Cybermen

"The next level of mankind. We are human-point-two. Every citizen will receive a free upgrade. You will become like us."

―Cyber-leader

Cybermen
Continuity:	Doctor Who
Category:	Alien
Status:	Existing
Sub-groups:	Mondasian Cybermen
Representatives:	John Lumic; Jackie Tyler (II)
Enemies:	The Doctor

Cybermen are a fictional race featured on the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. They are robotic beings in appearance, but are actually assimilated human beings who become part of a cyborg colony. In this regard, they are similar to the Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The Cybermen are one of the most well-known and enduring alien races featured on Doctor Who - second only to the Daleks.

Characteristics

Cybermen possess superhuman strength far in excess to that of any ordinary human. They can easily pick an adult male with one hand and toss them several feet without any exertion or undue stress to themselves.

Alternate versions

The Cybermen also existed on a parallel world, but boasted an entirely different origin. Unlike their alien Mondasian predecessors, these Cybermen originated on Earth. They were the creations of a brilliant inventor named John Lumic, who was the founder of Cybus Industries. In addition to its various commercial ventures in the telecommunications industry, Cybus also made great strides in the field of cybernetics. John Lumic developed a physical condition that left him disabled on a life-support system and confined to a special wheelchair. He developed a means of combining the neural pathways of the brain to an artificial shell, thereby creating what is essentially a full-bodied prosthetic device. Lumic presented his findings to the President of Great Britain, who refused to give license to his work for ethical reasons, deeming it "obscene".

Lumic would not be deterred however. He had his right-hand man, Mister Crane scout for homeless people in the London area, baiting them with promises of free food and drink. He would then abduct them and they were taken to a Cybus-owned processing plant in Battersea. There, these men and women would undergo forced cybernetic conversion and become the first of Lumic's Cybermen. The Cybermen were basically brainwashed zombies, whose sense of free will and identity were suppressed by way of emotional inhibitors. In addition to being superhumanly strong, each Cyberman was outfitted with gauntlet attachments that could generate lethal electrical charges. Lumic sent a squadron of Cybermen to the Tyler estate where socialite Jackie Tyler was celebrating her 40th birthday. Lumic knew that the President of Great Britain would be in attendance and wanted him to be the first of the next wave of "upgrades".

Also in attendance at the party was the time traveler known as the Doctor, and his companion, Rose Tyler, who had infiltrated the event under the guise of being caterers. The Doctor recognized the Cybermen immediately, for he had faced them in the past, but also knew that these creatures were unlike the ones he had encountered before. The leader of the squad addressed the President, declaring that he will be taken for conversion. The President asked what would happen should he refuse, which was a line of questioning that the Doctor tried vainly to prevent him from pursuing. The Cyber-leader answered by killing him with an electrical discharge. Widespread panic filled the halls of the great estate and people began running and screaming as the Cybermen collected viable specimens. The group chased the Doctor, Rose Tyler and that world's counterpart to Rose's father, Pete Tyler out onto the front lawn. The Doctor declared their surrender, but the Cyber-leader, sensing that the Doctor was something other than human, ordered his "deletion". Help came from an unlikely source, as a group of freedom fighters calling themselves the Preachers (along with Rose’s friend Mickey Smith) arrived and laid down some cover fire. The Doctor was able to fend off the rest of the Cybermen present by overloading a charged power cell from the TARDIS.

Inside the house, other Cybermen continued to collect stragglers and drag them away. Jackie Tyler tried hiding inside of a closet, but she was discovered and brought along with the others.

At this time, John Lumic activated a device on the CybusNet ear pods that most people in London had been wearing, which caused them go into a hypnotic trance and begin marching towards the processing station. The Doctor marshaled his forces and infiltrated the station, but not without accruing some casualties. A rebel leader named Ricky Smith (that world’s counterpart to Mickey Smith), was killed by a Cybermen while attempting to scale a chain-link fence. Another member of the Preachers, Mrs. Moore, was killed by a Cyberman while navigating the underground tunnels with the Doctor, who was captured shortly thereafter. Pete Tyler ran across the newly converted Jackie Tyler, but knew that there was nothing he could do for her.

Meanwhile, Lumic's own assistant, fearing that he too would become a Cyberman, turned against his employer, sabotaging his life support systems in the process. Lumic was forced to undergo emergency cybernetic conversion, but maintained his sense of identity and free will. He became the Cyber-Controller. He had the Doctor and Rose Tyler brought before him, while Mickey Smith and another member of the Preachers, Jake Simmonds, raced to find the transmission control center. After an engaging debate between the Doctor and the Cyber-Controller, the Doctor was able to send a signal to Mickey, instructing him to hack into the facility’s computer network deactivate the emotional inhibitor chip inside all of the Cybermen. After doing so, the neophyte Cybermen, driven insane by the sudden influx of emotions, began tearing the processing plant apart. The Doctor, Rose and Pete managed to regroup with Mickey and Jake on a zeppelin that had been moored to the roof and attempted to make their escape. The Cyber-Controller chased after them and began climbing the rope leader leading to the zeppelin, but Pete Tyler used the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver to cut the ladder, sending Lumic plummeting towards his doom. All of the Cybermen at that particular facility were destroyed as explosions and fire swept through the building.

Mondasian Cybermen

Mondasian Cybermen are the original Cybermen. They hailed from the planet Mondas. Their first encounter with a Gallifreyan was the First Doctor. They also fought up against the efforts of the Twelfth Doctor. The Twelfth Doctor's companion, Bill Potts, underwent cyber-conversion and became a Mondasian Cyberman.

Cybermen of Note

Cyber-Controller

The Cyber-Controller was one Cyberman who maintained control and order over the others. In a parallel reality, the Cyber-Controller was John Lumic, a dying inventor who was responsible for the creation of the Cybermen. When Lumic's life support systems were destroyed due to the actions of a traitorius underling named Crane, he was forced to undergo emergency cyber-conversion at his processing facility at Battersea. He became the Cyber-Controller. Unlike the other Cybermen, Lumic maintained his personality and emotions. His brain housed in a metallic body, Lumic announced that his Cybermen would take control of London before overthrowing the world. Due to the efforts of another companion of the Doctor, Mickey Smith, the processing station was destroyed, and all of the Cybermen regained their capacity for human emotion, which ultimately drove them mad. As explosions ripped through the factility, the Doctor, Rose Tyler, Pete Tyler, Mickey Smith and a freedom fighter named Jake Simmonds went to the roof to escape in a zeppelin. The Cyber-Controller began climbing up the rope ladder after them. The Doctor handed Pete Tyler his sonic screwdriver, which Pete used to cut the ladder, sending Lumic plummeting into the burning wreckage below where he was engulfed by the fire and explosions from the factory below.

Jackie Tyler

Jackie Tyler was a wealthy socialite who lived in London, England of a parallel reality, separate from that of the mainstream timeline. She married an ambitious businessman named Pete Tyler back in 1986. On February 1st, 2006, Pete through a lavish birthday party for Jackie to celebrate her 40th birthday. As the evening wore on, the Tyler estate was invaded by an army of Cybermen. The Cybermen killed several people at the party whom they considered to be unviable for cyber-conversion and abducted the rest. Jackie tried hiding inside of a closet, but she was discovered and taken to the Cybus Industries cyber-conversion processing plant at Battersea, where she was turned into a Cyberman. The Doctor, Rose, Mickey and Pete Tyler sneaked into the facility in the hopes of shutting it down, and if possible, reversing the process on those who had already been converted (though the Doctor knew that such a thing was impossible). Pete found Cyber-Jackie who seemed to momentarily recognize him. During the ensuing conflict, the facility was destroyed thanks to the efforts of Mickey Smith. Jackie died as explosions ripped through the entire processing plant.

Sally Phelan

Sally Phelan was probably just a typical Londoner. Very little is known about her save that she was scheduled to marry a man named Gareth on February 2nd, 2006. Things did not go as Sally planned however as she became one of 6,5000 people who was brainwashed into surrendering themselves to Cybus Industries for conversion. The Doctor encountered her and used his sonic screwdriver to de-activate her emotion inhibitor. Sally recalled her name and that she was to be married. Before expiring, she commented upon how cold she was.

Notes & Trivia

• The concept of the Cybermen was created by television writer and novelist Gerry Davis and scientist/writer Kit Pedler.

See also

Media

Doctor Who Doctor Who home video

Doctor Who seasons Doctor Who episodes

The World of Doctor Who

Doctor Who characters Doctor Who vehicles Doctor Who items

Doctor Who races Doctor Who locations Doctor Who organizations

Doctor Who miscellaneous

Doctor Who galleries Doctor Who appearances Doctor Who image category

Doctor Who companions Doctor Who cast & crew Doctor Who miscellaneous

---