8. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - Doctor Who And The Silurians
The Brigadier has always been one of the most stalwart heroes of Doctor Who. He first met the second Doctor when they battled the Yeti in the London Underground. While he also worked with the Fourth, Fifth and Seventh Doctors, it was adventures with the Third that forged that long lasting relationship. The Third Doctor had very clear beliefs of what should be done and often clashed with the ideals of the Brigadier and UNIT. But ultimately, they worked together and along with Benton, Yates and Liz / Jo / Sarah Jane, they formed one of the most close knit groups in the show's history. However in the early days of the Third Doctor's working relationship with the Brigadier, the UNIT commander made a colossal mistake, one that earned the wrath of his 'scientific adviser'. The Doctor had begun to forge the workings of a peace treaty with the Silurians, hoping to undo all the death and destruction that had occurred but the Brigadier saw it very differently. After the Silurian virus was unleashed on London, he saw no option but to blow the Silurian base to kingdom come, ending any chance of progression between the two races. It was one of the few acts committed by the Brigadier where he used the full force of his military arsenal as a solution. And it is one that took the Doctor a long time to forgive.