Gliese 581d: Difference between revisions

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A '''planet''' was one of the first [[human]] [[Colony|colonies]] settled after [[Earth]]'s population had been evacuated. The planet that supported the colony was 20 [[light-year]]s from Earth and had [[Binary system|twin suns]].

 

When [[Bill Potts|Bill]] asked the [[Twelfth Doctor]] travel to the future with her, he took Bill to this planet. ([[TV]]: ''[[Smile (TV story)|Smile]]'')

 

This planet was the fourth planet of its star system and was located twenty [[light year]]s from [[Earth]], in orbit around twin [[sun]]s. Following the [[terraforming]] of the planet by Vardies, the composition of the [[atmosphere]] became identical to Earth’s. It also had fertile [[soil]] and vast [[sea]]s, rendering it suitable for [[human]] [[colony|colonisation]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Smile (TV story)|Smile]]'')

 

This planet’s [[sky]] was [[blue]], and it had two [[sun]]s. The [[City (Smile)|city]] that would serve as the home of the [[colonist]]s was surrounded by vast fields of [[wheat]] on one side and was located at the edge of a [[sea]] on the other side. The architecture of the city was made up of futuristic and smoothly designed [[building]]s with many [[window]]s, open spaces and an overall [[white]] colour. It had numerous [[plant]]s, [[bridge]]s and bodies of [[water]] flowing through the [[street]]s. ([[TV]]: ''[[Smile (TV story)|Smile]]'')

 

At some point in the [[far future]], [[Earth]] was devastated and the [[human]] population was evacuated on [[spaceship]]s. One of these was the [[starship]] ''[[Erehwon]]'' that contained millions of people in [[stasis]].

 

The ship landed on this [[planet]]. Once it landed, a small number of the crew were awakened and deployed swarms of [[Vardy|Vardies]], "the worker [[bee]]s of the third [[Industrial Revolution|industrial revolution]]". The Vardies successfully [[terraforming|terraformed]] the [[atmosphere]] and ground of the planet in order to make it habitable for humans. They then built an entire [[City (Smile)|city]] out of Vardies, which would serve as the [[colonist]]s' home.

 

 

Sometime later, the [[Twelfth Doctor]] and [[Bill Potts]] visited the planet, only to find the city empty. They eventually discovered the remains of the set-up team who had been turned into [[fertilizer]] for the botanical [[garden]]s. The Doctor, assuming the colonists had not arrived yet, decided to blow up the city. They ventured into the starship ''Erehwon'' and the Doctor sabotaged the engine. However, Bill discovered the remaining population in stasis and quickly warned the Doctor, who undid his sabotage.

 

As the colonists began to awaken, the Doctor briefed them on what had happened and why. But the humans, believing the Vardies simply wanted to kill them, took up arms and an open conflict erupted between the humans and the Vardy, who had begun showing the first signs of sentience. The Doctor ended the [[battle]] by erasing the Vardies' memory up until the moment they made the error of perceiving grief as a virus to be eliminated. Though the Vardy thought the city belonged to them, they welcomed the humans onto their new world and the Doctor made sure they would not make the same mistake. ([[TV]]: ''[[Smile (TV story)|Smile]]'')

 

The [[colonist]]s that populated this planet had made a number of technological advancements that participated in the functioning of the [[colony]]. The entire city was made up of [[Vardy]], [[microrobot]]s that interlocked in order to create solid and complete structures such as the [[building]]s and the machines. They could easily break apart into swarms and attack anyone they perceived as a threat. They would envelop the target and could strip them of [[clothing]] and [[flesh]] in seconds, leaving nothing but [[bone]]s behind. The Vardy also carried out daily tasks, such as scanning new arrivals or [[pollination|pollinating]] the [[wheat]] fields that surrounded the city. The city was also equipped with [[Emojibot]]s, an interface between the human colonists and the Vardy that carried out maintenance.

 

 

 

The city contained a massive [[greenhouse]] where plants were grown. These included fruits and vegetables such as orange trees, olives, as well as rosemary and other plants. The Emojibots carried out pollination work and fertilizer was spread through large pipes above the crops. ([[TV]]: ''[[Smile (TV story)|Smile]]'')

The name of the planet is not stated on screen in ''Smile''. However, it is said to be [[Gliese 581d]] on the BBC [[Doctor Who website|''Doctor Who'' website]],<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/2VVgyZHpBTXg0fGxkQ1Fbjj/steadfast</ref><ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/50rJTlTdfS15GYtqs01PDp3/praiseworthy</ref><ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/1cN3n10PShcGR21V9gwk4JG/the-emojibots</ref> and is named as such by the interviewer of the story' writer [[Frank Cottrell-Boyce]] in [[DWM 512]] - though not by Cottrell-Boyce himself.

[[Category:Planets]]

[[Category:Planets visited by the Twelfth Doctor]]