The Cybermen, the stereotypical cyborg
A cyborg (short for cybernetic organism) was a being that was composed of both natural and artificial systems, ranging from prosthetics to implants to entirely mechanical casings operated by or sustaining the organic parts of that particular entity.
The term biomechanoid was also used to apply to cybernetic-biological integrations, such as the Dalek battle computer requiring a human to operate it (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks), the Dragon that guarded Iceworld (TV: Dragonfire), and the Ice Warriors. (TV: Cold War)
Cyborgs were sometimes victims of injury in which their biological bodies were damaged beyond their ability to heal. (TV: The Pirate Planet, Voyage of the Damned)
Both the Mondasian Cybermen and Pete's World Cybermen were examples of cyborgs which, due to widespread use of standard parts, could be considered a race.
Sometimes pure robots such as K9 Mark 2 and CCPCs were referred to as cyborgs. (TV: Liberation, The Bounty Hunter, Mutant Copper) K9 himself commonly referred to himself as a cybernetic organism. (TV: The Korven, Robot Gladiators)
Known cyborgs
Known cyborgs and extent of alterations include:
- The Daleks - Kaled mutants in armoured polycarbide or Dalekanium shells. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks)
- Davros - advanced wheelchair, life support system, prosthetic third eye and later prosthetic hand. (AUDIO: Corruption, TV: Genesis of the Daleks, The Stolen Earth)
- The Juggernauts - implanted human DNA. (AUDIO: The Juggernauts)
- Toclafane - human heads fused into mechanical spheres. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)
- The Dragon which guarded the Dragonfire. (TV: Dragonfire)
- The Zygons' Skarasen - (TV: Terror of the Zygons)
- Bannakaffalatta - cybernetic chest, suggesting replacement of vital organs. (TV: Voyage of the Damned)
- Max Capricorn - head fused into a cybernetic casing. (TV: Voyage of the Damned)
- The Captain of Zanak - cybernetic mask and arm. (TV: The Pirate Planet)
- Winders - prosthetic second face and rotating head. (TV: The Beast Below)
- Mondasian Cybermen - humanoid bodies converted and adapted into a cyborg. (TV: The Tomb of the Cybermen)
- Pete's World Cybermen - disembodied brain or human bodies placed within a suit of armour. (TV: The Age of Steel)
- Cybershade - disembodied cat or dog brains placed within a suit of armour. (TV: The Next Doctor)
- Cyberdog - mechanical legs and head. (COMIC: Enemy Mine)
- Cyberslave - flesh and bone converted into metal via nanobot infection. (GAME: Blood of the Cybermen)
- Drake - prosthetic hand. (TV: Fear Itself)
- Birdie - implanted human DNA. (TV: Mutant Copper)
- Peking Homunculus - the cerebral cortex of a pig with a robot body made to look like a dummy. (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang)
- Cassandra O'Brien.Δ17 - a piece of skin stretched on a metal frame, connected to a human brain in a jar. (TV: The End of the World)
- The Borg - humanoid bodies augmented with cybernetic implants. (COMIC: Assimilation²)
- Kahler such as Kahler-Tek were given enhancements including a weapon built in the arm, a targeting system and the ability to teleport. (TV: A Town Called Mercy)
- Tricky Van Baalen - artificial voicebox and eyes. (TV: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS)
- Psi - cybernetic brain. Identifying as 'augmented human'. (TV: Time Heist)
Development
Most cyborgs originated as organic lifeforms who suffered bodily damage or loss of body parts, necessitating mechanical replacements.
The Cybermen originally were organics, but made themselves cybernetic in order to sustain their lives. (TV: The Tenth Planet, AUDIO: Spare Parts)
Daleks were originally humanoid organics. They became mutants encased in bonded polycarbide armour to survive a nuclear war and wipe out all other life. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks, Remembrance of the Daleks)
Not all cyborgs were originally organic, both Mechanoids (AUDIO: The Juggernauts) and CCPCs (TV: Mutant Copper) were implanted with human DNA. The results were the Juggernauts and Birdie.
History
Cyborgs were found throughout the universe. In Christmas 2008, cyborgs were aboard the starship Titanic, (Max Capricorn and Bannakaffalatta). It was spoken of how the society of the time despised cyborgs, although it was also mentioned cyborgs were beginning to get equal rights (e.g rights to marry). (TV: Voyage of the Damned)
Many cyborgs were utilised in a similar way to robots to perform functions for a ruling elite or superior force.The Toclafane were used by the Saxon Master to invade Earth in the year 2008. They killed a tenth of the human population and built rockets to go to war with the universe. (TV: The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords) Other cyborgs such as the Winders (TV: The Beast Below) and the Dragon (TV: Dragonfire) were also utilised as by the Queen and as a guard respectively, in lieu of huamnoids performing the work.
Psychology
Many cyborgs considered their form of life to be superior to organic life, in the case of the Cybermen they viewed this as a failing of organic life and sought to convert organics via a process of Cyber-conversion into beings such as themselves, or other being similar such as Cybermats. (TV: Attack of the Cybermen, AUDIO: The Crystal of Cantus)
Other species, such as the Daleks considered themselves to be the superior beings and sought to exterminate or subjugate all other life in the universe that was not a Dalek. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks) Unlike the Cybermen they did not attempt to alter or convert other species into a Dalek life form. However the Daleks did experiment with bodily possession of humanoid beings, and elements of humanoid and Dalek "essences". (AUDIO: The Curse of Davros, TV: The Power of the Daleks) In extreme circumstances; the Daleks did convert humanoid species into Dalek mutants to be placed within a Dalek travel machine, in these circumstances it was due to necessity, unlike the Cybermen's motivations. (AUDIO: The Time of the Daleks)
Emotions
Some cyborgs had emotions, and others did not. Bannakaffalatta had emotional feelings of attraction, kindness, attitude, self-sacrifice, humour and taking offence. (TV: Voyage of the Damned) On the other hand, both the Mondasian and Pete's World Cybermen had their emotions removed via an emotional inhibitor placed within their chest plate, because emotions would "destroy" them. This was used by the Tenth Doctor, who stopped the inhibitors inside the Pete's World Cybermen from working, and Craig Owens, who, in his own words, "blew them up with love" for his son Alfie, overloading the emotional inhibitors. The Cybermen, who were once human, realised what they had become; they were driven insane and died. (TV: The Age of Steel, Closing Time) The opposite of the Cybermen's case occurred in the CCPC Birdie, who was originally a pure robot. The fact that he had emotions was a contributing factor to his cyborg status. (TV: Mutant Copper)
Research and study
Many scientists of various species studied cybernetics, including Dr Tanizaki, (TV: Cyberwoman) Professor Alistair Gryffen (TV: Regeneration) and Davros. (AUDIO: The Juggernauts)
Cybernetics was a branch of knowledge on Gallifrey, indeed studied and mastered by the Doctor. (TV: Destiny of the Daleks)