BBC<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Yes, Madame Ching (aka Zheng Yi Zhao, among other names) was a real historical pirate, and plenty of what we hear in the episode is true. She was more or less the most successful pirate ever, in fact, commanding a vast fleet of 3-400 pirate ships with 20,000-60,000 men at the height of her power.<\/p>\n
Born in 1775, she married a pirate called Zheng Yi when she was 26, and upon his death took over his pirate confederation. To learn more about her life, you can check out our guide to the real history of this episode of Doctor Who elsewhere on RadioTimes.com<\/a>. \u2013 Huw Fullerton<\/strong><\/p>\n
What was the Sea Devils\u2019 plan?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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BBC<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n
In case you tuned out or got a little wrapped up in other parts of the episode, here\u2019s what the Sea Devils were up to in this episode. First off, their boss had been turned into a statue by the magic keystone. That was undone accidentally by Madame Ching (Crystal Yu), and then the other Sea Devils woke up from their centuries-long catnap to pick up their head honcho.<\/p>\n
Their next move? Get their hands on the keystone, which was\u2026 somewhere. After they found it, they could use its powers and their advanced technology to\u2026 well, the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) probably explained it best.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re trying to flip the Earth\u2019s geomagnetic poles \u2013 north to south, south to north, longitude to latitude. That\u2019s why even the stars feel like they\u2019re moving.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wanna create chaos. Melt the ice. Shift the current. Change the pressure, until the whole Earth is flooded.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are reclaiming what was ours \u2013 it is our right, and it is our time,\u201d Marsissus (Craige Els) replies.<\/p>\n
In other words, the Sea Devils are looking to wipe out the \u201cland-crawlers\u201d (aka you, me and the rest of the human race) and take back their planet. Presumably this was also their plan in the 1500s before it was derailed by Ji-Hun.<\/p>\n
Not sure how their relatives the Silurians would feel about being drowned out, but hey \u2013 it\u2019s every monster from the dawn of time for themselves. \u2013 HF<\/strong><\/p>\n
What was the keystone and what are its powers?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
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Much of Legend of the Sea Devils concerns various characters hunting for a MacGuffin known as \u201cthe keystone\u201d, which was uncovered by Ji-Hun as part of the lost treasure of the Flor de la Mar. Ji-Hun guarded the keystone until the Sea Devils came calling in 1533, sending it off-ship with one of his crew \u2013 and that crew member\u2019s descendant is Ying Ki (Marlowe Chan-Reeves), who still holds the item in 1807, 274 years later.<\/p>\n
But what actually <\/span>is <\/i><\/span>the keystone, and what are its abilities? Ji-Hun calls it a \u201cformidable gem with infinite powers\u201d, telling the Doctor and Yaz (Mandip Gill). \u201c<\/span>Hold the key stone and you may change the course of the world \u2013 freeze life and time, transport matter.\u201d (It can also be used to \u201cused to entomb aggressors\u201d, which is how that one Sea Devil ended up as a living statue.)<\/p>\n
The keystone, it transpires, is actually Sea Devil technology (or as Ji-Hun puts it, \u201cthe vast lost power of a demon race from beneath our waters\u201d) \u2013 a crystal that, in conjunction with the Sea Devils\u2019 other devices, can flip the Earth\u2019s geomagnetic poles, allowing the aquatic villains to \u201c<\/span>melt the ice, shift the current, change the pressure until the whole Earth is flooded.\u201d<\/p>\n
How exactly it does this, what the limits of its power might be, and for what purpose the Sea Devils designed the keystone in the first place \u2013 presuming it was created, and not discovered \u2013 is never made entirely clear. Let\u2019s just say it\u2019s a magic gem and be done with it. \u2013 Morgan Jeffery<\/strong><\/p>\n
When did the Sea Devils get so high-tech?<\/strong><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
BBC<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Speaking of, where and when did the Sea Devils pick up all their latest high-tech gear?<\/p>\n
The versions we saw in 1972\u2019s The Sea Devils<\/a> and 1984\u2019s Warriors of the Deep<\/a> weren\u2019t exactly cavemen \u2013 despite, y\u2019know, actually coming from a time before cavemen \u2013 with laser weapons to fend off enemies and transport capsules to move about, but the breed here certainly appear to be a cut above, with a high-tech headquarters, a flying ship (adapted from a human craft to \u201cinstil fear in the land-crawlers\u201d) and the power to teleport.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to remember, of course, that the Sea Devils \/ Silurians are an entire race of creatures, and much like the human race, could well be divided into different ethnicities and different settlements, each with its own culture. This would explain the difference in not just technology but clothing between these Sea Devils and ones we\u2019ve glimpsed in the past \u2013 though we\u2019ll be honest, we sort of miss the fishing net outfits. \u2013 MJ<\/strong><\/p>\n
Doctor Who trailer revealed for Jodie Whittaker\u2019s epic final episode<\/a><\/li>\n
Doctor Who confirms return of classic companions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
Was the sea monster a Myrka?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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