10 Traumatic Doctor Who Facts You'll Wish You Hadn't Heard

In modern Doctor Who, UNIT is generally presented as a force for good. They share the Doctor’s science-based approach, they employ many of the Doctor’s ex-companions and keep a watchful eye on the rest, and meetings between Kate Stewart and the TARDIS team are often filled with hugs and happy reunions.

But back in the 1970s it was a very different story. UNIT as it first appeared was much more militaristic, secretive, and not above completely ignoring the Doctor’s advice whenever they decided they had a better idea, as seen in Doctor Who and the Silurians.

After all the usual misunderstandings between humanity and our reptilian predecessors, the Doctor seems to have established an uneasy truce between the two Earth species. However, as the Doctor makes his way back to London he witnesses an explosion in the distance, and realises with horror that the Brigadier has ordered UNIT to destroy the caves above the Silurian bunkers, permanently sealing them in, and condemning the base’s entire population to an eventual death in cryostasis.

This wasn’t just a military installation either. Considering the Silurians’ plans to repopulate the Earth, there will have been civilians in cryosleep, and maybe even children. Even worse, at this point, nobody was even sure whether this was the only Silurian base still functional. UNIT wasn't just committing mass murder – they were attempting a genocide.

For all the Doctor’s reminiscing about him now, the Brigadier could be a ruthless pragmatist, and the two rarely agreed on anything. It'll be fascinating to see if events like this get brought up in the upcoming spinoff The War Between the Land and the Sea, which deals with a conflict between UNIT and the Silurians' aquatic cousins, the Sea Devils!