
The Adherents of the Repeated Meme were a group of robots that appeared in the Doctor Who episode "The End of the World". They were used by Lady Cassandra O'Brien.Δ17 in her scheme to sabotage Platform One during the Earth Death event of the year 5,000,000,000.
Appearance[]
The complete bodies of the Adherents are not shown as they are shrouded by black robes and masks, which are adorned with golden chains around the neck region. Their hands appeared to end in stainless-steel claws and they spoke in a somber, gravelly voice.
History[]
The robots known as the Adherents of the Repeated Meme were based upon the members of a cult known as the Church of the Meme. In the year 4.8/Pomegranate/12, the Church was divided into two different sects: the Adherence of the Repeated Meme and the Subversion of the Repeated Meme.
In the year 5.5/Apple/26, the Sol System's star was due to expand and engulf the Earth, destroying the planet. With the planet evacuated, numerous beings gathered on the Platform One satellite to watch the Earth Death event, including Lady Cassandra O'Brien. The Adherents of the Repeated Meme were also in attendance, but what no one on the station knew was that they were actually androids being operated remotely by Cassandra as part of a scheme to profit off the deaths of her business rivals. Once on the station, the Adherents began distributing silvery orbs to the other attendees and the staff as "gifts of peace". These seemingly mundane objects were actually metal spider drones that Cassandra would operate remotely and use to sabotage Platform One's sun filters, allowing intense solar rays to incinerate the satellite's occupants.
Cassandra also had the Adherents knock out Rose Tyler after the girl insulted her, dragging her into a room with its sun filter descending. The Adherents were later discovered, and their cloaks collapsed to the floor when the Ninth Doctor used his programming knowledge to make a metal spider go back to its master. One of the Adherents of the Repeated Meme attempted to strike the Doctor and he ripped off its right hand. He then snapped a wire in the hand and the quintet shut down, and their now hollow-looking cloaks suddenly dropped to the floor.