Fifth Doctor and Companions...
The Fifth Doctor Portrayed by Peter Davidson
Appearances: 20 (Castravalva - Caves of Androzani)
Grade: A-
The Fifth Doctor is more human-like than perhaps any of his predecessors. He has a gentle and sensitive spirit, and with his athletic build and young man's face he runs breathlessly to and fro, wherever his curiosity chooses to take him. Unlike his older, more domineering incarnations, he treats his younger companions as part of a team, and he makes a point to carefully teach them not only how the world works, but how to make it a better one. In this respect, the Fifth Doctor has a trusting and innocent soul, and he enjoys giving people second chances, such as Turlough and Kamelion. However, in some way his optimistic nature is his downfall as he consistently has to come to grips with a universe that refuses to play fair, and he is inevitably disappointed when his expectations do not match with reality. Each failure seems to spurn him onwards though, as if through sheer determination he believes he can change the way the world works.
Although the Fifth Doctor is noticeably less eccentric than other doctors before him, this does not mean he doesn't have his fair share of oddities; he enjoys making important decisions by the flipping of a coin, he is a master cricket player, and he often sports a piece of celery in his button hole. He is the last doctor in the classic series to use the sonic screwdriver.
Notable Quotes: "Brave heart, Tegan."
(looking at the carnage around him) "There should have been another way."
Adric
Appearances: 11 (Full Circle - Earthshock)
Grade: D-
Always sporting a blue enameled star he was awarded on his home planet of Alzarius for mathematical excellence, Adric comes across as the cockiest companion of the Fifth Doctor. Adric is arrogant and abrasive and believes himself to be entitled to the best the world (and the Doctor) has to offer. Adric wants to be respected and valued, but due to his overbearing intelligence and lack of social graces, he has never meshed well with the people around him, both on Alzarius and in the TARDIS. He resents and remembers these experiences, and from them has come to the conclusion that people are prejudiced against him.
To make matters worse, Adric's plans rarely succeed and several times he is even duped by the antagonists into helping them. He never acknowledges these mistakes though, and hence in his own mind never sees any reason to alter his behavior or attitude. Adric makes his last mistake when he decides to stay aboard a freighter on a collision course with Earth and is killed on impact after being unable to gain control of the ship's navigational system.
Notable Quotes: "That's the problem with women; mindless, impatient, and bossy."
"Now I'll never know if I was right."
Grade: D-
Always sporting a blue enameled star he was awarded on his home planet of Alzarius for mathematical excellence, Adric comes across as the cockiest companion of the Fifth Doctor. Adric is arrogant and abrasive and believes himself to be entitled to the best the world (and the Doctor) has to offer. Adric wants to be respected and valued, but due to his overbearing intelligence and lack of social graces, he has never meshed well with the people around him, both on Alzarius and in the TARDIS. He resents and remembers these experiences, and from them has come to the conclusion that people are prejudiced against him.
To make matters worse, Adric's plans rarely succeed and several times he is even duped by the antagonists into helping them. He never acknowledges these mistakes though, and hence in his own mind never sees any reason to alter his behavior or attitude. Adric makes his last mistake when he decides to stay aboard a freighter on a collision course with Earth and is killed on impact after being unable to gain control of the ship's navigational system.
Notable Quotes: "That's the problem with women; mindless, impatient, and bossy."
"Now I'll never know if I was right."
Nyssa of Traken
Appearances: 13 (Keeper of Traken - Terminus)
Grade: B+
Nyssa is an aristocrat from the planet Traken. Her father, Tremas, is a consul member for the Union, but his body is taken over and possessed by the Master in The Keeper of Traken.
Nyssa is level-headed and more mature than her colleagues. Though she is quiet and gentle, she does not have a passive personality, neither is she particularly naïve; if anything her patient nature speaks to her noble upbringing and the powerful intellect she possesses. When action is required, she is more than willing to do what needs to be done as can be seen when she breaks the Doctor out of prison in The Keeper of Traken or when she pulls a gun on the High Council of Gallifrey in Arc of Infinity.
Nyssa is considered to be the closest companion of the Fifth Doctor, and she is the first character to kiss the Doctor on-screen, albeit unromantically on the cheek. She leaves at the end of Terminus, having decided to put her intelligence and sensitive spirit to good use by trying to find an effective and permanent cure to the Lazar's disease.
Notable Quote: "That face! I hate it!"
Grade: B+
Nyssa is an aristocrat from the planet Traken. Her father, Tremas, is a consul member for the Union, but his body is taken over and possessed by the Master in The Keeper of Traken.
Nyssa is level-headed and more mature than her colleagues. Though she is quiet and gentle, she does not have a passive personality, neither is she particularly naïve; if anything her patient nature speaks to her noble upbringing and the powerful intellect she possesses. When action is required, she is more than willing to do what needs to be done as can be seen when she breaks the Doctor out of prison in The Keeper of Traken or when she pulls a gun on the High Council of Gallifrey in Arc of Infinity.
Nyssa is considered to be the closest companion of the Fifth Doctor, and she is the first character to kiss the Doctor on-screen, albeit unromantically on the cheek. She leaves at the end of Terminus, having decided to put her intelligence and sensitive spirit to good use by trying to find an effective and permanent cure to the Lazar's disease.
Notable Quote: "That face! I hate it!"
Tegan Jovanka
Appearances: 19 (Logopolis - Resurrection of the Daleks)
Grade: B
Tegan is a hot-headed Australian who accidentally barges into the TARDIS believing it to be an actual police box. Although at first she is desperate for the Doctor to return her to Earth so she can be "on time" for her first day of work as an air stewardess, eventually she decides to stay with him indefinitely.
Tegan is loud, aggressive, and infuriatingly stubborn. She refuses to be intimidated or bullied about by other people, and she employs a "my way or the highway" approach when it comes to making decisions, an attitude that frequently leads to bickering with the other companions, most notably Adric and Turlough. However, despite this overtly forthright and no-nonsense personality, she holds a deep admiration for her crew mates, and though she is not adept at battling evil alien races, she is willing to put everything on the line if she believes it will help her friends win the day.
While traveling with the Doctor, Tegan undergoes many hardships that put her under great psychological strain, particularly Adric's death and her encounters with the Mara. At the end of Resurrection of the Daleks she decides that she has endured too much brutality and suffering and bids goodbye to the Doctor and Turlough.
Notable Quote: "I'm just a mouth on legs."
Grade: B
Tegan is a hot-headed Australian who accidentally barges into the TARDIS believing it to be an actual police box. Although at first she is desperate for the Doctor to return her to Earth so she can be "on time" for her first day of work as an air stewardess, eventually she decides to stay with him indefinitely.
Tegan is loud, aggressive, and infuriatingly stubborn. She refuses to be intimidated or bullied about by other people, and she employs a "my way or the highway" approach when it comes to making decisions, an attitude that frequently leads to bickering with the other companions, most notably Adric and Turlough. However, despite this overtly forthright and no-nonsense personality, she holds a deep admiration for her crew mates, and though she is not adept at battling evil alien races, she is willing to put everything on the line if she believes it will help her friends win the day.
While traveling with the Doctor, Tegan undergoes many hardships that put her under great psychological strain, particularly Adric's death and her encounters with the Mara. At the end of Resurrection of the Daleks she decides that she has endured too much brutality and suffering and bids goodbye to the Doctor and Turlough.
Notable Quote: "I'm just a mouth on legs."
Vislor Turlough
Appearances: 10 (Mawdryn Undead- Planet of Fire)
Grade: C-
Turlough is enlisted by the Black Guardian to kill the Doctor in exchange for safe passage back to his home planet. However, despite several opportunities, Turlough cannot bring himself to carry out his task. At the end of Enlightenment, he declares his loyalty to the Doctor and asks if he can continue time-traveling with him.
Turlough, a native of the planet Trion, has a somewhat cowardly spirit with an excellent sense of self-preservation. He holds a certain disdain for Earth-people and their values, and he finds their often selfless and altruistic behavior at best annoying. Although he is not physically or vocally aggressive, Turlough is coldly-calculating and has a streak of ruthlessness in him, and at times he appears very alien. Though he does have moments of strong moral decisiveness, it is difficult to predict what Turlough will do next, and it is never quite clear which way he will turn.
Turlough is one of the few companions able to operate the TARDIS with any degree of success.
Notable Quote: "What is it about Earth people that makes them think a futile gesture is a noble one?"
Grade: C-
Turlough is enlisted by the Black Guardian to kill the Doctor in exchange for safe passage back to his home planet. However, despite several opportunities, Turlough cannot bring himself to carry out his task. At the end of Enlightenment, he declares his loyalty to the Doctor and asks if he can continue time-traveling with him.
Turlough, a native of the planet Trion, has a somewhat cowardly spirit with an excellent sense of self-preservation. He holds a certain disdain for Earth-people and their values, and he finds their often selfless and altruistic behavior at best annoying. Although he is not physically or vocally aggressive, Turlough is coldly-calculating and has a streak of ruthlessness in him, and at times he appears very alien. Though he does have moments of strong moral decisiveness, it is difficult to predict what Turlough will do next, and it is never quite clear which way he will turn.
Turlough is one of the few companions able to operate the TARDIS with any degree of success.
Notable Quote: "What is it about Earth people that makes them think a futile gesture is a noble one?"
Kamelion
Appearances: 2 (King's Demons - Planet of Fire)
Grade: F
Kamelion is a shape-shifting android controlled by the Master. When the Doctor first meets him, he is posing as King John of England as part of a plot by the Master to prevent the signing of the Magna Charter. The Doctor is able to break the Master's grip over him and allows Kamelion to come aboard the TARDIS.
Little is known of Kamelion's origins; only that the Master found him on the planet Xeriphas presumably after the events of Time-Flight. Although he is sentient to a degree, Kamelion is weak-willed and susceptible to manipulation by anyone with a strong personality. After he is rescued by the Doctor, he does not make another on-screen appearance, indeed no one even mentions him, until Planet of Fire where the Master once again forces him to do his bidding. Unable to live in this degraded state of existence, Kamelion begs the Doctor for a mercy kill. The Doctor complies, and uses the Master's tissue compression eliminator on him.
Grade: F
Kamelion is a shape-shifting android controlled by the Master. When the Doctor first meets him, he is posing as King John of England as part of a plot by the Master to prevent the signing of the Magna Charter. The Doctor is able to break the Master's grip over him and allows Kamelion to come aboard the TARDIS.
Little is known of Kamelion's origins; only that the Master found him on the planet Xeriphas presumably after the events of Time-Flight. Although he is sentient to a degree, Kamelion is weak-willed and susceptible to manipulation by anyone with a strong personality. After he is rescued by the Doctor, he does not make another on-screen appearance, indeed no one even mentions him, until Planet of Fire where the Master once again forces him to do his bidding. Unable to live in this degraded state of existence, Kamelion begs the Doctor for a mercy kill. The Doctor complies, and uses the Master's tissue compression eliminator on him.