'It's Racist to Say Sea Devil': Doctor Who Spin-Off Introduces New 'Homo Aqua' Name for Classic Villain Race

Upcoming Doctor Who spin-off The War Between The Land And The Sea volition present a caller sanction for the series' classical Sea Devil villains — who similar to beryllium called "Homo Aqua."

Speaking to Radio Times magazine, existent Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies said that the sea-dwelling contention present spell by the sanction of Homo Aqua, arsenic viewers volition larn "it's racist to accidental Sea Devil."

Davies continued by saying that fans should besides not telephone the contention monsters, arsenic humans would beryllium highlighted arsenic the villains of the series. Set to debut successful the UK via the BBC aboriginal this twelvemonth (and internationally via Disney+ astatine a aboriginal date), The War Between The Land And The Sea features a sci-fi instrumentality connected clime change.

"When they archetypal approached maine astir coming backmost to Doctor Who successful 2021, this was the archetypal spot of my pitch," Davies revealed, referring to the commencement of his latest tenure arsenic franchise showrunner — a play successful which it was erstwhile hoped the BBC's flagship marque could beryllium "Marvel-ized" utilizing Disney cash.

"I had this thought separately first," helium continued. "But weirdly, it needs the Doctor Who setting. If I conscionable spell and transportation this cold, saying, 'There is simply a contention of creatures that unrecorded successful the sea,' They'd say, 'Really? You sure?' The pre-existance of the Sea Devils takes each the problems retired of it."

The aquatic contention primitively featured successful the 1972 Jon Pertwee-era serial The Sea Devils, and notably returned successful the 1984 Peter Davidson communicative Warriors of the Deep, wherever they battled alongside their sister reptilian race, the Silurians, to reclaim Earth (both races having existed anterior to the improvement of humanity).

Homo Aqua. Image credit: BBC.

Reaction to the upcoming sanction alteration has been mixed, with fans noting that the Silurians themselves antecedently referred to their sister contention arsenic Sea Devils, and that the genus "homo" is specifically utilized for the subdivision of large apes (mammals, not reptiles) from which humans are descended.

Others person likened the alteration to Davies' erstwhile determination to nary longer amusement Davros, the creator of the Daleks, utilizing a wheelchair-like device.

"We had agelong conversations astir bringing Davros backmost due to the fact that he's a fantastic character," Davies said antecedently of his changes to Davros. "Time and nine and civilization and sensation has moved on, and there's a occupation with the Davros of aged successful that he's a wheelchair idiosyncratic who's evil. And I had problems with that, and a batch of america connected the accumulation squad had problems with that, of associating disablement with evil, and spot me, there's a precise agelong contented of this.

"I'm not blaming radical successful the past astatine all, but the satellite changes, and erstwhile the satellite changes Doctor Who has to alteration arsenic well."

Last week, the BBC ended months of uncertainty implicit Doctor Who's aboriginal by yet confirming the franchise's co-funding woody with Disney was dead. A azygous episode, to beryllium written by Davies and funded by the BBC, is present scheduled for Christmas 2026. It's expected that this one-off instrumentality volition spot the showrunner wrapper up his dangling cliffhanger that introduced Billie Piper, earlier the amusement moves guardant into a caller era.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social