The terrifying evolution of a species that replaces flesh with steel
In short: They began as humans from a twin planet, driven by a desperate need for survival. Over decades of television history, the Cybermen have transformed from fragile cyborgs into an unstoppable, emotionless force of nature. Discover how a fear of medical technology birthed one of science fiction's most enduring nightmares.
In the 1966 Doctor Who story 'The Tenth Planet', the Cybermen made their debut. Originally, they were inhabitants of Mondas, Earth's nearly identical twin planet, which had drifted into deep space after being knocked out of orbit. To survive the harsh environment, these Mondasians replaced their bodies with cybernetic parts and stripped away their emotions to maintain sanity. To power their planet's movement through the void, these survivors even installed a drive propulsion system. Their expansionist nature eventually turned them into conquerors who replenish their numbers by forcibly converting other organic lifeforms.
The concept was born from the real-world anxieties of writer Kit Pedler. In the 1960s, as doctors researched mechanical augmentations for space travel, Pedler and his wife, a doctor, contemplated the point where a person might no longer distinguish themselves from a machine. This reflected the era's fascination with 'spare-part' surgery and the development of heart-lung machines. The very name 'Cyberman' is a portmanteau derived from cybernetics, a field of study regarding self-regulating systems popularized by Norbert Wiener's 1948 work.
The species' origins have been reimagined several times. In 2006, a parallel universe version saw the Cybermen created by the transhumanist John Lumic using modern Earth technology. Later, the 2017 episode 'The Doctor Falls' suggested a more profound, cosmic inevitability: parallel evolution. This theory posits that any human-like species, when faced with extreme technological pressure, will eventually undergo the same process of cybernetic upgrading. This includes the 2006 iteration where the corporation Cybus Industries used robotic shells to house human brains. Even in the distant future, as seen in 2013, they have been known to rapidly upgrade themselves to overcome any biological or mechanical weakness.
Throughout their history, the Cybermen have evolved from recognizable humans with plastic and metal prostheses into fully mechanized, metallic entities. They remain a persistent threat, capable of converting biological organisms into their ranks, driven by a singular, cold logic that transcends time and space. Specialized units like Cyber Leaders and Cyber Controllers exist to command these legions. Some even utilize small mechanical scouts known as cybermats to assist in their invasions.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Cyberman
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