Doctor Who
This clause take spoilers for the Doctor Who Anniversary Special , " The Star Beast "
Summary
The organization called UNIT has been a mainstay inDoctor Whosince 1968 , and is now bigger than ever in Russell T. Davies ' latest relaunch . foreign invasions are a frequent occurrence inDoctor Who . Unsurprisingly , that means the world has respond , withthe United Nations coordinating cause to cover with extraterrestrial threats . The organization known as UNIT has , of course , queer path with the Doctor many fourth dimension .
UNIT was officially disbanded during the Thirteenth Doctor ’s epoch , although it see the light by " The Power of the Doctor . " Now , according to " The Star Beast,“UNIT is back and bigger than ever . Here ’s all you need to know about UNIT , the organization ’s loss leader , and the doc ’s family relationship with this top - undercover military group who have somehow been operating in plain sight for decades .
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UNIT Protects The Earth From Extraterrestrial Threats
The story of unit of measurement lead off with the 1968 story " The Invasion . " There , Patrick Troughton ’s Second Doctor visited Earth only to learn humanity had responded to frequent alien investigations by establishing a new military taskforce to protect the planet . Originally named theUnited Nations Intelligence Taskforce , the British wing of UNIT was run by the Doctor ’s allyAllister Gordon Lethbridge - Stewart(played by the late Nicholas Courtney ) . unit of measurement suffered something of a baptism of fire when the Cybermen invade London , and over the next few years , they face a steady stream of invader . The modern UNIT is formally bid theUnified Intelligence Taskforce(the name change because , in the material public , the U.N. objected to the name and logo ) .
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UNIT operate in the outdoors , although for most of their lifespan , their true mission has been clothe in secrecy . Recruits are drawn from the conventional military , and they soon learn they are dealing with something far more dangerous than any conventional threats . Fortunately , UNIT ’s experience think of they have developed the engineering to allot with many different alien slipstream , and by 2009 ’s " The Sontaran Stratagem"they even had a helicarrier as a base . During the Thirteenth Doctor ’s era , allies of the Sontarans who sought to invade the Earth work to dissolve UNIT for a clock time .
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Who Is “Kate,” UNIT’s Current Leader?
" The Star Beast " name - drops UNIT ’s current leader , Kate Lethbridge - Stewart , play by Jemma Redgrave . The girl of the Doctor ’s old friend Brigadier Lethbridge - Stewart , Kate spent most of her formative years unaware of her father ’s gallantry - and frustrated because he was so rarely at home . Kate only determine the truth when an alien entity recognise as the Great Intelligence attempted to get retaliation on Brigadier Lethbridge - Stewart by using her against him . She subsequently joined UNIT , although she initially vary her name - transfer " Lethbridge " - so she could earn obedience based on her own accomplishment rather than abide on her founding father ’s shoulders .
Kate is exhaustively committed to the defence of the Earth , working alongside several late incarnations of the Doctor herself . Suspicious when allies of the Sontarans engineered UNIT ’s closedown during the Thirteenth Doctor ’s epoch , she slipped into the trace and continued to run in secret . UNIT was reestablish by the meter of " The Power of the Doctor , " when she called on several of the Doctor ’s retiring companions for help .
The Doctor Was UNIT’s First Scientific Adviser
The Doctor was UNIT ’s first prescribed scientific adviser , joining their paysheet when he was exiled to Earth by the Time Lords . Jon Pertwee ’s Third Doctor worked nearly with UNIT over the next few age , and subsequent avatar of the Doctor take reward of the place as well . Tom Baker ’s Fourth Doctor stepped down from the role short before Brigadier Lethbridge - Stewart ’s retreat , but he remained something of a caption .
UNIT has had many other scientific advisers over the years , including Caroline John ’s Liz Shaw , a Cambridge professor , Ingrid Oliver ’s Osgood , and even Kate Stewart herself . " The Star Beast " introducedRuth Madeley as Shirley Ann Bingham , UNIT ’s 56th scientific consultant . This alone show just how hazardous a role it is , because few of these scientific advisers have in all probability survive to adjourn - or to return to their original calling .
UNIT Work With The Doctor’s Former Companions & Closest Friends
The Doctor has work out with many different companions over the decades , and UNIT has monitored them all . This finally became something of a plot point in " The Power of the medico , " whenKate Lethbridge - Stewart call in on two past companions- Janet Fielding ’s Tegan Jovanka and Sophie Aldred ’s Ace - for helper . She later on formed acompanion support group- with the various former companions help one another recover from theiir experience , while also serving as a useful resource for UNIT . Confirmed members of the companion support group include :
Character Name
player Name
Associated with
Ian Chesterton
William Russell
First Doctor William Hartnell
Jo Jones
Katy Manning
Third Doctor Jon Pertwee
Tegan Jovanka
Janet Fielding
Fourth Doctor Tom Baker & Fifth Doctor Peter Davison
Mel Bush
Bonnie Langford
Sixth physician Colin Baker & Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy
Ace
Sophie Aldred
Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy
Graham O’Brien
Bradley Walsh
Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker
Yasmin Khan
Mandip Gill
Dan Lewis
John Bishop
The Modern UNIT Is Bigger (& More Public) Than Ever
UNIT be given to operate in the open , although their true charge is traditionally a arcanum . That said , there ’s evidenceUNIT is less closemouthed than ever before , with a monumental base in downtown London envision in trailers forDoctor Who ’s 60th anniversary specials . It ’s potential the frequent alien invasions have in the end led humanity to accept there really are extraterrestrials ; if so , UNIT may now be public knowledge . This may well mean UNIT wind up in the line of products of fervour when alien invade - because they now UNIT need to be taken out first .
Key UNIT Stories In Doctor Who History
UNIT has been a fundamental part ofDoctor Wholore since 1968 . That of course means anyone who wants to check out the most important UNIT stories will find themselves reliving quite a surprising figure of past episodes , meeting doc ranging from Patrick Troughton to Jodie Whittaker . Here are the key UNITDoctor Whostories to engagement :
