O is for... Olvir

A young space pirate who accompanied a colleague named Kari on a raid on what they thought to be a luxury liner. It transpired that this had been converted into a "plague ship", carrying sufferers of Lazar Disease to a space station known as Terminus. This is where they were supposed to be cured, but Olvir knew that no-one ever returned. His own sister had been afflicted. He and Kari realised that they had been set up by their treacherous commander - intended to become drug-addicted Vanir Warriors, who oversaw the Lazars. Olvir initially ran away in panic when he discovered the nature of the spaceship, but soon returned to help Kari and the Doctor. He had become enamoured with Nyssa of Traken, and braved the radiation-filled Forbidden Zone to rescue her.

Nyssa discovered a genuine cure for the disease, as well as a means to replace the Vanir drug with a safer substitute. She opted to stay on Terminus after the Doctor, Tegan and Turlough left. It is not known if Olvir remained with her, or if he and Kari left the station - perhaps to seek revenge on their old leader.

Played by: Dominic Guard. Appearances: Terminus (1983).

• Dominic is the brother of Christopher Guard, who played Bellboy in The Greatest Show in the Galaxy.
• His wife, Sharon Duce, played Control in Ghost Light.
• He began his career as a child actor, appearing as the title character in The Go-Between (1971). Other film roles include Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Gandhi (1982), and opposite Richard Burton in 1978's Absolution.
• He also provided the voice of Pippin Took in Ralph Bakshi's animated Lord of the Rings (1978).
• He has turned his back on acting these days to become a psychotherapist and children's author.