| Doctor Who race | |
| [image] | |
| Sontarans | |
|---|---|
| Type | Cloned humanoids |
| Affiliated with | Sontaran Empire |
| Home planet | Sontara |
| First appearance | The Time Warrior |
The Sontarans are a fictional extraterrestrial race from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who.
The Sontarans made their first appearance in the 1974 serial, The Time Warrior. There, it was explained that they are a race that reproduces by means of cloning, with no females, and are a militaristic society obsessed by war. Sontarans are humanoid, with a squat build and distinctive dome-shaped head. They come from a high-gravity world, and "recharge" their energy through a "probic vent" at the back of the neck rather than consuming food. The Sontarans have been at war with the Rutan Host for millennia. At one point the Sontarans successfully invaded Gallifrey itself, but were driven out again after less than a day (The Invasion of Time).
At some point, the Sontarans encountered the equally expansionistic Rutan Host. The war between the Sontarans and the Rutans continued for several millennia, with both sides remaining fairly evenly matched and neither side interested in negotiating for peace. It was still ongoing at the time of The Sontaran Experiment, which takes place at least 10,000 years beyond the 121st century.
Although physically formidable, the Sontarans' weak spot is the probic vent at the back of their neck; a warrior was killed by a well-aimed knife at that spot. They are also vulnerable to "coronic acid" (The Two Doctors).
Other appearances by the Sontarans include the spin-off videos, Shakedown and Do You Have A License To Save This Planet? They appeared in a skit for the BBC children's programme Jim'll Fix It titled, "In A Fix With Sontarans", along with Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka.
They have also appeared in several spin-off novels, including Lords of the Storm by David McIntee and The Infinity Doctors by Lance Parkin, where the Doctor negotiated a peace between the Sontarans and the Rutan Host. General Sontar made an appearance in the latter novel. In The Crystal Bucephalus by Craig Hinton, the name of their planet was given as Sontara.
The Sontarans have also appeared several times in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip, both as adversaries of the Doctor and in strips not involving the Doctor. In The Outsider (DWM #25-26), by Steve Moore and David Lloyd, a Sontaran named Skrant invaded the world of Brahtilis with the unwitting help of Demimon, a local astrologer. The Fourth Doctor faced the Sontarans in Dragon's Claw (DWM #39-#45), by Steve Moore and Dave Gibbons, where a crew of Sontarans menaced China in 1522 AD.