10 Genius Decisions By Doctor Who Companions

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart remains one of the longest-serving companions in the show's history, but he and the Doctor didn't always see eye-to-eye, and one of the biggest examples of this friction came at the end of Third Doctor serial The Silurians.

This story revolves around a small group of Silurians living in a cave network underneath a nuclear research facility. Believing that they are entitled to the Earth, the Silurians emerge, growing more and more hostile as the serial progresses - despite the Doctor's noble efforts to try and keep the peace.

And these efforts are not helped by the Brigadier, who believes that taking a more aggressive stance against the Silurians is the best course of action. From a viewer's perspective, it's hard not to agree with him - at one point, the Silurians release a deadly virus that spreads to London and Paris, which would've wiped out humanity if the Doctor hadn't found a cure - and at the end of the serial, he enacts an explosive plan.

Before the Silurians are forced into hibernation, they make it clear that, when they re-awaken, they will try to destroy the humans once again. And so, once the Doctor has left, the Brigadier blows up the Silurian base, wiping the creatures out.

The Doctor obviously isn't pleased with this turn of events, but considering how dangerous the Silurians proved to be, the Brigadier was acting out of the desire to protect his own race. From that angle, his bold decision... was also a smart one.