Catalogue of Events (short story)

Catalogue of Events was the linking narration for all stories seen in the 1983 Doctor Who Magazine Summer Special.

Summary
The Doctor has briefly stopped in an unknown place to ask for directions. As he tries to come to grips with his surroundings, he is greeted by a man who identifies himself as "the Librarian". This figure explains the Doctor is in a "kind of library" where events, and not books, are stored. The purpose, he says, is to allow for the combination of stored events into a desired outcome. As he puts it, "We don't cause wars. Wars cause themselves. We try to keep a lid on the pot while it simmers." Horrified at the implication of beings — or, at least, beings other than Time Lords — having this much control over the shape of the universe, the Doctor strongly objects to the goals of the Events Library. In response, the Librarian tries to show how his method of helping the universe has achieved generally better results than the Doctor's. The Doctor is shown several events from his past and Abslom Daak's. These are spun as "evidence" of the futility of the Doctor's efforts and proof that the Librarian is acting from the same basic motivation to help the universe.

The two never reach agreement over each others' methods. Indeed, the Doctor seems set on getting the High Council to shut down the Events Library's operations. Nevertheless, the Librarian lets him go. When he calls for advice from his superiors, his "boss" is shown to be Rassilon himself. Rassilon tells 367 that the Doctor is not an enemy, but an ally in their greater cause. Nevertheless, Rassilon notes that there is a "standard procedure" for dealing with all outsiders who discover the Events Library's control room. He tells 367 to simply change things so neither the Doctor nor he remembers the event. Then, vaguely annoyed, he instructs 367 not to "bother [him] again unless it's something important".

The Librarian fails to do so, thinking there might be some value in considering the Doctor's arguments further.

Characters

 * Fifth Doctor
 * Events Librarian 367
 * Rassilon

Continuity
(TV: Logopolis)
 * The Librarian scolds the Doctor for not killing the Daleks when he could. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks)
 * The Doctor asks the Librarian if he's "ever been to Logopolis", after noting some "existential mathematics" amongst his paperwork.
 * The Doctor would later visit another far-future library that still used paper, had data banks powerful enough to store huge chunks of reality and made the Doctor's past exploits readily accessible. (TV: Silence in the Library)