The Borad is the main antagonist of the Doctor Who story "Timelash".
He was portrayed by the late Robert Ashby.
History
Decades before the events of the story, the Third Doctor visited the planet Karfel and befriended a scientist named Megellen, only to have to report him for unethical experiments on the Morlox creatures. Despite this, Megellen continued with his experiments but an accident with mustakozene-80, a substance that merged flesh, caused him to become fused with a Morlox. Dubbing himself the Borad, he was given a longer lifespan and enhanced strength but was disgusted with his appearance, hiding away.
The Borad became the effective dictator of the planet, with the official ruler, the Maylin, reduced to a mere figurehead. He shut himself away, using an android with the appearance of an old man as a front. He also banned mirrors, so he would never have to see his reflection, and had stories of the Doctor banned. As a punishment, he created the Timelash, a time corridor through which people were exiled, and continued his own time experiments. Eventually, he sought to wipe out the planet's population. He provoked war with neighbours, the Bandrils, by breaking a treaty and refusing to give them vital grain supplies. Those loyal to him believed he had a plan to win the war. In fact, he planned for the Bandrils to wipe out the Karfelons then repopulate the planet with creatures like himself, since his Morlox physiognomy made him immune to their warheads.
When three dissidents were captured trying to desert the city, the Borad had the two men exiled and the woman, Aram, brought to him, where he personally killed her. He ordered power diverted from hospitals for his experiments, endangering the lives of patients. When he learned Maylin Renis was not loyal to him, he killed him and installed the loyal Tekker as his replacement. He tried to have Renis' future son-in-law Mykros exiled through the Timelash, but Renis' daughter Vena grabbed the control amulet before falling into the tunnel.
When the TARDIS returned to Karfel, bringing the Sixth Doctor and Peri, the Borad saw the Doctor as a way to retrieve the amulet and Peri as a potential mate. He had her chained up next to a Morlox with a canister of mustakozene-80 around her neck, intending to recreate the accident that created him. After recovering the amulet, he tried to have the Doctor and his allies exiled through the Timelash, but his guards were defeated. The Borad killed Kendron, one of Tekker's associates, after Tekker made him a scapegoat.
The Doctor finally confronted the Borad and learned the truth of his scheme. On learning the Borad intended them all to die, Tekker objected and the Borad killed him. Despite the Doctor warning him, he fired on him as well, but the Doctor was wearing a kontron crystal which reflected the beam back at the Borad, killing him.
However, just after the Doctor had halted the Bandrils' attack, the Borad reappeared, revealing it had been a clone who died. He tried to claim Peri and was prepared to blind her to stop her seeing his true appearance. The Doctor revealed a hidden mirror and the Borad recoiled at his reflection. The Doctor then pushed him into the Timelash, exiling him to 12th century Scotland, where it was implied he became the Loch Ness Monster.
Trivia
- The series had earlier revealed the Skarasen to be the Loch Ness Monster. Since the Borad arrived on Earth before the Zygons, it has been speculated that he was the Loch Ness Monster prior to that and died either before or when the Zygons took over the loch.
