Doctor Who season 9, episode 7 is back tonight, and the Zygons as well as U.N.I.T. are making an appearance.
The Zygons may not be quite as prolific in Doctor Who history as, say, the Daleks or the Cybermen, but they have definitely been a strong presence.
The Zygons first popped up back in classic Doctor Who when Tom Baker played the Doctor, and his travelling companion was the beloved Sarah Jane Smith, played by Elisabeth Sladen. The video below gives you the essential facts that you need to know about their history, and physical attributes.
Essentially, the Zygons are a race of shape-shifters. In their natural state, they are these large, orangish, quasi-amphibious race who of course are interested in conquest. They have popped up in several references during the reboot era. The most notable time was during Rory and Amy’s honeymoon. The Zygons were inhabiting the Savoy Hotel, which led to Amy and Rory’s honeymoon accommodations being moved to the TARDIS.
The last time we actually saw the Zygons, rather than just hearing about them, was in the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special. The Zygons were impersonating Queen Elizabeth I. It was the moment both the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors met each other. The Zygons faded to the back of that episode because they were really just a way to introduce the two Doctors so we could get on to the more interesting parts of that episode — namely the barn, Rose Tyler, and the War Doctor.
Tonight’s episode will be the first proper Zygon episode, with the Zygons at the forefront of the action. U.N.I.T. will also be back to help fight the Zygons. Puzzlingly, Osgood, played by Ingrid Oliver, is also returning. Osgood first popped up as a U.N.I.T. employee wearing her signature Fourth Doctor scarf in the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, and then she was killed off by Missy in “Death in Heaven.” The logical conclusion is that Missy either killed a Zygon last season and not the actual Osgood, or that Osgood is a Zygon Osgood now.
Find out how the Osgood mystery all works out tonight on Doctor Who at 9:00 p.m. on BBC America.