Marriner was a member of the race known as Eternals. As immortal beings who had existed since the beginning of the universe, they had long ago exhausted their imaginations. All they craved was some entertainment that would divert their attention for a fleeting moment.
Unable to think of activities themselves, they came to rely on "ephemerals" - mortal beings - for their entertainment. One such activity was a race through the Solar System in spacecraft shaped like sailing ships from different periods of Earth history - the look plucked from the minds of abducted humans. They were retained, brainwashed, to crew the vessels, whilst the Eternals took on the role of captains and other officers. Marriner was lieutenant on a clipper called The Shadow, captained by Captain Striker.
He became obsessed with the Doctor's companion Tegan Jovanka, never having encountered so complex a human before. He could not comprehend how his meddling with her memories upset her so much.
He accompanied her and the Doctor to the pirate vessel of Captain Wrack when she hosted a party- warning them of her cruel nature. After the Doctor had raced to throw an explosive device overboard, Marriner explained that he could simply have thought it away from the ship. The fact that he hadn't thought to do this allowed the Doctor to demonstrate to him his lack of imagination and initiative.
When the race was completed, Marriner wanted to remain and get to know Tegan better, but the White Guardian banished he and his fellow Eternals back to the wasteland they called home.
Played by: Christopher Brown. Appearances: Enlightenment (1983).
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