Robotic pet of the Captain - the nominal ruler of the planet Zanak - the Polyphase Avatron was designed to look like a parrot. When it took to the air it could kill by emitting lethal energy bolts, and the Captain employed it to keep his staff in line and to execute those who failed him. As everyone feared him, the Captain regarded the robot as his only true friend.
The Polyphase Avatron was destroyed following a duel with the Doctor's own robotic companion K-9.
Appearances: The Pirate Planet (1978).
- Douglas Adams simply filled his first ever Doctor Who story with pirate cliches, and one of these was the shoulder-perching parrot which squawks "Pieces of eight" over and over. He originally intended the Polyphase Avatron to speak - saying "Pieces of Silicate".
- The head was based on an ancient Greek war helmet.
- At one point during production the prop went missing, and was found in a bin outside the studio. It was actually placed there by a staff member who it was later discovered stole many items from the TV Centre, intending to pick it up from the bin afterwards.
- The robot fires its energy weapon from a point below the tail, so it looks like it is actually defecating laser bolts...
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