
The Beast was a giant, demonic being that appeared in the Doctor Who episodes "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit". Claiming to have existed since before the dawn of time, it proclaimed to have gone by many names and that it embodied every interpretation of the Devil from humanity's history.
History[]
Before any known history, the Beast had fought against the Disciples of the Light, another force that had existed prior to the beginning of the current universe. During this battle, the Disciples subdued the Beast and ultimately imprisoned it within the bowels of a lifeless planet that remained in orbit of a black hole. How the Beast remained locked within its prison is unknown.
In the 43rd century, the rogue Time Lord known as the Doctor and his human companion Rose Tyler arrived on the Beast's prison, now referred to as Krop Tor. The TARDIS had materialized within Sanctuary Base 6, a facility where a group of humans were studying the adjacent black hole and drilling for possible resources. The drilling had awoken the long-dormant Beast, who was able to read the minds and emotions of the base crew, selecting one to possess.
After possessing the archaeologist Toby Zed, the Beast - in Toby's body - ventured out onto the planet's airless surface. He attempted to hypnotize one of the other personnel, Scooti Manista, into opening the airlock to join him, but she resisted. Angered, the Beast used telekinesis to breach the airlock by force, causing Scooti to be blown outside and die in the hard vacuum. Toby then returned inside the base and the Beast seemed to release him from its control.
Later, as the Doctor and Ida Scott were venturing towards the pit where the Beast was imprisoned, the Beast took control of the Ood, the alien slave labour force on the base. Using the Ood, the Beast began killing off the base staff. As the staff struggled to survive, the Beast would communicate to them via the Ood's telepathy, tormenting them with their own fears. In the end, Zack Flane, Danny Bartock, Toby and Rose were able to reach a rocket and escape the planet while the rest of the base personnel perished. The Sanctuary Base collapsed into the planet's interior and was destroyed.
Meanwhile, the Tenth Doctor continued to descend into the Pit while Ida remained at the edge manning the winch that lowered the Doctor down. When the Doctor reached the bottom, he found a chamber with two pillars, each holding a vase. Within the expansive cavern beyond the cliff was the Beast, chained in place and roaring menacingly. The Doctor tried to communicate with it, but the Beast said nothing back. The Doctor soon deduced that the creature before him was the body of the Beast, but its mind was gone. In truth, the Beast's consciousness was in possession of Toby, now on a rocket speeding off to Earth.
Realizing that Krop Tor was not only the Beast's prison but its lifeline, the Doctor smashed the vases on the pillars. This appeared to disrupt the gravitational field that kept Krop Tor from falling into the black hole and the planet began to break apart. The Doctor then fled from the chamber and found that the TARDIS had fallen down into the pit when the Sanctuary Base collapsed. He used the TARDIS to save Ida, then took off to save Rose and the others on the rocket.
Sensing that his body had been destroyed, the Beast's consciousness emerged from within Toby, enraged and breathing fire. As the Beast proclaimed that it was sin incarnate and could never be destroyed, Rose grabbed a nearby rivet gun and fired at the cockpit's pressurizing canopy, shattering it. She then unbuckled the safety harness on Toby's seat and the possessed Toby was blown out into space and consumed by the black hole, thus seemingly destroying the Beast. Rose, Zack and Danny were then saved by the Doctor before dying from exposure to space.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Immortality - The Beast has lived since "before time" and had been imprisoned within Krop Tor since the beginning of the universe, never ageing. Even when possessing a human vessel, it seemed to be unaffected by hazardous environments, as demonstrated when it stood on Krop Tor's surface in hard vacuum while controlling Toby Zed. While its body and, later, its possessed vessel Toby were both consumed by the black hole, it is uncertain if this was enough to truly destroy it completely.
- Telepathy - The Beast is able to communicate directly with people's minds, influencing them subtly or outright dominating them through possession. It can read the thoughts of others and uses their own fear and guilt to torment them.
- Precognition - The Beast has also demonstrated the ability to see the future. When introducing itself to the Sanctuary Base crew, it read Rose Tyler's mind and saw her future, stating that she would "soon die in battle". This premonition came true, in a way, as Rose would become caught up in the Battle of Canary Wharf between the Cybermen and the Daleks when she returned to Earth in her own timeline. While Rose did not actually die during this conflict, she ended up being stranded on a parallel Earth and was officially declared dead back on her world.
- Telekinesis - The Beast can manipulate objects without touching them, as demonstrated when it tore open an airlock and sucked Scooti Manista out into hard vacuum.
- Pyrokinesis - Whether in its own body or a possessed vessel, the Beast has shown to be capable of breathing fire.