| Unified Intelligence Taskforce | |
|---|---|
 Logo used since "The Star Beast" (2023)[1] | |
| Universe | Whoniverse |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Intelligence agency,military organisation |
| Location | Worldwide
|
| Key people | |
| Purpose | Defending Earth fromextraterrestrial andparanormal threats |
| Technologies | Unreliable access toGallifreyan technology, advanced translation software, Galvanic Beam, the Vlinx |
| Powers | Military authority in UN member countries |
UNIT is a fictionalmilitary organisation from the Britishscience fiction television seriesDoctor Who and its spin-off seriesTorchwood andThe Sarah Jane Adventures. Operating under the auspices of the United Nations and initially led byBrigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, its purpose is to investigate and combatparanormal andextraterrestrial threats to Earth. Several UNIT personnel (such as the Brigadier, Sergeant Benton and Mike Yates) played a major role in the originalDoctor Who series, and it was a regular feature fromThe Invasion (1968) untilThe Seeds of Doom (1976).
Originally referred to as theUnited Nations Intelligence Taskforce, it was revealed in 2005 that the real-lifeUN was no longer happy being associated with the fictional organisation and UNIT's full name could now no longer be used (the "UNIT" and "UN" abbreviations could be used as long as it was not explained what the letters stood for).[2] The organisation was renamed to theUnified Intelligence Taskforce[3] in 2008, with the name first being used in the episode "The Sontaran Stratagem". Despite the series now distancing itself from the real-life UN, dialogue in the episode, and several since, indicates that the in-world fictional version of the United Nations still supports UNIT.[4]
In a 2014 interview, former script editorTerrance Dicks recalled that he was present at the "birth" of UNIT during the production of the 1968Doctor Who serialThe Invasion. He credited writer and script editorDerrick Sherwin and producerPeter Bryant as having come up with the idea beforehand, saying that they were testing the concept inThe Invasion before it had become central to the show in theDoctor Who serialSpearhead from Space (1970).[5] In a series of interviews originally recorded for the 2006 DVD of theDoctor Who serialInferno (1970), actorNicholas Courtney, who playedBrigadier Lethbridge-Stewart inThe Invasion, similarly describedThe Invasion as a "dummy run" for the idea ofthe Doctor, the mainprotagonist ofDoctor Who, being exiled to Earth. Dicks also said that the idea of exiling the Doctor was done because making every serial take place on Earth was cheaper to produce than if every serial had to have a new alien planet built, and that UNIT was an idea Sherwin had come up with to answer the question of what to do with the Doctor after he was exiled to Earth.[6] Speaking in an interview on the 2012 DVD of theDoctor Who serialThe Krotons (1968–69), Sherwin said that he wantedDoctor Who to be "down on Earth anyway, for credibility", and described UNIT as "the ideal vehicle" for this.[7]
In another 2014 interview inDoctor Who Magazine, Sherwin recalled that after submitting his scripts forThe Invasion to Bryant, which included UNIT, Sherwin, who was also working freelance as a script editor, was told by Bryant to introduce his UNIT idea earlier, as it could "take some of the weight off [the] shoulders" of actorPatrick Troughton, who played the Doctor.[8] Speaking in an interview on the 2011 special-edition DVD ofSpearhead from Space, Sherwin said that he had created UNIT because he wanted to give some "considerable support" to the Doctor, "so that [Troughton] didn't have so many damn lines to learn each week".[9]
Sherwin said in 2014 that while working as script editor on theDoctor Who serialThe Web of Fear (1968), which involvedBritish Army characters, he told scriptwritersMervyn Haisman andHenry Lincoln to include all of the characters that he had originally invented forThe Invasion. Sherwin was uncertain if the army forces featured inThe Web of Fear appeared as UNIT, but was "convinced" that, as a teaser for UNIT's more substantial role inThe Invasion,The Web of Fear was supposed to have replaced the basic army forces that were seen in the story.[8] Sherwin asserted that he held the copyright on Lethbridge-Stewart, as he "created him inThe Invasion".[10] In an interview recorded for the 2006 DVD release ofInferno, Sherwin describedThe Invasion as the start of UNIT and the beginning of the Doctor "coming down to Earth".[6] Production notes inDoctor Who: The Complete History credit Haisman and Lincoln as the owners of Lethbridge-Stewart, who was the army commander fromThe Web of Fear, and mention how Bryant and directorDouglas Camfield were negotiating the use of the character forThe Invasion from Haisman and Lincoln in May 1968,[11] subsequent toThe Web of Fear being broadcast in February and March.[12]The Web of Fear is also described in the notes as being a "major influence onThe Invasion".[13]
The roots of UNIT in theDoctor Who universe lie in theSecond Doctor serialThe Web of Fear (1968), following which the organisation is named and established inThe Invasion (1968).[14] According to "Survivors of the Flux" (2021), UNIT was founded in 1958 and built over the subsequent decade, with Lethbridge-Stewart joining the taskforce after it failed to act on the events of the First Doctor storyThe War Machines (1966).
FollowingThe Invasion, the contribution of scientific advice in battling extraterrestrial threats is recognised and both DrElizabeth Shaw and the exiledThird Doctor joins UNIT just in time to help defeat theAutons inSpearhead from Space (1970).[15]
UNIT continued to feature inDoctor Who afterSpearhead, but when the Third Doctor's exile is lifted inThe Three Doctors (1972–73),[16] his association with UNIT becomes more sporadic, especially after hisregeneration into hisfourth incarnation at the end ofPlanet of the Spiders (1974).[17] Although the last appearance of UNIT in the series for many years was inThe Seeds of Doom (1976),[18] the organisation continued to execute its mandate to investigate and combat alien activity. The final appearance of UNIT during the original run ofDoctor Who was the Seventh Doctor serialBattlefield (1989).[19]
UNIT is mentioned by both its acronym and full name in the2005 series episodes "Aliens of London" and "World War Three", where it sent a delegation to a gathering of experts at10 Downing Street.[20][21] UNIT appeared again the same year in "The Christmas Invasion".[22] In addition toDoctor Who, UNIT has also featured in the spin-off seriesTorchwood[23] andThe Sarah Jane Adventures.[24]
From "The Power of Three" (2012), the first on screen appearance of UNIT in anyWhoniverse media since the two-partDoctor Who special "The End of Time" in 2009–2010, UNIT has been shown to have been reorganised by Kate Stewart, the Brigadier's daughter.[25]
In the 2019 New Year special "Resolution", theThirteenth Doctor attempts to call on Kate Stewart for assistance, but discovers UNIT operations have been suspended and replaced with an outsourced call centre, due to a diplomatic argument over funding.[26]
In the 2020 New Year's Day episode, "Spyfall, Part 1", it is stated that UNIT andTorchwood no longer exist.[27] The 2021 episode "Survivors of the Flux" reveals it to be caused by Grand Serpent, a political figure who assumed the identity of Prentis and was instrumental in UNIT's formation, to facilitate the Sontarans’ invasion of Earth during the Flux crisis. UNIT is resurrected in the 2022 BBC Centenary special "The Power of the Doctor", once again under the leadership of Kate Stewart with a new building in London which is demolished by the end of the episode to defeat theCybermen.
By the time of the 202360th anniversary specials UNIT has relocated to a new headquarters in a skyscraper in theCity of London, while remaining under the leadership of Kate Stewart.
UNIT's status is supported by enabling legislation that allows it to assumeemergency powers when necessary.[28] Although it operates under the authority of the United Nations, its members are seconded from the host country's military and are still bound to obey thatchain of command.[15] Within the UK section of UNIT, ranks are those of theBritish Army: Lethbridge-Stewart is aBrigadier,[14] Yates is a Captain,[29] a Major appears inThe Seeds of Doom (1976) and "The Christmas Invasion" (2005),[22] and a Colonel and Captain appear in "The Sontaran Stratagem"/"The Poison Sky" (2008).[4][30] UNIT personnel are seconded from theRoyal Navy, British Army andRoyal Air Force, and are still bound by the UKchain of command. Major Blake reports to the Prime Minister in "The Christmas Invasion".[22] UNIT is able to call on the conventional military branches for support, and inThe Seeds of Doom gets the RAF to provide precision air-strikes. Due to the international nature of the organisation, it is sometimes viewed with suspicion by local military and national security agencies, who feel that it might impinge on their sovereignty.[31] UNIT's existence is known to the public, but mainly as a security organisation with scientific expertise;[16] its actual agenda is classified. Although the Brigadier originally states that UNIT do not arrest people,[32] as of the 21st century, UNIT has the authority to detain persons indefinitely without trial, appeal, outside contact or legal representation, as experienced byToshiko Sato before she was recruited to work for the British government by theTorchwood Institute in a flashback in theTorchwood episode "Fragments" (2008).[33] The organisation was rearranged by Kate Stewart, the daughter of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. In "The Power of Three" (2012), Kate heads UNIT's scientific research department, which now has authority over the military branch.[25]
The British troops of UNIT have been armed with standard British Army weapons such as theL1A1 Self-Loading Rifle,Sterling submachine gun, andBrowning Hi-Power pistol, and they have worn58 pattern webbing. They are also shown using heavy weaponry such as bazookas, machine guns, mortars and, inTerror of the Zygons (1975), adepth charge launcher.[34] ForBattlefield (1989), they have theSteyr AUG assault rifle while the Brigadier still uses aWebley Revolver.[19] In the 2000s, they useHeckler & Koch G36C carbine, theM4 carbine (with different scopes used such asACOG andholographic weapon sights, as well as equippingCQB receivers for indoor use[30][35]),SIG P226 pistols, and for heavy duty, useStinger missile launchers. In "The Power of Three", they are further equipped with PASGT helmets, goggles, and riot armour for their shins.[25]
UNIT's personnel have a wide range ofweaponry to call on, some custom-made to combat specific threats. Among these are special ammunition described by the Brigadier inBattlefield asarmour-piercing rounds with a solid core andTeflon coating which "could go through a Dalek".[19] Other munitions includeexplosiverounds for Yetis, other armour-piercing rounds for robots, and gold-tipped rounds for use against theCybermen (as well as silver bullets as suggested by the Doctor),[19] and rad-steel coated bullets to neutralise Sontaran anti-bullet fields that target copper.[30]
InThe Invasion (1968), UNIT has a command centre established in the cargo hold of aLockheed Hercules military transport aircraft.[14]The Dæmons (1971) features the UNIT Mobile HQ, a large bus-like vehicle that could be driven to the site of an incident.[36] A mobile command centre is also shown in "The Sontaran Stratagem" and "The Poison Sky", where it is depicted as a blackarticulated lorry with UNIT insignia.[4][30]
UNIT employs unarmed helicopters for transport.[37] It is also shown using a tank inRobot (1974–75).[38] In "Planet of the Dead" (2009), it uses trucks withSAM launchers.[39]
In "The Christmas Invasion", UNIT is shown to have translation software which can decipher alien languages with great accuracy. The software, or at least the results from the translation, can be loaded on a hand-held device.[22]
In "The Poison Sky", UNIT is shown to be able to command and co-ordinate the world's combined nuclear arsenal for strategic strikes on orbiting alien craft.[30]
In "The Sound of Drums" (2007), theflying aircraft carrier theValiant is introduced.[40] TheValiant is also shown (in "The Poison Sky") to be equipped with a scaled down version of theTorchwood Institute weapon that destroyed the Sycorax ship in "The Christmas Invasion".[22][30]
It is mentioned inThe Sarah Jane Adventures storyDeath of the Doctor (2010) that UNIT has a Moonbase.[41]
In "The Power of Three", UNIT is shown to have a scientific research department with a large laboratory in the base beneath the Tower of London. During the story, the laboratory is dedicated to studying cubes that appeared out of nowhere. Kate Stewart, daughter of the Brigadier and head of the scientific research department, has a handheld device that can scan a body (picking up theEleventh Doctor's twin hearts), and also serves as a communication device. The computers at UNIT HQ can detect anomalies such as artron energy spikes, and can also access CCTV on the streets. There is also mention of them using helicopters and tanks while testing the destructibility of the cubes.[25]
"The Day of the Doctor" (2013) shows that the Tower of London base contains the Black Archive housing various alien technological devices that UNIT has salvaged over the years and kept hidden away. Protected by various alien defences that erase the memories of visitors to ensure that they cannot reveal what is inside the Archive, the Archive is also 'TARDIS-proof', and has been used by UNIT as a means of assessingthe Doctor'scompanions to confirm whether they can be trusted. UNIT is also shown to at least have access to the Under-Gallery, a secret gallery containing works of art dating back to theElizabethan era thatElizabeth I ordered locked away as they were too dangerous for the public.[37]
Across the eras, UNIT have been identified with different styles of uniform.
ForThe Invasion, Privates and Corporals woreNo.7 dress, while ranks of Sergeant and above wore uniforms based onNo.4 dress, but lacking buttons and with the jacket – which appears to be fastened byvelcro – tucked into the trousers. All UNIT members wore oval patches with 'U.N.I.T' embroidered on them on their left sleeves and NCOs wore their badges of rank on their right sleeves.[14] Sand/Beige coloured berets, similar to those worn by theSpecial Air Service with the black UNIT logo on a round white background as a cap badge were worn by all ranks. For UNIT's next appearance,Spearhead from Space (1970), the No.4s became uniform for all ranks, except for two radar operators seen in the opening who wear No.7s; the female officer wearing a tie with a UNIT logo printed on.[15] The No.4 style of uniform stayed throughoutDoctor Who and the Silurians (1970).[42]
Christine Rawlins had a new futuristic-looking design produced forThe Ambassadors of Death (1970), which features only in this story. All ranks are given khaki-coloured zip-up jackets without lapels, which are worn over tan rolled-neck sweaters. The Brigadier retained his No.4 uniform.[31]
ForInferno (1970), these changed toDenison smock camouflage uniforms.[43] FromTerror of the Autons, producerBarry Letts decided to have UNIT wearing 1960 pattern fatigues, as well as appropriate contemporary British Army or RAF uniform, such asservice dress andbarrack dress. The UNIT patches and tan berets remain standard, although personnel are also seen in British Army peaked caps with regulation cap badges.[29]
InTerror of the Zygons, they wearDPM camouflage jackets and tactical black cap badges.[34]The Android Invasion (1975) sees them wearing barrack dress,[44] which they also wear for their brief appearance inThe Seeds of Doom (1976).[18]
UNIT then had a lengthy absence from the screen. They made a small cameo appearance in "The Five Doctors" (1983), which sees Colonel Crichton wearing service dress and a Sergeant in barrack dress, both with the oval patches on their uniform. Captain Yates returns in the serial also wearing service dress but with no markings.[45]
For their full return inBattlefield, their look was completely updated. Their appearance in this serial is close to the real-world United Nations Peacekeeping troop outfits. UNIT are represented by a nuclear missile convoy wearing UN issued blue berets and DPM camouflage. They have a new UNIT insignia patch of a winged globe, which is worn the upper sleeves and beret. There is also aCzech engineer team wearing Czech camouflage with the same UN issued blue beret as the convoy. The Brigadier returns, wearing at different times service dress, barrack dress, and DPM while wearing a cap rather than beret.[19]
After the series was cancelled and recommissioned, UNIT first had a minor appearance in the episode "Aliens of London" (2005). In this episode, UNIT were represented by four high-ranking US military officers, wearingArmy Service Uniform with real UN peacekeeper patches on the sleeves, andNavy Service Uniform. Only the female officers wore headwear, the Army officer agarrison cap, the Navy officer a white female variationcombination cap.[20]
UNIT's first major appearance in the new series was in "The Christmas Invasion" in 2005. Here, a new insignia has been designed based on theBattlefield version. The troopers wear black uniforms consisting of police clothing/SAS Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) Wing overalls and a red Royal Military Police beret, and equipment. Insignia is a small silver-metal UNIT parawings on a red beret and a large UNIT Parawing patch worn over the left breast pocket on the utility vest or fatigues. Commanding officers wearNo. 2 service dress with UNIT insignia.[22] Variations include Captain Magambo from "Turn Left" (2008) wearing a black version of service dress with a red beret,[46] and Colonel Karim inThe Sarah Jane Adventures storyDeath of the Doctor wearing black civilian clothes with UNIT insignia and rank epaulettes.[41]
UNIT returns in the series 7 episode "The Power of Three". Their uniforms in this series are an alteration of the uniforms seen since 2005. They no longer wear ID cards on the right breast pocket, and appear to lack the logos on the arms. They wear PASGT helmets with black covering and black goggles in place of berets. They also wear riot armour for their forearms and shins, and plain black brassards on the left arm. The scientific research department that now serves as the head of UNIT consists of plainclothes civilians.[25]
The series 8 episode "Death in Heaven" introduces an officer uniform, consisting of black or navy-blue jacket and trousers, white shirt and black tie, with medal ribbons and rank epaulettes, inspired by (but not identical to) officers' No. 2 service dress, sans the gloves, peaked cap and Sam Browne shoulder belt.
The Doctor, the mainprotagonist ofDoctor Who, is a member of UNIT. In "Aliens of London", after reading up about the Doctor during his twelve-month absence,Mickey Smith tellsRose Tyler that theNinth Doctor knows UNIT because "he's worked for them".[20] In "The Sontaran Stratagem",Colonel Mace tells theTenth Doctor, "Technically speaking, you're still on staff."[4] In "The Day of the Doctor", theEleventh Doctor tellsClara Oswald that he works for UNIT and that UNIT is his "job".[37] In "Death in Heaven" (2014),Kate Stewart describes theTwelfth Doctor as "technically" still "on the payroll", as he never resigned.[47]
Prominent members of the British contingent of UNIT includeDr. Elizabeth Shaw,[15]Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart,[14] Sergeant Benton,[31] Captain Yates, UNIT operativeJo Grant[29] and later,Surgeon-Lieutenant Harry Sullivan, RN.[38] After leaving the Doctor,Martha Jones joins UNIT.[4] InThe Claws of Axos (1971), an American agent named Bill Filer was sent fromWashington to assist in the hunt forthe Master.[48] Kate Stewart, the Brigadier's daughter, becomes Head of Scientific Research[25] and Chief Scientific Officer,[37] and then Commander in Chief of UNIT, and appears in multiple episodes beginning with "The Power of Three" in 2012.[25]
The 1970 serialInferno sees theThird Doctor visit a parallel universe. In this reality, Great Britain is a fascist republic, where the Royal Family was executed for treason in 1943, as depicted in the novelI, Alastair; the novel also shows that this universe's leader of Britain was an associate ofOswald Mosley, and eventually became leader of the country following the downfall of the old order, with his picture being visible in the Brigade Leader's office inInferno. The parallel version of the British contingent of UNIT is anSS-like state paramilitary organisation known as theRepublican Security Forces (RSF), manning their version of the drilling project as a "scientific labour camp".
They are armed with a mixture of Soviet and German weapons, such as theSKS rifle and theWalther P38 pistol. Their rank system uses titles based loosely on that of theBritish Union of Fascists: Sergeant Benton is Platoon Under Leader Benton, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart is Brigade Leader Lethbridge-Stewart, and Elizabeth Shaw, a soldier rather than a scientist in their dimension, has the rank of Section Leader (which appears to be an officer rank). Their uniforms consist of contemporary US Army olive green military fatigues for Other Ranks, tan uniforms with black rank slides on the shoulders (based on thebrown shirts) for officers, and black garrison caps with white piping and an RSF cap-badge as head-dress for both. The organisation has full authority to interrogate, court-martial, and formally execute prisoners as they see fit under the "Defence of the Republic Act, 1943".
By the end of the story, most of the members of the RSF are killed when a volcanic cataclysm engulfed Great Britain and left much of their world devastated.[43]
UNIT has also been featured in manyDoctor Who spin-offs. Different spin-offs have made varying attempts to be consistent with other stories.
In 1984, a stage comedy titledRecall UNIT: The Great T-Bag Mystery was produced, written byRichard Franklin (Captain Yates) who reprised his character in the play. The cast also includedJohn Levene as Benton, and the play was performed between 20 and 24 August as part of theEdinburgh Fringe Festival.[63] Due to other commitments,Nicholas Courtney was unable to appear as the Brigadier, but pre-recorded a telephone message from Lethbridge-Stewart which was written into the plot.
The novelisation ofRemembrance of the Daleks (1990) byBen Aaronovitch mentions that the troops that Gilmore commands were from the "Intrusion Counter-Measures Group".[64]UNIT Exposed, the 1991Doctor Who Magazine Winter Special, suggests that the ICMG is a forerunner of UNIT.
BothVirgin Publishing'sMissing Adventures[vague][which?][citation needed] andBBC Books'Past Doctor Adventures[vague][which?] have set stories in the UNIT era and have revealed new information about UNIT's past, present and future. The novelBusiness Unusual sees the Sixth Doctor assist UNIT in an investigation involving the now-retired Brigadier being held prisoner by the agents of the Nestene Consciousness, whileDeep Blue sees the Fifth Doctor interact with the Third Doctor's UNIT colleagues at a time when his past self was away.Bullet Times pits the Seventh Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith against a branch of UNIT known as the 'Cortez Project', who considerany alien activity on Earth to be dangerous even if said aliens have no hostile intent, forcing the Doctor to discreetly work with a Chinese triad to help a crashed alien ship repair itself and depart.
No Future (1994) byPaul Cornell featured an intelligence section of UNIT in an alternate 1970s called Broadsword. Broadsword agents wore plain clothes and were "hand-picked to offer us lateral and non-military solutions, backed up bySAS training and sheer common sense".[65]
The 1996New Adventures novelJust War byLance Parkin mentions "LONGBOW", a world security organisation set up by theLeague of Nations that encountered the occasional extraterrestrial incident but was disbanded after it and the League failed to preventWorld War II.[66]
The standalone 1996 Virgin novelWho Killed Kennedy byDavid Bishop, which provides a fictional history of UNIT from aninvestigative journalist's perspective, reveals Lethbridge-Stewart's role in proposing the formation of UNIT after the Yeti incident.[67]
By the 26th century, UNIT has transformed into asecret society called the Unitatus, pledged to defend the Earth against alien threats, first seen in Parkin'sCold Fusion (1996).[68]
The Dying Days (1997), also by Parkin, names the French division of UNIT as NUIT (NationsUniesIntelligenceTaskforce).[69]
The Unitatus lasts at least until the 30th century, according toSo Vile a Sin (1997) by Ben Aaronovitch andKate Orman.[70]
The Devil Goblins from Neptune (1997) byKeith Topping andMartin Day introduced a division within theCentral Intelligence Agency headed by a man known only as Control,[71] which has featured as a rival to UNIT in subsequent novelsThe King of Terror andEscape Velocity,King seeing the Fifth Doctor working with the Brigadier on an investigation in 1999 that forces them to work with the CIA and Control, andEscape depicting Control trying to deal with a new alien presence on Earth before UNIT discover it, only for the threat to be thwarted by the amnesicEighth Doctor.Alien Bodies (1997) byLawrence Miles introduced a more ruthless UN division called UNISYC (UnitedNationsIntelligenceSecurityYardCorps), which by the 2040s has replaced UNIT.[72]
The Face of the Enemy (1998) byDavid A. McIntee has the British branch of UNIT facing a menace without theThird Doctor to help them, as he andJo Grant are elsewhere (and elsewhen) experiencing the television serialThe Curse of Peladon.[73]
The Southeast Asian contingent of UNIT is identified in McIntee'sBullet Time (2001) as UNIT-SEA.[74]
The 2003Eighth Doctor AdventureEmotional Chemistry bySimon A. Forward names the Russian division of UNIT ОГРОН (OGRON) (ОперативнаяГруппаРазведкиОбъединённыхНаций, or,OperativnayaGruppaRazvedkiObyedinyonnihNatsiy, which roughly translates as "United Nations Reconnaissance Operations Group").[75]
One story in theDoctor Who Magazinecomic strip,Final Genesis (DWM #203–206), is set in aparallel universe in which humanity has made peace with theSilurians, and UNIT has become theUnitedRacesIntelligenceCommand.[76]
TheEighth Doctor comic stripThe Flood (DWM #346–353) establishes that the BritishSecret Intelligence Service (MI6) views UNIT with some degree of contempt in the early 21st century, and deliberately does not inform them when it detects aCyberman incursion due to this and other unspecified problems with the United Kingdom's relationship with the United Nations.[77]
TheTenth Doctor comic stripThe Age of Ice (DWM #408–411) is set in UNIT's Australian base beneathSydney Harbour.[78] TheEleventh Doctor stripThe Golden Ones (DWM #425–428) introduces UNIT Japan.[79]
UNIT has also appeared in cameo roles in unrelated comics. In issue No. 218 ofUncanny X-Men, a character identified as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart is seen briefly from behind, addressing a Sergeant-Major Benton who is loading an unconsciousJuggernaut into a lorry;2000 AD'sCaballistics, Inc. strip has Lethbridge-Stewart (referred to solely by rank) appearing in several adventures as a military liaison and referring toThe Web of Fear; andHip Flask has a 22nd-century UNIT tied into the origins of the Elephantmen.[80]Marvel Comics also has two major characters called DrAlistaire Stuart (who has claimed to know "a chap from Gallifrey") and BrigadierAlysande Stuart, Scientific Advisor and commander, respectively, of Britain's Weird Happenings Organisation (W.H.O.) taskforce.
The Titan ComicsNinth Doctor series includes a storyline where the Ninth Doctor,Rose Tyler and CaptainJack Harkness work with UNIT in the mid-1970s when rival anti-alien organization 'Avalon Defence' try to undermine UNIT's reputation so that they can take over in exchange for financial benefits. The storyline concludes with UNIT nurse Tara Misha joining the TARDIS crew after she sacrifices her own reputation to expose Avalon's deceptions.
Analternate universe version of UNIT and the Brigadier appear in theDoctor Who Unbound audio playSympathy for the Devil (2003), produced byBig Finish Productions. In this story, UNIT is commanded by the abrasive Colonel Brimmicombe-Wood. The story concerns a UNIT that never had the Third Doctor working for it, with many different outcomes;Terror of the Autons resulted in "the Plastic Purges", Mike Yates died on a time-travel mission to destroy the Silurians, and so on.[81]
In December 2004, Big Finish releasedUNIT: Time Heals, the first audio drama in aUNIT spin-off series, which features a retired General Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart as an advisor to a new generation of officers.[82] A preview episode (given away free withDoctor Who Magazine No. 351, and later available as a free download on the Big Finish website),[83]UNIT: The Coup, has Lethbridge-Stewart finally breaking decades of secrecy by informing a press conference of UNIT's true purpose as humanity's first line of defence against the unknown (although, as it turns out, the general public believe this to be a hoax).[84]
The protagonists for most of this series are Colonel Emily Chaudhry, Lieutenant Will Hoffman and Colonel Robert Dalton. Hoffman and Dalton are killed in the third instalment,UNIT: The Longest Night (2005).[85] The fourth play,UNIT: The Wasting (2005), features this universe's version of Brimmicombe-Wood, and is revealed to have been the commander of ICIS all along, and working to destroy UNIT from within.[86] The short story "The Terror of the Darkness" in the collectionShort Trips: A Day in the Life (2005) reveals that Chaudhry and Hoffman had previously travelled with theSixth Doctor.[87] Their adventures then continue in "Incongruous Details" inShort Trips: The Centenarian (2006)[88] before ending inShort Trips: Defining Patterns (2008).[89]
Following the death of Lethbridge-Stewart's actorNicholas Courtney in 2011, in 2015, Big Finish announced a new series of UNIT audio dramas to be released in six-month intervals beginning withUNIT: Extinction in November. The series features Lethbridge-Stewart's daughter Kate Stewart in her role as Head of Scientific Research, as established in "The Power of Three" (2012), and is the first time that Big Finish have been licensed elements from the 2005 revival series fromBBC Worldwide.[90]
In 1987,John Levene reprised his role as Benton for a made-for-video film entitledWartime. Produced byReeltime Pictures, this was the first independently madeDoctor Who spin-off film.[91] In 1997, the film was revised with voice-over dialogue provided byNicholas Courtney in character as Lethbridge-Stewart.[92] The Brigadier himself got a made-for-video film,Downtime, which also sees appearances from UNIT and a corrupt UNIT officer named Captain Cavendish.[93]
BBV have made atrilogy of UNIT videos involving the Autons, although they feature none of the original members, with the main character being Lockwood (a codename for the otherwise nameless UNIT Operative 8954B)—an investigator with psychic powers. The trilogy introduced one of UNIT's facilities (the Warehouse) for containing the remains of alien technology; the Containment Team responsible for these facilities and preventing alien outbreaks at them; and the Internal Security Division.[94][95][96]
In the internetFlash animationScream of the Shalka, Major Kennet handsthe Doctor a folder with a UNIT crest on it.[97]
For the new television series, BBC created afaux website for UNIT,[98] complete with"easter eggs" that can be accessed by the reader with the passwords "bison" and "buffalo" (the latter mentioned on screen in "World War Three"). The 'public' part of the website advertises UNIT Conferences and publications relating to "extra-territorial threats", as well as press releases on the establishment of a central New York Liaison office; the press releases and publications also make reference to off-screen adventures, such as theSkaniska Incident andJersey Tollgate Situation, with the most recent covering the events of "The Christmas Invasion" (2005) ("Alien Life Confirmed"). The Secure Login link, using the password "badwolf" (originally "bison") uncovers a 'private' section which provides UNIT point-of-view reports about various events in the 2005 series, as well as mention of missions such asThe Fourth Reich andGuatemala "Big Locust" Problem. Due to the objections by the United Nations as noted above, the letters "UN" are no longer expanded to "United Nations" on the website.
The original 1963–1989 series presents conflicting evidence about when the stories featuring UNIT are meant to take place, and there has been much confusion and continuing fan debate on this subject. Initially the production team intended for the UNIT stories to take place in the 1980s.[99] In the 1975 storyPyramids of Mars, Sarah Jane Smith explicitly states that she is "from 1980",[100] but the 1983 storyMawdryn Undead explicitly states that the Brigadier retired from UNIT in 1976 and that Warrant Officer Benton left the army in 1979.[101]
A reference to this confusion appeared in the 2008 episode "The Sontaran Stratagem", where the Doctor was unsure if his time on the UNIT staff took place during the 1970s or the 1980s.[4][102] Similarly,The Sarah Jane Adventures storyThe Lost Boy displays a UNIT file on Sarah Jane Smith which says, "The service quickly expanded, making our presence felt in a golden period that spanned the sixties, the seventies, and, some would say, the eighties." Yet another reference occurred in "The Day of the Doctor", where Kate Stewart refers to "one ofmy father's incident files. Codename: Cromer. Seventies or eighties depending on the dating protocol".[37] TheCromer wording is a reference to the 1972–73-storyThe Three Doctors which, as well as being the first time that Doctors from different eras come together to fight a common foe[16] was the occasion where Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, on first being transported to an alien world, likened it to the Norfolk coastal town ofCromer.[16] Kate Stewart again refers to the confusion when she describes events fromTerror of the Zygons as occurring in the "'70s (or) '80s" ("The Zygon Invasion").[103]
A possible justification for at least some of these dating anomalies can be found in the audio adventureThe Legacy of Time: The Split Infinitive, when a temporal anomaly results in the 1960s and 1970s becoming briefly linked when a flawed time travel experiment essentially splits an individual between these eras. When the crisis concludes after the Seventh Doctor brings the two aspects together, he notes that the resulting temporal explosion will cause a range of minor anomalies to anyone in this era who has dealt with time travel, reflecting that this explains how someone who was working in the eighties could have retired in the seventies.
The episode "Survivors of the Flux" makes reference to the conflicting dates during a scene in which Kate Stewart accuses The Grand Serpent of deliberately tampering with evidence, photographs and dates to cover up his infiltration of UNIT.[104]
The concept of UNIT has been generally well received byDoctor Who fans. InAndrew Cartmel'sThrough Time: An Unauthorised and Unofficial History of Doctor Who, the sharp contrast between the Doctor's eccentric personality and the seriousness and normality of UNIT is described by Cartmel as an "inspired stroke".[105]
The organisation is often seen within the context of other international organisations which featured in science fiction of the post-war era. Among others, these included SMERSH andSPECTRE from theJames Bond novels,S.H.I.E.L.D. fromMarvel Comics, andU.N.C.L.E. fromThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.—like UNIT, intended as a fictional United Nations intelligence agency.[105] There was even a one-season wonder telecast by NBC, in 1979, in whichRobert Conrad playedA Man Called Sloane who worked for a top-secret agency openly called UNIT.[citation needed]
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