| The following article is written from an In Universe perspective. |
The United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, commonly referred to as UNIT was a military organisation which operated under the auspices of the United Nations.
History
Roots
The roots of UNIT itself, however, lay in later alien encounters. The Intrusion Counter-Measures Group headed by Group Captain Ian Gilmore, which got involved in the Shoreditch Incident, served as a specialised military force with scientific assistance would seem almost a trial run for UNIT, though not an international organisation. Though Gilmore did have two scientific advisors serving much as the third incarnation of the Doctor and Dr Elizabeth "Liz" Shaw would later, the seventh incarnation of the Doctor did most of the work on the technical end. (DW: Remembrance of the Daleks, Who Killed Kennedy?)
An incident which led directly to the creation of UNIT was the takeover of London by the Great Intelligence, with robot Yetis and a deadly cobweb-like fungus. Assisted by the Second Doctor, another group of British infantrymen, led by then-Colonel Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, beat back the Yeti from the tunnels of the London Underground. (DW: The Web of Fear) In reaction to the London Event, the British government formed the Home-Army Fifth Operational Corpsto combat alien threats, headed by Lethbridge-Stewart. Lethbridge-Stewart was part of the organisation until the formation of UNIT in 1969 (DW: Who Killed Kennedy?)
20th Century
Early history
Formation
The United Nations were aware the world faced threats from extraterrestrial sources. As space programmes sent probes deeper and deeper into space, mankind was drawing attention to itself. (DW: Spearhead from Space) Unable to get the British government to form a permanent special operations force for alien threats, Lethbridge-Stewart went over their heads to the UN Security Council, who proved more receptive. (DW: Who Killed Kennedy?) The UN established UNIT with the mandate to investigate, monitor and combat such threats. At the suggestion of Gilmore from the ICMG, (DW: The Scales of Injustice) Lethbridge-Stewart was put in charge of the British contingent. (DW: The Invasion) This contingent was organisationally known as Department C19 within the British government. (DW: The Scales of Injustice)
Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart
One of UNIT's first missions was an intensive investigation of International Electromatics, which turned violent. UNIT agents were killed and UNIT launched a helicopter raid to liberate prisoners at an Electromatics' facility. With the help, again, of the Second Doctor, UNIT discovered the company was a front for a Cybermen invasion, and was able to defend against it. (DW: The Invasion)
Lethbridge-Stewart became convinced of the necessity of scientific advice in battling extraterrestrial threats. He recruited Liz Shaw from the University of Cambridge. Around that same time, the Third Doctor had been exiled to Earth by the Time Lords. He agreed to join UNIT as its scientific advisor just in time to help defeat the Nestene Consciousness' invasion of Earth using its Autons in an attack on the Auto Plastics factory. (DW: Spearhead from Space)
The Doctor continued to assist UNIT. In Wenley Moor, UNIT soldiers guarded the cave entrances to prevent the Silurians from getting out. Against the Doctor's wishes, the Brigadier ordered Corporal Nutting to blow up the Silurian base beneath Wenley Moor, permanently sealing the base off. (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians) While the third incarnation of the Doctor stated in some accounts that this tribe had all died, (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians) According to another account, the Ninth Doctor said they were only entombed. (DW: The Scales of Injustice) UNIT also encountered the Primords. (DW: Inferno)
The Doctor gained a new assistant in Jo Grant. Not a scientist, Jo had only managed to take science up to A level, of which she later stated, "I never said I passed". As Jo began assisting the Doctor, UNIT met and made an enemy out of another Time Lord — the Master. (DW: Terror of the Autons) UNIT eventually caught and imprisoned him after several attempts to destroy Earth. (DW: The Dæmons)
When the Doctor's exile was ended, (DW: The Three Doctors) his association with UNIT became more sporadic, especially after his regeneration into his fourth incarnation. (DW: Planet of the Spiders, Robot, Pyramids of Mars)
The Doctor did return to Earth with Sarah Jane Smith, but would work less with the Brigadier and more with such other officers as Colonel Faraday (the Brigadier having gone to Geneva) (DW: The Android Invasion) and Major Beresford. (DW: The Seeds of Doom)
As a United Nations group, UNIT often served as security at peace conferences, (DW: The Mind of Evil, Day of the Daleks) and the British contingent had foreign soldiers such as Sergeant Zbrigniev. (DW: Battlefield)
UNIT often faced hostility to its operations when investigating research facilities and companies. A common tactic against them was an appeal to any contacts in the Westminster government. These forced Lethbridge-Stewart either to back down or go over the government's heads to Geneva. (DW: The Invasion, The Green Death, The Claws of Axos)
After Lethbridge-Stewart
Lethbridge-Stewart retired in 1976 to teach mathematics at Brendon Public School. His successor was Colonel Charles Crichton. (DW: The Five Doctors) Benton and medical officer Harry Sullivan also left. (DW: Mawdryn Undead)
In 1997, the Doctor re-united with UNIT in his seventh incarnation against an invasion by Morgaine and her armoured knights. The British contingent was commanded by a new brigadier, Winifred Bambera. Lethbridge-Stewart was called out of retirement to assist them. (DW: Battlefield)
The 21st century
Winifred Bambera
During the course of the 2000's, Brigadier Bambera called upon the Doctor several times to assist UNIT. The Doctor aided UNIT in his seventh (DW: Blood and Iron), his ninth (DW: The Scales of Injustice) and his twelfth incarnation. (DW: The Silurian Awakening, The Scream, Cannon Fodder)
In 2010, Leftover teamed up with UNIT to deal with the sudden immortality that humanity had gained. (MOV: Leftover: End of Days)
Caitrin Ryan
At some point prior to 2013, Winifred retired from UNIT and was succeeded by Caitrin Ryan. (MOV: Doctor Who: Genesis)
In 2013 Caitrin and UNIT, with help from Omega, aided the Fourteenth Doctor in stabilising her new body and reclaiming her TARDIS. (MOV: Doctor Who: Genesis)
The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors aided UNIT on multiple occasions, with Caitrin on occasion getting UNIT to aid the Doctor. (DW: Tomahawk, The Poisoned Sea, The Greenhouse Effect, The Demons of Madison Road)
Headquarters and command centres
To be added.
Rivals
To be added.
Organisation
To be added.
Equipment and Uniforms
To be added.
Divisions
To be added.
Call Signs
To be added.
Alternate Timelines and Parallel Worlds
To be added.
Behind the Scenes
To be added.