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WinMX Room Status |
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Current Status of
British Sci-fi Exchange
VIP Lounge
UP
Current Host -- ']['error]>U]>001
All are welcome to join the IRC server via this site or you are welcome to read on how to connect using an irc client
']['error]>U]> a.k.a TerrorPUP |
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Cyberman Facts |
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Prepare for the return of the classic Doctor Who monsters with our guide to everything you need to know about the Cybermen!
The Cybermen appeared in ten stories of the classic series (not counting brief cameo appearances or flashbacks, okay?).
They were the brainchild of Dr Kit (Christopher) Pedlar and his writing partner Gerry Davis. A doctor and biological scientist, Pedler was an expert on the human retina and eye diseases, and acted as the Doctor Who production team's scientific adviser for a time in the 60s.
They made their first appearance in episode one of the William Hartnell story 'The Tenth Planet', broadcast on 8 October 1966.
The Cybermen's home planet was Mondas, Earth's forgotten 'twin' planet, which drifted away into space aeons ago. In "The Tenth Planet" (set in December 1986), Mondas returned to draw away Earth's energy. Ultimately it absorbed too much and exploded. Oops.
The Cybermen are cyborgs who were once humanoids just like us. As a Cyberman explained in "The Tenth Planet": 'Our life span was getting shorter, so our scientists and doctors devised spare parts for our bodies until we could be almost completely replaced...'.
Their brains have also been altered: 'Our brains are just like yours except that certain weaknesses have been removed... You call them emotions, do you not?'
After the destruction of Mondas, the Cybermen made a new home on the planet Telos (home planet of the Cryons).
The Cybermen's achilles heel is gold. Initially it was explained that gold dust clogs their respiratory units, suffocating them. However, in later stories, it became a kind of Cyber-Kryptonite, and gold-tipped bullets or arrows worked just as well. Notoriously, Seventh Doctor companion Ace took out a squad of Cybermen simply by flicking gold coins at them with a catapult!
Cybermats are scuttling creatures, described by the second Doctor as 'a form of metallic life', that usually look a bit like giant silverfish. The Cybermen use these for reconnaissance or sabotage.
A Cyber Leader can be distinguished from his troops by the fact that his 'ear handles' are black, not silver. Eighties Cyber Leaders were notorious for their rather emotional catchphrase: a boomed 'Excellent!', often accompanied by a triumphant clenching of the fist!
According to 'The World Shapers', a comic strip printed in Doctor Who Magazine in 1987 (and written by a certain Grant Morrison), the Cybermen were originally the Voord race from the 1964 story 'The Keys of Marinus'. This is of course, barking mad fanwank.
The TV series never did an 'origin story' for the Cybermen, but audio producers Big Finish did. The CD 'Spare Parts' (available from www.bigfinish.com) is set on Mondas during the early days of Cyber-conversion. Russell T Davies is a big fan of 'Spare Parts', and it was an important inspiration for their return in the new series.
The Cybermen return to BBC One in 'The Rise of the Cybermen' on Saturday 13 May.
Ian Berriman
Reformat for printing
Copyright Future. All Rights Reserved.
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Posted on Tuesday, May 09 @ 22:57:58 EDT by terrorpup
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