Sonic Screwdriver - in Other Media

In Other Media

The sonic screwdriver has appeared in a variety of media, particularly other British fiction and science-fiction in general, likely a tribute to Doctor Who's enduring place in both genres. Sometimes it appears as a genuine tool, but often it is parodied – for example, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy text adventure game included tools such as the ultra-plasmic awl, and the BBC Radio 4 science-fiction comedy Nebulous offered the sonic crowbar.

Sonic screwdrivers appear in the 1980s Fighting Fantasy book Sky Lord (although it is never used for anything in the book), the Iron Man novel Femme Fatales, and the Red Dwarf novel Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers. In the latter two, it is used largely as a highly advanced hand tool, that is to say it doesn't possess many of the additional qualities of the Doctor Who version. Similarly, the online game World of Warcraft includes an item named "The Ultrasonic Screwdriver" which is used to reprogram robots in a quest.

There is also an alcoholic drink called a sonic screwdriver, made by combining – 1 1/2 oz Vanilla Vodka – 1 1/2 oz Blue Curaçao (liqueur) – 6 oz Clear Lemon-Lime Soda.

In Star Wars, a Sonic Servodriver was a cocktail composed of Sullustan gin, Old Janx Spirit, and spicebrew. This drink has made appearances in Star Wars Expanded Universe novels MedStar II: Jedi Healer and Conviction.

In Star Trek: Enterprise episode 21 of season 4, Trip Tucker uses an advanced screwdriver aesthetically and functionally similar to the Doctor's while held captive by a human xenophobic group called Terra Prime.

In the Star Trek episode "Assignment: Earth" (broadcast in 1968), the character Gary Seven uses a device resembling the sonic screwdriver with similar capabilities that he calls a "servo."

In the Facebook game Legacy of a Thousand Suns, there is a Trinket named the Ironic Screwdriver. The description reads, 'This device is a marvel of engineering, and can perform a wide range of functions—from opening locked doors to deactivating security turrets. But since it lacks a screwdriver head, it can't actually unscrew anything.'