The Fantasy Review’s brief history of UNIT.
UNIT (the Unified Intelligence Taskforce) has been part of Doctor Who for over 50 years, with the biggest introduction being during the Third Doctor’s era, when he was stuck on Earth.
What Is UNIT?
UNIT is a military and scientific organisation that investigates potential alien threats and technology, and defends the Earth if needed. They are similar to Torchwood, in many ways, however they are an international force.
The Origins of UNIT
In the 1968 story, The Web of Fear, Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart is a member of the British Army. He leads his team in the fight against the yeti attack. After this event, a new, alien-response taskforce is put together.
In The Invasion (1968), set after the events of The Web of Fear, we are introduced to an established UNIT.
The Brigadier Era (Late 60s–Mid 70s)
Under the Brigadier (Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart), UNIT becomes a powerful and organised protective shield for the Earth. During the Third Doctor’s banishment to Earth, we see many of their adventures, including battling:
- Autons
- The Master
- Silurians
- Cybermen
- Sea Devils
- Omega
This era of UNIT is the most iconic, and the Brigadier became a fan-favourite ally of the Doctor.
After the Brigadier (Late Classic Era)
The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Doctors continue to work with/for UNIT, but sporadically, as they have use of their TARDIS again. The Fourth Doctor joins UNIT against a rogue robot and the zygons, and future Doctors battle androids and more.
UNIT in the Modern Era (2005–2017)
With the return of Doctor Who in 2005 (I remember being sat in front of the TV to watch it by my mum – and then was terrified of going into clothes shops for a while), Torchwood was introduced, probably confusing fans of the show – Where was UNIT?
Sure, they were in the background (cleaning up the crashed pig in Aliens of London, for example) but there was no Brigadier/Brigadier replacement.
Until the Tenth Doctor meets up with UNIT as they go head-to-head against the Sontarans in The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky. We see them again, in the background, for the most part, but most prominently when the Master takes over The Valiant, and later on when Ten has a final adventure with a small group of UNIT officers during the special, Planet of the Dead.
Bloody love Malcom.
Kate Stewart (2012–present)
Introducing… Kate Lethbridge-Stewart! We meet the latest Brigadier in an adventure with the Eleventh Doctor, The Power of Three (2012). Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen all ally themselves with the latest Lethbridge, and she’s awesome!
Together, the Doctor and Kate battle:
- Zygons
- Cybermen
- Zygons again
- Cybermen… again?
At one point, after Spyfall, UNIT is shutdown and the Earth is left undefended, with both Torchwood and UNIT gone. However, they do, of course, return in The Power of the Doctor, after the events of The Flux.
This is during the Thirteenth Doctor’s time in the TARDIS, but it’s not until the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors come calling that we see how much UNIT has grown.
They are no longer hidden, instead proudly on display in an Avengers-like tower. So far, they have fought against:
- The Meep
- The Toymaker
- Sutekh
- The Rani
UNIT has employed as many of the Doctor’s former companions and allies as it can, including Ace, Tegan, Mel, Donna, Rose (Rose Noble), and Ruby. With its own spin-off show, The War Between the Land and the Sea, a lot of time and money has been put into this part of the Whoniverse, so I am sure we will see much more of them in future series.
