Vardan

The Vardans were a telepathic race with the ability to mentally travel along any broadcast wavelength.

Physical characteristics
Having a near-human physical form, the Vardans could appear as a shimmering energy form. During their invasion of the planet Gallifrey, they appeared in helmets and green uniforms. Their telepathy had limits. Lead acted as a shield to their telepathic powers, a disability the Fourth Doctor used to his advantage. (TV: The Invasion of Time) They could "broadcast" themselves, travelling from place to place at will (TV: The Invasion of Time, PROSE: No Future) and they could travel down telephone lines. (PROSE: Return of the Living Dad) Despite this, they still used spacecraft for at least some travel. (TV: The Invasion of Time). On seeing their true appearance for the first time Chancellor Borusa remarked, 'Humans!?' and the Doctor replied, 'Who else?'.

History
The Vardans were a militaristic species who lived by the principle of "survival of the very fittest", though some had a more sympathetic attitude. (PROSE: No Future)


 * Based on the non-appearance of female Vardans, it seemed they had only a marginal place in Vardan society.

They evolved from a near-human form and developed their powers of telepathy as a weapon. They perfected them to the point where they could, at will, change into forms of electromagnetic energy. (PROSE: No Future)

The Vardans contacted the Fourth Doctor to ask him to assist them in taking over Gallifrey, the home planet of the Time Lords. The Doctor nominated himself, and was elected Lord President, before placing Varda in a time loop. At the same time, Gallifrey was invaded by Sontarans. They had used the Vardans so that the Sontarans, themselves, could invade Gallifrey. (TV: The Invasion of Time)

The Doctor would later mock the Vardans as the only race ever to have been outwitted by the Sontarans.

The Monk used Artemis, a Chronovore, to release Varda from the time loop and suggested that they invade Earth in 1976. This invasion was defeated by the Seventh Doctor, who trapped them in a standing wave, then beamed them back to Varda. When the invaders arrived home five thousand years later, they found that a revolution had occurred during their absence and their race had abandoned military conquest. (PROSE: No Future)

At least one refugee Vardan remained peacefully on Earth after the invasion. (PROSE: Return of the Living Dad)

Behind the scenes
For the 2008 release of The Invasion of Time on DVD, 2|entertain produced a new effect for the Vardans' intermediate form.