J is for... Judoon

 

Judoon are a mercenary alien police force, who resemble bipedal rhinoceroses. They wear black leather uniforms, with huge helmets. Their spacecraft are tall tubular ships, of purely functional design. They carry small devices which allow them to assimilate other languages. Their own language is monosyllabic.

When the Doctor discovered H2O Scoops hidden around London's Royal Hope Hospital, he realised alien activity was present. He got himself admitted to the hospital to find out more. Soon after, the entire building was transported to the Moon. This was the work of the Judoon. They were in search of a criminal - a blood-sucking Plasmavore who was hiding amongst the patients. As Earth was outside their jurisdiction, they had transplanted the hospital to neutral territory on the planet's satellite.

Knowing that the Judoon were seeking an alien who looked human, the Doctor realised he was in trouble. Once on active duty, Judoon can act as judge, jury and executioner - summarily executing people for even the most minor of infringements.

Once they had found and destroyed their fugitive, the Judoon departed. and returned the hospital to London just before the air ran out.

Judoon Captain Tybo was transporting a prisoner through the Solar System when their spacecraft got into difficulties above Earth and crashed in West London. This was investigated by Sarah Jane Smith. The prisoner - Androvax - fled and was able to hide himself inside other people. Tybo called on a platoon to assist him. When Sarah's young friends Clyde and Rani interfered with Tybo's attempts to arrest Androvax, they found themselves grounded - banned from leaving the Earth. This had consequences when a pair of alien robots removed the entire population of the planet as they searched for their missing royal master. Clyde and Rani found themselves left behind - the only humans on the planet.

The Doctor's next encounter with the Judoon was at the headquarters of the Shadow Proclamation. They were employed as a police force by the organisation. They were still there when Colony Sarff came looking for the Doctor, on a mission for Davros.

There was a Judoon present at the bar where the Doctor sought out Captain Jack Harkness, just before his regeneration.

Other Judoon took part in the Pandorica Alliance, an attempt to imprison the Doctor and so prevent his TARDIS from destroying the Universe.

Judoon were also employed by the Doctor himself when he put together a force to attack the asteroid known as Demon's Run, where Amy Pond was being held captive.

Ashildr / Me employed a pair of Judoon to provide security for the Trap Street community of which she was mayor.

The Doctor's next meeting with Judoon was in the English city of Gloucester. A Judoon spaceship in orbit above Earth beamed down a party, led by Captain Pol-Kon-Don, who was female and had a mohawk-like tuft of hair behind the horn.

They were being employed by a woman named Gat to find a fugitive living in the city. This proved to be a woman named Ruth. 

It transpired that Ruth was really an incarnation of the Doctor she never knew about - one predating any of her memories of who she was. She had used a Chameleon Arch to mask her true identity from others - and from herself. Gat worked for an organisation known as The Division. Her old self breaking through, Ruth fought with the Judoon and beat them at unarmed combat, breaking off the Captain's horn - which was considered a great act of disrespect for the aliens.

After Gat's death, the Judoon departed. A short time later, a cold case unit broke into the TARDIS and arrested the Doctor, who was still considered their fugitive. She was sentenced to life imprisonment in a maximum-security asteroid jail.

Played by: Paul Kasey. Appearances: Smith and Jones (2007), The Stolen Earth (2008), SJA 3.1 Prisoner of the Judoon (2009), The Pandorica Opens (2010), The End of Time Part II (2010), A Good Man Goes To War (2011), The Magician's Apprentice (2015), Face The Raven (2015), Fugitive of the Judoon (2020).