Celestial Intervention Agency
Encyclopedia
The Celestial Intervention Agency is a fictional organization of Time Lord
s in the universe of the long-running British
science fiction television
series Doctor Who
.
Very little was actually said about the Agency in the television series. The Agency was only mentioned once on screen, in The Deadly Assassin
. There, it was stated that the Agency had intervened in the sentence of exile that had been imposed on the Doctor
(The War Games
). The only other remark made was that the Agency had connections to many areas of Time Lord society.
The name, an obvious parody of the real-world Central Intelligence Agency
, has led many fans to assume that the CIA is a clandestine organisation which carries out covert operations. However, since its existence is a matter of Gallifreyan public record and its influence is well-known, it appears to be less of a secret agency than an agency whose operations are sometimes secret, much like the actual CIA.
The spin-off media
have expanded on this fan conception, making the Agency an explanation and driving force behind many events in the Doctor Who universe. The most often cited example is the assignment given to the Fourth Doctor
in Genesis of the Daleks
, to attempt to change history and avert the Dalek
s' creation. Since this seemed to be in direct contradiction to the Time Lords' stated policies of non-interference the assumption (not at all mentioned in the story) was that it was the CIA that gave the Doctor his mission. Other missions that the Time Lords have apparently manipulated the Doctor into performing include The Curse of Peladon
, The Brain of Morbius
and Attack of the Cybermen
, the Doctor noting during all three occasions that his presence at such a crucial occasion in history or such a crucial location could hardly be a coincidence; the Time Lords' role in his involvement in events was made more specifically clear in Colony in Space
and The Mutants.
In the Virgin New Adventures
novel Lungbarrow
by Marc Platt
, Leela was taken prisoner by the Agency and charged with treason as the CIA sought further information about the Doctor's past. In the same novel, the CIA attempted a coup d'etat
against Time Lord President Romana
, but was unsuccessful. It was also stated that the CIA began as the personal guard of Time Lord society founder Rassilon
.
Terrance Dicks
's Eighth Doctor Adventures
novel The Eight Doctors
suggests that the Ravolox affair from the television serial The Trial of a Time Lord
: The Mysterious Planet
was the work of the CIA. Another EDA, Lawrence Miles
' Alien Bodies
revealed that at some point in the future of the Time Lords, the CIA removed itself from history and became beings of pure thought known as the Celestis as part of the war between the Time Lord
s and "the Enemy", the Celestis being almost completely destroyed as a result of the events of The Taking of Planet 5
. The Celestis are featured in the Faction Paradox
series created by Miles. They exist in an extra-dimensional realmn called Mictlan, which may have been built using the Matrix. From a castle-like structure at the centre of Mictlan, the Celestis hold the Last Parliament, from which they observe the rest of the universe. Like the original agency they have agents all over the universe who they recruit by cutting deals with them. They work to a strict code of conduct and can't break a deal. They are officially neutral in the war, but individual member have been rumoured to give information to either group.
The Agency appeared in the Big Finish Productions
audio drama NeverLand
. Coordinator Vansell (the head of the CIA) and President Romana
attempted to track down the Doctor and Charley
to rectify the consequences of her rescue from the R101
disaster. It was revealed that the CIA had been using a device known as the Oubliette of Eternity to execute Time Lord
s guilty of treason
. The device was supposed to erase the condemned from history, but instead it merely turned them into "Neverpeople", insubstantial creatures in an other-dimensional realm of "anti-time". Coordinator Narvin of the CIA is a major character in the Gallifrey series of audio plays.
The CIA also appeared in the audio drama Human Resources
where the CIA engineered a war in an attempt to destroy the Cybermen, and are revealed to be indirectly responsible for Lucie Miller
's supposed "Witness Protection Programme".
In the Doctor Who role-playing game from FASA, it was suggested that player characters be agents of the CIA. Most of the information circulating on the agency comes from that source, and as such, may often be regarded as non-canon.
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
s in the universe of the long-running British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
.
Very little was actually said about the Agency in the television series. The Agency was only mentioned once on screen, in The Deadly Assassin
The Deadly Assassin
The Deadly Assassin is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 30 October to 20 November 1976...
. There, it was stated that the Agency had intervened in the sentence of exile that had been imposed on the Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
(The War Games
The War Games
The War Games is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in ten weekly parts from 19 April to 21 June 1969. It was the last regular appearance of Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor, and of Wendy Padbury and Frazer Hines as companions Zoe...
). The only other remark made was that the Agency had connections to many areas of Time Lord society.
The name, an obvious parody of the real-world Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
, has led many fans to assume that the CIA is a clandestine organisation which carries out covert operations. However, since its existence is a matter of Gallifreyan public record and its influence is well-known, it appears to be less of a secret agency than an agency whose operations are sometimes secret, much like the actual CIA.
The spin-off media
Doctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
have expanded on this fan conception, making the Agency an explanation and driving force behind many events in the Doctor Who universe. The most often cited example is the assignment given to the Fourth Doctor
Fourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
in Genesis of the Daleks
Genesis of the Daleks
Genesis of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was originally broadcast in six weekly parts from 8 March to 12 April 1975. It marks the first appearance of Davros, the creator of the Daleks.-Plot:...
, to attempt to change history and avert the Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
s' creation. Since this seemed to be in direct contradiction to the Time Lords' stated policies of non-interference the assumption (not at all mentioned in the story) was that it was the CIA that gave the Doctor his mission. Other missions that the Time Lords have apparently manipulated the Doctor into performing include The Curse of Peladon
The Curse of Peladon
The Curse of Peladon is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 29 January to 19 February 1972.-Synopsis:...
, The Brain of Morbius
The Brain of Morbius
The Brain of Morbius is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 3 January to 24 January 1976...
and Attack of the Cybermen
Attack of the Cybermen
Attack of the Cybermen is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts from 5 January to 12 January 1985. It opened Season 22 of the series...
, the Doctor noting during all three occasions that his presence at such a crucial occasion in history or such a crucial location could hardly be a coincidence; the Time Lords' role in his involvement in events was made more specifically clear in Colony in Space
Colony in Space
Colony in Space is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in 6 weekly parts from April 10 to May 15, 1971.- Synopsis :...
and The Mutants.
Other appearances
- The following information is from spin-off novels and audio dramas which are of unclear canonicity.
In the Virgin New Adventures
Virgin New Adventures
The Virgin New Adventures were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who...
novel Lungbarrow
Lungbarrow
Lungbarrow is an original novel written by Marc Platt and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
by Marc Platt
Marc Platt
Marc Platt is a British writer. He is most known for his work with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who.After studying catering at a technical college, Platt worked first for Trust House Forte, and then in administration for the BBC...
, Leela was taken prisoner by the Agency and charged with treason as the CIA sought further information about the Doctor's past. In the same novel, the CIA attempted a coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
against Time Lord President Romana
Romana
Romana, short for Romanadvoratrelundar, is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, but was unsuccessful. It was also stated that the CIA began as the personal guard of Time Lord society founder Rassilon
Rassilon
Rassilon is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In the backstory of the programme, he was the founder of Time Lord society on the planet Gallifrey...
.
Terrance Dicks
Terrance Dicks
Terrance Dicks is an English writer, best known for his work in television and for writing a large number of popular children's books during the 1970s and 80s.- Early career :...
's Eighth Doctor Adventures
Eighth Doctor Adventures
The Eighth Doctor Adventures are a series of spin off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. 73 books were published overall...
novel The Eight Doctors
The Eight Doctors
The Eight Doctors is a BBC Books original novel written by Terrance Dicks and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was the first of the Eighth Doctor Adventures range and features the Eighth Doctor and introduces his new companion, Sam Jones.The novel...
suggests that the Ravolox affair from the television serial The Trial of a Time Lord
The Trial of a Time Lord
The Trial of a Time Lord is a fourteen-part British science fiction serial of the long running BBC series Doctor Who. The serial, produced as the twenty-third season of the Doctor Who television series, aired in weekly episodes from 6 September to 6 December 1986...
: The Mysterious Planet
The Mysterious Planet
-Preproduction:In February 1985, the BBC announced that the planned twenty-third season of Doctor Who had been cancelled. After vocal protests by the press and Doctor Who fans , the BBC announced that the programme was merely on "hiatus", and would return in September 1986...
was the work of the CIA. Another EDA, Lawrence Miles
Lawrence Miles
Lawrence Miles is a science fiction author known for his work on original Doctor Who novels and the subsequent spin-off Faction Paradox...
' Alien Bodies
Alien Bodies
Alien Bodies is an original novel written by Lawrence Miles and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor and Sam. This story marks the first appearance of Faction Paradox, a time travelling Gallifreyan voodoo cult...
revealed that at some point in the future of the Time Lords, the CIA removed itself from history and became beings of pure thought known as the Celestis as part of the war between the Time Lord
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
s and "the Enemy", the Celestis being almost completely destroyed as a result of the events of The Taking of Planet 5
The Taking of Planet 5
The Taking of Planet 5 is a BBC Books original novel written by Simon Bucher-Jones & Mark Clapham and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor, Fitz and Compassion. It is, in part, a sequel to the television serial Image of the...
. The Celestis are featured in the Faction Paradox
Faction Paradox
Faction Paradox is a fictional time travelling cult/rebel group/organized crime syndicate, originally created by the author Lawrence Miles. The Faction's belief-system as portrayed has some similarities to voodoo, and is sometimes described as such...
series created by Miles. They exist in an extra-dimensional realmn called Mictlan, which may have been built using the Matrix. From a castle-like structure at the centre of Mictlan, the Celestis hold the Last Parliament, from which they observe the rest of the universe. Like the original agency they have agents all over the universe who they recruit by cutting deals with them. They work to a strict code of conduct and can't break a deal. They are officially neutral in the war, but individual member have been rumoured to give information to either group.
The Agency appeared in the Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
audio drama NeverLand
Neverland (Doctor Who audio)
Neverland is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
. Coordinator Vansell (the head of the CIA) and President Romana
Romana
Romana, short for Romanadvoratrelundar, is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
attempted to track down the Doctor and Charley
Charley Pollard
Charlotte Elspeth Pollard, or simply Charley, is a fictional character played by India Fisher in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions, many of which were broadcast on BBC Radio 7, based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A young woman...
to rectify the consequences of her rescue from the R101
R101
R101 was one of a pair of British rigid airship completed in 1929 as part of a British government programme to develop civil airships capable of service on long-distance routes within the British Empire. It was designed and built by an Air Ministry-appointed team and was effectively in competition...
disaster. It was revealed that the CIA had been using a device known as the Oubliette of Eternity to execute Time Lord
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
s guilty of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
. The device was supposed to erase the condemned from history, but instead it merely turned them into "Neverpeople", insubstantial creatures in an other-dimensional realm of "anti-time". Coordinator Narvin of the CIA is a major character in the Gallifrey series of audio plays.
The CIA also appeared in the audio drama Human Resources
Human Resources (Doctor Who audio)
Human Resources is an audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was produced by Big Finish Productions and was broadcast in two parts on BBC 7 on 11 February and 18 February 2007 and was the last to use David Arnold's arrangement of...
where the CIA engineered a war in an attempt to destroy the Cybermen, and are revealed to be indirectly responsible for Lucie Miller
Lucie Miller
Lucie Miller is a character in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions for BBC7 based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
's supposed "Witness Protection Programme".
In the Doctor Who role-playing game from FASA, it was suggested that player characters be agents of the CIA. Most of the information circulating on the agency comes from that source, and as such, may often be regarded as non-canon.