing on Earth in Ireland. The isolated Judoon was cared for by Patricia Kiernan, discreetly observed by the Thirteenth Doctor, until its people came to rescue them. (PROSE: The Rhino of Twenty-Three Strand Street)
21st century
In the 2000s,[nb 1] a Plasmavore who was pretending to be an old lady called Florence Finnegan murdered the Child Princess of Padrivole Regency 9 and then escaped to the Royal Hope Hospital. The Judoon used an H₂O scoop to transport the Royal Hope Hospital to the Moon, as they had no jurisdiction over Earth. The Plasmavore had drunk the blood of a human, though, and passed as a human to their scanners. The Tenth Doctor was able to make her drink his own blood, making her seem like an alien again. Martha Jones then convinced the Judoon to check her again. Finding her to be the alien they sought, they killed her. The Judoon then returned the hospital to Earth. (TV: Smith and Jones) The Judoon also investigated Slitheen activities on Earth. (TV: Revenge of the Slitheen) They had forced some members of the Slitheen family, including Kist Magg Thek Lutiven-Day Slitheen, out of Raxacoricofallapatorius. (PROSE: Revenge of the Slitheen)
When the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble came to the Shadow Proclamation to investigate the stolen planets, the Judoon were working there. (TV: The Stolen Earth)
In 2009, Captain Tybo of the One Thousand and Fifth Judoon Guard crashed on Earth while transporting the prisoner Androvax. Androvax escaped, and Tybo (wounded in his pursuit) was forced to accept help from Sarah Jane Smith and her friends. He was eventually able to track Androvax down and return him to custody. He initially sentenced Rani and Clyde to disintegration for interfering with his pursuit (by locking him in an EM shielded room), but later commuted their sentences to planetary confinement after they helped prevent Androvax from escaping. (TV: Prisoner of the Judoon) The Judoon later took Androvax to a prison planet in the Calysteral cluster. (TV: The Vault of Secrets)
Some time after these events Clyde Langer told jokes while some Judoon were present. The jokes weren't translated well and the Judoon put Clyde into prison. Mr Smith and Rani Chandra convinced Captain Tybo to let Clyde go, by giving food to the hungry Judoon. (WC: Teeth and Eating)
In late 2009, the Krulius captured several aliens. Mr Smith informed the Judoon that the Krulius was at the Doloth Star Base. The Judoon, led by Captain Tybo, brought the Krulius to their prison ship. (COMIC: Monster Hunt) All the captured aliens were set free. However the Krulius escaped from the Judoon, having managed to take clone cell samples of his former captured aliens and the Judoon with him, which allowed him to grew perfect copies of these aliens. (COMIC: Return of the Krulius)
In 2010, a Judoon was at the bar where the Tenth Doctor came to visit Jack Harkness one last time before his regeneration. (TV: The End of Time)
In late 2010, three Judoon were part of the army of alien slaves led by the Krulius to attack Sarah Jane's house. When Clyde defeated several of the aliens, the Judoon regrouped with the army and the Krulius ordered them to retreat. Sarah Jane thought that the aliens in the army were under some kind of hypnotic influence. (COMIC: Defending Bannerman Road)
Prior to 2011, Torchwood Three acquired a Judoon firearm. (PROSE: The Men Who Sold the World) UNIT had a Judoon recruitment poster in their files. This poster was included in the book The Secret Lives of Monsters. (PROSE: The Secret Lives of Monsters)
The Judoon were among the races who joined the Pandorica Alliance. They came to 102 Stonehenge and helped imprison the Eleventh Doctor in the Pandorica in order to save the universe. (TV: The Pandorica Opens)
A pair of Judoon policed the hidden trap street in London, which housed lost aliens on Earth under the protection of Mayor Me. As with the rest of the street's inhabitants, they appeared cloaked in human form through use of the lurkworms' misdirection circuit. (TV: Face the Raven)
In 2020, (TV: Can You Hear Me?) the Judoon, led by Pol-Kon-Don, were hired by the Time Lords to hunt a past incarnation of the Doctor in Gloucester. The platoon initiated a forcefield around the city that was infiltrated by the Thirteenth Doctor and her companions. The Judoon reluctantly worked with the Doctor to find the fugitive, however upon Ruth Clayton's momentary return to her true self, the platoon were humiliated and Pol-Kon-Don's horn was removed, a source of huge embarrassment for the platoon. Later, the platoon scooped the TARDIS into their ship, but upon the death of Gat, they retreated, following threats by two incarnations of the Doctor. (TV: Fugitive of the Judoon)
When the Council of Dead were planning to sell humans in slavery, they had to avoid the attention of the Judoon. The Eleventh Doctor believed he could scare off the buyers, the Zu'nar, with the threat of the Judoon. (PROSE: Attack of the Snowmen)
25th century
On 14 June 2426, the Judoon collectively arrested the Raxacoricofallapatorian race for their illegal annexation of Tivoli. By placing Tivoli under their jurisdiction, they inadvertently led the Tivolians to treat them as their new conquerors and masters; as per the Tivolians' habit, they were consequently regarded as heroes. The Judoon ended up remaining masters of Tivoli until the Kraal overpowered them on 9 July 2559. (PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary)
In 2487, the Judoon investigated the Invisible Assassin and tracked it to New Memphis. The Tenth Doctor believed they would cause more harm than good and agreed to work with the Judoon commander, Rok Ma, provided the other Judoon kept off the planet. With the help of Nikki Jupiter, they were able to find the Invisible Assassin, bring down two criminal empires, and find the bombs planted within Terminal 13. After the mission, Rok Ma left the Judoon forces and joined Nikki's detective Agency. (PROSE: Judgement of the Judoon)
Later history
In the 51st century, a troop of trainee Judoon were hired by the Intergalactic Trust to police Vallarasee. They enforced the rules literally, without regard for the decaying state of the underwater city, and decided to abandon the city when the dome protecting the city broke and the sea began flooding in. The Tenth Doctor persuaded trainee Clo to try to help evacuate the human tourists. Clo convinced his fellow Judoon to save the tourists by moving the city above the surface with an H20 scoop, as they were all technically guilty of vandalism. The Judoon barred the tourists from returning to Vallarasee as punishment and arrested both the Trust representative, Andrea, and the Fin Chancellor for their actions leading to the dome’s collapse. (AUDIO: One Mile Down)
In the 52nd century, Dorium Maldovar procured security software for the headless monks by extracting it from the memory of a Judoon trooper. (WC: Prequel (A Good Man Goes to War)) Later, a squad of Judoon were part of the Eleventh Doctor's army which assaulted Demons Run in order to rescue Amy Pond and her baby. When Colonel Manton gave the Clerics the order to abandon Demons Run, the Judoon escorted them off the station and out of the quadrant. (TV: A Good Man Goes to War)
In 51,007, some Judoon took part in the tournament for the Arrow of Law. (PROSE: The Coming of the Terraphiles)
Undated events
At some point after the 1980s, the Judoon came to Earth, despite it being out of their jurisdiction. They came to the house on Allen Road, looking for an Eye of Akasha. The Fifth Doctor followed them and was forced to help them look for it after they threatened Tegan. He handed it over and let them leave, but using sleight of hand he switched the Eye with a cricket ball. (COMIC: The Forgotten)
A Judoon was guarding the Shadow Architect when Colony Sarff entered the Shadow Proclamation, demanding to know the Twelfth Doctor's location. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice)
The Judoon were behind the loss of the Extron's body. (COMIC: The Monster Upstairs)
The Judoon once conquered Tivoli, like many other species before and after them. (PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary)
Following the activities in the Silver Devastation, Judoon were sent to pick up the criminals. (PROSE: The Game of Death)
Some Judoon firearms were part of a shipment taken from the Hub that was then stolen by a rogue CIA Special Operations Division. (PROSE: The Men Who Sold the World)
At least one Judoon was abducted and sent to face their fear in the Minotaur's prison ship. (TV: The God Complex)
The Judoon worked as security officers at the Spaceport One. These Judoon dressed in red as opposed to black. Rory Williams ran into one and informed the Judoon officer of a Reptilodon invasion led by General Mystan. (PROSE: Rory's Adventure) The Judoon were soon on the scene to arrest the invading Reptilodons before anyone was hurt. (PROSE: Amy's Escapade)
Judoon were summoned to the planet Agratis after the theft of the precious Jewel of Fawton. They became placid and friendly once the original legal owners, a species of crystalline creatures, were awakened and Jewel was returned to them. (COMIC: A Rare Gem)
Judoon were among the species susceptible to the nanocloud which created Dalek puppets. (PROSE: Dalek: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe) Judoon ships were seen among the fleets above Trenzalore who travelled there in response to the First Question. They were either destroyed or retreated when the Daleks broke through the planet's force field and the Siege of Trenzalore grew into a war. (TV: The Time of the Doctor)
Judoon in orange armour arrested the owner of Garage 10. (COMIC: The Ministry of Time)
At some point, the Judoon faced an attack by the Cybermen of the Ninth and Eleventh Cyber Legions. (PROSE: Ghost in the Machine)
The Judoon "Cold Case Unit", led by Pol-Kon-Don, teleported into the Thirteenth Doctor's TARDIS on the refugee planet. The Judoon placed the Doctor under arrest and imprisoned her in one of their facilities. (TV: The Timeless Children) They subsequently charged her with evading them, twice over, and for 7000 other offences. After 19 years in their prison, the Doctor was rescued by Jack Harkness. (TV: Revolution of the Daleks)
Alternate timeline
In an alternate timeline, the Cybermen made use of Borg technology to convert the entire Judoon race into Cybermen. (COMIC: Assimilation²)
Other references
The Third Doctor observed that the Infinite Cocoon could not accommodate a creature as large as a Judoon. (PROSE: Harvest of Time)
The Tenth Doctor described being in a mind-reading device as being like he had "gone six rounds with a Judoon bare-knuckle boxer”. (COMIC: The Green, the Bad and the Ugly)
Clara Oswald used the Judoon to threaten the Seevith. (COMIC: More Than Meets the Eye)
By 21 July 2006, UNIT had files on Judoon culture. (PROSE: The Secret Lives of Monsters)
Behind the scenes
The Brilliant Book 2012
According to The Brilliant Book 2012, a book that contains non-narrative based information this wiki does not consider a valid source, the Church had plans to complain to the Shadow Proclamation about the Judoon's involvement with the Doctor.
The Visual Dictionary
The Visual Dictionary, a book that contains non-narrative based information this wiki does not consider a valid source, contains more information about the Judoon:
- The Judoon's thick skins were capable of withstanding most forms of attacks and their ears were capable of selective hearing.
- Judoon slept with their boots on to show their dedication to their job. They also believed that a studded kilt was the sign of a warrior.
- Judoon armour was sealed to allow them to survive in hostile environments. Their knees, feet, wrists and torsos were heavily armoured and reinforced for both offensive and defensive purposes.
- The Judoon encountered the Sycorax at some point before 2006. The Sycorax who invaded Earth had belts made of Judoon skin.
Other matters
- Introduced in Smith and Jones, the Judoon were created by writer Russell T Davies, who was credited for their reprisals beginning with A Good Man Goes to War.
- As revealed in The Writer's Tale, Russell T Davies initially planned for Voyage of the Damned to feature an appearance by the Judoon, who would have "stomp[ed] in at the end to arrest the villains."
- The Judoon are the first alien race introduced since 2005 to have appeared in stories under all three revival era showrunners.
- J. K. Woodward, who worked on the Star Trek crossover Assimilation², released a piece depicting a Judoon assimilated by the Borg.[source needed]
Footnotes
- ↑ According to the episode The Sound of Drums, Martha Jones' present day during series 3 of Doctor Who takes place over a six-day period, with the Saxon Master being elected three days after Smith and Jones, and the Toclafane invading Earth five days after Smith and Jones. However, sources differ on which dates these stories are set. According to PROSE: The Paradox Moon, the Toclafane invasion happens on 23 June 2007, placing the events of Smith and Jones on 18 June. According to AUDIO: Hysteria, Smith and Jones takes place in 2008, with a UNIT mission log in AUDIO: Recruits referring to the recovery of moon rocks from Royal Hope Hospital in March 2008. A newspaper clipping in PROSE: The Secret Lives of Monsters places Smith and Jones on a Sunday 4 June, thus placing the Toclafane invasion on Friday 9 June. In the real world, these dates do not fall on a Sunday and Friday in either 2007 or 2008.
External links
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