Doctor Who race
Rutans
Type	Shape-changing protean lifeforms
Affiliated with	Rutan Host
Homeworld	Ruta 3
First appearance	Horror of Fang Rock

The Rutan Host, or Rutans are a fictional extraterrestrial race from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. They have long been at war with the Sontaran Empire, and this war dominates both cultures to the exclusion of all else. The Rutans only appeared on television in the serial Horror of Fang Rock, in which a single Rutan is encountered, though they are mentioned in some serials featuring Sontarans (The Time Warrior, The Sontaran Experiment and The Two Doctors). Image File history File links Rutanscout. ... This is a list of planets, fictional or otherwise, that are mentioned in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Horror of Fang Rock is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from September 3 to September 24, 1977. ... The Three Graces, here in a painting by Sandro Botticelli, were the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility in Greek mythology. ... Extraterrestrial, as an adjective, refers to something that originates, occurs, or is located outside Earth or its atmosphere. ... A broadcast of the long-running and popular British science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC about a mysterious time-travelling adventurer known as The Doctor, who explores time and space with his companions, fighting evil. ... The Sontarans are a fictional extraterrestrial race from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Horror of Fang Rock is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from September 3 to September 24, 1977. ... The Time Warrior is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from December 15, 1973 to January 5, 1974. ... The Sontaran Experiment is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was originally broadcast in two weekly parts on February 22 and March 1, 1975. ... The Two Doctors is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in three weekly parts from February 16 to March 2, 1985. ...

In their natural forms, Rutans resemble large green jellyfish, glowing blobs of biomatter with long ropy tentacles. They are amphibious and can cling to sheer vertical surfaces, with considerable mobility out of the water despite their shape. Rutans can also generate lethal biolelectrical shocks, and seem to be able to absorb electrical energy directly for sustenance. They reproduce by a process similar to binary fission, with each daughter Rutan carrying the memories of the parent. Rutans can speak, although the exact mechanism by which this works is unknown as they seem to lack mouths. The Rutan observed in Horror of Fang Rock spoke with a harsh, tinny male voice. Orders Stauromedusae Coronatae Semaeostomeae Rhizostomae Jellyfish are marine invertebrates belonging to the Scyphozoan class, and in turn the phylum Cnidaria. ... The word amphibious or amphibian, when used alone, has several possible meanings in the English language. ... Bioelectromagnetism (sometimes equated with bioelectricity) refers to the static voltage of biological cells and to the electric currents that flow in living tissues, such as nerves and muscles, as a result of action potentials. ... Binary fission Binary fission is the form of asexual reproduction used by most prokaryotes to reproduce. ...

The title "Rutan Host" implies a gestalt or group intelligence of some kind, and indeed Rutans never refer to themselves as individuals, preferring the first person plurals 'we', 'us' and 'our(s)'. Rutans are able to operate independently (and like the Sontarans, often dispatch scout units consisting of a single soldier), but they do not see individuals as important and all individual desires are subsumed by the general desire to win the war with the Sontaran Empire. Gestalt is a German word whose meaning is only roughly approximated by the English words shape or form. ... A hive mind (sometimes spelled hivemind) is a form of collective consciousness strongly exhibiting traits of conformity and groupthink. ...

Rutans have also developed advanced shape-shifting technology, allowing them to appear in any form they wish. They often use this technology to adapt to alien environments and infiltrate alien cultures; Rutans are consummate spies. A Rutan usually kills specific individuals and then impersonates them, though it is unclear whether this tactic is merely to prevent discovery or because they need to make a detailed examination of the body before adopting its shape.

Other appearances

The Rutans have made appearances in the Missing Adventure novel Lords of the Storm by David A. McIntee and in Terrance Dicks' New Adventure novel Shakedown (based on the spin-off video Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans, also written by Dicks). These novels were both released in December 1995, and the former novel leads into the latter. Rutans are also mentioned in the Missing Adventures novel "Evolution", a chronicle of the 4th Doctor set in between the television serials "The Brain of Morbius" and "The Seeds of Doom". The antagonists of the story are using a sample of Rutan "healing gel" to cross-mutate humans and animals. The Virgin Missing Adventures (often referred to simply as MAs in fandom) were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which had been cancelled in 1989, continuing the story of the series from where the television programme had left off. ... Lords of the Storm is an original novel written by David A. McIntee and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... David A. McIntee is a British writer. ... Terrance Dicks Terrance Dicks (born 1935 in East Ham, London, England, UK) is a British writer, best known for his work in television and for writing a large number of popular childrens books during the 1970s and 80s. ... The Virgin New Adventures (often referred to simply as NAs within fandom) were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which had been cancelled in 1989, continuing the story of the series from where the television programme had left off. ... Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The novel of Shakedown elaborates that the Rutan "hive mind" is co-ordinated by a Queen who lives on their well-defended homeworld, and that without her influence the Host would fall apart. In the same novel, Rutan biotechnology is sufficiently advanced to "uplift" a species to sentience; they have done this at least once, on the planet Sentarion, where they are worshipped by the insectoid Sentarii people as "the Shining Ones". The organic nature of Rutan technology is one of the chief differences between them and their Sontaran enemies. The video Shakedown is the only occasion in which Sontarans and Rutans have appeared together on screen. The structure of insulin Biotechnology is a technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine. ... Look up uplift in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Sentience is a capacity for basic consciousness—the ability to feel or perceive, not necessarily including the faculty of self-awareness. ... Classes & Orders See taxonomy Insects are invertebrate animals of the Class Insecta, the largest and (on land) most widely-distributed taxon within the phylum Arthropoda. ... Organic describes forms, methods and patterns found in living systems such as organisation of cells, to populations, communities, and ecosystems. ...

An unspecified incarnation of the Doctor (but fitting the description of the Eighth) brokered a peace between the Sontarans and the Rutans in the Lance Parkin Past Doctor Adventures novel The Infinity Doctors. As with all of the spin-off media, the canonicity of the novels and videos are uncertain. Although some regard The Infinity Doctors as taking place outside normal Doctor Who continuity, Parkin has claimed that it does fit. The Doctor is the central fictional character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and also features in a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series. ... The Eighth Doctor is the name given to the eighth incarnation of the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... Lance Parkin is a British author, best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular Doctor Who (and spin-offs including the Virgin New Adventures and Faction Paradox) and Emmerdale. ... The Past Doctor Adventures (sometimes known by the abbreviation PDA or PDAs) 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. ... The Infinity Doctors is a BBC Books original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Bernice Summerfield encountered the Rutans in the Big Finish Productions audio drama The Bellotron Incident. The Rutans also appeared in the BBV audio play In 2 Minds. Bernice Surprise Summerfield (later Professor Bernice Summerfield or just Benny) is a fictional character originally created by author Paul Cornell as a new companion of the Seventh Doctor in Virgin Publishings range of original full-length Doctor Who novels, the New Adventures. ... Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces audio plays released straight to compact disc, based on British cult science fiction properties. ... BBV is a video and audio production company specialising in science fiction drama, known for its links with the British science fiction television series Doctor Who (founder Bill Baggs is a fan, and BBV productions often feature characters and/or actors from the series). ...