Caligula
Caligula, formally Gaius Caligula or indeed Gaius, (GAME: The Legions of Death [+]Loading...["The Legions of Death (game)"]) and nicknamed "Cali", was an emperor of the Roman Empire during the 1st century, (AUDIO: The Two Irises [+]Loading...["The Two Irises (audio story)"]) reigning from 37 to 41 AD. He was insane and claimed to be a god. (GAME: The Legions of Death [+]Loading...["The Legions of Death (game)"])
Biography[[edit] | [edit source]]
Gaius Caligula was the son of the popular general Germanicus, and his reign began with widespread support, but he grew "erratic" and even "mad", claiming to be a god. For this reason, the War Chief decided against using him as his puppet in his scheme to take over the Roman Empire. (GAME: The Legions of Death [+]Loading...["The Legions of Death (game)"])
In the year 37, the Daleks took over Caligula with mind control. Planning to harness his power to become masters of the Earth and influence all of human history, the mind control turned him violent and blood-thirsty. However, it also had the unplanned effect of destroying his sanity. Acting outside of Dalek behavioural conditioning, Caligula ordered his army to attack the ocean waves and made his horse, Incitatus, consul. When the Daleks tried to reassert control, Caligula refused to follow their orders and declared himself a living god. Because of the imbalance they inadvertently created, the Daleks abandoned the mission and returned to Skaro, reasoning that there were other nexus points in human history to manipulate instead. (COMIC: Empire of the Daleks [+]Loading...["Empire of the Daleks (comic story)"])
At some point, Caligula had a temple to Isis erected on the Campus Martius, helping to bring the goddess into the Greco-Roman sphere of influence. (PROSE: Byzantium! [+]Loading...["Byzantium! (novel)"])
He was one of the individuals that Momus the Wise pulled out of time to help lead the people of Planet 12 of the Ridion Alliance into a new age of enlightenment. The Tenth Doctor noted that he wasn't as bad as he was portrayed in I, Claudius. (PROSE: The Lonely Computer [+]Loading...["The Lonely Computer (short story)"])
The male version of Iris Wildthyme, who was in actuality a simulation created by her TARDIS, and "his" companion Panda attended a party thrown by Caligula. However, Panda claimed that the real Iris would never be associated with a madman like him, no matter how good the party was. Upon returning from the party, "Iris" claimed he had "Cali" doing tai chi. (AUDIO: The Two Irises [+]Loading...["The Two Irises (audio story)"])
Lucie Miller encountered Caligula during her travels with the Monk. She later told the Eighth Doctor that he was "well bonkers" and claimed that the Sensorites were "not as much of a laugh." (AUDIO: The Resurrection of Mars [+]Loading...["The Resurrection of Mars (audio story)"])
As the Fourth Doctor later recalled, Caligula once tried to throw the Doctor to the lions as he did not like the cut of his trousers. (AUDIO: The Labyrinth of Buda Castle [+]Loading...["The Labyrinth of Buda Castle (audio story)"])
Eventually, Caligula was assassinated in 41 AD by "members of the elite Praetorian Guard", and he was succeeded by his weak-willed uncle Claudius. (GAME: The Legions of Death [+]Loading...["The Legions of Death (game)"]) Though Caligula was unpopular, his assassin was put to death. (AUDIO: I, Rorius [+]Loading...["I, Rorius (audio story)"])
References[[edit] | [edit source]]
Coyn reminded the Eighth Doctor of Caligula, as both leaders used foreigners as personal guards. (PROSE: The People's Temple [+]Loading...["The People's Temple (short story)"])
Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]
Caligula was portrayed by John Hurt in the BBC's 1976 adaptation of I, Claudius, by John Simm in the 2004 miniseries Imperium Nerone and by Samuel Barnett in the BBC's 2010 adaptation of I, Claudius.
