Wednesday 20 April 2022

K is for... Keeper of Traken


The Union of Traken was a confederation of planets which were governed by a biomechanical energy field known as the Source. This maintained the environment of each planet, keeping the weather temperate and nullifying evil threats by calcifying them as soon as they arrived. These calcified wrong-doers were known as Melkur. To guide and direct the Source, a Trakenite was selected who would merge with it. It would give them an expanded life-span.
The Doctor and Adric were invited to Traken by the latest Keeper, who had been in place for a thousand years. He knew that his time was nearly up, and such times were periods of great upheaval until a new Keeper established themselves. The next Keeper was to be a Consul named Tremas. His new wife, Kassia, was unhappy about this as he would effectively be taken away from her. She had already fallen under the malign influence of a particularly hardy Melkur - not realising that this was actually the disguised TARDIS of the Master.
The elderly Keeper wanted the Doctor to visit Traken to help oversee the time of transition, as he feared for the immediate future.
His fears proved grounded when he witnessed the Melkur moving around the Consul chambers. The shock finally killed him. 
Instead of Tremas, he was succeeded by Kassia, but she was almost instantly absorbed by the Source as the Melkur became the new Keeper.
Once the Master had been defeated, another Consul named Luvic assumed the role. 
His time as Keeper was cut short when an entropy field destroyed the entire Union.

Played by: Denis Carey. Appearances: The Keeper of Traken (1981).
  • Carey had earlier featured in the abandoned Season 17 story Shada, as Time Lord Professor Chronotis. He later played the android avatar of the Borad in Timelash.

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