Following the death of the High Priest Hepesh, at the time the planet Peladon became part of the Galactic Federation, a man named Ortron was promoted in his place. Previously the royal court had two distinct roles - High Priest and the more secular Chancellor - but in Ortron these roles were combined. As such he held a great deal of power and influence.
He became even more powerful when King Peladon died and his daughter Thalira ascended to the throne. Peladonian society remained patriarchal, and Orton dominated the young queen.
Unlike his predecessor Ortron welcomed the Federation technology. When war broke out with Galaxy Five, the planet's mineral wealth became crucial to the war effort but a series of incidents were triggered by appearances of the ghostly spirit of Aggedor. These brought the mining operations to a halt and rebellion began to brew amongst the miners.
As an aristocrat, Ortron had little time for the wants and needs of the miners and saw their leader, Gebek, as a dangerous trouble-maker.
When the Doctor arrived back on Peladon, Ortron tried numerous times to have him disposed of, since he spoke up for the miners against the nobility.
Federation ambassador Alpha Centauri was manipulated into calling in military help to resolve the situation, and Ice Warriors under the command of Azaxyr arrived. Despite their differences, Ortron was content to join forces with Gebek and the miners against what they saw as a common foe - and it transpired that the Ice Warriors and a human mining engineer were behind the Aggedor incidents.
Orton sacrificed himself trying to save Thalira, shot down by an Ice Warrior as she attempted to escape the royal citadel.
Played by: Frank Gatliff. Appearances: The Monster of Peladon (1974).
- The eccentric Gatliff, who was born in Melbourne, Australia, was particularly noted for his outfits, dressing always head to toe in black - including a wide-brimmed hat and cloak.
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