December 11, 2025
Discover the origins of Aquakind within the Whoniverse…
Scientifically designated Homospondyl Erectus (or more informally ‘Homo Aqua’), the Sea Devils have made several appearances in the Whoniverse before their dramatic reveal to the world in The War Between the Land and the Sea.
We’re stepping back through the Time Vortex to revisit some classic moments where Earth’s prehistoric aquatic (and reptilian) rulers have had previous run-ins with the Doctor; but are UNIT and the rest of humanity equipped to face Homo Aqua without the Time Lord’s help…?
The War Between the Land and the Sea is now streaming on BBC iPlayer in the UK and coming to Disney+ where available in 2026.
Earth’s Earliest Owners
Doctor Who and the Silurians (1970)
Eons before humanity’s early ancestors began walking on two legs, the Earth was ruled by a scientifically advanced reptilian race, known as the Silurians (or ‘Homo Reptilia’, depending on who you ask). At some point in their evolution, this race split into two land and sea-dwelling subspecies – the latter becoming what we have known through legend as the Sea Devils.
The Third Doctor first discovers the Silurians while working for UNIT, when a nuclear cyclotron awakens a group of the creatures from hibernation in the caves below. In a struggle for peace, they release a deadly virus upon humanity; and while the Doctor is able to neutralise the epidemic, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart orders the destruction of the Silurians’ caves – eliminating the threat, as well any chance of peace in the near future.
The First Emergence
The Sea Devils (1972)
The Doctor first comes face to face with the Silurians’ undersea relatives when his rival Time Lord the Master summons them from their slumber in the depths, intending for the Sea Devils to turn on humanity and reconquer the Earth.
An attack on the Sea Devils’ base by a power-hungry politician once again breaks down any hope of diplomacy; and the Doctor is forced to sabotage the same device that awoke the creatures, driving them back into hibernation before a worldwide war between land and sea breaks out.
Fight for the Future
Warriors of the Deep (1984)
By the year 2084, both the Silurians and Sea Devils have re-emerged, working together in a battle against humanity for dominance of the Earth. The Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Turlough find themselves caught in the crossfire on an undersea military base, as the reptilian rebels plot to use humanity’s nuclear weapons to turn them against each other.
While the Doctor recognises one of the surviving Silurians from their first encounter, any hopes of peace are once again dashed by the release of a deadly gas to thwart the reptilian species’ plans.
A Pirate’s Life for Me
Legend of the Sea Devils (2022)
A rogue crew of swashbuckling Sea Devils are discovered by the Thirteenth Doctor and her friends in 19th Century China, after their captain was unwittingly freed from his stone prison by infamous pirate queen Madame Ching.
Seeking the legendary Keystone, the Sea Devils plan to use the gem’s geomagnetic power to turn Earth’s climate on its head, flooding the entire planet! Luckily the Doctor is able to invert the Keystone’s power onto the Sea Devils’ base, causing it to collapse.
Peace on Earth…?
The War Between the Land and the Sea (2025)
After a skirmish off the coast of Spain that results in UNIT’s intervention, Homo Aqua have emerged from the depths in a dramatic display, along with other representatives of Aquakind; making their existence known to the entire world for the first time!
While eager for retribution over humanity’s negligence towards the seas, Aquakind are determined to try a diplomatic approach. Deploying a Homo Amphibian ambassador known as Salt to represent them, Aquakind also demand that humanity’s ‘H20 Committee’ selects low-level UNIT employee Barclay Pierre-Dupont to enter the peace talks.
As war hangs overhead, Homo Aqua have made their position clear: The seas are theirs, and the world may never be the same…
Find out what happens next in The War Between the Land and the Sea, now streaming on BBC iPlayer in the UK and coming to Disney+ where available in 2026.
