Zeiton

Zeiton, (GAME: The Edge of Reality ^[+]Loading...["The Edge of Reality (video game)"], etc.) also zyton (PROSE: Lucifer Rising ^[+]Loading...["Lucifer Rising (novel)"]) or Ziton, (TV: Time Crash ^[+]Loading...["Time Crash (TV story)"]) was an incredibly rare element from the planet Varos. The Thirteenth Doctor referred to specific pieces of Zeiton as Time Crystals. (GAME: The Edge of Reality ^[+]Loading...["The Edge of Reality (video game)"])

It could exist as Zeiton-7, (COMIC: Buying Time ^[+]Loading...["Buying Time (comic story)"], etc.) also spelt zyton seven, (PROSE: Lucifer Rising ^[+]Loading...["Lucifer Rising (novel)"]) and as Zeiton-4. (AUDIO: The Blame Game ^[+]Loading...["The Blame Game (audio story)"])

Nature

Zeiton was used to generate orbital energy, which allowed the ship to move. It could be also used for fuel by other space-time vessels. It was generally found on Varos, though Galatron Mining Corporation had also found traces of Zeiton-7 on asteroid Biosculptor. (TV: Vengeance on Varos ^[+]Loading...["Vengeance on Varos (TV story)"]) It was also found on the Archons' homeworld. (PROSE: The Nameless City ^[+]Loading...["The Nameless City (short story)"])

The Eighth Doctor once suggested that it could be synthesised, perhaps using compressed nitrogen as a base but the exact formula eluded him. Zeiton-7 did not exist in the Divergent Universe. (AUDIO: The Creed of the Kromon ^[+]Loading...["The Creed of the Kromon (audio story)"])

Zeiton-7 could also be used to form part of a cold fusion generator. (PROSE: Lucifer Rising ^[+]Loading...["Lucifer Rising (novel)"])

Zeiton-7 crystals were used to power tachyon-drive units. (COMIC: Buying Time ^[+]Loading...["Buying Time (comic story)"])

History

On an alternative Gallifrey, there was a Zeiton-7 field on which the slaves settled after their liberation. The Mining Guild wished to mine there and President Romana (from N-Space) decided that the Guild and the slaves would each get 50% of the profits made from the Zeiton-7. (AUDIO: Evolution ^[+]Loading...["Evolution (audio story)"])

Once, when the Second Doctor and Jamie McCrimmon were travelling, the Time Rotor was damaged and the TARDIS was stranded in London 1968. According to the Doctor, the TARDIS needed "the equivalent of a blood transfusion: gold, mercury and Zeiton-7". When the Doctor touched the Necronomicon, given to Jamie by Professor Thascalos, the TARDIS took off and landed on the Archon homeworld. There, the Doctor and Jamie travelled to the Nameless City, which was built "over a pool of gold, surrounded by canals of mercury and Zeiton-7". (PROSE: The Nameless City ^[+]Loading...["The Nameless City (short story)"])

The Tenth Doctor "fired up the Ziton crystals" as one of the steps to keep his TARDIS and his fifth incarnation's TARDIS from blowing a hole in the space-time continuum. (TV: Time Crash ^[+]Loading...["Time Crash (TV story)"])

Behind the scenes

The most common spelling of the mineral, "Zeiton", references the German word for time, "zeit". It was, however, spelled "zyton" in the novel Lucifer Rising and "Ziton" in the script of Time Crash.