Saturday 15 August 2015

TARDIS Travels No.33(a)


Before we hit Series 6, let's take a look at the two special stories which come between The Big Bang and The Impossible Astronaut. As mentioned last time, the 2010 Christmas Special does have a heck of a lot of TARDIS travelling on its own. Whilst the Comic Relief minisodes were broadcast during this period, they clearly actually take place between Day of the Moon and The Curse of the Black Spot - so you will have to wait for those.

Journeys 558 & 559: Leadworth, April 2010, to unknown planets, 2010.
The Doctor never did go to the Orient Express with Amy and Rory - that he will do much later - but he has taken them somewhere on honeymoon. He then travels alone to an alien planet where he is left stranded when the vulture-like Shansheeth steal the ship.
They transport it to Earth and hold a funeral, at a UNIT base built under Mount Snowden, for the Doctor in order to ensnare one or more of the Doctor's companions. They can create a replica TARDIS key from the memories of Sarah Jane Smith and Jo Grant. The alien planet where the Doctor is stranded must be in 2010, as the Shansheeth don't have time travel - otherwise why go to such elaborate lengths to get their claws on the TARDIS. The Doctor is able to transport himself back to Earth. The Doctor reveals that there were a huge number of unseen journeys prior to his last regeneration, as he went and saw all of his companions - though they weren't all aware of it. A few are mentioned later by Sarah. Ben and Polly run an orphanage. Ian and Barbara are Cambridge academics. Liz still works for UNIT, but is stuck on their moonbase. The Brigadier is still in Peru. Harry's research work has saved thousands of lives. Tegan campaigns for Aboriginal rights, and Ace runs a children's charity.


Journey 560: Mount Snowden, Wales, to Ealing, London, 2010.
The Doctor must stay on at the UNIT base for some time, as he does not give Sarah, Jo and the kids a lift back to Ealing. The TARDIS materialises in Sarah's attic after the others have arrived home by conventional means.


Journey 561: Ealing, London, 2010, to the orbit of planet Ember, 44th Century.
Unseen, Amy and Rory are now travelling on a spaceship that has gotten into trouble in the turbulent atmosphere of the planet Ember. Whether the Doctor picked them up from their honeymoon planet, or if they got on the spaceship there themselves, we don't know.
All we do see is that the TARDIS is also in the Ember atmosphere, travelling in normal space / time.


Journey 562: Ember - orbit to planet, 44th Century.
The TARDIS materialises on the planet, in the city of Sardicktown, so that the Doctor can get Kazran Sardick to permit the crashing spaceship to land safely. Ember is stated to be an Earth colony, as Kazran knows all about Christmas. It is Christmas Eve.


Journey 563: Ember - Kazran's present to his past.
As the elderly Kazran won't help, the Doctor travels back into his past to try to influence his life. The ship materialises on the roof outside young Kazran's bedroom. The Doctor captures one of the flying sharks but it falls ill after eating half of the sonic screwdriver.


Journeys 564 & 565: Ember - Kazran's past to his present, then back to his past.
Needing the access code to the refrigerated chamber, the Doctor nips ahead to hear the older Kazran shout it out. He then travels back so that he and the young Kazran can use a freezer cabinet to transport the shark. They use that of Abigail Pettigrew. She only has 7 days to live.


Journey 566: Ember - Sardicktown to atmosphere.
Abigail and young Kazran travel with the Doctor into the clouds where the shark is released.


Journey 567: Ember - atmosphere to Sardicktown.
The TARDIS materialises in the refrigerated chamber, and Abigail returns to her freezer cabinet. An arrangement is made to visit her next Christmas Eve.


Journey 568: Ember - one year later.
The Doctor and young Kazran visit Abigail the following Christmas Eve. She has 6 days to live.


Journey 569: Ember - one year later.
As above. Abigail has 5 days to live.


Journey 570: Ember - one year later.
As above. 4 days to live.


Journey 571: Ember - one year later.
Abigail has 3 days to live.


Journey 572: Ember - one year later.
Kazran is now a young man. Abigail has only 2 days to live. There are a number of unseen journeys during the previous few Christmas Eves. These all seem to have been to Earth. From Kazran's photos we see visits to New York, Paris and Cairo amongst others. Instead of going to Earth, this time they elect to visit Abigail's family.


Journeys 573 & 574: Ember - one year later - then to Hollywood, 1950's.
The Doctor, Kazran and Abigail go to Frank Sinatra's house. The Doctor gets married to Marilyn Monroe. Santa is also present - real name Geoff. Abigail has only one more day of life left. The Doctor is still unaware of this, but she informs Kazran.


Journey 575: Hollywood, 1950's, to Ember, 44th Century.
Abigail is taken back to her freezer unit.


Journey 576: Ember - one year later.
The Doctor visits Kazran - but this time the young man shuns him, as he knows the consequence of letting Abigail live another day.


Journeys 577 & 578: Ember - to Kazran's childhood then to Kazran's present.
The Doctor has done what he can with Kazran's past, and hopes that it has made a difference in the present. However, he collects the young Kazran before meeting the older version. He discovers the truth about Abigail's health, and how his bitterness about this is stopping Kazran relenting over the crashing spaceship. Seeing the monster he will become as an old man finally changes Kazran. Trouble is, it changes him too much - so he can no longer operate the machinery that controls the cloud layer.


Journey 579: Ember - refrigeration chamber to street.
Abigail is woken up for her final day - Christmas Day this time - and sings to the shark so that it will calm the atmosphere. Don't ask. This allows the spaceship to make a safe landing. There's an unseen journey when the Doctor must take young Kazran back to his own time.


Journey 580: Ember - past to present.
The Doctor returns to Sardicktown to collect Amy and Rory. He has enough time whilst he is waiting to build loads of snowmen.

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