Ancient Lights

The Ancient Lights did not obey the physical laws of the universe. Through the Human astrologer Martin Trueman, they attempted to take over first the planet Earth and then the universe. Sarah Jane Smith considered them the most "alien" enemy she and her group had ever encountered.

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Luke Smith speculated that the Ancient Lights originated from before the universe. Trueman said that the Lights had existed for at least thirteen billion years and, seemingly confirming Luke's theory, that they had survived the Big Bang. The Ancient Lights' powers derived from the Zodiac and from birth dates, of no significance in this universe, though fundamental to the workings of the Lights. Their powers operated in such a way that Mr Smith could not detect them, as if they did not exist at all. According to Trueman, the purpose of the Ancient Lights was control.

The Lights manifested on Earth in the late 2000s as a comet-like stream of orange light that, directed towards him, specifically, possessed career failure and obscure astrologer Martin Trueman, who had a special destiny. His birthdate had said he would act as channel for the Lights. Using the Lights' power, Trueman could tell people's names, command them to do small tasks, and shoot deadly energy beams from himself. Foremost among his powers, he could transfer the power of the Lights onto others, which, in effect, acted as a kind of mind control.

He built a career for himself, using the powers granted to him by the lights. The Lights' power depended on astrology. Luke, who had no birthdate, had an immunity to the Lights' power. The Lights depended on a certain conjunction of all the stars in the universe to possess all of Earth, in order, according to their star signs. They had proceeded up to Aries, the next-to-last sign of the Zodiac before the completion. When Luke Smith broke their power, they either destroyed Martin Trueman or absorbed him into them and returned into space. (SJA: Secrets of the Stars)


 * It is unknown whether the Ancient Lights are connected to the Disciples of the Light who sealed away the Beast (DW: The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit) and maybe Abaddon (TW: End of Days) in the previous universe. The name would suggest the Ancient Lights were worshipped by said Disciples. The Ancient Lights' appearance and modus operandi is remarkably similar to that of the Mandragora Helix (DW: The Masque of Mandragora), and it may, therefore, represent another manifestation of Mandragora.