Vulcan (Invasion of the Daleks)


 * For the god of the same name, see Vulcan (god).

Vulcan was a planet which supported a Human colony.

General information
It was roughly 12 parsecs away from any other colony. The atmosphere was breathable by Humans. It had very little radiation and the average temperature was 30 degrees Celsius, (86 degrees F). It was a young, volcanic world, rich in nutrient-rich soil, but with no native life. It did have pools of fuming mercury. Vulcan's day was just a few hours shorter than Earth's.

Vulcan was colonised after Humans discovered the mineral riches found on the planet. It was the third such colony. The Human colony was almost taken over by Daleks who had been reactivated by a scientist called Lesterson after being found in a crashed spacecraft underground. (DW: The Power of the Daleks)

Other information
Contradicting its existence was also located in the Museum of Things That Don't Exist. (EDA: The Taking of Planet 5)

Coincidentally, the name Vulcan was also given the home planet of Mr. Spock in the Star Trek television series, as indicated by Donna Noble's comparing of the Doctor's attempt to read a possessed Nazi soldier's mind with something a Vulcan (namely Spock) would do (BBCR: The Nemonite Invasion).

Behind the scenes

 * 19th and 20th century scientists had discussed the possibility of a planet between the orbit of Mercury and Sol. This theory has since been discredited. The Taking of Planet 5 makes reference to this.
 * As noted above, the Star Trek character Spock came from the fictional planet Vulcan. Star Trek would have beat Doctor Who in introducing the concept of an alien world called Vulcan by only a few weeks, as it debuted only a couple of months before Power of the Daleks aired.