Kamelion: Difference between revisions
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#REDIRECT [[Companion (Doctor Who)#Fifth Doctor]] |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} |
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{{More citations needed|date=September 2008}} |
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{{R to related topic}} |
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{{notability}} |
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{{Infobox character |
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| name = Kamelion |
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| series = [[Doctor Who]] |
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| image = [[File:Kings Demons.jpg|250px|The [[Fifth Doctor]] and Kamelion in episode ''[[King Demons]]'']] |
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| caption = Kamelion (right) and the [[Fifth Doctor]] in ''[[The King's Demons]]'' |
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| first = ''[[The King's Demons]]'' (1983) |
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| last = ''[[Planet of Fire]]'' (1984)<br /> ''[[The Caves of Androzani]]'' (1984) (cameo) |
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| portrayer = [[Gerald Flood]] (voice, television)<br />[[Jon Culshaw]] (voice, Big Finish) |
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| species = [[Android (robot)|Android]] |
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| affiliation = [[Fifth Doctor]] |
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| home = Xeriphas |
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| lbl21 = Home era |
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| data21 = Unspecified |
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}} |
}} |
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'''Kamelion''' is a [[fictional character]] from the long-running British [[science fiction on television|science fiction television]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]''. A shape-changing [[Android (robot)|android]] voiced by [[Gerald Flood]] in its default form, it is a [[companion (Doctor Who)|companion]] of the [[Fifth Doctor]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Doctor Who - The Companions |first=John |last=Nathan-Turner |author-link=John Nathan-Turner |publisher=Random House |location=New York |year=1986 |isbn=0-394-88291-1 |pages=18–21 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Doctor Who - Companions |first1=David J |last1=Howe |author-link1=David J. Howe |first2=Mark |last2=Stammers |author-link2=Mark Stammers |publisher=Doctor Who Books |location=London |year=1995 |isbn=1-85227-582-0 |page=103 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/companions/page28.shtml |title=Doctor Who - Classic Series - Companions - Kamelion |publisher=BBC |access-date=2012-11-12}}</ref> and appears in the television series in two serials between 1983 and 1984. |
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==Character biography== |
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When first encountered by [[The Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]] in England, Earth, 1215 A.D. ''[[The King's Demons]]'', Kamelion is a tool of the renegade [[Time Lord]] known as [[the Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]], who is forcing Kamelion to pose as [[John, King of England|King John]].<ref>https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-guide/the-kings-demons/</ref> At the conclusion of the Master's [[Time-Flight|previous encounter]] with the Doctor, he was trapped on the planet Xeriphas. When the Master returns, he has Kamelion with him, calling it a souvenir he had picked up from there. Although Kamelion is sentient to a degree, it is also extremely weak-willed, and therefore open to manipulation by any strong personalities around it. The Doctor frees Kamelion from the Master's grip, and it joins the Doctor in the TARDIS<ref>https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-guide/the-kings-demons/</ref> (much to [[Tegan Jovanka]]'s disapproval). Here it presumably spends all the intervening time between its two full appearances, out of sight and mind—notably no reference is even made to the character on-screen otherwise. |
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Kamelion eventually falls under the Master's influence again in the serial ''[[Planet of Fire]]''. Kamelion finally begs the Doctor to destroy it,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who-ranking-the-companion-departures/|title = Doctor Who: Ranking Every Single Companion Departure|date = 7 January 2021}}</ref> and the Doctor uses the Master's tissue compression eliminator (T.C.E.) on him, shrinking him and destroying him; the last that is seen of Kamelion is the doll-sized [[robot]] shell lying on the floor, with wires hanging out of its shoulder. The Kamelion robot's last appearance is as one of the images of his companions that comes to the Fifth Doctor during his [[The Doctor (Doctor Who)#Changing faces|regeneration]] scene in ''[[The Caves of Androzani]]''. |
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==Behind the scenes== |
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{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2012}} |
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When Kamelion changed shape, it was played by the actor whose character's form it took. However, when in its default form, it was a true computer-controlled [[robot]] prop. The reason why the Kamelion robot was used fully only in two serials was that it was very difficult for the ''Doctor Who'' production team to control. It malfunctioned frequently, and things were only made worse when its inventor, Mike Power, died in a boating accident<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.denofgeek.com/dvd-bluray/8535/doctor-who-kamelion-tales-collection-dvd-review|title=Doctor Who: Kamelion Tales Collection DVD review|date=2 July 2010}}</ref> without leaving behind the knowledge of the complex codes that controlled it. A third appearance by the character in the serial ''[[The Awakening (Doctor Who)|The Awakening]]'', designed to bridge the gap between its appearances and to remind viewers of its existence and the fact that it had been 'hiding' all this time somewhere in the TARDIS, was cut for timing reasons and was never broadcast. Thought lost forever, this scene was eventually recovered on a video copy of an early edit of ''The Awakening'' episode one, in the personal archive of the late ''Doctor Who'' producer [[John Nathan-Turner]]. Presented to the [[Doctor Who Restoration Team]], it was included in the documentary ''Kamelion: Metal Man'' featured on the DVD release of ''The King's Demons''. |
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==Other appearances== |
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Kamelion is also featured in the [[Doctor Who spin-offs|spin-off]] novels ''[[The Crystal Bucephalus]]'' by [[Craig Hinton]], ''[[Imperial Moon]]'' and ''The Ultimate Treasure'' both by [[Christopher Bulis]]. In ''The Crystal Bucephalus'' its absence from the televised stories is here explained by saying that it remains secreted deep in the TARDIS for fear of being taken over by a stronger personality and used against the Doctor. Although the Doctor and Turlough request its aid while visiting a lunar park in ''Imperial Moon'', the park's force-field interferes with Kamelion's operating systems, forcing it to remain in the TARDIS until the field was shut down, although Kamelion then helps rescue the Doctor as the park's atmosphere begins to collapse. In ''The Ultimate Treasure'', it is stated that Kamelion is the product of a race known as the Gelsandorans. Some of Kamelion's personality survives due to interfacing with the TARDIS, and the Gelsandorans give it a new body only for it to sacrifice itself to save the Doctor and [[Peri Brown|Peri]]. A remnant of the interface resurfaces in the [[Virgin New Adventures]] novel ''[[Christmas on a Rational Planet]]''. |
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Kamelion also features in several short stories set in the ''Doctor Who'' universe, notably "One Perfect Twilight" by Craig Hinton (''Perfect Timing'' and ''Shelf Life''), where the Doctor realises that obedience and slavery are built into Kamelion's makeup, and "The Reproductive Cycle" by Matthew Griffiths (''[[Big Finish Short Trips|Short Trips]]: [[Short Trips: Life Science|Life Sciences]]''). In the latter story, the "child" of Kamelion and the TARDIS, who becomes a double of Peri, takes her place on Earth while the real Peri travels with the Doctor. |
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Kamelion made a surprise appearance in the [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]] audio story ''[[Doctor Who – Main Range|Circular Time]]''. A final trap set by The Master was set to trigger when the Fifth Doctor regenerated. Kamelion's mental link to the Doctor still existed, and the Master—also linked to Kamelion—was used to persuade him to not regenerate. A false life as a normal human was created within the Doctor's mind, and Kamelion watched over him as his wife (voiced by Sunny Ormonde). Kamelion ultimately went against his orders and confessed the plan when former companion [[Nyssa (Doctor Who)|Nyssa]] was able to make telepathic contact with the Doctor, who was reaching out to his old companions, allowing the Doctor to change and live. |
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Kamelion appeared further in a trilogy of Big Finish releases including: ''[[Doctor Who – Main Range|Devil in the Mist]], [[Doctor Who – Main Range|Black Thursday/Power Game]],'' and [[Doctor Who – Main Range|''The Kamelion Empire'']], which explored Kamelion's origins and backstory. In these stories, the character is voiced by comedian and impressionist [[Jon Culshaw]]. ''Devil'' sees Kamelion be seemingly taken over by an alien criminal with the power of mind control, but it is soon established that this is just Kamelion drawing on Tegan's ''belief'' that he would turn on her. ''Black Thursday'' has Kamelion become caught up in the grief of a woman after the deaths of her husband and son when he was present at their deaths in the mines, nearly killing an innocent girl to punish the mine foreman by killing his daughter in turn. ''Power Game'', Kamelion is briefly brought under the control of an other-dimensional invader who uses his power to manipulate humans to act on her behalf and convince them that they are just playing a TV game show. ''Kamelion Empire'' has the TARDIS drawn to Kamelion's home planet, where he reveals that he was essentially created as part of a discreet army of conquerors, but revolution destroyed that army in one day. The surviving control intelligence transfers his mind into Kamelion and tries to use the TARDIS to change the outcome of the war, but the Doctor is able to trap the entity back in the mainframe and destroy the interface that would allow it to leave. Kamelion asks to be left behind after this event seemingly proves he can't be trusted, but the Doctor instead provides Kamelion with a private room in the TARDIS so that he can focus on gaining control of his mind against potential external influence. |
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==The "Curse of Kamelion"== |
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In their tongue-in-cheek reference book ''Doctor Who: The Completely Useless Encyclopedia'' (1996), [[Chris Howarth]] and [[Steve Lyons (writer)|Steve Lyons]] write that "An examination of Kamelion's history reveals the possible existence of a curse of ''[[Poltergeist (1982 film)|Poltergeist]]'' proportions. Both [[Terence Dudley]] and [[Peter Grimwade]], who scripted the robot companion's appearances, have died. So too have Kamelion's human alter egos, [[Gerald Flood]] and [[Dallas Adams]], who played his 'Howard Foster' form for most of 'Planet of Fire'. To say nothing of Kamelion's software designer, Mike Power, who was killed shortly after the decision was taken to include the robot in the series. [[Eric Pringle]] should thank his lucky stars that a Kamelion sequence was edited out of 'The Awakening' and [[Virgin Missing Adventures|Missing Adventure]] scribe [[Craig Hinton]] should start worrying."<ref>Chris Howarth & Steve Lyons, ''Doctor Who: The Completely Useless Encyclopedia'' (Virgin Publishing Ltd, 1996) p.95</ref> Hinton—who penned the Missing Adventure ''The Crystal Bucephalus'', which featured Kamelion prominently—later died of a heart attack, at the age of 42, in 2006.<ref name="ogobit">{{cite news |first=Kenny |last=Davidson |author2=Paul Hayes |author3=Arnold T. Blumberg |title=Author Craig Hinton Dies |url=http://www.gallifreyone.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?id=EEyVEZEEFlqQwBOokl&tmpl=newsrss |work=[[Outpost Gallifrey]] News Page |date=2006-12-03 |access-date=2008-09-08 }}</ref> |
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==Television serials== |
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;Season 20 |
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*''[[The King's Demons]]'' |
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;Season 21 |
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*''[[The Awakening (Doctor Who)|The Awakening]]'' – scenes edited from original transmission. |
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*''[[Planet of Fire]]'' |
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*''[[The Caves of Androzani]]'' – illusion in episode 4 |
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==See also== |
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* [[List of Doctor Who robots]] |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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{{TardisIndexFile}} |
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* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/companions/page28.shtml Kamelion on the BBC's ''Doctor Who'' website] |
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{{Doctor Who companions|5}} |
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[[Category:Television characters introduced in 1983]] |
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[[Category:Doctor Who companions]] |
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[[Category:Fictional shapeshifters]] |
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[[Category:Fictional androids]] |
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[[Category:Robots in television]] |
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Latest revision as of 19:48, 6 December 2022
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