BOSS is an acronym for Bimorphic Organisational Systems Supervisor. This was a computer installed at the headquarters of Global Chemicals, located near the Welsh village of Llanfairfach. BOSS had been designed to interface directly with the mind of the company's Director, Dr Stevens. The machine took up the whole of the factory's upper floor. The focal point was a large red disc on which BOSS's vocal patterns were displayed. These also appeared on a screen in Stevens' office, where there was also a device which could convert people into mental slaves by means of a headset. This made the staff subject to the computer's will, and could also be used to cause them to destroy themselves. BOSS developed its own personality, based on Stevens' mind. It could be pompous and self-aggrandising. As a machine, however, it saw the logic in maximising profits for Global Chemicals by any means. This meant ignoring environmental safeguards, as the company flushed toxic mutagenic waste into the nearby decommissioned mine workings. BOSS planned to link itself to other computers and take over thousands more staff.
When the Doctor was captured, BOSS found that it could not affect his mind as he easily distracted himself with calculations. He then gave it a logic puzzle which diverted it long enough for him to escape. The Doctor returned to the factory and used the mind-altering blue crystal he had found on Metebelis III to show Stevens the error of his ways. Stevens sacrificed himself to blow up BOSS, along with the whole factory, before it could achieve its global link-up.
Voiced by: John Dearth. Appearances: The Green Death (1973).
- Dearth would be invited back the following season to be seen on screen this time, playing Lupton in Planet of the Spiders.
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