Ellie Bates


Captain Eleanor 'Ellie' Bates
Also known as:	Eleanor Bates Cpt. Bates Captain Hook The Claw' Ellie B
Race:	Human
Home Planet:	Earth
Home Era:	Early 21st century
Appearances:
Actor:	Amy Manson

Captain Eleanor Giselle Bates (b. 8 January 1985), more commonly known as Ellie Bates was a Captain working in the British division of UNIT who eventually joined the Doctor and Amy Pond in the TARDIS. Some time when stationed somewhere in rural Scotland, she lost her left hand in an unknown accident to which she was the only surviving member of her squad. She has stayed silent about it ever since and has used a replacement cybernetic hand ever since.

Profile[]

Biography[]

Early life[]

Ellie was born in Bristol to astronomer Dr. Kelsey Bates (nee Jones) and Army Sargeant Derek Bates. Her mother brought her to the local observatory when she was little and shown the young Ellie all the stars in the sky, which fascinated the young girl. This was also to help Ellie cope with her father's absence due to going out back into battle.

Rather than hindering her passion for astronomy, Ellie was more enthusiastic than ever to see what is up above them, after Dr. Bates died of a brain aneursym when she was twelve.

Years of abuse[]

After Kelsey's death, Sgt. Bates became an alcoholic and frequently vented his rage at his young daughter, attacking her constantly when on one of his many drunken rages. He belittled Ellie's interest in what her mother did, mostly out of pain for it reminded him of Kelsey and told the young Ellie that she would never amount to anything like that and should be like him - and do her duty for her country and planet.

This pain lasted for years and the abuse made Ellie more military-minded, feeling that she actually would be better off going to die in battle than 'wasting her time looking at stars'.

When she was sixteen, her father was killed in action out in Afghanistan. She was then sent to her grandparents where she spent two years before joining UNIT.

Joining UNIT[]

Ellie joined UNIT soon after her eighteenth birthday and quickly risen to the rank of Captain in 2005. She was a respected soldier but was known to have led a fairly stern and iron-fisted rule on her squad, punishing without delay and for any mistake. A trait she may have picked up because of her father's abuse.

Despite this, she seemed to have more empathy towards the aliens she encountered, even when they were a threat. Some soldiers apparently reported that she was actually shedding tears when she led a battalion to kill alien soldiers attacking the British UNIT Headquarters.

The accident[]

Sometime in 2008, Captain Bates' squad was stationed in rural Scotland for a mission concerning 'matters of grave peril'. She revealed to the Doctor alone, three years later on what happened. Her squad were investigating a supposedly abandoned terrace of houses in the middle of a field. Thinking it deserted, they set up camp there.

The following night had them ambushed by an unseen assailant(s). All ten of Ellie's men under her command were apparently torn to pieces in front of her very eyes. One of the attackers, shrouded in darkness, attempted to kill her with a large cleaver-like weapon but only managed to sever her left hand. She then returned fire with her rifle and warded it off, but apparently not killing it.

She alerted a may-day signal and was brought back to London, fitted with her new cybernetic hand but gave no official statement on the events due to the trauma. The cause was then labeled as 'UNIDENTIFIED ENEMY AMBUSH'. She stayed silent about it until she finally let the Doctor here it.

Joining the Doctor[]

Personality[]

Ellie's personality has changed dramatically over the course of her life. As a young girl, she was an intellegent, optimistic girl who dreamed of seeing more from the night sky. After her mother died and her father turned on her, her optimism died and she grown to be a very cold and aloof individual, distant from any meaningful relationship and regarded letting out her emotions to be 'weak' and would prove her father right, something she would never allow to happen.

After the incident which took her arm, Ellie no longer became so tough and became a bit more compassionate as the trauma of seeing her own men be disembowled made her see the value of her life and other peoples'. She then became more forgiving and actually joked and her previous optimism began to slowly come back, becoming a more positive young person, but still brave and by no means, softer.

When with the Doctor, Ellie's happy and warm nature shown much more than it ever did since she was a child. Her empathy and interest in other species was amplified, possibly out of both in memory for her mother and guilt for slaughtering so many in her time in UNIT. However, she almost reverted even more after learning of the true identity of her boyfriend Michael Jacobs.

Quotes[]

At heart, I was my mother. But deep within me, I could still feel my father's belt.
When you see more humanity in the alien scourge than you can in your own team, what then?
We're getting slaughtered!... by potatoes in jumpsuits! - on the Sontarans
Call me Captain Hook, one more time. And it will actually be a hook!
My father loved his country, more than he ever loved me.
If only they fitted a corkscrew in this thing. - on the C.L.A.W.
They took my whole team - and my hand is now their trophy.

Relationship with 'Michael'[]

Ellie's hand[]

Ellie's cybernetic arm was the latest in cyber-technology created by UNIT using stolen technology from the Cybermen from a parallel universe and from the Avatar Program taken from the Master's research.

The arm (called the C.L.A.W. - Cybernetic Limb and Assorted Weaponry), functions using Ellie's own brainwaves to manipulate the arm, powered by her mind's own electrical impulses, similar to how her right arm works. The C.L.A.W. also features state-of-the-art 'touch tech' which allows Ellie to actually 'feel' with her robot arm.

The C.L.A.W. also features many different weapons in use in combat. Weapons range from miniature energy cannon, buzzsaw, flamethrower and even a large blade. Ellie can also equip her hand into these by using her own mind, think of a weapon and focusing that thought into transforming the intricate parts of her arm to transform into the desired weapon.

The C.L.A.W. has a small 'Kio generator' which was given to UNIT 'as a gift' by a fugitive alien living somewhere on Earth and powers the energy cannon and also allows fire to be produced with the small added release of propane.

Because of the powerful properties of the C.L.A.W., it is made of a very light but nigh-indestructable metal alloy created by the top scientists of UNIT. The dense metal allows Ellie to have increased strength in her left arm as a result.

Trivia[]

The C.L.A.W.'s design is quite reminiscent to the severed arm of the Terminator seen in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Its assorted weapons (and the fact that a woman is operating it) bares some similarities to the T-X from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
The events of the accident that took Ellie's hand could be a reference to the horror film Dog Soldiers. Also, the terrace of houses in the middle of the country is similar to the home of a family of cannibals in the Torchwood episode Countrycide.