History[]
U.N.I.T., which originally stood for 'United Nations Intelligence Taskforce' and now stands for 'Unified Intelligence Taskforce', is an apparently international organization head-quartered in Geneva but originally organized by the British government. Its remit is to investigate and deal with "the odd, the unexplained", and in particular, any potential extraterrestrial threats to Earth.
Formerly commanded by the late Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, the organization has for many years employed the Time Lord known as The Doctor as its Chief Scientific Advisor. (This is possibly because he works very cheaply; he has never actually asked to be paid, once stating "money? Got no use for the stuff." Because he is never given an annual salary and can go without working for U.N.I.T. for decades, he is presumably on a zero-hours contract.) At times, U.N.I.T. seemed ridiculously understaffed, its ranks basically consisting of the Brigadier, his aide Captain Mike Yates, Sergeant John Benton and... well, pretty much nobody else (apart from Jo Grant). These days, however, it has seemingly broadened its scope a bit and it now boasts a Moonbase (where Liz Shaw works) and a flying mobile headquarters, the aircraft carrier Valiant.
The Brigadier's daughter, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, now fulfils the rôle of Chief Scientific Advisor, though she is not above seeking the Doctor's assistance. U.N.I.T. is currently based in the Tower of London and guarded by robotic ravens (It used to be based in a highly classified top-secret facility somewhere in the countryside, with a huge sign outside it saying 'U.N.I.T.')
Notable members
Paraphernalia[]
Equipment
A lot of it.
Transportation
The Brigadier's helicopter; the aircraft carrier Valiant; black Jeeps (Benton used to be regularly found laying on a jeep at the Brigadier's request).
Weapons
Lots.
Notes[]
Though created for the TV series, U.N.I.T. have appeared in Doctor Who stories in multiple comic titles since 1970, including TV Comic, Doctor Who Magazine, the Titan Comics titles and the Doctor Who Annual. They have also cropped up in non Who-related comic titles; at one point, the Brigadier and Sgt Benton made a cameo appearance in one of Marvel's X-Men titles, and Marvel later created their own version of U.N.I.T., named W.H.O (the Weird Happenings Organization) and run by Brigadier Alysande Stuart (whose brother, Alistaire, was its scientific advisor).
Trivia[]
U.N.I.T. is still active in 2119 AD.
Links[]
- Appearances of U.N.I.T
- Character Gallery: U.N.I.T
- Images that feature U.N.I.T
- Fan-Art Gallery: U.N.I.T
- U.N.I.T quotations
Discover and Discuss[]
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