The Flesh (Doctor Who)
The Flesh is a semi-sentient human technology from the BBC television series Doctor Who, which made an appearance in the 6th series in the double-bill "The Rebel Flesh" and "The Almost People" as the primary antagonists. The Flesh is a white goopy substance that can be used to create clones of any living organism.
Fictional history
The Flesh was initially developed as a technology in the form of an off-white, semi-clear liquid laced with red veins that could be programmed to copy the molecular structure of other beings; after becoming sentient, The Flesh could later change their form at will, unless stabilised or unaware that they are Flesh.[1]
In the "The Rebel Flesh", The Flesh is used to create doppelgängers or "gangers" as a way to safely mine acid in the 22nd century. The Flesh is considered the government's "worst kept secret," as it raises ethical questions of created consciousness. The Flesh has the ability to perfectly replicate not only the physical characteristics of any organism, but the memories and personality as well. The gangers are operated by human workers who "plug in" to an operating system which allows them to remotely control their actions. By sending out gangers instead of human workers to mine acid, the number of lives lost during mining is greatly reduced.
During a solar tsunami, the operating system severs the link between the human workers and the gangers. As a result, the gangers and humans must determine whether gangers will be allowed to continue living among human society.
In "The Almost People", Amy Pond is revealed to be a Flesh duplicate. Amy was kidnapped by Madame Kovarian and replaced by The Flesh in order to hide the fact that Amy is pregnant with her daughter, Melody Pond, also known as River Song.