Monoid Monoids were a one - eyed humanoid species who travelled on the Ark with the last of the human s . Biology . Physically , Monoids were about the same height as humans , but their skin was dark and scaly . They all had mop - top hair , which varied in darkness . Their feet were like flippers , which probably contributed to their slow movement . The most striking feature of the Monoids , though , was the single eye in the centre of their heads . ( TV : " The Ark " ) While in the 27th century they still possessed the power of speech and had individual names ( AUDIO : " The Kingdom of the Blind " ) , by the 57th Segment of Time they had no visible mouths , relying on sign language for communication , although they apparently ate and drank through a hole in the side of their necks . Instead of names , the Monoids of this era had numbers based on rank . ( TV : " The Ark " ) History . At some point in history , a lost Halavan ship crashed on the Monoid homeworld . It was the Halavans that gave the one - eyed race the name " Monoids " . The crash was a result of in - fighting among the Halavans , and while one faction tried to conquer and enslave the Monoids , a survivor of the other faction destroyed the telepathic boosters and without the ability to communicate telepathically they became the slaves of the the Monoids . The Monoids did not allow their slaves to use speech or individual names , and cut out their tongues as punishment . ( AUDIO : " The Kingdom of the Blind " ) Sometime before 1969 , the Monoids were conquered by the Dominator s . Vaar kept the scalp of a Monoid as a trophy . ( PROSE : " Mutually Assured Domination " ) According to one account , humans had encountered Monoids by the 25th century . ( PROSE : " Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon " ) Bernice Summerfield and Jason Kane encountered Monoids in the 27th century . The Halavan slaves of these Monoids re - activated the ancient Halavan machines and re - acquired their telepathic link . They rebelled against their masters and used their psionic powers to seal the Monoids ' mouths and take away their speech . ( AUDIO : " The Kingdom of the Blind " ) In the 101st century , one of the shows in New Earth Republic was " Confessions of a Monoid " . ( PROSE : " Synthespians™ " ) The Monoids arrived on Earth long before the Ark went into space . Their own planet was dying , and they offered their services in return for a place on the Ark . The humans accepted and welcomed them on the trip . While travelling , the Monoids fulfilled a near - slave role , carrying out menial tasks for the humans . After several hundred years of travelling , the Ark neared its destination , Refusis II . When the Doctor , Steven and Dodo visited the ship ( christened " the Ark " by Dodo ) , they brought with them a strain of the common cold virus , to which neither the Guardians nor the Monoids had any resistance . The virus spread rapidly and killed several Guardians and Monoids before the Doctor was able to devise a cure . Thinking all was well , the TARDIS crew left - but a mutation of the virus appeared , and apparently was more virulent to the human population than the Monoids . The fever sapped the humans ' will , and the Monoids saw their opportunity to seize control of the Ark and end centuries of servitude . The Guardians had encouraged research into voice boxes for the Monoids , and had also developed heat prods which the Monoids could use as weapons . With these advantages , and the fact that the Guardians were unprepared for conflict , the Monoids managed to kill many of them and make prisoners of the rest , using heat prod s to keep their captives in order . The Monoids completed the humans ' statue by adorning it with a Monoid head instead of the intended human one . In this , they planted a bomb to be detonated when they abandoned the Ark and left the humans behind . After Two did not complete communications from the surface of Refusis II , the Monoids began a full - scale landing . However , mutiny resulted in the deaths of several Monoids as fighting ensued . The bomb was ejected into space by the humans , saving the Ark . The surviving Monoids returned aboard . The Refusian s welcomed both species to their planet if they were to become friends . Both agreed . ( TV : " The Ark " ) In Christmas on Trenzalore , a puppet show put on by the Eleventh Doctor depicted him defeating a Monoid . ( TV : " The Time of the Doctor " ) At some point , the Monoids conquered Comfort . ( AUDIO : " The War To End All Wars " ) Monoids could be found at the Pridka Dream Centre . ( PROSE : " Infinite Requiem " ) The Sixth Doctor discovered Peri ' s mind was being controlled when he asked her if she remembered fighting the Monoids , which she did . He later admitted he and Peri had never fought the Monoids . ( AUDIO : " The Widow ' s Assassin " ) The Tenth Doctor compared the badger pirate s , Ood and Vocs to the Monoids , all four being slave races . ( PROSE : " The Pirate Loop " )