Sontaran

The Sontarans (/sɒnˈtɑːrən/ son-TAR-ən) are an alien species that appear in the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who and its spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. In-universe, they are a clone race bred to fight a never-ending war against a species known as the Rutans. They first appeared in the 1973 serial The Time Warrior, where a Sontaran uses time travel technology to try and return to his home planet. The Sontarans have gone on to be recurring antagonists within the series. A Sontaran named Strax serves as a supporting character and as a member of the Paternoster Gang.

The Sontarans were created by writer Robert Holmes, who conceived of the Sontarans after reading the 1832 war treatise On War. He was also inspired by the history of the Vietnam War. The Sontarans' design would change throughout the years, with different Sontarans being portrayed by a variety of different actors.

Some critics found the Sontarans to be among the more successful and popular alien species on the show, while others thought they were under-used or taken less seriously in the series.