Doctor Who: 9 Things You Never Knew The Ninth Doctor Did
9. He Had An Alien Companion
WHAT: Not since the Fifth Doctor had an alien companion travelled with him in the TARDIS in televised adventures (Adric, Nyssa and Turlough, in case you were wondering), and not since the Eighth Doctor's era had an alien been a companion as well in spin off media (Bazima, Ssard, Destrii, C'rizz). The Fourth Doctor was probably the best known for non human companions - the Time Lady Romana I and II, as well as K-9 the robot dog. In NuWho, only the Eleventh Doctor had a non-human companion (the shape-shifting robot ARC), which does raise questions about equal opportunity and implied racism in these latest day and age. Nevertheless, the Ninth Doctor, being a little more open-minded than his previous selves, took on an alien companion for a single adventure: A Karkinian named Ali. HOW: Karkinians were an arthropodal species native to the planet Karkinos. Ali was a college student there and, while having been taught that Time Lords were extinct, she was still proficient in using the TARDIS. The Ninth Doctor, after dematerialising for the first time at the end of Rose, crash landed on her planet while fighting off a Starman (think Galactus the planet-eater) and she refused to return a silver orb the Doctor dropped until he let her travel in the TARDIS, despite the fact that the orb was the only thing preventing the Starman from consuming planets. The Ninth Doctor relented and took her and the orb to ancient Babylon, defeating the Starman tahere. Unfortunately, along the way, the Doctor's life was threatened by some soldiers and Ali killed them all in a fit of rage. The Doctor decided to return her home for fear her warrior instincts harmed anyone else. SO: Charlie Higson's The Beast of Babylon is a fantastic entry in the Doctor Who 50th anniversary short story collection. It gives an insight into the Doctor's depression at being rejected by Rose and his willingness to take on a planet-eater with barely a thought for his own safety. Ali was an amazing amalgamation of the Doctor's past companions. The intelligence of Adric, the sneakiness of Thomas Brewster, the savagery of Leela, the backtalk of Tegan and the care and loyalty of Nyssa. It also speaks volumes about the Doctor's disinclination to surround himself with warriors and wanton violence after the Time War. Finally, Ali should always be honoured by fans of NuWho. She was the one who convinced the Doctor to return to Rose and invite her again to travel with him, saying "Did I mention? It also travels in time." The rest, as they say, is history.
