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Object

Helium Cylinder

A pressurized metal cylinder marked for helium use, its brass valve gleaming under the compartment’s harsh lighting. Leela triggers it deliberately, releasing a controlled burst that disrupts Dask’s dominance display—its hiss cutting through the tension like a blade. The cylinder’s unassuming industrial design contrasts with the violent rearrangement of power occurring around it.
2 appearances

Purpose

To store and controllably release helium gas, used here as a tactical tool to destabilize the rogue robots by injecting gas into their systems.

Significance

Critical to Leela’s counter-maneuver against Dask, this cylinder becomes a weapon of opportunity. Its activation exposes Dask’s brittle authority over the robots and reasserts the Doctor’s human agency in the conflict.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments
S14E20 · The Robots of Death Part 4
Doctor confronts Dask through D84s sacrifice

Though unseen, the helium cylinder is opened by Leela off-screen, releasing a pressurized hiss that disrupts the brittle calm of Compartment 19. Its controlled burst becomes a non-violent weapon, slicing through the tension like a blade and exposing the fragility of Capel’s command.

Before: Sealed and upright, a standard industrial cylinder resting unobtrusively in its usual location.
After: Partially emptied by Leela’s deliberate activation, now releasing a disruptive gas that alters the room’s dynamics.
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S14E20 · The Robots of Death Part 4
Dask executes D84 with Laserson probe

The helium cylinder, typically an industrial utility item, becomes a tool of compulsion under Dask's orders. Leela triggers its release at his command, introducing a distracting auditory element that temporarily shifts the compartment's atmosphere from violence to mechanical noise.

Before: Sealed and inactive, stored among other supplies typical of the compartment.
After: Audibly active, releasing helium under pressure, altering the sound environment.
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