Zygon
reliable, independent, third-party sources. (February 2022) ) |
Zygons | |
---|---|
Doctor Who race | |
First appearance | Terror of the Zygons (1975) |
Last appearance | "The Zygon Inversion" (2015) |
Created by | Robert Banks Stewart |
In-universe information | |
Home world | Zygor |
Type | Shapechanging humanoids |
Affiliation | Zygon Empire, Zygon High Command |
The Zygons are an
Appearances
Television
The Zygons first appeared in the 1975 serial
The Zygons are briefly mentioned (but not seen) in the
The Zygons returned in 2013 in "The Day of the Doctor", the 50th anniversary episode of the programme.[2] The episode hints the stellar explosion (said to have destroyed their homeworld in the 1975 serial) was an effect of the Time War. A squad places themselves in suspended animation in Elizabethan England, planning to awaken in 2013 to infiltrate the Tower of London's Black Archive disguised as UNIT members. The scheme is foiled by the intervention of the Tenth Doctor, the Eleventh Doctor and the War Doctor. When UNIT is overrun by Zygon doppelgangers, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart threatens to detonate a nuclear device to prevent Zygon access to UNIT's storehouse of alien technology. The Doctors successfully negotiate a truce between the two species.[3][2]
The ramifications of this treaty are explored in the
Terror of The Zygons was novelized by Target in 1976, written by Terrance Dicks, under the title Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster.[4] The book further expounded on the concept of the Zygon "sting," poisonous barbs protruding from their hands, which explains why, in the television episode, the Zygons were able to inflict pain on other beings with a mere touch. (The original shooting script for the episode also included references to the sting but the on-screen portrayal of the concept failed to make it clear to the audience.)
The comic story "Skywatch-7", written by Alan McKenzie (under the pseudonym "Maxwell Stockbridge") and illustrated by Mick Austin, features a UNIT team encountering a single Zygon at a remote base. It was first published, in two parts, in Doctor Who Monthly #58 and the Doctor Who Winter Special 1981.
The
The Zygons appear in the
Audio
The Zygons have been featured in three audio plays produced by
They made their
The Zygons also feature in Zygon Hunt by Nicholas Briggs, facing the Fourth Doctor and Leela.
Merchandise
The Zygons were featured in the second Doctor Who Weetabix promotional set and were card number 9 in the Typhoo tea card set. Harlequin Miniatures produced two 28 mm figures, and Fine Art Castings produced two Zygon figurines, sized 80 mm and 40 mm. In October 2016 Recent onscreen versions have now been released in 28mm, by Warlord Games.
In 2008, a Zygon figure was released by Character Options in the first wave of their classic Doctor Who toy line.
On 26 June 2014 a Zygon as featured in "The Day of the Doctor" was released as part of the ongoing Doctor Who figurine collection from Eaglemoss. The Zygon is the 23rd in the regular line of releases.
Zygon (BBV production)
Zygon is a spin-off drama production from
Reception
Simon Brew, writing for Den of Geek, responded positively to the usage of their shapeshifting abilities in "The Zygon Invasion", while also praising their design, highlighting that the Zygons "...remain an outright uncomfortable Doctor Who foe. My children were utterly creeped out, and I can’t help thinking that it’s a mix of terrific design, as well as a way of speaking and snarling that can’t help but get under the skin."[7] Mark Braxton, writing in a review of Terror of the Zygons for Radio Times, praised the design of the Zygons, stating that "As dreamt up by James Acheson and John Friedlander, the Zygon is exquisitely horrible."[8] Literary critic John Kenneth Muir also praised the Zygon's design in his review of Terror of the Zygons, citing the Zygon costumes as "...incredible to behold," further stating that they were "so interesting and effective as an extraterrestrial design."[9] Writing in a review of "The Zygon Invasion," for The A.V Club, Alasdair Wilkins praised the Zygons' role in the episode, stating that "The Zygons’ motivations here are, not coincidentally, rather more nuanced than those in their two previous appearances... the Zygon radicals here have more specific, more relatable goals, as they demand the right to live openly, to not have to deny their own identities."[10]
Tenth and Fourteenth Doctor actor David Tennant has stated that they are his favourite villains in the series.[11] A new species of parasitic wasp, first described in 2019, was named Choeras zygon in reference to the Zygons.[12]
References
- ^ "Terror Of The Zygons | A Brief History Of Time (Travel)". www.shannonsullivan.com. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ a b "'Doctor Who' 50th Anniversary Episode To Feature Daleks, Cyberman And Zygons". The Huffington Post UK. 18 April 2013.. Retrieved November 2013.
- ^ The Doctor Who Team (21 July 2013). "BBC Latest News – Doctor Who – The Daleks to Return in the Anniversary Special!". Doctor Who.
- ISBN 978-1-4464-1773-7.
- ISBN 0-563-40568-6.
- ISBN 978-1-4090-7340-6.
- ^ Brew, Simon (31 October 2015). "Doctor Who series 9 review: The Zygon Invasion". Den of Geek. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "Terror of the Zygons ★★★★★". Radio Times. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-3716-0.
- ^ "Doctor Who gets shockingly contemporary with its Zygon invasion". The A.V. Club. 1 November 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "David Tennant – The Original Fansite".
- ^ "New wasps named after biscuits and Doctor Who aliens". ScienceDaily.
External links
- Zygon on Tardis Wiki, the Doctor Who Wiki