D is for... Drahvins

A warlike female race encountered by the Doctor on a dying planet. Their spaceship had been shot down by another vessel, belonging to the Rills. Leader Maaga claimed that the Rills had opened fire first, but this proved not to be the case. Maaga was the only true Drahvin on the mission. Her soldiers were all cloned warriors, of limited intelligence. Maaga claimed that there were some male members of her race - only enough to ensure breeding. The others were killed as they used up scarce resources. Maaga also claimed that one of her soldiers had been murdered by the Rills, but this was another lie. She had executed her after she had become wounded. The Rills actually wanted to help the Drahvins get off the planet before it exploded, but Maaga refused to accept their help - telling her soldiers that the aliens wanted to lure them into a trap. She wanted to seize the Rill ship, but it was guarded by the Rills' robot servants (nicknamed Chumblies by Vicki). Drahvin weapons were useless against the robots, though a metal mesh could incapacitate them temporarily. When the Doctor helped the Rills take off, Maaga led her troops to try to seize the TARDIS but they were too late. They perished when the planet was destroyed.

Played by: Stephanie Bidmead (Maaga), Marina Martin, Susanna Caroll and Lyn Ashley (soldiers). Appearances: Galaxy 4 (1965).

• The Drahvins were originally going to be all male. Producer Verity Lambert decided to make them female.
• They are mentioned as being one of the races which form part of the Pandorica Alliance, though they do not appear on screen.
• Their weapons were reused on a number of occasions - most notably by the Thal soldiers in Genesis of the Daleks.