Doctor Who Finally Explains A 57 Year-Old Mystery

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A long-standing puzzle in Doctor Who has finally been solved in the new spin-off series, The War Between the Land and the Sea. The first two episodes premiered on BBC One in the UK on December 7, 2025, making it the first official Doctor Who spin-off since Class. The series brings back the Sea Devils – now known as Homo Aqua, a water-based version of Homo Reptilia – who hadn’t been seen in 38 years, last appearing in the 2022 Doctor Who special, “Legend of the Sea Devils.” It also marks the return of the organization UNIT.

Throughout most of its history, the Doctor has frequently teamed up with UNIT, a special taskforce dedicated to defending Earth. It’s remarkable that, after 57 years within the Doctor Who universe, UNIT hasn’t had its own spin-off series until now. The War Between the Land and the Sea demonstrates the potential for many more UNIT-centered stories, particularly as it reveals the existence of the Homo Aqua to the world. The series also finally explains some long-standing questions about the people who work at UNIT.

The War Between the Land and the Sea Revealed Something Huge About UNIT

The story of The War Between the Land and the Sea begins with Barclay Pierre-Dupont (Russell Tovey) being unexpectedly brought in to help UNIT after a fishing boat accidentally kills a Homo Aquan. Barclay quickly discovers a mistake has been made – he’s been listed as a replacement soldier, even though he’s just a transport clerk. Despite telling General Austin Pierce (Colin McFarlane, returning from Torchwood) the truth, Barclay is allowed to stay and serve as a civilian observer when the Homo Aqua emerge from the sea and make their existence known.

The reason UNIT, a secret military group dealing with alien threats, allows civilians to join their missions has always been a puzzle. But the story The War Between the Land and the Sea finally explains it: UNIT’s official rules require a civilian observer on every operation. While this is risky and can cause issues – as seen with Barclay’s confusion during a mission in the Mediterranean – it’s actually a deliberate part of their procedures.

Like the Doctor’s companions, who are often ordinary people, UNIT frequently includes civilians in its missions to ensure everyday humans are part of communications with aliens. This is highlighted in The War Between the Land and the Sea, where Salt chooses Barclay to speak for humanity because he represents the average person – someone without power, wealth, or status. Including civilians also helps avoid bias and ensures events are accurately observed and recorded from a realistic viewpoint.

UNIT Needing a Civilian Observer Dates Back to Their First Doctor Who Story

UNIT was first introduced in the 1968 Doctor Who story, “The Invasion,” where they joined forces with the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and his companions Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Zoe (Wendy Padbury) to battle the Cybermen. Brigadier Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), the father of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), was UNIT’s leader at the time and remained so for many years. This story hinted at UNIT’s practice of using civilian experts, and after meeting the Doctor and his human companions, UNIT began to actively recruit these advisors, some of whom later became the Doctor’s full-time companions.

Liz Shaw was a scientist and the first companion of the Third Doctor, initially serving as UNIT’s scientific advisor. She was later replaced by Jo Grant, who not only worked with UNIT but also traveled with the Doctor in the TARDIS. Sarah Jane Smith became a well-known connection between UNIT and the Third and Fourth Doctors. Over the years, many other companions, including Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Mel Bush, Tegan Jovanka, Ace, and Ruby Sunday, have also collaborated with UNIT.

A lot of the people who advise and observe for UNIT have actually traveled with the Doctor in the TARDIS before. In recent years, UNIT has been actively recruiting these former companions of the Doctor, thanks to a push by Lethbridge-Stewart. This makes sense, as they’d be perfect for the job – they already have some experience dealing with alien life and have been trained by the Doctor himself. The story, The War Between the Land and the Sea, finally reveals why this is happening, and it might even mean Barclay could end up joining the Doctor on the TARDIS someday.

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2025-12-10 17:49