Theory:Timeline - Nyssa

This page lists appearances of Nyssa in the order in which she experienced them. This timeline is based on observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events in each of these stories. From these observations we have attempted to build a concise timeline. It is assumed, much like their TV story counterparts, that each novel or audio series their published/numbered order is the order they occur in.

The layout of this timeline is based in part on the observations on Doctor Who Reference Guide and Doctor Who - The Complete Adventures, Lance Parkin's AHistory and other sources that allow us to make observations, such as DocOhoReviews, The History of Doctor Who, The Discontinuity Guide, Clive Banks Databank, the Big Finish forum, The Whoniverse and The Divergent Universe forum. None of these sources should be used solely as a source or considered a "true" timeline for stories.

Joining the Doctor

 * TV: The Keeper of Traken
 * Nyssa meets the Fourth Doctor and Adric.


 * TV: Logopolis
 * Nyssa is taken from her home on Traken by the Watcher, leading to her surviving the destruction of the Traken Union. The Doctor regenerates to his next incarnation.


 * TV: Castrovalva
 * Set immediately after Logopolis, with the Doctor's regeneration still settling.


 * PROSE: The Comet's Tail
 * Set during Castrovalva: Part 1, when the Doctor is resting in the Zero Room before the Master interferes with the TARDIS navigational systems.


 * AUDIO: Psychodrome
 * Set immediately after Castrovalva.


 * PROSE: Cold Fusion
 * The Doctor is still recovering from his recent regeneration.


 * AUDIO: The Ingenious Gentleman Adric of Alzarius
 * The Doctor still has his sonic screwdriver, setting this before The Visitation.


 * PROSE: First Born
 * The Doctor still has his sonic screwdriver, setting this before The Visitation.


 * PROSE: Resonance
 * The Doctor still has his sonic screwdriver, setting this before The Visitation.


 * COMIC: On the Planet Isopterus
 * Tegan is not concerned using the Doctor's dream-manipulating machine, setting this before Kinda.


 * COMIC: In Their Nature
 * Adric, Nyssa and Tegan are kidnapped Adam Mitchell, leading directly into Endgame.


 * COMIC: Endgame
 * The Doctor joins with his other incarnations to rescue his friends from Adam and, and assists the other Doctors in saving their companions as well.

Attempts to return to Heathrow

 * TV: Four to Doomsday
 * The Doctor begins trying to get the TARDIS to Heathrow Airport to return Tegan to her job as an air hostess. Nyssa collapses after a showdown with Monarch, leading directly into Kinda.


 * TV: Kinda
 * Set directly after Four to Doomsday, with Nyssa recuperating from her dizzy spell in the TARDIS throughout the crew's stay on Deva Loka.


 * AUDIO: Sock Pig
 * The Doctor is out for a night stroll on his own, and he still has his sonic screwdriver, setting this before The Visitation.


 * TV: The Visitation
 * Set immediately after Kinda, with the Doctor reprimanding Adric for his actions, and Tegan still haunted by her possession. The Doctor's sonic screwdriver is destroyed by the Terileptil leader.


 * PROSE: The Immortals
 * The Doctor has recently regenerated, and Tegan is still upset about his failure to return her to Heathrow.


 * PROSE: Divided Loyalties
 * The Doctor has recently met the Terileptils from The Visitation.


 * AUDIO: The Star Men


 * AUDIO: The Contingency Club


 * AUDIO: Zaltys
 * Tegan has given up on the Doctor's ability to get her back to Heathrow, and she and Adric believe the Master is dead, setting this before Smoke and Mirrors.


 * AUDIO: Smoke and Mirrors
 * The Doctor has recently lost his sonic screwdriver, setting this after The Visitation. Houdini is the first historical figure that Tegan has met since beginning her travels with the Doctor, and this is the Doctor's first encounter with the Master since Castrovalva.


 * PROSE: The Key of Vaga


 * PROSE: Planet of Fear


 * TV: Black Orchid


 * COMIC: Time & Time Again
 * Set during Black Orchid: Part 1.


 * AUDIO: Iterations of I
 * The Doctor has started reading the Black Orchid book he received in Black Orchid.


 * PROSE: In the TARDIS: Christmas Day


 * PROSE: The Constant Doctor


 * AUDIO: The Darkening Eye
 * The Dar Traders predict that Adric's death is coming soon, setting this shortly before Earthshock.


 * AUDIO: The Toy
 * Nyssa refers to the events of Kinda.


 * PROSE: Hearts of Stone
 * Set immediately before Earthshock, with the Doctor and Adric upset with each other, and the gestalt mourns the upcoming loss of Adric.


 * TV: Earthshock
 * While stopping the Cybermen from destroying the Earth, Adric dies in a spaceship explosion.


 * TV: Time-Flight
 * Set immediately after Earthshock, with the TARDIS crew grieving for Adric, and Tegan failing to convince the Doctor to change history and save him. While trying to go to the Great Exhibition, the TARDIS lands at Heathrow Airport, where, after a battle with the Master, Tegan is left behind by the Doctor and Nyssa.

Lone travels with the Doctor

 * PROSE: Empire of Death
 * Adric has died, Tegan has recently left and Nyssa still has her latent psychic powers, setting this before Primeval. The story's opening appears to be set almost immediately after the end of Time-Flight.


 * PROSE: Long Term
 * Nyssa does not accompany the Doctor; she remains in the TARDIS, still mourning Adric.


 * PROSE: Suspension and Disbelief
 * The Doctor is still mourning Adric's death, setting this shortly after Earthshock.


 * PROSE: Artificial Intelligence
 * The Doctor mentions his visit to the school in Long Term as occurring "not long ago". He is also still bitter about Adric's untimely death.


 * PROSE: Tip of the Tongue
 * The Doctor has recently lost Adric and Tegan.


 * PROSE: Past Reckoning
 * Nyssa knows very little of the history of Earth, and suggests they look up Tegan once they're back on Earth.


 * PROSE: The Parliament of Rats
 * Nyssa refers to the Doctor's recent regeneration.


 * PROSE: The Eternity Contract


 * PROSE: Lonely Days
 * Nyssa recalls Tegan recently returning to Heathrow Airport after Adric's death.


 * AUDIO: The Land of the Dead
 * Tegan has recently departed the TARDIS during a brief return to Heathrow Airport in 1982.


 * AUDIO: Winter for the Adept
 * Nyssa mentions the recent events from The Land of the Dead.


 * AUDIO: The Mutant Phase
 * Nyssa refers to the events of The Land of the Dead.


 * AUDIO: Circular Time: Spring


 * AUDIO: The Deep


 * AUDIO: 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men
 * Nyssa believes it would be impossible for her to travel back into Traken's past, setting this before Primeval.


 * AUDIO: Primeval


 * AUDIO: Spare Parts


 * AUDIO: Creatures of Beauty
 * Nyssa mentions visiting Alaska, as she did in The Land of the Dead.


 * AUDIO: Circular Time: Summer


 * PROSE: Confabula
 * Nyssa recalls her experiences from Spare Parts.


 * PROSE: Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life
 * Nyssa recalls visiting Heathrow Airport in 1982, and deeply misses Tegan.


 * AUDIO: The Game


 * PROSE: The 57th


 * PROSE: Saturn


 * PROSE: The Church of Saint Sebastian


 * AUDIO: Circular Time: Autumn

Troubles with Thomas Brewster

 * AUDIO: Renaissance of the Daleks
 * The Doctor and Nyssa reunite and resume traveling together.


 * AUDIO: Return to the Web Planet
 * Set immediately after Renaissance of the Daleks.


 * AUDIO: The Haunting of Thomas Brewster


 * AUDIO: The Three Companions


 * AUDIO: The Boy That Time Forgot


 * AUDIO: Time Reef
 * Set four months after The Haunting of Thomas Brewster.


 * AUDIO: A Perfect World

Further travels with the Doctor

 * AUDIO: Castle of Fear
 * The Doctor mentions Sir Justin of Wells from The Tides of Time.


 * AUDIO: The Eternal Summer
 * Follows directly on from Castle of Fear.


 * AUDIO: Plague of the Daleks


 * PROSE: Curiosity


 * PROSE: God Send Me Well to Keep


 * PROSE: Tweaker


 * AUDIO: The Demons of Red Lodge


 * AUDIO: The Entropy Composition
 * Nyssa is still thinking about her happy childhood on Traken, as she was The Demons of Red Lodge.


 * AUDIO: Doing Time


 * AUDIO: Special Features
 * The Doctor refers to the events of The Demons of Red Lodge.


 * AUDIO: Seven to One


 * AUDIO: My Brother's Keeper
 * Nyssa mentions the prisons of Folly from Doing Time.


 * AUDIO: The Interplanetarian


 * AUDIO: Smuggling Tales


 * AUDIO: The Light at the End


 * AUDIO: Moonflesh
 * After the TARDIS door is left open due to a malfunctioning latch, Hannah Bartholemew stows aboard the TARDIS as it takes off, becoming one of the Doctor's companions in the process.


 * AUDIO: Tomb Ship
 * The Doctor finds out about Hannah stowing aboard the TARDIS, setting this immediately after Moonflesh.


 * AUDIO: Masquerade
 * On the SORDIDE Delta space station, Hannah is left in a robot-like state after being purged of all emotions. She decides to stay on the station instead of going with the Doctor.


 * GAME: The First Adventure
 * The Doctor is in his first outfit, and traveling with an unidentified companion, presumably Nyssa.


 * AUDIO: Alien Heart
 * The Doctor and Nyssa are captured by the Daleks, and transported to Mojax, where numerous duplicates of them are created, leading directly into Dalek Soul.


 * AUDIO: Dalek Soul
 * It has been five years since the Daleks captured the Doctor and Nyssa on Traxana.

Tegan returns

 * TV: Arc of Infinity
 * During a scuffle with Omega, the Doctor and Nyssa are reunited with Tegan, who rejoins them in the TARDIS.


 * TV: The Name of the Doctor
 * Set during Arc of Infinity: Part 3, when the Doctor is floating in the Matrix.


 * AUDIO: The Waters of Amsterdam
 * Set directly between Arc of Infinity and Omega.


 * AUDIO: Omega
 * On behalf of the Time Lords, the Doctor is clearing up after the events of Arc of Infinity.


 * AUDIO: The Burning Prince
 * The Doctor is attempting to return to Amsterdam to pick up Nyssa and Tegan.


 * AUDIO: The Waters of Amsterdam: Epilogue
 * The Doctor returns to Amsterdam for Nyssa and Tegan thirty seconds after he left, saying that he had to run a "quick errand" for the Time Lords, as depicted in Omega.


 * AUDIO: The Elite
 * The Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa have just left Amsterdam.


 * PROSE: Fear of the Dark
 * Tegan is having dreams of snakes, setting this before Snakedance. The opening scene places these events the day after Tegan re-joined the TARDIS crew in Arc of Infinity.


 * The Doctor Who Annual 1983 stories features the Doctor traveling with Nyssa and Tegan without Adric, but with Tegan still dressed as an air stewardess. Presumably, as hinted in The Elite, she is wearing her old suit due to her inability to find other clothes.


 * PROSE: Danger Down Below


 * PROSE: The God Machine


 * PROSE: The Armageddon Chrysalis


 * PROSE: The Haven


 * PROSE: The Penalty


 * PROSE: Night Flight to Nowhere
 * Tegan returns to Heathrow Airport to meet a friend, suggesting that she has been back with the Doctor for a while.


 * AUDIO: Hexagora


 * AUDIO: The Children of Seth


 * PROSE: The Sands of Time
 * Tegan mentions being in Amsterdam, setting this after Arc of Infinity. Preventing Adric's death is still being discussed by Tegan and the Doctor.


 * PROSE: Zeta Major
 * This novel's blurb places it between Arc of Infinity and Snakedance. Both Nyssa and Tegan are still thinking about Adric's death.


 * PROSE: Lackaday Express
 * The Doctor and Tegan are having an old argument about Adric's death and the Doctor's refusal to go back in time and save him.


 * PROSE: Wake
 * The crew of the TARDIS go to the Necropolitan to properly mourn the death of Adric.


 * AUDIO: Aquitaine


 * PROSE: Soul Mate
 * Tegan is sceptical that a dream could manifest itself physically, setting this before Snakedance.


 * PROSE: No Exit


 * AUDIO: The Lions of Trafalgar
 * The last time Tegan saw the Doctor climbed something of great height was in Logopolis.


 * PROSE: Men of the Earth
 * Tegan sets the TARDIS on cause to Manussa, leading directly into Snakedance.


 * TV: Snakedance
 * Tegan has only recently re-joined the TARDIS team.


 * PROSE: Goth Opera
 * Tegan is still recovering from her possession by the Mara, setting this immediately after Snakedance. The Doctor has not seen the Master, at least the Master concurrent with his time stream, since Time-Flight.


 * COMIC: Blood Invocation


 * PROSE: Goths and Robbers


 * AUDIO: The Peterloo Massacre
 * Tegan and Nyssa visit Manchester, setting this after Goth Opera.


 * AUDIO: The King of the Dead


 * TV: Mawdryn Undead
 * Tegan is still worried about the Mara returning, setting this not long after Mawdryn Undead. Under orders from the Black Guardian, Turlough joins the Doctor in his travels so he may kill him for the Black Guardian.


 * AUDIO: Gardens of the Dead
 * Turlough has only just joined the TARDIS crew, setting this immediately after Mawdryn Undead.


 * AUDIO: The Monkey House


 * TV: Terminus
 * Nyssa decides to stay on Terminus to help treat the Lazar victims.

After the Doctor

 * AUDIO: The Five Companions


 * PROSE: Asylum
 * It has been some years for Nyssa since she has seen the Doctor. She is not seen to have any family.


 * AUDIO: Circular Time: Winter
 * Nyssa assists the Fifth Doctor in his regeneration to his next incarnation. She is married with a daughter.


 * AUDIO: A Heart on Both Sides
 * Commanding the medical ship Traken, Nyssa provides assistance to those caught up in the Last Great Time War. She works for a number of months with a Dr Foster.

Reunited with the Doctor

 * AUDIO: Cobwebs
 * For Nyssa it has been fifty years since she parted with the Doctor; for the Doctor, Tegan and Turlough, it has been two days.


 * AUDIO: The Whispering Forest
 * Ending leads directly into The Cradle of the Snake.


 * AUDIO: The Cradle of the Snake


 * AUDIO: Heroes of Sontar
 * Tegan mentions the Mara being purged from her system, setting this not long after The Cradle of the Snake.


 * AUDIO: Kiss of Death


 * AUDIO: Rat Trap


 * AUDIO: The Emerald Tiger
 * Nyssa's appearance is reverted to that of her younger self at the time that she left the TARDIS crew.


 * AUDIO: The Jupiter Conjunction
 * The Doctor refers to Nyssa's recent rejuvenation from The Emerald Tiger.


 * AUDIO: The Butcher of Brisbane


 * AUDIO: Eldrad Must Die!


 * AUDIO: The Lady of Mercia
 * Turlough refers to Dr. Sa Yy Findecker from The Butcher of Brisbane.


 * AUDIO: Prisoners of Fate


 * AUDIO: Mistfall
 * Drawn off-course, the TARDIS passes through a CVE into E-Space, trapping the Doctor and his companions there.


 * AUDIO: Equilibrium


 * AUDIO: The Entropy Plague
 * As she is dying from Entropy, Nyssa chooses to stay in E-Space to power a portal back to N-Space for the TARDIS.