K9 Mark II

K9, as he appears in The Armageddon Factor

**K9 Mark II** was the second K9 known to the Fourth Doctor. He was stored in a box inside the Doctor's TARDIS by the time K9 Mark I stayed behind on Gallifrey. (TV: *The Invasion of Time*)

The unit was particularly associated with Romana, having served both Romana I and Romana II. Indeed, he stopped travelling with the Doctor at the same time as the second Romana, with whom he remained in E-Space in order to assist with the liberation of the Tharil species. When Romana returned to N-Space, K9 joined her on Gallifrey. Once on the Time Lords' homeworld, he continued to serve Romana as she ascended to the post of Lady President of the High Council. (TV: *Lungbarrow*)

## Biography

### Creation

After K9 Mark I decided to stay on Gallifrey with Leela, the Fourth Doctor already had Mark II (or at least its components) prepared and in storage in his TARDIS. (TV: *The Invasion of Time*)

### Quest for the Key to Time

This version of K9 accompanied the Doctor and Romana I on their quest to locate the segments of the Key to Time. The Doctor used a dog whistle to alert K9 and to summon him. (TV: *The Ribos Operation*)

K9 killed pirates who were attacking other planets from their own, Zanak. He also fought the Pirate Captain's robot bird. (TV: *The Pirate Planet*)

K9 helped apprehend the Cessair of Diplos and helped Romana find the Doctor on the Megara ship. (TV: *The Stones of Blood*)

On Tara, K9 disabled several guards in the employ of Count Grendel of Gracht. He travelled in a boat with the Doctor in a passage under the Count's castle, cutting a way through with his blaster. The Doctor left K9 in the boat as he went to foil the Count's plot. (TV: *The Androids of Tara*)

When the TARDIS landed on Delta III, the swampy terrain made it impossible for K9 to accompany the Doctor and Romana. He remained in the TARDIS. (TV: *The Power of Kroll*)

While searching for the sixth segment, they landed on the planet Atrios. K9 was tricked into entering a scrap metal furnace, but the Doctor rescued him before he was melted. K9 transmatted to the planet Zeos. K9 told the super-computer Mentalis it was good to talk with someone who was not as illogical or unpredictable as a flesh-and-blood being. K9 again transmatted, arriving on the third planet. He was turned by the Shadow to do his bidding, but the Doctor was able to remove the control matrix implanted by the Shadow, restoring him to his former self. (TV: *The Armageddon Factor*)

### Further Adventures

While making repairs to K9's brain circuit, the Doctor found that K9 had contracted laryngitis and could not speak. K9 was left in the TARDIS while the Doctor and Romana II battled the Daleks and Davros. (TV: *Destiny of the Daleks*) After his voice returned, K9 sounded different for some time. (TV: *The Creature from the Pit*, *Nightmare of Eden*, *The Horns of Nimon*)

K9 remained patiently in the TARDIS while the Doctor and Romana visited Paris. (TV: *City of Death*)

On Chloris, K9 attacked some Wolfweeds and the soldiers of Lady Adrasta. The Wolfweeds swarmed about him and entwined him in fibres. He was taken by Adrasta, as metal was valuable. (TV: *The Creature from the Pit*)

When two ships, the *Empress* and the *Hecate*, collided in space and the Mandrels were released, K9 helped fight them off with laser beams. He also assisted in uncovering a drug smuggling conspiracy by Tryst. (TV: *Nightmare of Eden*)

K9 and the Doctor investigated the planet of Skonnos, where the Nimon were planning to invade. He helped stop them by navigating the Doctor through complex tunnels to escape and informed the Doctor of the history of the Skonnan Empire. Soldeed incapacitated him and sent him off to examination. (TV: *The Horns of Nimon*)

K9 was left inside the TARDIS when the Doctor and Romana went punting in Cambridge to meet Professor Chronotis. After several hours of being "nowhere", (WC: *Shada*) due to the Doctor and Romana being taken out of time by Borusa, (TV: *The Five Doctors*) the Doctor went back to the TARDIS, demanding everyone to put their bathing suits on as they were going to Brighton. The Doctor and Romana, though retaining memories of the punting trip, had forgotten they intended to visit Chronotis. The Doctor said that they had intended to be back "before lights out", but "went on somewhere else", according to Romana, after only being away from the TARDIS for two hours and twenty-one minutes. (WC: *Shada*)

Whilst on a beach in Brighton, K9 went into the water and had his circuits damaged. (TV: *The Leisure Hive*) The Doctor and Romana were trying to repair him when they were caught in a time loop caused by Meglos. Upon being repaired, K9 tried to find the Doctor and Romana, only to shut down in the forests of Tigella. He was eventually able to help defeat Meglos. (TV: *Meglos*)

The Doctor ordered K9 to install the coordinates to Gallifrey in his circuits. When the TARDIS became trapped in E-Space, K9 helped defeat a group of Marshmen that had risen from the swamp to attack the Alzarians. (TV: *Full Circle*)

In E-Space, K9 led the attack on the castle of the Three Who Rule. He shot many of the guards, doing most of the work. The Doctor made Ivo apologise to K9 for doubting him. (TV: *State of Decay*)

Damaged by the time winds, K9 Mark II could not cross back into N-Space with the Doctor, and decided to stay at the Gateway with Romana, to help her free the remaining Tharils from slavery. (TV: *Warriors' Gate*)

The Doctor chose not to replace K9 again, though he did build/obtain a Mark III that he gifted to Sarah Jane Smith (TV: *A Girl's Best Friend*)

### On Gallifrey

Mark II was repaired. He accompanied Romana when she returned to N-Space. During Romana's term as President of Gallifrey, K9 Mark II served as her aide and advisor. He accompanied her to observe the goings-on at the House of Lungbarrow, where he met the Eighth Doctor. (TV: *Lungbarrow*)

K9 was present in the High Council's chamber when Bernice Summerfield and Norman Manning told Romana of the Master's gambit with the Mind Wrest. He was also present with Romana when she arrived at the Master's base of operations with the Chancellery Guard, using his tracking sensor to ascertain that the Master had escaped prior. He, alongside his mistress, Bernice and Norman, witnessed the Doctor's regeneration into his ninth incarnation. (TV: *Mind Games*)

K9 assisted Lena Haigh in investigating members of the High Council during a case of electoral sabotage where Romana was killed. She grew fond of the dog, though K9 rebuked some of her attempts at affection. By analysing probabilities, K9 ultimately came to the conclusion that Illistras, head of the Chancellery Guard, was responsible, and co-ordinated with Lena in taking him down. (TV: *The Council's Reverence*)

## Personality

K9 was faithful to the Doctor and called him "Master" — calling him "Doctor" only once, and this was when under the control of the Shadow. (TV: *The Armageddon Factor*) He corrected the Doctor when necessary. (TV: *The Ribos Operation*) He was happy at the prospect of going on holiday (TV: *The Ribos Operation*) and to have a conversation with the super-computer Mentalis, declaring it better than talking to unpredictable life forms. K9 branded optimism illogical, bordering on insanity. (TV: *The Armageddon Factor*) He declared that he didn't feel anything nor did he find it necessary to do so, (TV: *Warriors' Gate*) and disliked the notion of a pet name. (TV: *The Council's Reverence*)

K9 had no problem with killing those who threatened him, such as Count Grendel's men or the guards of the Three Who Rule. (TV: *The Androids of Tara*, *State of Decay*) He only killed in self-defence, as his programming dictated. (TV: *The Creature from the Pit*)

The Doctor and K9 were fond of each other, as the Doctor described K9 as his "best friend" and when they were due to be destroyed in the TARDIS — which they actually survived — the Doctor placed a first place ribbon onto K9, and K9 thanked him.

The Doctor said that K9 had saved his life lots of times. (TV: *Nightmare of Eden*)

## Features

After K9 Mark I was left behind with Leela on Gallifrey, the Doctor built an improved K9 Mark II. Gone was the product of Marius' 5000 AD technology. This new K9 was a product of the Doctor's own technology and values. The gun was now only capable of stunning — not killing — and K9 now responded to a dog-whistle. K9 also featured a vast memory-bank, seemingly a mixture of the Mark I model, the Doctor's own memory and knowledge, and that of the TARDIS. (TV: *The Invasion of Time*) This memory bank was linked to a tracking sensor, which K9 could use to scan a certain area for a particular person's body signature, (TV: *Mind Games*) and a calculator that could calculate millions of possibilities in under a minute. (TV: *The Council's Reverence*)

K9 once claimed to be devoid of emotional circuitry. (PROSE: *Shada*)

## Behind the Scenes

* In the webcast *Shada*, K9 mentions that Earth's soil interfered with his traction (an in-joke referring to the original prop's real-life difficulty travelling in a straight line).

### Casting

John Leeson provided K9 Mark II's voice in almost all appearances. Another actor, David Brierley voiced him in *The Creature from the Pit*, *Nightmare of Eden* and *The Horns of Nimon*, while Roy Skelton, better known as a Dalek voice actor, provided the character's voice in *Destiny of the Daleks* when all was required was a croaking sound. Leeson took over the role again from *The Leisure Hive* onward.

## Appearances

### Season 16

* *The Ribos Operation*
* *The Pirate Planet*
* *The Stones of Blood*
* *The Androids of Tara*
* *The Power of Kroll*
* *The Armageddon Factor*

### Season 17

* *Destiny of the Daleks*
* *City of Death*
* *The Creature from the Pit*
* *Nightmare of Eden*
* *The Horns of Nimon*
* *Shada*

### Season 18

* *The Leisure Hive*
* *Meglos*
* *Full Circle*
* *State of Decay*
* *Warriors' Gate*