Howling:Nestenes and Autons

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So I understand that the Nestenes give life to the Autons, but are they one and the same? What is the difference? I think the Robot Yeti are just robots and not necessarily extensions of the Great Intelligence because they can be turned off and on, but are the Autons merely robots or do the Nestenes "possess" them? Channing was an Auton but he spoke of them and seemingly identified himself as a Nestene. Do the Nestenes even have bodies? I know they are assumed to, but they are creatures composed of psychic energy, so why build themselves bodies? - Steed 19:11, March 28, 2013 (UTC)

I think, from what I've seen of the Autons over the years since Spearhead from Space, that the Autons vary depending on their purpose. Some, like the shop-window dummies, are pretty much just plastic robots. The control is minimal & there's no attempt to simulate personality or even realistic human appearance. At the next level up, there are Autons intended to pass for human on casual inspection only but these are still robotic when examined closely. Then there are Autons intended to pass for specific individual humans, like General Scobie (Spearhead from Space) or Mickey Smith (Rose). Their appearance & behaviour is considerably more realistic, though the level of realism depends on circumstances -- such as whether or not the Nestenes still have access to the living original. Channing seems to have been a further level above this. He was highly realistic & seems to have served as a vehicle (the modern term "avatar", from virtual reality games, might be more accurate) for the Nestene controlling him.

"why build themselves bodies?" Probably for the same reasons we build machines of various kinds, to let them do things they couldn't do -- or couldn't do so readily -- without them.

As I say, I think it's confusing to try to understand all Autons the same way. Different types have different purposes & characteristics, just as our machines do. --2.101.59.235^{talk to me} 17:46, May 3, 2013 (UTC)

P.S. The "Roman" Autons in The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang seem to have been unusually realistic -- partly because a greater effort was made to make them realistic & partly because, as the Doctor said, the Nestenes got more than they expected (or even knew about) when they used Amy's memory. --2.101.59.235^{talk to me} 17:54, May 3, 2013 (UTC)