Dr. Who season 4 questions

[dragon]

Finally got a to see a few of the season 4 episodes, of course out of order though, and have a question.

When the doctor went to the Planet of the Ood he said it was the 42 century or something and the human empire spread across three galaxies. And you look at the ships and weapons and they appear more primitive than the aliens that bother earty in the 21 centuries. Aliens such as the ones that make the Adipose creatures. However it brings up the Sontarans and the Shadow Proclomation.

THe doctor says the Sontarans are the best soliders in the Galaxy in the early 21st century with some fairly advance technology. So what happens to all these advance races between the 21 and 42 centuries when the humans go from 1 planet to three galaxies. Do they explain what happens in the episodes I missed or is it unexplained.

Also does he find his daughter again?

[TimothyC]

Also does he find his daughter again?

No. Jenny is left as a hanging thread.

[dragon]

Also does he find his daughter again?

No. Jenny is left as a hanging thread.

Bah maybe he'll run into her in season 5. But why didn't she change when she regenerated?

[Stark]

How do Flash Gordon-styled ships capable of travelling between galaxies seem 'less advanced' than piece of shit fuckjumpers like the Slitheen, etc? Planet of the Ood was offensively stupid and horrible, but that human polity clearly possesses absurdtech. They're only a few hundred years away from time agents.

[Bedlam]

Also does he find his daughter again?

No. Jenny is left as a hanging thread.

Bah maybe he'll run into her in season 5. But why didn't she change when she regenerated?

I dont think she suposed to have actually regenerated rather she was resurected by the terraforming gas.

[mr friendly guy]

THe doctor says the Sontarans are the best soliders in the Galaxy in the early 21st century with some fairly advance technology. So what happens to all these advance races between the 21 and 42 centuries when the humans go from 1 planet to three galaxies. Do they explain what happens in the episodes I missed or is it unexplained.

The Sontarans do appear again in the future, namely in The Sontaran experiment. The previous story "The Ark in Space" the Doctor dated the Satellite Nerva (the aforementioned Ark) as 29th to 30th century technology, with the humans on board in suspended animation for approximately 100, 000 years (awaiting the end solar flares, so they had overslept). Since the Sontaran experiment was set in the same time period, it would be roughly 1029th to 1030th century, going by dialogue.

Nevertheless, Sontaran technology (despite looking primitive 1970's style ) surpassed whatever the extra galactic human expedition force (returning to Earth) could muster. To be fair there was no indication the expedition force was heavily armed. We don't know much about how advance the humans are in this era, whether they had periods of technological decline, whether they were stagnant etc. We do know however they were clearly extragalactic capable from the Ark in Space as they had forced the alien Wirrn (the bad guys) out of their galaxy.

In the novels by 2731 the Sontarans and Rutans are still fighting. I assume they are still fighting even at the time of the Sontaran experiment. It seems their war has many ups and downs. We know in the 1900's the Rutans been forced to make strategic retreats (Horror of Fang Rock) but by the 21st century it seems that the Rutans may have made a come back.

[NecronLord]

When the doctor went to the Planet of the Ood he said it was the 42 century or something and the human empire spread across three galaxies. And you look at the ships and weapons and they appear more primitive than the aliens that bother earty in the 21 centuries.

They are just rentacops. Until recently, actual cops in this country were armed solely with wooden truncheons - that doesn't mean we didn't have guns - rentacops in Britain certainly don't get to carry guns. And bullets are cheap and cheerful - presumably rayguns cost more. We certainly see humans with rayguns at many times before and after that in the old series, and a few ray-guns in the new series too.

Aliens such as the ones that make the Adipose creatures. However it brings up the Sontarans and the Shadow Proclomation.

THe doctor says the Sontarans are the best soliders in the Galaxy in the early 21st century with some fairly advance technology. So what happens to all these advance races between the 21 and 42 centuries when the humans go from 1 planet to three galaxies. Do they explain what happens in the episodes I missed or is it unexplained.

The human empire presumably doesn't exclusively control the galaxy. Certainly there's no indication in that Ood episode that the humans even control the Sense Sphere, which is inhabited by aliens whose technology (and mindpowers) exceeded humans' in the C28th.

The Sontarans have presumably advanced as well. They're certainly ahead of at least one group of humans by a hundred fifty thousand years in the future. The Shadow Proclamation has been going for at least two thousand years, and presumably isn't going anywhere.

Also does he find his daughter again?

As said, not yet.

[Ilya Muromets]

One thing you have to note about tech levels and astropolitical power blocs from different time periods in DW is that they are rather inconsistent at best. The Long Game, for instance, had the 9th Doctor expecting to end up in the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire, but ends up in some dystopia implied to be more relatively primitive than what he originally expected. I think the canon handwave for this was that, aside from "fixed points in time," the rest of history is malleable. Perhaps some of this temporal malleability saw some of the more advanced and prominent races ending up shoved into the sidelines by some contrivance of historical events allowing the humans to spread in the resulting power vacuum?

[Shroom Man 777]

They are just rentacops. Until recently, actual cops in this country were armed solely with wooden truncheons - that doesn't mean we didn't have guns - rentacops in Britain certainly don't get to carry guns.

Most cops in modern Britain presumably don't carry guns either. But in some third-world countries, the local rentacops guarding the nearby bank actually come packing automatic shotguns (USAS-12) - and bring around M4 carbines when transporting money inside armored cars.

Localities do matter when talking about how "advanced" the technology "looks like". In Star Wars, you can compare places like Coruscant with Mos Eisley to see just how big the disparity can get.

[Patrick Degan]

I assume they are still fighting even at the time of the Sontaran experiment. It seems their war has many ups and downs.

The Sontaran/Rutan War has been raging for so long that its origins have been lost to the mists of time. It has been in the background of each episode featuring the Sontarans as well as "The Horror Of Fang Rock".

[Crossroads Inc.]

I assume they are still fighting even at the time of the Sontaran experiment. It seems their war has many ups and downs.

The Sontaran/Rutan War has been raging for so long that its origins have been lost to the mists of time. It has been in the background of each episode featuring the Sontarans as well as "The Horror Of Fang Rock".

Wasn't it also said that due to the time war, many of the Rutans enemies became weaker, while many Sontarin enemies became stronger thus tipping the balance of power.

[dragon]

Man I really need to sit down and watch all the episodes I missed which I think is about half them.

[dragon]

Hum just saw the last three episodes of season 4. At least now I know why the Tardis flies like a drunken sailor, it's desinigned to be operated my mutiple people at same time.

Granted the ending was a little depressing.

[Thanas]

The ending was pure, undulated sewage.

It wasn't just depressing, it was an affront to Seasons 1/2 of Who. No, scratch that, it was an affront to anyone with a brain.

[El Moose Monstero]

The ending was pure, undulated sewage.

It wasn't just depressing, it was an affront to Seasons 1/2 of Who. No, scratch that, it was an affront to anyone with a brain.

Don't be silly, we all know it was critic proof nonsense, or affable sillyness, or...wait a minute, where's my thesaurus of the vocal minority (+1)?

I remain surprised by the fact that RTD invalidates his own work just to bring back companions. How he can take his own work with any seriousness when he knows he's going to undo it in his finale episodes, I've no idea. Particularly as Spoiler

we're rumoured to get all 3 companions again in the finale of Tenants last work

Even in Doomsday, this lack of backbone for consequences continues, the pointless arsing around 'I love you', 'I...oh, look, my supernova battery ran out', as good comparatively as that was, you knew right from the getgo that the words wouldn't pass his lips. Although they might as well have said and be done with it, we all know that consequences of big dramatic events don't matter as you can undo them in a future episode and won't have to worry about them anyway. It's like the 'oh ho, but one dalek escaped!' moment - just kill them and be done with it, if a future writer really wants them back, they'll find a way and they'll probably think harder to make it work if they've got to get around the fact that we think they're all gone. Hell, it might even put the impact factor back into the daleks again for their inevitable return.

Heaven forbid you might actually have to do some season continuity which is more than just 'hide a random word somewhere in the script'. I could do that, next seasons buzz word will be 'octopus trebuchet'. I think it will turn out to be a secret order of cephlapod wielding renegade daleks who are sick of living the evil life and have now been lead by clones of Rose generated from the carcass of the dalek from season 1 in a quest for peace, justice and prosperity, who all turn up just in time to save the world from ultra-davros by means of their timelord trebuchets!

Not that we haven't been through this before, but it continues to be a source of irritation for me.

[Stark]

No no, the Renegade Octopus Daleks would use used for years as a kind of bogeyman with intergalactic recognition and reverence due to it's connection to the time war (which used to be a mysterious and unknowable thing and is now just pew pew time trebuchets). Then after a few years we'll meet them and they'll be a few tired-looking stupid people in a hotel lobby who contribute zero.

Wait, that already happened!

[Thanas]

Let us not forget the other essential elements of the RTD script:

- Doctor angsting about being lonely - while never doing anything about it.
- Doctor using his skills to destroy people after telling others previously that it would be highly unethical to do so. Throw in a clone for jokes.
- Cybermen being intergalactic jokes. Maybe make them do something retarded like relying on children to handle some levers for their transformer ripoff MEGA MACHINE OF DOOM.
- When in doubt, use a crappy CGI monster.
- Every companion must be utterly different from Rose, especially when they act pretty much the same. If that does not work, companion must be an offensive idiot.
- When it comes to DRAMA, always make sure there is a massive amount of ANGST because after all, the doctor cannot win. Ever. What's that? Hush, S1 NEVR HAPPENED.
- Doctor angsting about Rose - while never attempting to break the plot elemet impossibly uber-tough barrier that NEVER NEVER can be broken except in every episode it features in. Alternatively, have them meet with him refusing to man up.
- The Earth must be depopulated/gassed/crashed/destroyed/raped/conquered/imploded just before we hit the Giant Reset button. Bonus Points if it happens when some random walking plot element TOTAL FRESH CHARACTER makes a SELFLESS SACRIFICE.

[Stark]

Thanas, I feel the need to add that the world must face catastrophe at the hands of FLYING aliens. Bonus points if they shoot brightly-coloured lasers.

And because the S1 finale was too complex with it's themes of redemption, self-respect and defiance, everything must henceforward be exposited into irrelevance, generally by the Doctor marching around in circles.

And let's face it. How WILL Jack get past those two Toclafane?

[Thanas]

Thanas, I feel the need to add that the world must face catastrophe at the hands of FLYING aliens. Bonus points if they shoot brightly-coloured lasers.

Or the evil farting cousings of ET Slitheen or robocop the Cybermen.

ZOMG. RTD clearly knows variety - see, some of his aliens don't fly. See? See? VARIETY.

And because the S1 finale was too complex with it's themes of redemption, self-respect and defiance, everything must henceforward be exposited into irrelevance, generally by the Doctor marching around in circles.

Bonus points if you manage to beat your audience over the head with it via the RTD special quartet:
a) Long intro flashback
b) Rambling expository dialogue. Remind David Tennant to look sad and angsty.
c) Doctor's memories shown exactly before the BIG DECISION. Also, Rule of thumb - he may not be happy. Never, ever ever.
d) Recycle theme music.

Because clearly, the audience is so full of retards sophisticated and have bad taste with no standards loves a fun romp of critic proof action that you need to beat them over the head with a lug wrench.

And let's face it. How WILL Jack get past those two Toclafane?

Too easy. He will do it via the power of being RTDs giant Mary Sue reversing the polarity of quantum with his screwdriver. Nudge nudge, wink wink.

[Ilya Muromets]

- Cybermen being intergalactic jokes. Maybe make them do something retarded like relying on children to handle some levers for their transformer ripoff MEGA MACHINE OF DOOM.

Well, it could be worse in the Cybermen's case. They could bring back the whole gold = Cyberman kryptonite shtick.

[Jade Falcon]

God, I'm ashamed at you lot, haven't you forgotten the other cliche

Loads of overpowering loud 'boom boom' style music where you end up missing half the dialogue, though that might be a blessing in disguise at times.

[Thanas]

^Look above and file under "recycle theme music".

That said, Murray Gold's work is the only thing that keeps me watching at the moment, because I quite like his style.