Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart
Encyclopedia
Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart is a fictional character
from the Virgin New Adventures
range of spin-offs based on the BBC
science fiction
television series Doctor Who
. She is a descendant of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
.
A character called Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart appeared in Ben Aaronovitch
's novelisation of Remembrance of the Daleks
(but not in the original television serial). That was in fact Kadiatu's great-grandmother, who wrote The Zen Military — A History of UNIT
, which, in the fictional world of Doctor Who, was published in 2006.
Kadiatu's first appearance was in Aarononvitch's New Adventure novel Transit
. Her adopted father is Brigadier Yembe Lethbridge-Stewart, a commanding officer in the United Nations
Third Tactical Response Brigade and the Zen Brigade during the Thousand Day war between Earth and the Ice Warriors
. He is descended from Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
and an African woman, Mariatu, whom the Brigadier had a relationship with whilst serving in Africa. He rescued her from a research centre in Leipzig
when she was three months old, acting on information received from a possible future Doctor. She had been genetically augmented with unknown technology, although some of her augmentations, such as her musculature
, have similarities to Time Lord
physiology
. These augmentations have given her increased intelligence and rapid healing. She has also never been ill, but to keep her body going she has to regularly eat.
Growing up, her step father told her family stories about the Doctor. Whilst she was a student at Lunerversity, Kadiatu discovered from computer records that the stories where true and continued to research the Doctor's activities.
When she encountered the Seventh Doctor
and Bernice
in the year 2109, she helped them repel an intruder from the Solar Transit System — a mass transit system that linked all the planets of Earth
's solar system
. When attacked Kadiatu discovered that her instinctive response to hostile action is to kill the attacker. The Doctor also realised that she was extremely close to developing the technology to time travel. The Doctor, Knowing that he should stop her from discovering this, chooses to see what would happen. Kadiatu was asked to become one of his companions
, but she refused. She had researched her own time travel technology and used it to explore the universe
by herself.
Kadiatu next encountered the Doctor
in Kate Orman
's Set Piece
. When the Doctor, Ace
, and Bernice were scattered through time because of time rifts, the Doctor found himself in Paris
, 1871. There, he discovered that the rifts were caused by Kadiatu's time travelling equipment. Kadiatu came under the control of an alien spaceship known simply as Ship, which caused her to take the Doctor as a hostage. He, however, was able to shut down Ship's nervous system thus defeating it, and Kadiatu fled through a time rift.
It was later revealed in the novel The Also People
, by Ben Aaronovitch, that the Doctor had rescued Kadiatu after her escape from Ship (finding her in a feral state aboard a slave trading ship, having killed all aboard), and had hidden her on the Worldsphere — home to a very powerful race known as the People. To prevent her from doing any damage in her wild state, The Doctor arrange a remote drone aM!xitsa to guard her. The Doctor realized that he now had to make a decision about Kadiatu, but undecided whether to kill her or save her life, the Doctor made Bernice make the decision, although realising that she could prevent the death of many of Kadiatu's victims, Benny decided to save her. The Doctor linked the two women through the TARDIS
's telepathic circuits, so that Kadiatu gained Benny's strength to live. She then built a new time machine and together with aM!xitsa again left to explore the universe. The Doctor also gave her an injection of Time Lord genes, allowing her to eventually evolve to understand the complexities of time travel.
She appeared at Benny's wedding to Jason Kane (Happy Endings
by Paul Cornell
), at which she encountered the Brigadier, her ancestor, and briefly at the funeral of Roz Forrester
(So Vile a Sin
, by Ben Aaronovitch and Kate Orman), where she ordered the Doctor to snap out of his misery. After a brief mention in The Dying Days
, Kadiatu didn't appear again until the 2007 Bernice Summerfield
audio drama, The Final Amendment
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Virgin New Adventures
Virgin New Adventures
The Virgin New Adventures were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who...
range of spin-offs based on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. She is a descendant of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, generally referred to simply as the Brigadier, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Nicholas Courtney...
.
A character called Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart appeared in Ben Aaronovitch
Ben Aaronovitch
Ben Denis Aaronovitch is a London-born British writer who has worked on television series including Doctor Who, Casualty, Jupiter Moon and Dark Knight...
's novelisation of Remembrance of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 October to 26 October 1988....
(but not in the original television serial). That was in fact Kadiatu's great-grandmother, who wrote The Zen Military — A History of UNIT
UNIT
UNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures...
, which, in the fictional world of Doctor Who, was published in 2006.
Kadiatu's first appearance was in Aarononvitch's New Adventure novel Transit
Transit (Doctor Who)
Transit is an original novel written by Ben Aaronovitch and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor, Bernice and the first appearance of Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart...
. Her adopted father is Brigadier Yembe Lethbridge-Stewart, a commanding officer in the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Third Tactical Response Brigade and the Zen Brigade during the Thousand Day war between Earth and the Ice Warriors
Ice Warriors
Can refer to:*Ice Warriors , a TV gameshow aired on ITV*Ice Warrior, alien race in the BBC television series Doctor Who**The Ice Warriors, Doctor Who story in which the alien race makes its debut...
. He is descended from Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, generally referred to simply as the Brigadier, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Nicholas Courtney...
and an African woman, Mariatu, whom the Brigadier had a relationship with whilst serving in Africa. He rescued her from a research centre in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
when she was three months old, acting on information received from a possible future Doctor. She had been genetically augmented with unknown technology, although some of her augmentations, such as her musculature
Muscle
Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
, have similarities to Time Lord
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
. These augmentations have given her increased intelligence and rapid healing. She has also never been ill, but to keep her body going she has to regularly eat.
Growing up, her step father told her family stories about the Doctor. Whilst she was a student at Lunerversity, Kadiatu discovered from computer records that the stories where true and continued to research the Doctor's activities.
When she encountered the Seventh Doctor
Seventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
and Bernice
Bernice Summerfield
Bernice Surprise Summerfield is a fictional character created by author Paul Cornell as a new companion of the Seventh Doctor in Virgin Publishing's range of original full-length Doctor Who novels, the New Adventures...
in the year 2109, she helped them repel an intruder from the Solar Transit System — a mass transit system that linked all the planets of Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
. When attacked Kadiatu discovered that her instinctive response to hostile action is to kill the attacker. The Doctor also realised that she was extremely close to developing the technology to time travel. The Doctor, Knowing that he should stop her from discovering this, chooses to see what would happen. Kadiatu was asked to become one of his companions
Companion (Doctor Who)
In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
, but she refused. She had researched her own time travel technology and used it to explore the universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
by herself.
Kadiatu next encountered the Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
in Kate Orman
Kate Orman
Kate Orman is an Australian author, best known for her books connected to the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who.-Biography:...
's Set Piece
Set Piece (Doctor Who)
Set Piece is an original novel written by Kate Orman and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor, Ace, Bernice and Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart. It is the last New Adventure to feature Ace as a regular character, although she...
. When the Doctor, Ace
Ace (Doctor Who)
Dorothy Gale McShane, better known by her nickname Ace, is a fictional character played by Sophie Aldred in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, and Bernice were scattered through time because of time rifts, the Doctor found himself in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, 1871. There, he discovered that the rifts were caused by Kadiatu's time travelling equipment. Kadiatu came under the control of an alien spaceship known simply as Ship, which caused her to take the Doctor as a hostage. He, however, was able to shut down Ship's nervous system thus defeating it, and Kadiatu fled through a time rift.
It was later revealed in the novel The Also People
The Also People
The Also People is an original novel written by Ben Aaronovitch and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor, Bernice, Chris, Roz and Kadiatu.-Plot:...
, by Ben Aaronovitch, that the Doctor had rescued Kadiatu after her escape from Ship (finding her in a feral state aboard a slave trading ship, having killed all aboard), and had hidden her on the Worldsphere — home to a very powerful race known as the People. To prevent her from doing any damage in her wild state, The Doctor arrange a remote drone aM!xitsa to guard her. The Doctor realized that he now had to make a decision about Kadiatu, but undecided whether to kill her or save her life, the Doctor made Bernice make the decision, although realising that she could prevent the death of many of Kadiatu's victims, Benny decided to save her. The Doctor linked the two women through the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
's telepathic circuits, so that Kadiatu gained Benny's strength to live. She then built a new time machine and together with aM!xitsa again left to explore the universe. The Doctor also gave her an injection of Time Lord genes, allowing her to eventually evolve to understand the complexities of time travel.
She appeared at Benny's wedding to Jason Kane (Happy Endings
Happy Endings (Doctor Who)
Happy Endings is an original novel written by Paul Cornell and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the fiftieth book in the Virgin New Adventures series...
by Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as Doctor Who fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield....
), at which she encountered the Brigadier, her ancestor, and briefly at the funeral of Roz Forrester
Roz Forrester
Roslyn Sarah Inyathi Forrester, usually just known as Roz Forrester, is a fictional character from the Virgin New Adventures range of spin-offs based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who....
(So Vile a Sin
So Vile a Sin
So Vile a Sin is an original novel written by Ben Aaronovitch & Kate Orman and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor, Chris and Roz, Bernice, Jason, Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart...
, by Ben Aaronovitch and Kate Orman), where she ordered the Doctor to snap out of his misery. After a brief mention in The Dying Days
The Dying Days
The Dying Days is an original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was last of that range to feature the Doctor and the only one of that range to feature Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor. Thereafter the series centred around...
, Kadiatu didn't appear again until the 2007 Bernice Summerfield
Bernice Summerfield
Bernice Surprise Summerfield is a fictional character created by author Paul Cornell as a new companion of the Seventh Doctor in Virgin Publishing's range of original full-length Doctor Who novels, the New Adventures...
audio drama, The Final Amendment
The Final Amendment
The Final Amendment is a Big Finish Productions audio drama featuring Lisa Bowerman as Bernice Summerfield, a character from the spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Cast:...
.