Cyberman - SCIFIPEDIA

Cyberman

<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

The Cybermen are a recurring villain on the BBC's long-running series Doctor Who.

1 Appearance
2 Origins
3 Capabilities
4 Gold
5 Cybermats
6 Key Appearances

Appearance

Cybermen vary in appearance, depending on the era of the show in which they appear. However, all models are tall (frequently seven feet in height) humanoid cyborgs with metallic skin. All have apparently vacant, round eyeholes and a nonmoving slit of a mouth. All models sport handlelike projections on the side of their heads. More recent stories have indicated that these handles have something to do with the interface between the cyborg's brain and its mechanical components. Most models had an external chest unit that appeared to have something to do with ventilation, but this has been either eliminated or internalized in the most recent version.

A Cyberman from Tomb of the Cybermen (1967)

It is clear, however, that Cybermen have evolved greatly over the years. The first model the Doctor encountered was an almost entirely humanoid form wrapped in a metallic mesh fabric.

Subsequent models were encased in a solid, pliable metal that flexed like rubber, topped by a solid metal head and shoulderpiece. This design was enhanced later to incorporate a wider headpiece and a metallic skin that appeared lighter weight than the rubbery skin.

The model used in the most recent episodes appears to encased in solid steel armor rather than the flexible metallic materials seen in previous models.

All models have obviously synthetic voices, but some are capable of more natural-sounding speech than others.

Origins

A Cyberman from The Tenth Planet (1966)

The Cybermen were created by Dr. Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis, and introduced in the 1966 serial "The Tenth Planet" as the formerly humanlike natives of Earth's twin planet, Mondas, which had been thrown into a much longer orbit that took it further from the sun. To resist the harsh conditions, the Mondasians took to replacing more and more of their body parts with cybernetic equivalents, until there was little left of their original bodies. Thus, robbed of most of their emotions—and the ability to procreate—the Cybermen turned to conquest and the "cyber-conversion" of unwilling victims to continue their race.

However, when the Cybermen were reintroduced in the second season of the new Doctor Who series in 2006, it was via a parallel Earth. In the episodes "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel," scientist/wealthy entrepreneur John Lumic, dying of unspecified ailments, created the Cybermen as the "ultimate upgrade for humanity," to free humanity from illness and pain. Many citizens were coerced into the mandatory upgrade to "Human.2," their wills and immediate consciousness overridden by Lumic's directives via Cybus Industries' popular "earPods." Lumic himself was forced by his own creations to upgrade when he sustained a potentially fatal injury.

These Cybermen later broke into our universe via "faultlines in the void between worlds." It is unknown whether these Cybermen could meet the original Cybermen of this dimension; the Doctor in his seventh incarnation destroyed the Cyberfleet in the 1988 story "Silver Nemesis," but other Cybermen might have survived elsewhere.

Capabilities

Cybermen have sported various weaponry over the years. The model the Doctor encountered in "The Tenth Planet" had an energy weapon mounted in the chest unit. Multiple models have been seen to kill via a lightining like discharge in hand to hand combat. The model in 1975's "Revenge of the Cybermen" had an energy weapon mounted at the top of its head. Some models simply carried weapons designed by the Cybermen. Cybermen seen in the 2006 series also had a concealed energy weapon mounted inside their hands.

The skin of all models has proven to be impervious to small arms fire. However, anti-tank weaponry seems to be effective against at least some models.

Cybermen appear to be able to space walk without a space suit. However, since they do need to breathe (presumably to maintain their biological components), it is uncertain how long they can maintain this feat.

Gold

80s era Cybermen

Traditionally, gold dust has been something of a problem to Cybermen. If it gets into their chest units, it coats their breathing apparatus and essentially asphyxiates them. At one point, they were nearly wiped out when the forces allied against them developed a "glitter gun" that fired gold dust.

The Cybermen seen in the new series, which do not have any apparent chest breather units, probably do not share this weakness.

Cybermats

Cybermen have been known to employ robotic drones called Cybermats. Some models of Cybermat look vaguely like a large, bug-eyed scarab. These models range in size from several inches across to almost a foot. Another model appeared as a four- or five-foot metallic snake. This model's bite injected a deadly poison that killed in seconds.