93-535: UNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures . Operating under the auspices of the United Nations and initially led by Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart , its purpose is to investigate and combat paranormal and extraterrestrial threats to Earth. Several UNIT personnel (such as
186-538: A garrison cap , the Navy officer a white female variation combination cap . 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 the Battlefield 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
279-470: A 2014 interview, former script editor Terrance Dicks recalled that he was present at the "birth" of UNIT during the production of the 1968 Doctor Who serial The Invasion . He credited writer and script editor Derrick Sherwin and producer Peter Bryant as having come up with the idea beforehand, saying that they were testing the concept in The Invasion before it had become central to the show in
372-471: A Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) would be such a temporary grouping that includes elements of more than one armed service and more than one nation. Douglas Camfield Douglas Gaston Sydney Camfield (8 May 1931 – 27 January 1984) was a British television director , active from the 1960s to the 1980s. Camfield studied at the York School of Art and aimed to work for The Walt Disney Company . He
465-500: A balanced, combined combat force. The formations only differ in their ability to achieve different scales of application of force to achieve different strategic, operational and tactical goals and mission objectives." It is a composite military organization that includes a mixture of integrated and operationally attached sub-units, and is usually combat-capable. Examples of formations include divisions , brigades , battalions , wings , etc. Formation may also refer to tactical formation ,
558-453: A cap rather than beret. 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, wearing Army Service Uniform with real UN peacekeeper patches on the sleeves, and Navy Service Uniform . Only the female officers wore headwear, the Army officer
651-592: A command is a collection of units and formations under the control of a single officer, although during World War II a command was also a name given to a battlegroup in the United States Army . In general, it is an administrative and executive strategic headquarters that is responsible to the national government or the national military headquarters . It is not uncommon for a nation's services to each consist of their own command (such as Land Component, Air Component, Naval Component, and Medical Component in
744-424: A fraction of personnel in infantry units. In western militaries, a joint force is defined as a unit or formation comprising representation of combat power from two or more branches of the military. Gendarmeries , military police and security forces , including equivalents such as paramilitary forces , militia , internal troops and police tactical unit , are an internal security service common in most of
837-535: 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. For their full return in Battlefield , their look was completely updated. Their appearance in this serial
930-610: A long time, and were devised by various military thinkers throughout European history. For example, the modern Corps was first introduced in France about 1805 by Napoleon as a more flexible tactical grouping of two or more divisions during the Napoleonic Wars . OF 8: Lieutenant General OR-2: private first class Rungs may be skipped in this ladder: for example, typically NATO forces skip from battalion to brigade. Likewise, only large military powers may have organizations at
1023-733: A means of assessing the Doctor 's companions 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 the Elizabethan era that Elizabeth I ordered locked away as they were too dangerous for the public. Across the eras, UNIT have been identified with different styles of uniform. For The Invasion , Privates and Corporals wore No.7 dress , while ranks of Sergeant and above wore uniforms based on No.4 dress , but lacking buttons and with
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#17327795701121116-485: A member of the government's cabinet , usually known as a minister of defence . In presidential systems , such as the United States , the president is the commander-in-chief , and the cabinet-level defense minister is second in command. Subordinated to that position are often secretaries for specific major operational divisions of the armed forces as a whole, such as those that provide general support services to
1209-482: A part of military or paramilitary organizations, such as insurgent forces, often emulate military organizations, or use these structures. The use of formalized ranks in a hierarchical structure came into widespread use with the Roman Army . In modern times, executive control, management and administration of military organization is typically undertaken by governments through a government department within
1302-491: A squadron of tanks augmented with infantry, or the combination of a full company of infantry with a full squadron of tanks. During World War II the Red Army used the same basic organizational structure. However, in the beginning many units were greatly underpowered and their size was actually one level below on the ladder that is usually used elsewhere; for example, a division in the early-WWII Red Army would have been about
1395-593: A stage comedy titled Recall UNIT: The Great T-Bag Mystery was produced, written by Richard Franklin (Captain Yates) who reprised his character in the play. The cast also included John Levene as Benton, and the play was performed between 20 and 24 August as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Due to other commitments, Nicholas Courtney was unable to appear as the Brigadier, but pre-recorded
1488-641: A telephone message from Lethbridge-Stewart which was written into the plot. The novelisation of Remembrance of the Daleks (1990) by Ben Aaronovitch mentions that the troops that Gilmore commands were from the "Intrusion Counter-Measures Group". UNIT Exposed , the 1991 Doctor Who Magazine Winter Special , suggests that the ICMG is a forerunner of UNIT. Both Virgin Publishing 's Missing Adventures and BBC Books ' Past Doctor Adventures have set stories in
1581-703: A temporary grouping for a specific operational purpose. Aside from administrative hierarchical forms of organization that have evolved since the early 17th century in Europe, fighting forces have been grouped for specific operational purposes into mission-related organizations such as the German Kampfgruppe or the U.S. Combat Team (Army) and Task Force (Navy) during the Second World War, or the Soviet Operational manoeuvre group during
1674-399: A wide range of weaponry to call on, some custom-made to combat specific threats. Among these are special ammunition described by the Brigadier in Battlefield as armour-piercing rounds with a solid core and Teflon coating which "could go through a Dalek". Other munitions include explosive rounds for Yetis, other armour-piercing rounds for robots, and gold-tipped rounds for use against
1767-519: A world security organisation set up by the League of Nations that encountered the occasional extraterrestrial incident but was disbanded after it and the League failed to prevent World War II . The standalone 1996 Virgin novel Who Killed Kennedy by David Bishop , which provides a fictional history of UNIT from an investigative journalist's perspective, reveals Lethbridge-Stewart's role in proposing
1860-507: Is a civil law enforcement agency . A number of countries have no navy, for geographical reasons. In larger armed forces, the cultures between the different branches of the armed forces can be quite different. Most smaller countries have a single organization that encompasses all armed forces employed by the country in question. Armies of developing countries tend to consist primarily of infantry , while developed countries armies tend to have larger units manning expensive equipment and only
1953-538: 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 wear No. 2 service dress with UNIT insignia. Variations include Captain Magambo from " Turn Left " (2008) wearing a black version of service dress with a red beret, and Colonel Karim in The Sarah Jane Adventures story Death of
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#17327795701122046-481: 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 a Czech 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
2139-593: Is considered its sub-unit or minor unit. It is not uncommon in the United States for unit and formation to be used synonymously. In Commonwealth practice, formation is not used for smaller organizations such as battalions, which are instead called "units", and their constituent platoons or companies are referred to as sub-units. In the Commonwealth, formations are divisions, brigades, etc. Different armed forces , and even different branches of service of
2232-450: Is divided into sections (platoons) composed of 3 x "groupes de combat" of 7 soldiers, plus a group of vehicle crews and a HQ that includes 2 x snipers. Army , army group , region , and theatre are all large formations that vary significantly between armed forces in size and hierarchy position. While divisions were the traditional level at which support elements (field artillery, hospital, logistics and maintenance, etc.) were added to
2325-406: Is known to the public, but mainly as a security organisation with scientific expertise; its actual agenda is classified. Although the Brigadier originally states that UNIT do not arrest people, as of the 21st century, UNIT has the authority to detain persons indefinitely without trial, appeal, outside contact or legal representation, as experienced by Toshiko Sato before she was recruited to work for
2418-450: Is primarily based on a number of standard groupings of vessels, including the carrier strike group and the expeditionary strike group . Additionally, naval organization continues aboard a single ship. The complement forms three or four departments (such as tactical and engineering), each of which has a number of divisions, followed by work centers. The organizational structures of air forces vary between nations: some air forces (such as
2511-439: Is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. Formal military organization tends to use hierarchical forms (see Modern hierarchy for terminology and approximate troop strength per hierarchical unit). In some countries, paramilitary forces are included in a nation's armed forces, though not considered military. Armed forces that are not
2604-447: The 2005 series episodes " Aliens of London " and " World War Three ", where it sent a delegation to a gathering of experts at 10 Downing Street . UNIT appeared again the same year in " The Christmas Invasion ". In addition to Doctor Who , UNIT has also featured in the spin-off series Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures . From " The Power of Three " (2012), the first on screen appearance of UNIT in any Whoniverse media since
2697-590: The Belgian Army ), but this does not preclude the existence of commands that are not service-based. A formation is defined by the U.S. Department of Defense as "two or more aircraft, ships, or units proceeding together under a commander". Fomin in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia emphasised its combined-arms nature: "Formations are those military organisations which are formed from different speciality Arms and Services troop units to create
2790-486: The British 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
2883-571: The Cybermen (as well as silver bullets as suggested by the Doctor), and rad-steel coated bullets to neutralise Sontaran anti-bullet fields that target copper. In The Invasion (1968), UNIT has a command centre established in the cargo hold of a Lockheed Hercules military transport aircraft. The Dæmons (1971) features the UNIT Mobile HQ, a large bus-like vehicle that could be driven to
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2976-478: The Doctor Who serial Spearhead from Space (1970). In a series of interviews originally recorded for the 2006 DVD of the Doctor Who serial Inferno (1970), actor Nicholas Courtney , who played Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in The Invasion , similarly described The Invasion as a "dummy run" for the idea of the Doctor , the main protagonist of Doctor Who , being exiled to Earth. Dicks also said that
3069-487: The Doctor Who serial The Web of Fear (1968), which involved British Army characters, he told scriptwriters Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln to include all of the characters that he had originally invented for The Invasion . Sherwin was uncertain if the army forces featured in The Web of Fear appeared as UNIT, but was "convinced" that, as a teaser for UNIT's more substantial role in The Invasion , The Web of Fear
3162-504: The Doctor Who stories The Daleks' Master Plan , The Invasion , and Inferno . They had a son, Joggs, who featured heavily in a DVD tribute documentary, Remembering Douglas Camfield , which was included in the 2013 DVD release of Camfield's Doctor Who serial Terror of the Zygons . In 2013, as part of the fiftieth anniversary celebrations for Doctor Who , the BBC produced a drama depicting
3255-682: The Doctor Who universe lie in the Second Doctor serial The Web of Fear (1968), following which the organisation is named and established in The Invasion (1968). 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 story The War Machines (1966). Following The Invasion ,
3348-673: The Eleventh Doctor tells Clara Oswald that he works for UNIT and that UNIT is his "job". In " Death in Heaven " (2014), Kate Stewart describes the Twelfth Doctor as "technically" still "on the payroll", as he never resigned. Prominent members of the British contingent of UNIT include Dr. Elizabeth Shaw , Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart , Sergeant Benton , Captain Yates , UNIT operative Jo Grant and later, Surgeon-Lieutenant Harry Sullivan, RN . After leaving
3441-584: The L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle , Sterling submachine gun , and Browning Hi-Power pistol, and they have worn 58 pattern webbing . They are also shown using heavy weaponry such as bazookas, machine guns, mortars and, in Terror of the Zygons (1975), a depth charge launcher. For Battlefield (1989), they have the Steyr AUG assault rifle while the Brigadier still uses a Webley Revolver . In
3534-806: The Royal Navy , British Army and Royal Air Force , and are still bound by the UK chain of command . Major Blake reports to the Prime Minister in "The Christmas Invasion". UNIT is able to call on the conventional military branches for support, and in The 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. UNIT's existence
3627-545: The Royal New Zealand Navy , or those navies that are effectively coast guards , are commanded by a rear-admiral (two-star rank), commodore (one-star rank) or even a captain . Aircraft carriers are typically commanded by a captain. Submarines and destroyers are typically commanded by a captain or commander. Some destroyers, particularly smaller destroyers such as frigates (formerly known as destroyer escorts ) are usually commanded by officers with
3720-533: The Third 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 novel I, Alastair ; the novel also shows that this universe's leader of Britain was an associate of Oswald Mosley , and eventually became leader of the country following the downfall of the old order, with his picture being visible in
3813-653: The Torchwood Institute weapon that destroyed the Sycorax ship in "The Christmas Invasion". It is mentioned in The Sarah Jane Adventures story Death of the Doctor (2010) that UNIT has a Moonbase. 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
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3906-616: The United States Air Force and the Royal Air Force ) are divided into commands, groups and squadrons; others (such as the Soviet Air Force ) have an Army-style organizational structure. The modern Royal Canadian Air Force uses Air division as the formation between wings and the entire air command. Like the RAF, Canadian wings consist of squadrons. A task force is a unit or formation created as
3999-614: The armed forces are divided into three military branches (also service, armed service, or military service ): army , navy , and air force . Many countries have a variation on the standard model of three basic military branches. Some nations also organize their cyber force , emergencies service, medical service , military logistics , space force , marines , and special forces such as commandos or airborne forces as independent armed services. A nation's border guard or coast guard may also be an independent branch of its military, although in many nations border guard or coast guard
4092-469: The flotilla level and higher is less commonly abided by, as ships operate in smaller or larger groups in various situations that may change at a moment's notice. However, there is some common terminology used throughout navies to communicate the general concept of how many vessels might be in a unit. Navies are generally organized into groups for a specific purpose, usually strategic, and these organizational groupings appear and disappear frequently based on
4185-457: The 1982 television movie . Camfield was known for his strict professionalism and was held in high esteem by many actors, producers and writers. He is particularly well known for his work on Doctor Who and was production assistant on its earliest serials, both the pilot and broadcast versions of An Unearthly Child , and Marco Polo . Camfield directed many other stories in its first thirteen years: One of Camfield's notable contributions to
4278-460: The 2000s, they use Heckler & Koch G36C carbine, the M4 carbine (with different scopes used such as ACOG and holographic weapon sights , as well as equipping CQB receivers for indoor use), SIG P226 pistols, and for heavy duty, use Stinger missile launchers. In " The Power of Three ", they are further equipped with PASGT helmets, goggles, and riot armour for their shins. UNIT's personnel have
4371-539: The 2020 New Year's Day episode, " Spyfall, Part 1 ", it is stated that UNIT and Torchwood no longer exist. 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
4464-764: The Autons , producer Barry Letts decided to have UNIT wearing 1960 pattern fatigues, as well as appropriate contemporary British Army or RAF uniform, such as service dress and barrack dress . The UNIT patches and tan berets remain standard, although personnel are also seen in British Army peaked caps with regulation cap badges. In Terror of the Zygons , they wear DPM camouflage jackets and tactical black cap badges. The Android Invasion (1975) sees them wearing barrack dress, which they also wear for their brief appearance in The Seeds of Doom (1976). UNIT then had
4557-745: The Brigade Leader's office in Inferno . The parallel version of the British contingent of UNIT is an SS -like state paramilitary organisation known as the Republican 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 the SKS rifle and the Walther P38 pistol. Their rank system uses titles based loosely on that of
4650-409: The Brigadier and head of the scientific research department, has a handheld device that can scan a body (picking up the Eleventh 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
4743-552: The Brigadier, Sergeant Benton and Mike Yates ) played a major role in the original Doctor Who series, and it was a regular feature from The Invasion (1968) until The Seeds of Doom (1976). Originally referred to as the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce , executive producer Russell T Davies said in 2005 that the UN was no longer happy to be associated with the fictional organisation and
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#17327795701124836-489: The British government by the Torchwood Institute in a flashback in the Torchwood episode " Fragments " (2008). 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. The British troops of UNIT have been armed with standard British Army weapons such as
4929-581: The Cold War. In the British and Commonwealth armies the battlegroup became the usual grouping of companies during the Second World War and the Cold War. Within NATO, a Joint Task Force (JTF) would be such a temporary grouping that includes elements from more than one armed service, a Combined Task Force (CTF) would be such a temporary grouping that includes elements from more than one nation, and
5022-494: The Doctor wearing black civilian clothes with UNIT insignia and rank epaulettes. 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
5115-596: 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 the Cybermen . By the time of the 2023 60th anniversary specials UNIT has relocated to a new headquarters in a skyscraper in the City of London , while remaining under the leadership of Kate Stewart. UNIT's status is supported by enabling legislation that allows it to assume emergency powers when necessary. Although it operates under
5208-536: The Doctor, Martha Jones joins UNIT. In The Claws of Axos (1971), an American agent named Bill Filer was sent from Washington to assist in the hunt for the Master . Kate Stewart, the Brigadier's daughter, becomes Head of Scientific Research and Chief Scientific Officer, and then Commander in Chief of UNIT, and appears in multiple episodes beginning with " The Power of Three " in 2012. The 1970 serial Inferno sees
5301-749: 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. The No.4 style of uniform stayed throughout Doctor Who and the Silurians (1970). Christine Rawlins had a new futuristic-looking design produced for The 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. For Inferno (1970), these changed to Denison smock camouflage uniforms. From Terror of
5394-744: The Seventh Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith against a branch of UNIT known as the 'Cortez Project', who consider any 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) by Paul 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 by SAS training and sheer common sense". The 1996 New Adventures novel Just War by Lance Parkin mentions "LONGBOW",
5487-463: The U.S. Army Force Management Support Agency that prescribes the organization, manning, and equipage of units from divisional size and down, but also including the headquarters of Corps and Armies. It also provides information on the mission and capabilities of a unit as well as the unit's current status. A general TOE is applicable to a type of unit (for instance, infantry) rather than a specific unit (the 3rd Infantry Division). In this way, all units of
5580-497: The UN'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. In 2008, the organisation's name was changed to the Unified Intelligence Taskforce . and this name was first mentioned on-screen in " The Sontaran Stratagem " (2008) in which dialogue indicated that the United Nations still supports UNIT with funding. In
5673-672: The UNIT era and have revealed new information about UNIT's past, present and future. The novel Business 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, while Deep 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
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#17327795701125766-418: The armed forces, may use the same name to denote different types of organizations. An example is the "squadron". In most navies a squadron is a formation of several ships; in most air forces it is a unit; in the U.S. Army it is a battalion-sized cavalry unit; and in Commonwealth armies a squadron is a company-sized sub-unit. A table of organization and equipment (TOE or TO&E) is a document published by
5859-587: The army and brought military standards of organisation to the programmes he subsequently directed. His directing credits included Doctor Who , Z-Cars , Paul Temple , Public Eye , The Lotus Eaters , Van der Valk , The Sweeney , The Onedin Line , Blake's 7 , Shoestring , The Professionals , Out of the Unknown , The Nightmare Man , the BBC dramatisation of Beau Geste , and Ivanhoe ,
5952-484: The authority of the United Nations, its members are seconded from the host country's military and are still bound to obey that chain of command . Within the UK section of UNIT, ranks are those of the British Army : Lethbridge-Stewart is a Brigadier , Yates is a Captain, a Major appears in The Seeds of Doom (1976) and " The Christmas Invasion " (2005), and a Colonel and Captain appear in " The Sontaran Stratagem "/" The Poison Sky " (2008). UNIT personnel are seconded from
6045-551: The conditions and demands placed upon a navy. This contrasts with army organization where units remain static, with the same men and equipment, over long periods of time. The five-star ranks of admiral of the fleet and fleet admiral have largely been out of regular use since the 1990s, with the exception of ceremonial or honorary appointments. Currently, all major navies ( blue-water and green-water navies) are commanded by an admiral of either four-star rank or three-star rank depending on relative size. Smaller naval forces, such as
6138-496: The contribution of scientific advice in battling extraterrestrial threats is recognised and both Dr Elizabeth Shaw and the exiled Third Doctor joins UNIT just in time to help defeat the Autons in Spearhead from Space (1970). UNIT continued to feature in Doctor Who after Spearhead , but when the Third Doctor's exile is lifted in The Three Doctors (1972–73), his association with UNIT becomes more sporadic, especially after his regeneration into his fourth incarnation at
6231-413: The cubes. " 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
6324-419: The end of Planet of the Spiders (1974). Although the last appearance of UNIT in the series for many years was in The Seeds of Doom (1976), the organisation continued to execute its mandate to investigate and combat alien activity. The final appearance of UNIT during the original run of Doctor Who was the Seventh Doctor serial Battlefield (1989). UNIT is mentioned by both its acronym and full name in
6417-467: The formation of UNIT after the Yeti incident. By the 26th century, UNIT has transformed into a secret society called the Unitatus, pledged to defend the Earth against alien threats, first seen in Parkin's Cold Fusion (1996). The Dying Days (1997), also by Parkin, names the French division of UNIT as NUIT ( N ations U nies I ntelligence T askforce). Military organisation Military organization ( AE ) or military organisation ( BE )
6510-707: 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. Speaking in an interview on the 2012 DVD of the Doctor Who serial The Krotons (1968–69), Sherwin said that he wanted Doctor Who to be "down on Earth anyway, for credibility", and described UNIT as "the ideal vehicle" for this. In another 2014 interview in Doctor Who Magazine , Sherwin recalled that after submitting his scripts for The Invasion to Bryant, which included UNIT, Sherwin, who
6603-464: The jacket – which appears to be fastened by velcro – 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. Sand/Beige coloured berets, similar to those worn by the Special 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),
6696-455: The left arm. The scientific research department that now serves as the head of UNIT consists of plainclothes civilians. 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 ,
6789-522: The main protagonist of Doctor Who , is a member of UNIT. In " Aliens of London ", after reading up about the Doctor during his twelve-month absence, Mickey Smith tells Rose Tyler that the Ninth Doctor knows UNIT because "he's worked for them". In " The Sontaran Stratagem ", Colonel Mace tells the Tenth Doctor , "Technically speaking, you're still on staff." In " The Day of the Doctor ",
6882-503: The military, including their dependants. Then there are the heads of specific departmental agencies responsible for the provision and management of specific skill- and knowledge-based services such as strategic advice, capability development assessment, or military science provision of research, and design and development of technologies. Within each departmental agency will be found administrative branches responsible for further agency business specialization work. In most countries,
6975-534: The owners of Lethbridge-Stewart, who was the army commander from The Web of Fear , and mention how Bryant and director Douglas Camfield were negotiating the use of the character for The Invasion from Haisman and Lincoln in May 1968, subsequent to The Web of Fear being broadcast in February and March. The Web of Fear is also described in the notes as being a "major influence on The Invasion ". The roots of UNIT in
7068-479: The physical arrangement or disposition of troops and weapons. Examples of formation in such usage include pakfront , panzerkeil , testudo formation , etc. A typical unit is a homogeneous military organization (either combat, combat-support or non-combat in capability) that includes service personnel predominantly from a single arm of service, or a branch of service, and its administrative and command functions are self-contained. Any unit subordinate to another unit
7161-399: The rank of commander. Corvettes , the smallest class of warship, are commanded by officers with the rank of commander or lieutenant-commander . Auxiliary ships, including gunboats , minesweepers , patrol boats , military riverine craft , tenders and torpedo boats are usually commanded by lieutenants , sub-lieutenants or warrant officers . Usually, the smaller the vessel, the lower
7254-479: The rank of the ship's commander. For example, patrol boats are often commanded by ensigns , while frigates are rarely commanded by an officer below the rank of commander. Historically, navies were far more rigid in structure. Ships were collected in divisions , which in turn were collected in numbered squadrons , which comprised a numbered fleet . Permission for a vessel to leave one unit and join another would have to be approved on paper. The modern U.S. Navy
7347-473: The results from the translation, can be loaded on a hand-held device. 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. In " The Sound of Drums " (2007), the flying aircraft carrier the Valiant is introduced. The Valiant is also shown (in "The Poison Sky") to be equipped with a scaled down version of
7440-475: The same branch (such as infantry) follow the same structural guidelines. The following table gives an overview of some of the terms used to describe army hierarchy in armed forces across the world. Whilst it is recognized that there are differences between armies of different nations, many are modeled on the British or American models, or both. However, many military units and formations go back in history for
7533-481: The series was the casting of Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart , who became one of the longest-running and most popular characters in its history. He submitted a script for the series to producer Philip Hinchcliffe called The Lost Legion , which involved aliens and the French Foreign Legion (a subject which fascinated him). However, the story never made it into production. He
7626-733: The shoulders (based on the brown 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. UNIT has also been featured in many Doctor Who spin-offs . Different spin-offs have made varying attempts to be consistent with other stories. In 1984,
7719-616: The site of an incident. A mobile command centre is also shown in "The Sontaran Stratagem" and "The Poison Sky", where it is depicted as a black articulated lorry with UNIT insignia. UNIT employs unarmed helicopters for transport. It is also shown using a tank in Robot (1974–75). In " Planet of the Dead " (2009), it uses trucks with SAM launchers. In "The Christmas Invasion", UNIT is shown to have translation software which can decipher alien languages with great accuracy. The software, or at least
7812-683: The size of most nations' regiments or brigades. At the top of the ladder, what other nations would call an army group, the Red Army called a front . By contrast, during the same period the German Wehrmacht army groups, particularly on the Eastern Front , such as Army Group Centre significantly exceeded the above numbers, and were more cognate with the Soviet Strategic Directions . Naval organization at
7905-430: The structure of public administration , often known as a ministry of defence or department of defense . These in turn manage military branches that themselves command formations and units specialising in combat, combat support and combat-service support . The usually civilian or partly civilian executive control over the national military organization is exercised in democracies by an elected political leader as
7998-460: The top levels and different armies and countries may also use traditional names, creating considerable confusion: for example, a British or Canadian armored regiment (battalion) is divided into squadrons (companies) and troops (platoons), whereas an American cavalry squadron (battalion) is divided into troops (companies) and platoons. In the French system (used by many African countries) the company
8091-485: The two-part Doctor Who special " The End of Time " in 2009–2010, UNIT has been shown to have been reorganised by Kate Stewart, the Brigadier's daughter. In the 2019 New Year special " Resolution ", the Thirteenth 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. In
8184-463: The unit structure, since World War II, many brigades now have such support units, and since the 1980s, regiments also have been receiving support elements. A regiment with such support elements is called a regimental combat team in US military parlance, or a battlegroup in the UK and other forces. Canadian Army doctrine also includes the combat team which is a company of infantry augmented with tanks, or
8277-463: The world, but uncommon in countries with English common law histories where civil police are employed to enforce the law, and there are tight restrictions on how the armed forces may be used to assist. It is common, at least in the European and North American militaries, to refer to the building blocks of a military as command s , formation s , and unit s . In a military context,
8370-515: Was also one of eight faces whose images are seen during the mind-bending sequence of the serial The Brain of Morbius (1976), inferred to be early incarnations of the Doctor . Notably, the incarnation represented by his image appeared again in a flashback sequence of the Virgin New Adventures novel Cold Fusion . Camfield died of a heart attack on 27 January 1984. He was married to actress Sheila Dunn , whom he cast in
8463-538: 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 actor Patrick Troughton , who played the Doctor. Speaking in an interview on the 2011 special-edition DVD of Spearhead 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". Sherwin said in 2014 that while working as script editor on
8556-656: Was commissioned into the Royal Army Service Corps in 1951 during his national service . Later that year, he transferred to the West Yorkshire Regiment ( Territorial Army ). He was promoted to lieutenant in 1952 and was training to be in the Special Air Service , but due to an injury he pulled out of the application process. It has often been noted by those who worked with him that Camfield always retained an affection for
8649-532: Was supposed to have replaced the basic army forces that were seen in the story. Sherwin asserted that he held the copyright on Lethbridge-Stewart, as he "created him in The Invasion ". In an interview recorded for the 2006 DVD release of Inferno , Sherwin described The Invasion as the start of UNIT and the beginning of the Doctor "coming down to Earth". Production notes in Doctor Who: The Complete History credit Haisman and Lincoln as
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