Doctor Whoshowrunner Russell T Davies dives into the secret behind the season 15 premiere’s monsters, shining a light on their creation and a throwback to classic sci-fi machines. Season 15 of the long-running series sees Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor, as he embarks on a mission to helpnew and reluctant companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu)get back to her own time. In the season 15 premiere, “The Robot Revolution,” a complicated and unintentional disturbance in timesees Belinda crowned the queen of the world amid a civil war between man and machine.
As the Doctor and Belinda came face to face with the hulking robotic footsoldiers in season 15’s opening episode, Davies opened up toDoctor Who Unleashedabout the villains of the story. Despite how far the series has come from its roots in 1960s sci-fi,the robots were intentionally envisioned with a retro look that played into their subservienceand surprising polite side. Check out Davies’s full response below:
“I just wanted the aesthetic of the 1950s. There’s something a bit dumb about the robots. If they’d been very modern AI robots, they would have looked a bit too stupid. So they’ve got a bit of old-fashionedness. They’ve almost got an old-fashioned courtesy about them, and there’s almost a politeness about them. So that made me think there should be something a bit retro about them. So once you start thinking of that, once you start thinking of robots. And I wanted them to have great big laser guns. I love those laser guns. An old-fashionedness just creeped into it and it just became the 1950s. That kind of bled into the whole thing and became part of the style and design of it, and it’s lovely. I love it.”
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His explanation of the robots' designs does align with their role in the season 15 premiere, despite their colossal builds and brutal war with the biological citizens of Missbelidachandra. Though they may be unafraid to take on offensive roles,they are always seen seeking a more civil approach to situations with an upbeat toneas they consider their orders. These traits immediately make it clear that something else is behind the sudden conflict that threw the planet into chaos.
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As Belinda decides to take a more selfless approach to resolving the conflict, the story soon reveals thatthe AI Generator overlord is more machine than initially believed, revealing that the time fracture led to the robots apprehendingBelinda’s ex-boyfriend Alan (Jonny Green)to lead them ten years before the story began. However, Alan was controlling and consistently determined to coerce Belinda, and his behavior only worsened once he was given a seat of power. As such, the robot’s retro appearance and behaviors play into the story’s commentary on toxic masculinity, given how easily they were turned.
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The Missbelindachandra Robots Stand Out Among Whoniverse Heavyweights
Doctor Whohas no shortage of mechanical menaces, as seen with longtime foes such as the Daleks and the Cybermen. While their designs have evolved as the sci-fi genre and production standards have changed, the Missbelindachanra foot soldier robots are a clearer throwback, giving them a distinct place within the Whoniverse. With Davies' eye for retro aesthetics, many viewers may be left wondering if upcoming season 15 villains will have a similar philosophy behind their look.
New episodes ofDoctor Whoseason 15 air Saturdays in the U.S. on Disney+ and in the United Kingdom on BBC iPlayer.
