The Monks (Doctor Who)

The The Monks are a extraterrestrial race in the long-running British science fiction television programme Doctor Who.

The Monks are Shapeshifting humanoids which chose their particular appearance on Earth to resemble human corpses.They were introduced in the 2017 episode Extremis which was the first of three loosely connected episodes called "The Monks Trilogy".

Television
The Monks first appeared in the 2017 episode "Extremis", in which they ran a simulation to assess the abilities of every person on Earth, especially the ones who were smart enough to realize that the world wasn't real. The Doctor eventually realises that him, Bill Potts, Nardole and everybody else are simply within a simulation. A Monk appears, and disintegrates Bill. The Doctor, tells the Monk that the Earth will be ready as he has been recording everything through his sonic glasses and emails the recording, titled Extremis, to his real-world self.

In "The Pyramid at the End of the World" (2017), they occupy a five-thousand year old pyramid in a disputed area of Turmezistan between the American, Russian, and Chinese forces. The Monks cause every clock in the world to display a time counting down to midnight in the manner of the Doomsday Clock.The Doctor, Bill, and Nardole soon join the military leaders as they negotiate with the Monks. Using the computer running their simulations ("Extremis"), the Monks show that the Earth will become lifeless within a year. They offer humanity their help to stop a pending cataclysmic disaster, but only if they "consent". The Doctor warns that this consent would have unknown but everlasting consequences. The Secretary-General offers his consent, but the Monks disintegrate him, saying he gave it out of fear, not "love". After scientists accidentally created a super-bacterium capable of breaking down all living organisms, and it is about to be vented into the atmosphere. The Doctor crafts a makeshift bomb to sterilise the bacteria and destroy the lab. However, he becomes trapped inside, unable to see a combination lock to free himself or use his sonic screwdriver on it, and he cannot get Nardole's assistance. He is forced to admit to Bill he is blind. Bill Potts, representing the Doctor's authority, offers her consent to the Monks, insisting they restore the Doctor's sight. The Monks accept, as this consent came from her love for the Doctor. The Doctor regains his vision and escapes the lab, while the Monks assert their control of Earth.

In The Lie of the Land 2017, after Bill Potts offered her consent to the Monks, it resulted in the Monks having ruled the world since humanity took its very first baby steps towards the Sun. Bill and a few others humans are aware of the truth that the Monks have only been present on Earth for six months. Those who hold this view are imprisoned for "memory crimes". The Doctor appears on television praising the Monks' guidance over humanity. The Doctor, Bill, Nardole infiltrate the Monks' pyramid in London so that the Doctor can hijack their broadcast with his own mind to break the psychic transmission. In the central chamber, the Doctor attempts to link his mind to the controlling Monk, who after a struggle overpowers the Doctor. Bill Potts intends to sacrifice herself, linking her own mind to the Monks', despite the Doctor's protests. The Monks unintentionally replace their broadcast with images of Bill's mother, which the Doctor recognizes as a strong, loving memory in Bill's mind. Humanity recovers from the Monks' lies and rebels against them. The Doctor, Bill, and Nardole watch as the Monks abandon Earth. Sometime later, The Doctor and Bill find that most of humanity have no recollection of the Monks.