Rutan Host
Encyclopedia
Rutans are a fiction
al extraterrestrial
race from the British
science fiction television series Doctor Who
. They have been at war with the Sontaran Empire
for more than 50,000 years, and this war dominates both cultures to the exclusion of all else. The Rutans only appeared on television in the serial Horror of Fang Rock
, in which a single Rutan is encountered, though they are mentioned in some serials featuring Sontarans (The Time Warrior
, The Sontaran Experiment
, The Two Doctors
, The Poison Sky
and The Last Sontaran
and Enemy of the Bane
episodes of Doctor Who spin off The Sarah Jane Adventures
).
, glowing blobs of biomatter with long ropy tentacles. They are amphibious and can cling to sheer vertical surfaces, with considerable mobility out of the water despite their shape. Rutans can also generate lethal bioelectrical
shocks, and seem to be able to absorb electrical energy directly for sustenance. They reproduce by a process similar to binary fission. Rutans can speak, although the exact mechanism by which this works is unknown as no mouth has been observed on their body. The Rutan observed in Horror of Fang Rock spoke with a harsh, tinny male voice.
Rutans are able to operate independently, and, like the Sontarans, sometimes dispatch scout units consisting of a single soldier.
Rutans have also developed advanced shape-shifting technology, allowing them to appear in any form they wish. They often use this technology to adapt to alien environments and infiltrate alien cultures; Rutans are consummate spies. A Rutan usually kills specific individuals and then impersonates them.
novel Lords of the Storm
by David A. McIntee
and in Terrance Dicks
's New Adventure
novel Shakedown (based on the spin-off
video Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans
, also written by Dicks). These novels were both released in December 1995, and the former novel leads into the latter. Rutans are also mentioned in the Missing Adventures novel Evolution
, in which the antagonists of the story are using a sample of Rutan "healing gel" to cross-mutate humans and animals.
The novel of Shakedown elaborates that the Rutan "hive mind" is co-ordinated by a Queen who lives on their well-defended homeworld, and that without her influence the Host would fall apart. In the same novel, Rutan biotechnology
is sufficiently advanced to "uplift
" a species to sentience
; they have done this at least once, on the planet Sentarion, where they are worshipped by the insect
oid Sentarii people as "the Shining Ones". The organic
nature of Rutan technology is one of the chief differences between them and their Sontaran enemies. The video Shakedown is the only occasion in which Sontarans and Rutans have appeared together on screen.
An unspecified incarnation of the Doctor
(but fitting the description of the Eighth
) brokered a peace between the Sontarans and the Rutans in the Lance Parkin
Past Doctor Adventures
novel The Infinity Doctors
. As with all of the spin-off media, the canonicity of the novels and videos are uncertain.
In the New Series Adventures
Quick Reads book The Sontaran Games
, by Jacqueline Rayner
, it is revealed that the character Emma, who acts as the Doctor's companion-substitute in the book, is a Rutan spy disguised as a human it killed.
In the full-length New Series Adventures book The Taking of Chelsea 426
, by David Llewellyn
, the Rutans again appear alongside their enemies the Sontarans. In this book, the Rutans had learned of the Sontarans' attack on Earth in the 21st century, and had planted a cloud of spores into Saturn's atmosphere. These spores were originally intended to infect the Sontarans, after they had taken over Earth and expanded to the rest of the Solar System - however, due to the intervention of The Doctor, the Sontarans were defeated, and Humans instead reached Saturn a number of centuries later, and were infected themselves when they breathed in the spores. These spores allegedly contained Rutans, allowing them to take over the host (though the host itself remains alive). Their appearance lead to the attack of the Sontarans on Chelsea 426. The Rutans were eventually defeated by the Doctor, but had by that time infected a number of the Sontarans as well. The Sontarans then headed back to Sontaran space, unknowing that they were carrying Rutans into their territory.
The Rutans also appeared in the BBV
audio play In 2 Minds, which used the idea of Rutans detached from the Host as a metaphor for the treatment of Gulf War Syndrome
sufferers by the UK and US military. Bernice Summerfield
encountered the Rutans in the Big Finish Productions
audio drama The Bellotron Incident
.
The Fifth Doctor
and Nyssa encountered the Rutans in the Big Finish audio Castle of Fear
.
The Rutans are also waiting their upcoming appearance in the "Doctor Who
" episodic video-game, "The Gunpowder Plot", the fifth installment of "The Adventure Games" series. The sypnosis for the game includes the Doctor, Amy, and Rory encountering Guy Fawkes
and the "Rutans"/"Rutan Host
" who attempt to use Guy Fawkes as bait for an alien takeover invasion of Earth, possibly altering the future.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
race from the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction 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...
. They have been at war with the Sontaran Empire
Sontaran
The Sontarans are a fictional extraterrestrial race of humanoids from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and also seen in spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. They were created by writer Robert Holmes.-Culture:...
for more than 50,000 years, and this war dominates both cultures to the exclusion of all else. The Rutans only appeared on television in the serial Horror of Fang Rock
Horror of Fang Rock
Horror of Fang Rock is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 3 September to 24 September 1977.-Synopsis:...
, in which a single Rutan is encountered, though they are mentioned in some serials featuring Sontarans (The Time Warrior
The Time Warrior
The Time Warrior is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from December 15, 1973 to January 5, 1974. This serial introduced Elisabeth Sladen as new companion Sarah Jane Smith. It also marked the debut of the Sontarans...
, The Sontaran Experiment
The Sontaran Experiment
The Sontaran Experiment is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was originally broadcast in two weekly parts on 22 February and 1 March 1975.-Synopsis:...
, The Two Doctors
The Two Doctors
The Two Doctors is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in three weekly parts from 16 February to 2 March 1985. It starred Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant as the Sixth Doctor and his companion Peri, respectively...
, The Poison Sky
The Poison Sky
"The Poison Sky" is the fifth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 3 May 2008. The episode features both former companion Martha Jones and the alien Sontarans...
and The Last Sontaran
The Last Sontaran
The Last Sontaran is the first story of Series 2 of The Sarah Jane Adventures and is a continuation of events from Doctor Who two-part story "The Sontaran Strategem" and "The Poison Sky"...
and Enemy of the Bane
Enemy of the Bane
Enemy of the Bane is a two-part story from the Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures. It was broadcast on CBBC on 1 and 8 December 2008, and is the final serial of the second series...
episodes of Doctor Who spin off The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television series, produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and starring Elisabeth Sladen...
).
Characteristics
In their natural forms, Rutans resemble large green jellyfishJellyfish
Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...
, glowing blobs of biomatter with long ropy tentacles. They are amphibious and can cling to sheer vertical surfaces, with considerable mobility out of the water despite their shape. Rutans can also generate lethal bioelectrical
Bioelectromagnetism
Bioelectromagnetism refers to the electrical, magnetic or electromagnetic fields produced by living cells, tissues or organisms. Examples include the cell membrane potential and the electric currents that flow in nerves and muscles, as a result of action potentials...
shocks, and seem to be able to absorb electrical energy directly for sustenance. They reproduce by a process similar to binary fission. Rutans can speak, although the exact mechanism by which this works is unknown as no mouth has been observed on their body. The Rutan observed in Horror of Fang Rock spoke with a harsh, tinny male voice.
Rutans are able to operate independently, and, like the Sontarans, sometimes dispatch scout units consisting of a single soldier.
Rutans have also developed advanced shape-shifting technology, allowing them to appear in any form they wish. They often use this technology to adapt to alien environments and infiltrate alien cultures; Rutans are consummate spies. A Rutan usually kills specific individuals and then impersonates them.
Other appearances
The Rutans have made appearances in the Missing AdventureVirgin Missing Adventures
The Virgin Missing Adventures were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which had been cancelled in 1989, featuring stories set between televised episodes of the programme. The novels were published from 1994 to 1997, and...
novel Lords of the Storm
Lords of the Storm
Lords of the Storm is an original novel written by David A. McIntee and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The novel features the Fifth Doctor and Turlough. The novelisation of Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans by Terrance Dicks, published as part of...
by David A. McIntee
David A. McIntee
-Biography:McIntee has written many spin-off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, as well as one each based on Final Destination and Space: 1999. He has also written a non-fiction book on Star Trek: Voyager and one jointly on the Alien and Predator movie franchises...
and in Terrance Dicks
Terrance Dicks
Terrance Dicks is an English writer, best known for his work in television and for writing a large number of popular children's books during the 1970s and 80s.- Early career :...
's New Adventure
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...
novel Shakedown (based on the spin-off
Doctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
video Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans
Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans
Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans is a film spin-off of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was released direct-to-video in 1995 and was produced by the independent production company Dreamwatch Media, a division of Dreamwatch magazine...
, also written by Dicks). These novels were both released in December 1995, and the former novel leads into the latter. Rutans are also mentioned in the Missing Adventures novel Evolution
Evolution (Doctor Who)
Evolution is an original novel written by John Peel and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. features the Fourth Doctor and Sarah....
, in which the antagonists of the story are using a sample of Rutan "healing gel" to cross-mutate humans and animals.
The novel of Shakedown elaborates that the Rutan "hive mind" is co-ordinated by a Queen who lives on their well-defended homeworld, and that without her influence the Host would fall apart. In the same novel, Rutan biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
is sufficiently advanced to "uplift
Biological uplift
In science fiction, uplift is the development or transformation of animals into an intelligent race by other, already-intelligent beings. The concept appears in David Brin's Uplift series and other science fiction works.-History of the concept:...
" a species to sentience
Sentience
Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive or be conscious, or to have subjective experiences. Eighteenth century philosophers used the concept to distinguish the ability to think from the ability to feel . In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences...
; they have done this at least once, on the planet Sentarion, where they are worshipped by the insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
oid Sentarii people as "the Shining Ones". The organic
Organic (model)
Organic describes forms, methods and patterns found in living systems such as the organisation of cells, to populations, communities, and ecosystems.Typically organic models stress the interdependence of the component parts, as well as their differentiation...
nature of Rutan technology is one of the chief differences between them and their Sontaran enemies. The video Shakedown is the only occasion in which Sontarans and Rutans have appeared together on screen.
An unspecified incarnation of 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....
(but fitting the description of the Eighth
Eighth Doctor
The Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
) brokered a peace between the Sontarans and the Rutans in the Lance Parkin
Lance Parkin
Lance Parkin is a British author, best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular Doctor Who and Emmerdale...
Past Doctor Adventures
Past Doctor Adventures
The Past Doctor Adventures were a series of spin-off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. For most of their existence, they were published side-by-side with the Eighth Doctor Adventures...
novel The Infinity Doctors
The Infinity Doctors
The Infinity Doctors is a BBC Books original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
. As with all of the spin-off media, the canonicity of the novels and videos are uncertain.
In the New Series Adventures
New Series Adventures (Doctor Who)
The New Series Adventures are a series of novels relating to the long-running BBC science fiction television series, Doctor Who. The 'NSAs', as they are often referred to, are published by BBC Books, and are regularly published in the spring and autumn of each year. Beginning and concluding with...
Quick Reads book The Sontaran Games
The Sontaran Games
The Sontaran Games is a BBC Books original novella written by Jacqueline Rayner and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Tenth Doctor as played by David Tennant. This paperback is part of the Quick Reads Initiative sponsored by the UK...
, by Jacqueline Rayner
Jacqueline Rayner
Jacqueline Rayner is a best selling British author, best known for her work with the licensed fiction based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
, it is revealed that the character Emma, who acts as the Doctor's companion-substitute in the book, is a Rutan spy disguised as a human it killed.
In the full-length New Series Adventures book The Taking of Chelsea 426
The Taking of Chelsea 426
The Taking of Chelsea 426 is a BBC Books original novel written by David Llewellyn and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Tenth Doctor without an official companion...
, by David Llewellyn
David Llewellyn
David Llewellyn may refer to:*David Llewellyn , member of the Parliament of Tasmania*David Llewellyn , British Member of Parliament for Cardiff North 1950–1959...
, the Rutans again appear alongside their enemies the Sontarans. In this book, the Rutans had learned of the Sontarans' attack on Earth in the 21st century, and had planted a cloud of spores into Saturn's atmosphere. These spores were originally intended to infect the Sontarans, after they had taken over Earth and expanded to the rest of the Solar System - however, due to the intervention of The Doctor, the Sontarans were defeated, and Humans instead reached Saturn a number of centuries later, and were infected themselves when they breathed in the spores. These spores allegedly contained Rutans, allowing them to take over the host (though the host itself remains alive). Their appearance lead to the attack of the Sontarans on Chelsea 426. The Rutans were eventually defeated by the Doctor, but had by that time infected a number of the Sontarans as well. The Sontarans then headed back to Sontaran space, unknowing that they were carrying Rutans into their territory.
The Rutans also appeared in the BBV
BBV
BBV is a video and audio production company specialising in science fiction drama, known for its links with the British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
audio play In 2 Minds, which used the idea of Rutans detached from the Host as a metaphor for the treatment of Gulf War Syndrome
Gulf War syndrome
Gulf War syndrome or Gulf War illness describes a medical condition that affected veterans and civilians who were near conflicts during or downwind of chemical weapons depot demolition, after the 1991 Gulf War. A wide range of acute and chronic symptoms have included fatigue, musculoskeletal...
sufferers by the UK and US military. 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...
encountered the Rutans in the Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
audio drama The Bellotron Incident
The Bellotron Incident
The Bellotron Incident 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.- Plot :...
.
The Fifth Doctor
Fifth Doctor
The Fifth Doctor is the fifth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison....
and Nyssa encountered the Rutans in the Big Finish audio Castle of Fear
Castle of Fear
Castle of Fear is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It contains a three part story and a one part story as well...
.
The Rutans are also waiting their upcoming appearance in the "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...
" episodic video-game, "The Gunpowder Plot", the fifth installment of "The Adventure Games" series. The sypnosis for the game includes the Doctor, Amy, and Rory encountering Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes , also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.Fawkes was born and educated in York...
and the "Rutans"/"Rutan Host
Rutan Host
Rutans are a fictional extraterrestrial race from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. They have been at war with the Sontaran Empire for more than 50,000 years, and this war dominates both cultures to the exclusion of all else...
" who attempt to use Guy Fawkes as bait for an alien takeover invasion of Earth, possibly altering the future.