Evolution of the Sontarans & Strax (1973-2014)
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- Опубликовано: 25 янв 2021
- A semi-sequel to my Evolution of the Daleks video, covering all the current television appearances, outside of cameos e.g. The God Complex & Face The Raven of the Potato Men from Sontar. It took a while to make as I was waiting on a copy of Mindgame to show up and I apologise for the "potato" quality of Shakedown but since it still hasn't gained a proper DVD release yet my Uncle's VHS copy was the best I could do.
Over the years the Sontarans have been played by: Kevin Lindsay, Derek Deadman, Stuart Fell, Clinton Greyn, Tim Raynham, Toby Aspin, Tom Finnis, Jonathon Saville, Keith Dunne, Derek Handley, Julian Jones, Stephen Mansfield, John Wadmore, Christopher Ryan, Anthony O'Donnell & Dan Starkey.
Doctor Who is a BBC owned property, the Sontarans are the property of the Robert Holmes estate, Shakedown and Mindgame are the properties of Reeltime Pictures and Big Finish. I make no claim of ownership of any of these properties.
Please leave any and all feedback in the comments.
Letterboxd: boxd.it/OYw3
Discord: / discord
Patreon: patreon.com/DanTheMan2150AD 
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That first interaction is wild. "Fear not, I come in peace. I peacefully claim this planet for the glory of the Sontaran empire."
So...america
@@raipe125it’s really just page one of the colonialism handbook
@@ocean.m5642Might Makes Right.
@@raipe125typical America bad narrative? The only overseas colonialism America did was the Philippines and Liberia
@@RisingFlag100 they try in cuba but them came castro
Human: 'You come to challenge me, sky warrior?'
Sontaran: 'Parry this you fucking casual'
😂😂
reminds me of the Jedi when they encountered the Mandalorians...
Jedi: I have a laser sword, I can block your shots
Mandalorian: Hehe, flamethrower.
For a clone race, they sure do NEVER look the same
They're probably cloned from different Sontarans, that's why many of them don't have the same physique.
@@alfiejob6546 that actually makes a lot of sense
@@alfiejob6546 Also over time they probably got modified for greater military strength.
Experimenting with stuff.
Potatoes forever 😆
"Psychotic potato dwarf" definitely the best way to describe a sontaran
where did they say this ?
edit:oh nevermind its at 35:16
Been in the wars that one😲
Or at least Drax
Yeah
Sounds like Wayne Rooney.
I understand the limitations of 70’s special effects, and the artistic value in redesigning things. But it’s funny to se Sarah call the two sontarans she meets as identical when the prosthetics are so very different.
The real life reason why Styre and the Marshal look different from Linx despite them all being played by Kevin Lindsay is that Lindsay had a heart condition and the original Sontaran mask had exacerbated it. A new, lighter Sontaran mask was created for 'The Sontaran Experiment' but tragically the new mask did nothing to alleviate Lindsay's heart issues, he died a few months after filming wrapped.
Fun Fact: General Staal and Commander Stark were played by Christopher Ryan who played Mike in The Young Ones during the 80s.
i heard the voice and ....I knew pretty cool though
After The Pandorica Opens: the Sontarans became a running joke...
They always were, just now the show acknowledges it.
Implying anyone took them seriously before? On the levels of Daleks, Cybermen, Ice Warriors etc? No, they were never an actual threat.
They utilized the potential of Sontarans, they are boring non-complex villains, but can make a hilarious companion.
@@Dead25m I'm not saying the Sontarans were on the same level of the Daleks and the Cybermen. I'm saying they weren't a punchline before The Pandorica Opens. The Time Warrior, The Invasion of Time, The Two Doctors, they had a plan. They had a different look. They were smart enough to hatch schemes to take over the universe. After the Pandorica Opens, the Sontarans were a running joke with a lame ass gag every three seconds.
@@AnonEyeMouse Oh yes, yeah they never tried to almost successfully destroy the Earth of course. ;-;
bruh it was just one sontaran. strax isn't even a villain. the sontarans are fine.
Strax is a gem. Hope they manage to bring him back somehow.
shame they never made a spin off show with Strax and company in London
@@stoves5877big finish did it
Well, he is a clone in a batch of 6 million
I don't, Ive had enough of them making sontarens a joke, yes they look stupid but if the show makers themselves can't take the characters seriously then how are we sposed to? These guys are sposed to be scary not fucking comedy relief so no more strax thanks.
@@user-et6pj4db9s I mean the Dales looks absolutely ridiculous and as menacing as cutlery and the Cybermen look like rejected Power Rangers grunts. No recurring villain other than the master can be taken seriously (and even that barely, Rasputin, everyone)
Kevin Lindsay did a wonderful job as Linx it's unfortunate he was so unwell for The Sontaran Experiment, you can tell in his performance, which is a shame, still though despite being unwell his performance is an hard act to follow!
I always thought Lynx and Styre were the archetypical Sontarans. From then on the makeup just seemed too "rubbery" and the actors were way too tall for the part.
@@lezzman Invasion of Times makeup for the Sontarans wasn't too bad, The Two Doctors is probably the worst in terms of looks.
@@theporkiestpie8416 Varl is the perfect PFP though.
Lindsay had a great anecdote about taking lunch in full makeup during filming, which resulted in frightening a woman out walking.
That is awesome.@@minicle426
Apparently Sontarans were much taller 40 years ago than they are today.
@scftlcve they were always meant to be small the bbc just never bothered to actually cast short people in the classic era
@@landfish7a They did in the beginning. Kevin Lyndsay (Lynx/Styre) was a short statured fellow and it was even explained at one point that Sontarans were short because of the strong gravity of their planet. In later years they seemed to forget that, especially in "The Two Doctors" where one of them is practically a giant!
@@lezzman Maybe not all Sontarans are created on their home planet, which would explain height discrepancies in-universe.
They were much creepier 40 years ago too!
Tall Sontarans are only in The Two Doctors.
The fact that the Sontarans are the same height as the Medieval characters obviously didn't mean anything back when it was first shot, but it works perfectly into them being relatively short in the new episodes, as Humanity has since drastrically grown in height since the Middle Ages.
In the middle ages, the average height of European males was of roughly 1m71, based on skeleton measures, so not that short.
@@Zdraviski
Depending on which part of middle ages. During the early middle ages it was 173cm, but it decreased over time
The Sontarans went from being quite formidable to stooges in a span of 40 years.
I always liked them better than the daleks, as war races go. They’re just more fun. Diametrically opposed to peace, but able to hold meaningful conversation and complex emotions. And, as shown, capable of choosing individual paths.
Honestly, given the Doctor’s complicated nature, they’re a better foil for him than the daleks, who are almost totally one-note.
Kind of almost wonder how an inevitable attempt at diplomacy, for some mutually beneficial alliance would go (kind of similar to the possible end point of the Cybermen, as an adversary), possibly with the Doctor meeting the Emperor of Sontar himself, in the process.
Could even lead to some interesting scenes where the Sontarans are essentially forced to start being more... Introspective, you could say. Like whether or not there was something more they could evolve, via strategies or just whatever cultures or philosophies they live by, or even thinking foreward to the inevitable point where the conflict dies down, and there's a moment of piece (whether it be from running out of worlds to conquer, or so on and so forth), and basically how their soldiers could fill their purpose in life, without basically fracturing and cannibalizing each other.
I really like the Lupari from season 13.
Sorry for the late reply, this video just popped in my feed.
They were always comical lol what series were you watching
"The Times! shall I send it up?"
"Yeah, why not?"
*woosh*woosh*woosh*SMACK*
"Are you sure that was the Times, Strax?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Because it felt like the Post."
(rimshot)
Badum tss
Excellent
Pretty amazing how good the 70s prosthetics were. Especially when you compare it to some of the dire 80s monsters
Field Major Styre: "your opinion of my looks is no interest to my program." Glad to see this Sontaran has good self esteem.
With Kevin Lindsey having passed away the Sontarans could never be represented as they were again. He done such a good job first time around.
The Two Doctors had the best Sontaran theme, you can't change my mind.
It’s no contest. Peter Howell went all out with that score.
I personally prefer The Invasion of Time’s techno theme during their first scenes
Agreed, Howell is clear
I only just noticed (or maybe I forgot) that the Shakedown Sontarans have their probic vent covered by their helmet.
I can’t believe that they now covered the weak point up why couldn’t they think of that before
1:02 If you listen closely you can hear part of the head being stretched due to the actor inside underestimating how tall his head actually was
sounds and looks like whatevers connecting the head mask to his neck ring thing coming apart, you can see the head slightly comes further out from the suit
Listen closely? It's the main thing you can hear in the timestamp. A sound effect put there on purpose actually.
LOL
Jingo Linx in the Time Warrior: one of the best villains in Dr. Who history IMHO. The tongue is a nice touch by the actor Kevin Lindsay.
Strax is easily the best character from modern Who. If there is no Strax next season then modern Who is truly lost!
You are in a massive minority if you really think that
@@joer.g8568 oxymoron
@@joer.g8568 Actually, in my experience, Strax is rather well liked. I think it safe to say the minority opinion is actually disliking him, it is just a rather vocal minority.
We need that potato
I can take it or leave it. 🤷♂️
No ones ever portrayed the Sontarans better than original actor Kevin Lindsay
Still surprises me that it was the same actor as Cho Je from Planet of the Spiders lol
"The Two Doctors" 1985 is one of my favourite episodes for both creating a sense of terror and comedy at the same time. Shockeye is one my favourite Who villains. The bit where he turns the 2nd doctor into a hedonistic carnivore and they order up mountains of meat in a local restaurant is hilarious. The part where he is chasing Peri with a knife is frightening. There's a moral argument embedded in the episode which I appreciated: don't use other sentient beings instrumentally. It's evil to do so.
i think the americans copied the sontarans for their predator 1987 with the same helmet and tecnology and predator 2 and wich at the end were all the predators are in the space craft
I died laughing at “ we will melt him with acid” 😆
I love how they place such value in bravery and honor in battle that they take the time to compliment the people they’re about to massacre on the things they’re doing right 😂
Strax is probably one of my favourite DW character 😂
Love how in the classic series the Sontarans weren’t always dwarfs.
Somehow, the first makeup job actually looks the best to me, the skin-tone is perfect and Linx looks like he could be a real creature, instead of just a man in makeup or a cheap costume (as was common for Classic Who!) The Invasion of Time Sontarans are definitely the worst-looking and sounding overall, though I'm not a huge fan of their New Who look either (or the writing for them in New Who!)
yeah, I don't get why they changed it..
Actually, the one in the first clip looks very similar to the kind found in new who and almost sounds the same if you ask me but that is coming from a person who never really watched the original series other than bits and clips like this.
yeah, the Time Warrior version actually looks like a weird creature with disconcertingly pseudo-human features. i think it's the way his jaw moves, which -- i wonder how they did that? did they stick the costume to the actor's jaw or something?
Yes, I always thought this was a case in which the first make-up was the best. Although I thought they looked at their worst in the Two Doctors, not The Invasion of Time. I know what you mean about their New Who treatment. They looked great and had lots of cool kit, in my opinion, but their tactics just weren't very Sontarany lol.
@@geoffpulham5032 yep two doctors
"I call no one sir, except my battalion leader" lol those Sontarans crack me up
But you’re identical
They don’t even have the same colour head, one of them has bristles
I'm glad I'm not the only one who was got by that
The first time you see a sontaran it actually looks like it is from the same batch as strax
i love the comedy in that first bit of the Time Warrior -- esp the look on the faces of the two medieval ruffians when he plants his dainty little flag
35:34 "Do not attempt to escape, or you will be obliterated ... May i take your coat?"
3rd doctor: don't even bother trying to invade gallifrey.
Sontarans: waltz in to the penopticon like its their living room
It's kind of a shame we've had no onscreen encounter between them and the Rutans yet.
Thank you for not ignoring the 90s Spinoffs, great video.
I couldn’t, that’s what held this video up for so long lol. I wanted to include them in some capacity.
@@DanTheMan2150AD This might be stretching a little but shouldn't 2006's Built for War have been included in this video?
That’s a documentary so no.
@@DanTheMan2150AD Oh alright, I thought it might've been worth the mention since it features some in-universe scenes, but then again so did 30 Years in the TARDIS.
Tbh it was an idea I had floating around but I decided to just limit it to main features. As much as I could have included them.
Linx looked by far the best. Like Davros, the original was by far the best.
15:38 that’s fucking terrifying holy shit. That’s like something out of evil dead what the fuck
They might be the best warriors in the galaxy, but they really need a cooler flag!
Definitely
I like how thorough you are with these evolution videos, such as including the BBV and Reeltime Productions movies (Such as Mindgame and Shakedown) and the spinoffs like the Sarah Jane Adventures. Also. the Sontarans need to make a return to the series at some point. Good video.
They'll be back on your screen on October 31st 2021!
@@sarahsanders9587 I saw the Flux trailer, and I must say I quite like the new Sontaran design.
@@domtaylor1887 Did you watch the episode? I loved it!
@@sarahsanders9587 They did a seriously good job with the Sontarans in Flux. Awesome update of the classic design, and brought them back to being dangerous and brutal. Oh, and returned the gratuitous lip licking!
I love the general gist of Sontaran's thinking earth is backwater and The Doctor always being like i happen to like it here.
The new who Sontarans are perfect. A rare example of the new series classic monsters being an improvement. The armour is amazing yet they maintain the crap hairy potato head just with great makeup.
Is it just me or they used to be way more interesting in classic, like it actually seems they could think back then
I don't care what everyone said to me, I think Costume and character wise the Sontarans on The Two Doctors are very underrated.
(At 9:46 to 10:00 ) Commander Stor is a ruthless and yet memorable Sontaran Villain in my opinion.
Commander Stor: "He has the Great Key. I want him captured, intact but unharmed. After that, I will deal with him personally."
somehow the makeup quality went from awesome, to cheesy, then just a straight up halloween mask for awhile, then varies in those degrees for the rest of the show. I love it
"It's like a potato. A baked potato."
"Oi, don't be like that, you look like a pink weasel to him."
And was Sarah Jane not at least notified about the events of The Poison Sky?
She was aware of the events. Just not that The Doctor was involved (which should’ve been obvious really).
Ngl the 1973 prosthetic is pretty impressive for the time. It’s aged better than some of the other effects
15:32 so.. no one gonna talk about how gory and disturbing this was? 😂😂
I really like how the Sontarans and their armor change over time from being quite ugly to something pretty cool. And The final character Strax is quite likable for a "psychotic potato dwarf".
They used to look like Space Germans. But I guess all Doctor Who aliens were kind of like Space Germans...
The music for the Sontarans, especially in The Two Doctors, is great!
Glad Shakedown was there. Sontarans moving with speed and taking down the crew in not many Mins was very impressive.
Sontarans are actually adorable when theyre not killing anyone, example: Strax lol
Strax is my most favourite Sontaran of all!
I forgot how much I loved Strax until I came across this... WANT HIM BACK!
Alien: "Didn't i tell you, you might not find my face pleasing?"
man: " I... there was never a truer word spoken."
LOL that had me for a moment
1:18
Imma be honest. I like the silver armor more than blue. Looks more militaristic
I’m so happy that series 13 did them so much justice
"Justice" is a strong word, they couldn't hit a single shot, and were taken out with a frying pan.
@@saoranachnah-alba723a Wok, and I’ll just Wok right out of here
I fell out laughing from that comeback at 36:00 minutes Doctor: who do you think I am
Stracks: Sherlock homes
"You will do well Thomas Thomas" is still the funniest line I have ever seen on Doctor Who.
"BY THE GODDESS!!! Are you blogging?" xD Neverchange Madame Vastra, never change xD
Strax was easliy one of the best things to come from doctor who, and that season was one of the best
It's good to see more of my BBC license fee finding its way to the props/costume/makeup department.
psychotic potato dwarf is among the best insults i've heard
Better then moon head and spongebob square head
The Invasion of Time is probably the most obvious Dr. Who episode where it was obvious the budget coffers were extremely low.
I love how Sarah Jane is so confused by the fact they are ‘identical’ but they’re literally different colours
They looked better in their first appearance than in the following decade
40:38 ok, that conversation was genius too.
IKR
One of my favorite Jon Pertwee and the introduction of Sarah Jane Smith
The make up and costume work was so much better in the first appearance. Even the voice is better. The tired, exhausted but "human" sounding voice of "Linx" is much better than the forced "alien" voices of later Sontarans.
I almost forgot how much I loved Peter Howell's score for The Two Doctors.
Awww That's My favourite Doctor Who Sontaran Episodes from the 1970s and Beyond Man!😉
I like the character they used for comic relief, but I really hope the sontarans get another episode as a threat. They honestly look really cool in their helmets but they never wear them anymore because they look funnier without them
I remember seeing them film the sontaran experiment at Haytor rock on Dartmoor in Devon, when they took a brake from filming, they had to give the actor playing sontaran a drink through a straw he was so dehydrated and couldn’t drink normally in the mask.
In my opinion I mostly prefer the design for the sontaran experiment , I think it looks the least like a suit and I like the mat dusty feel of the skin
(At 8:22 to 8:47 ) Commander Stor: "SIR!!! I call no one Sir, except my Battalion Leader!"
I think it's more "Sir?!?" "I call no one sir except my Battallion Commander!"
@@EcclesiastesLiker-py5ts Everyone's a critic.
The Sontarans were always one of my favorites.
The Time Warrior certainly got the Sontarans the best but I also really like how they were in The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky.
It's cool how the armour is reminiscent of the original UK space suit concept, that of a knight BUT IN SPACE
I enjoy the idea that the boilerplate speech doesn't change if the planet conquered has only one moon, or that Linx didn't think it was worth his time to check. I suppose a planet could acquire a moon later, so maybe they want to cover that. Then again, his ship wasn't doing so hot, so maybe he had no way of knowing for sure.
I miss Strax.
The very first costume is hands down the best.
Interesting how the 1978 model kinda became the foundation for later appearances for the sontaran
Humpty Dumpty keeps returning with each generation!
Somehow they manage to keep putting him back together again!
I love how the flag scene is referenced in the Flux series.
why the costume from 74 look better than all the other from before 2000s'
Probably quite a few factors, the most important being that it was a period story so the costuming for everyone else would have been cheap, the sets were likewise cheap and there was only one Sontaran in the story. It was also the first story in the season so nobody was worried about running out of money at that stage. There was also only one Sontaran in The Sontaran Experiment, but apparently the actor was ill so they redesigned the costume to make it looser and more comfortable and sadly it looks a lot less effective. After that, the stories all had multiple Sontarans and more demanding effects. In the late 70s inflation was causing their budgets to be seriously strained, and because The Two Doctors was partially shot in location in Spain the costumes were again made to breath easier for the sake of the actors and don't have the full padding (leaving the collars flopping around a bit, which does look pretty rubbish).
I really like the Sontarans, but unfortunately I feel like they've spent most of their time on screen being pretty lame. Their very first story is still probably their best.
Looks like this will have to be updated by November 1st 2021.
That Mr Holmes dialogue was damned funny.
Doctor Who has these canonically trip over a chair guys that automatically makes them the best race, they are my beloved potato men, and I wouldn't have it anyway else.
Kinda wish we coulda seen Slyvester McCoy interact with them
Nice video!
Dr Who vs the SPACE THUMB PEOPLE.
You may not like it, but this is what peak British tv looks like.
If we're talking costumes, in the Two Doctors, the Sontarans were the tallest they have ever been which makes the whole clone thing tricky to deal with, but I think it's a shame this is the only outing for the Sixth Doc's 'alt outfit', as that waistcoat and the shirt, even with the yellow trousers so suited Colin better than his coat of many colors. Plus Peri in a bikini and shorts was almost like she knew what type of climate she was going to find herself in, definitely not as figure hugging as a leotard but a very good look.
There could be different cloning templates, or perhaps different variations of the same template.
I think it was the Shakedown novelisation in which it talked about the Sontarans having different clone breeds, each suited to warfare in different environments, and that makes a fair bit of sense. It also spoke of them in constant competition with one another for who can earn the greatest glories.
It rather reminds me of the the WWII Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy who constantly squabbled over spoils and hated each other more than they hated their enemies!
I say the Sontarans were awesome, villains and awesome enemies in billions and trillions of ways.
24:52 why hasn’t this line become a meme yet?
Because Doctor Who isn't mainstream enough to generate commom memes.
A shame the entire show is a gold mine.
Thank you!
I'm sad that even though the 90's appearances had the best special effects of all of the 20th century appearences, they had some of the worst acting and writing
Strax was a great comedy character