| “ | Luke Rattigan: That Doctor, he was in a UNIT jeep. It should have ATMOS installed. General Staal: You said you didn't know his name. Luke Rattigan: I don't. He just said Doctor. Does that mean something? General Staal: There is an enemy of the Sontarans known as the Doctor. A face-changer. Luke Rattigan: Do you mean he's an alien too? General Staal: Legend says that he led the battle in the last great Time War. The finest war in history and we weren't allowed to be a part of it. [in an excited tone] Oh, but this is excellent. The last of the Time Lords will die at the hands of the Sontaran empire, in the ruins... of his precious EARTH!!! |
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| ~ General Staal and Luke Rattigan upon learning the Doctor's identity, General Staal telling Luke about the Doctor's part in the Last Great Time War. Plus, General Staal's most famous quote. |
| “ | General Staal of the 10th Sontaran fleet; Staal The Undefeated! | „ |
| ~ General Staal introducing himself. |
General Staal, also known as Staal the Undefeated, is the main antagonist of the Doctor Who two-parter episodes "The Sontaran Stratagem" and "The Poison Sky". He is a Sontaran military general who wishes to take over Earth.
He is portrayed by Christopher Ryan who also portrayed Commander Stark on the same show and Tony Driscoll on Only Fools and Horses and The Green Green Grass.
Biography[]
Like most of his species, Staal had a great love of warfare and regretted his race did not fight in the Last Great Time War, which he considered the universe's greatest war. He forged an alliance with Luke Rattigan to aid the Sontaran conquest of Earth when the Sontaran-Rutan conflict was not going in his species' favour. He had an ambition to personally kill the Tenth Doctor on meeting him.
General Staal remained in the Sontaran Command Ship when he ordered his subordinate Skorr to attack UNIT. He was contacted by the Doctor shortly after claiming the Doctor's TARDIS as his trophy. After his plan of turning Earth into a cloning planet for more troops failed, thanks to the Tenth Doctor destroying the clone feed gas with an atmospheric converter, he furiously decided to destroy Earth by force.
The Sontaran Command Ship prepared to have it's weapons to fire in twenty seconds, which is when the Tenth Doctor beamed aboard General Staal's vessel to confront them. He rejected the Tenth Doctor's offer to let him leave Earth alone or be incinerated, and General Staal decided to mock the lone alien defender of Earth, in an attempt to provoke the the last of the Timelords into pressing the button. Before the Tenth Doctor could do so, Luke Rattigan used the Sontaran's own teleporter device on Earth to beam himself to the Sontaran Command Ship, using it to save the Tenth Doctor's life in the process. Luke Rattigan then mocked General Staal by shouting: "SONTAR-HAH!!!" in the latter's face. General Staal was too shocked by this as Luke Rattigan ultimately sacrificed himself as he pressed the button that activated the atmospheric converter, blowing General Staal and the entire Tenth Sontaran Battlefleet to kingdom come, saving the Earth from destruction.
Legacy[]
Even though General Staal and all of his troops were killed by Luke Rattigan, save one lone survivor, who crash landed on Earth.
Personality[]
Staal possessed a personality that was atypical for a Sontaran as he was willing to employ tactics that would be dishonorable to many, such as wiping out the entire human race - even those not fit for battle. He also employed a teenage "aid" whom he manipulated and cared very little for, thus making him a liar and a sneak. He did share the Sontaran love of war and fanaticism, willing to die for the battle - other than that he was abnormally manipulative and xenophobic for a Sontaran (all Sontarans love battle and see themselves as superior but most abide by a code of war, something Staal only does when it suits him).
Quotes[]
| “ | I apologise for disabling you. Death has more honour, but you are needed for the stratagem. Prepare them for processing. You spoke of promotion. Now you will serve a greater cause. | „ |
| ~ Staal before abducting U.N.I.T soldiers Gray and Harris. |
| “ | Indeed! Know your enemy! I am General Staal, of the 10th Sontaran Battle Fleet; known as Staal The Undefeated. | „ |
| ~ Staal before he took off his helmet; introducing himself to his future drones. |
| “ | The last days of planet Earth. | „ |
| ~ General Staal before returning to his flagship. |
| “ | We have an intruder! | „ |
| ~ General Staal, upon noticing that the Doctor has beamed aboard his ship. |
| “ | We stare into the face of death! | „ |
| ~ General Staal |
| “ | 400,000,000,000 weapons! Sontar-Ha, Sontar-Ha! | „ |
| ~ General Staal |
| “ | General Staal: War could never come too soon. Take your last look, boy. Luke Rattigan: It was never big enough for me. General Staal: I like your ambition. |
„ |
| ~ General Staal and Luke Rattigan discussing their plan. |
| “ | A pity. [Faces troops] We've lost our target practice! | „ |
| ~ General Staal hearing Rattigan's students have abandoned him; also revealing his intentions for them. |
| “ | It seems we must revert to Basic Sontaran Stratagem One. We will ravage this planet! Prepare weapons! WIPE THEM OUT! EVERY LAST STINKING HUMAN BEAST!!! | „ |
| ~ General Staal's villainous breakdown, while refusing to accept defeat. |
| “ | Oh, excellent! | „ |
| ~ General Staal, upon seeing the Tenth Doctor appear on the bridge on his flagship |
| “ | Your stratagem would be wise if Sontarans feared death, but we do not. [shouts] AT ARMS!!! | „ |
| ~ General Staal, rejecting the Doctor's attempts to convince him to spare the Earth, before ordering his personal Sontaran Command Ship's own weapons to target the Earth. |
| “ | Tenth Doctor: I'll do it Staal. If it saves the Earth. I'll do it.
General Staal: [refusing] A warrior doesn't talk. He act's! Tenth Doctor: [arguing] I'm giving you the chance to leave. |
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Gallery[]
Images[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Since his onscreen appearances, General Staal himself has since become a fan favorite and a truly memorable and iconic Doctor Who antagonist.
- He is also hands down one of the few Main Antagonists in the Doctor Who franchise to have nearly beaten the Doctor, and would have succeeded in destroying the Earth (had not Luke Rattigan intervened and saved the Doctor's life at the last moment).
External Links[]
- General Staal on the Magnificent Baddie Wiki.
