The Cybermen are a race of cybernetic beings that originate from the science-fiction series Doctor Who. They are among the most recurring and popular enemies of the Doctor, second only to the Daleks. Originally organic humanoid beings, the Cybermen became fixated on developing their technology and adapting it to their own bodies in order to ensure their own survival. This led to them discarding more and more of their organic systems and replacing them with cybernetic machinery, to the extent that they would no longer need to eat, sleep or even breathe.
Viewing themselves as a superior form of life, the Cybermen are driven to ensure their survival at the expense of other beings, namely by forcibly converting other races into more of their own kind. Completely devoid of emotion, they are unconcerned with the wants of other beings, deeming those who resist conversion as incompatible specimens that must be destroyed.
History[]
Primary universe[]
The Cybermen originated from Mondas, Earth's twin planet, and were humanoid originally. When Mondas was knocked out of solar orbit and pushed into deep space, the Mondasians began experimenting with cybernetic augmentation in order to survive, while at the same time colonising other worlds. The augmentation process required the Mondasians to develop neural implants that nullified their emotions in order to prevent converted subjects from going insane. Having removed all emotion from their brains, the Cybermen were now driven simply by logic and the urge to survive at any cost, and thus set about converting other species into Cybermen. They were unconcerned with how other species wanted to live and would forcibly invade other planets in order to assimilate their populations. As the Cybermen spread across the universe, they also targeted Earth for conquest. Several times, they would attempt to take over the planet and convert humanity, but each time they would be thwarted by the renegade Time Lord known as The Doctor.
Pete's World[]
On a parallel version of Earth, new Cybermen were created by John Lumic of Cybus Industries. Terminally ill and certifiably insane, Lumic created a way to preserve the brain in a cocktail of chemicals and link it to a cybernetic body. After capturing a number of homeless people to ensure the conversion process worked, Lumic began controlling every person on the planet through the Cybus Ear-Pods people wore in lieu of mobile phones and mp3 players, leading them all into Cyber factories to be 'upgraded.' His plan was thwarted however by the Doctor and a resistance group known as the Preachers. A number of Cybermen survived however, and found their way into our universe, where they were soon embroiled in battle against the Torchwood Institute and the Daleks. These Cybermen refer to themselves as "Human point 2" or "the next level of humanity" and, like their Mondasian fellows, seek to convert as many people as possible into Cybermen, though they refer to the process as 'upgrading.'
Designs[]
The Cybermen are notable for having a massive number of redesigns throughout their appearances in Doctor Who, both in design and voice.
Generation 1 (CyberMondan)[]
The Cybermen made their debut in 1966's "The Tenth Planet". Their appearance consisted of a loose silver jumpsuit with metal and plastic bindings on the limbs, a white fabric sack that covered the head, and a bulky mechanical apparatus attached to the torso. This attachment appeared cobbled together and consisted of an iron lung-like device that substituted for the subject's respiratory system, as well as an energy beam projector that served as the Cyberman's primary weapon. Other implants included a handle-shaped device attached to the head (which would be a mainstay of Cyberman design throughout the Doctor Who franchise) which served as an emotional inhibitor, preventing the Cyberman from feeling any emotion. At this time, the Cybermen spoke in an unsettling sing-song voice.
The original Cyberman design would be revisited in 2017 in the two-part story "World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls" which revealed the details behind the genesis of the Cybermen. During this story, the first Cyber-convertees were introduced, referred to as "Patients". They had yet to be fully converted and had only a few basic internal implants, appearing as human but wearing hospital gowns and white sacks on their heads. They were also connected to fluid tanks on wheeled frames that intrevenously fed nutrient solutions into their systems. For the most part, they spoke using electronic voice boxes. When the conversion process was completed, the Mondasian patient appeared as a slightly more streamlined version of the "Tenth Planet" Cyberman; the chest apparatus was slightly less bulky and the Cyberman's laser weapon was installed in the same area as the emotional inhibitor: the handle-shaped device anchored to the head.
Generation 2[]
When the Cybermen returned in 1967's "The Moonbase", they appeared to be much more robotic, and this was reflected in their voice, which now had a buzzing, flat, monotonous quality. As for their physical appearance, they looked less patchwork than before; they all wore silver jumpsuits with a more compact version of their respiratory apparatus on their chests. Their arms and legs also featured tubing that supposedly acted as a circulatory aid, delivering chemicals that helped to preserve the Cybermen's organic components. From this time forward, the Cybermen would also wear helmets that covered their heads entirely. The helmets sported circular eye-holes with a sieve-like filter within as well as a horizontal, rectangular mouth. The handles attached to the helmet were also thinner than the handle tubes worn by the first-generation Cybermen. This design carried over into the same year's "Tomb of the Cybermen", though their hands were replaced with pincers of sorts.
Generation 3[]
1968's "The Invasion" altered the Cybermen's design once again, the cyborgs now appearing much more sleek and streamlined. This generation of Cybermen wore silver suits akin to pyjamas, adorned with a smaller, more streamlined torso apparatus and the same piping on the arms and legs introduced in the previous generation. The helmets were redesigned to appear larger and featured distinct "mufflers" on the sides where the handle tubes connected, as well as introduced the "teardrop" beneath the eye-holes that future designs would adopt. Finally, these Cybermen carried cylindrical energy rifles rather than having weaponry built into their chest units. This design would continue to be used even when the series made the jump into colour.
Generation 4[]
The Cybermen wouldn't receive their next design alteration until 1982's "Earthshock", which saw them return with larger, more imposing designs and the "silver pyjamas" as seen throughout the 1960's replaced with repainted retired flight suits. This design did away with the large respirator unit on the torso, the new chest pieces serving primarily as armour plating with a single black square vent being the only indication that they still required any sort of respiration. Three tubes extended down from the chestplate, the purpose of which beyond cosmetic design is unclear. The helmets had been altered once more, including various seams that divided the faceplates into sections instead of being perfectly smooth. The jaw panels on these helmets were transparent, so the mouths and chins of the actors could be seen when they spoke.
The behaviour of the Cybermen took a significant turn in "Earthshock" and would endure until the end of the original series' run. During this period, the Cybermen sounded considerably less robotic and even seemed to express a limited degree of emotion as well, most notably the Cyber-Leaders, who seemed to exude an air of intellectual charisma and calm aggression when they spoke.
Generation 5 (Cybusmen)[]
Following Doctor Who's 2005 revival, the Cybermen underwent their most significant redesign yet. Introduced in 2006's "Rise of the Cybermen", the "Cybusmen", as fans dubbed them, appeared far more robotic than ever before. They were large and powerfully built, completely covered head-to-toe in metallic armour.
This form of Cyberman was almost completely mechanical, save for a human brain installed in the helmet that was connected to the rest of the body by a synthetically-grown nervous system. Notable features included chemical nutrient tubes on the upper arms and thighs and a device on the chestplate that served as a battery of sorts. The chest device was also adorned with the logo of Cybus Industries, but would be removed years later to symbolize that the current Cyberman design was also being utilized by the Cybermen of the prime universe. Also, the emotional inhibitor that prevented the Cybermen from feeling any emotion was downsized to a small microchip located in the torso, behind the chest battery. The handles on the helmet are believed to be either nutrient tubes connected to the brain cradle or act as part of a neural network system that links the minds of all Cybermen together. Following their initial appearance, the Cybusmen would also be armed with forearm-mounted laser blasters or carry bulky energy rifles.
This generation of Cybermen also returned to the more robotic style of behaviour displayed by the second and third generations. They spoke in a deep, electronic monotone completely devoid of emotion and walked in formation, making loud metallic thuds with each step. From this generation onward, the Cybermen would refer to cyber-conversion as "upgrading" and would exclaim "Delete" when announcing their intention to kill their targets.
Generation 6[]
The Cybermen's next redesign would debut in 2013's "Nightmare in Silver". This Cyberman model retains the complete metallic finish of the Cybus models but has been slimmed down to more human proportions and is more streamlined. They speak little, and when they do, it is again in an electronic monotone, though with a harsher, rasping voice.
This incarnation of the Cybermen has been the most powerful variant to appear on screen. Not only are they immune to physical attacks and ballistic weapons, but are capable of adapting to different forms of assault. If a Cyberman is damaged or destroyed by a particular attack, all other units within the network will upgrade themselves automatically to resist that form of attack. This adaptation typically comes in the form of a force-field that absorbs energy-based weapons fire.
This Cyberman variant is armed with an energy blaster installed on the right forearm. However, its most impressive abilities that set it apart from previous generations are its ability to fly via jet boosters installed in the boots and its ability to infect victims with Cyber-Mites. These tiny robotic parasites can be passed on by touch and will immediately begin converting a victim upon infection, starting with linking the victim to the Cyberiad neural network and forming more mechanical components over time.
Variants[]
Many variants of the Cybermen have been seen over the years. These include unique units built for a specific purpose, command units that act as leaders of entire legions of Cybermen, or support units that differ from typical Cybermen in that they might be completely mechanical or of a non-humanoid configuration. These variants are listed below.
- Cyber-Controller - A command-and-control unit that commands an entire Cyber-Army.
- Cyber-Leader - A lesser commander in the Cyberman hierarchy that may lead a single or multiple legions of Cyber-Troopers.
- Cyber-Planner - A command unit that directs battle plans and strategies.
- Cyber-Warrior - A warrior-class Cyberman active during the Cyber-Wars.
- Cyberdrone - A free-flying Cyberman head that performs aerial reconnaissance and assault.
- Cybershade - A variant created using the brains of animals such as dogs.
- Cyberslave - A shambling, zombie-like Cyberman created by infecting a human with nanoforms.
- CyberAndroid - Black, featureless androids used by the Cybermen in an attempt to destroy Earth.
- CyberMaster - A variant developed by the rogue Time Lord known as The Master. These units were created using Time Lord corpses.
- Cyber-Silurian - Silurians that have been subjected to cyber-conversion.
Technology[]
The Cybermen's appearance as of 2013
In addition to their fleets of massive warships and cyber-conversion technology, the Cybermen have a number of weapons at their disposal, a further indicator of how advanced the Mondasians were. Cybermats have been used several times in the Cybermen's conquests, either to knock victims out before their conversion, or to infect people with biological agents or nanotech plagues.
In terms of weaponry, the Cybermen have consistently utilized energy-based weapons of differing designs. Initially, they had laser weapons built into their heads or torsos, but as they continued to modify themselves they would resort to wielding handheld energy rifles. More recent Cyberman models have blasters mounted on their forearms.
Since Doctor Who's 2005 revival, the Cybermen have come to utilize systems that allow them to convert new victims on the fly without needing surgical facilities, such as Cyber-Mites and forms of nanotechnology. They have also developed methods of adapting to different types of attacks and are now even capable of flight thanks to jet boosters installed in their legs.
Trivia[]
- Early in Doctor Who history, the Cybermen were deathly allergic to gold. This weakness has largely been eliminated since the 2005 revival.
- The Cybermen have served as a creative inspiration for the Borg, a race of cybernetic beings from the Star Trek franchise.