United Nations Intelligence Taskforce
The United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (also known as UNIT) is a fictional military organization from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Operating under the auspices of the United Nations, its purpose is to investigate and combat paranormal and extraterrestrial threats to the Earth.
The roots of the organization in the mythology of the Doctor Who universe lie in two extraterrestrial incursions. The first, taking place in 1963, was related in the 1988 Seventh Doctor serial Remembrance of the Daleks. In that incident, two Dalek factions fought a battle in London over the alien artifact known as the Hand of Omega. They were defeated by a company of infantrymen from the RAF Regiment, commanded by Group Captain "Chunky" Gilmore, along with help from the mysterious Time Lord known as the Doctor. Gilmore also had the assistance of a Scientific Advisor, one Dr. Rachel Jensen. The model of a specialized military force with scientific assistance would form the basis of the future UNIT.
The second incursion, as seen in the 1968 Second Doctor serial The Web of Fear, was an attempt to take over London by a disembodied entity known as the Great Intelligence, using robotic Yetis and a deadly cobweb-like fungus. Another small group of British infantrymen, led this time by Colonel Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart of the Scots Guards beat back the attempted conquest in the tunnels of the London Underground, again assisted by the Doctor.
Following the Yeti Incident, the United Nations became aware that the world faced threats from extraterrestrial sources, and with the space program sending probes deeper and deeper into space, Mankind had drawn attention to itself. Consequently, the United Nations established UNIT with the mandate to monitor and combat any such threats. Lethbridge-Stewart was promoted to the rank of Brigadier and put in charge of the British contingent, also known as Department C-19.
The newly formed UNIT's baptism of fire was an invasion by the Cybermen, in the 1969 serial, The Invasion. UNIT repulsed this, once again with the Second Doctor's help. After this, Lethbridge-Stewart became convinced of the necessity of scientific advice in battling extraterrestrial threats, and recruited Dr Elizabeth Shaw from Cambridge. Coincidentally, the Third Doctor had been exiled to Earth by the Time Lords, and he agreed to join UNIT as its Scientific Advisor - just in time to help defeat the Autons (Spearhead from Space).
UNIT's status is supported by enabling legislation that allows it to assume emergency powers when necessary. Although it operates under the authority of the United Nations, its members are seconded from the host country's military and are still obligated to obey that chain of command. Lethbridge-Stewart, for example, reported to the UK Ministry of Defence and the Prime Minister. However, where such orders conflict, appeals can be made to the United Nations in Geneva.
UNIT first operated out of an office building in London and subsequently moved to a headquarters in the country that had been built over the ruins of a priory (Pyramids of Mars). Its personnel have a wide range of weaponry to call on, some custom-made to combat specific threats. Among these are armor-piercing munitions for use against robots and Daleks, explosive rounds for Yetis, silver-tipped rounds for werewolves and vampires, and gold-tipped rounds for use against the Cybermen.
Prominent members of the British contingent of UNIT included Captain Mike Yates, Sergeant Benton, Jo Grant and later, Lieutenant Harry Sullivan. When the Doctor's exile was lifted, his association with UNIT became more sporadic, especially after his regeneration into his fourth incarnation. However, the organization continued to execute its mandate to investigate and combat alien activity. Eventually, Lethbridge-Stewart retired in 1976 (Mawdryn Undead), and was succeeded by Colonel Crichton (The Five Doctors). The last appearance of UNIT in the television series was the 1989 Seventh Doctor serial, Battlefield, where the British contingent was commanded by Brigadier Winifred Bambera, and Lethbridge-Stewart was called out of retirement to help defeat an other-dimensional invasion of armored knights led by Morgaine.
