Talk:Sonic screwdriver

Shouldn't the Mark 7 and 8s be switched, seeing as how the mark 8 comes before the mark 7?Papayaking 03:50, October 10, 2009 (UTC)

Could be worth isolating the River Song screwdriver all together, an anomally, as we have no idea when on the Doctor's timeline it will come in, he could have another 50 before that one crops up.

According to Weta Studios in Wellington, in an advert for the Sonic Screwdriver LED torch, the 11th Doctor is getting a new Sonic. Something like "The Doctor is regenerating soon, and he's getting a new screwdriver too. So pick up his old one now!" It was the 10th Doctor's Screwdriver, so I'd say it's referring to the End of Time. -Ravrahn

11th Doctor's Screwdriver Sounds
The Toy for the new Sonic Screwdriver, made by Character Options, has a 'secret sound' that occurs with the right pressing of buttons. Its a kinda laser sound, like what one would think an old-fashioned laser toy would make. Considering its supposed to be sounds from the TV show, perhaps this is a spoiler, maybe the sonic has some use for which it would make such a klaxxon noise 203.100.217.154 04:56, May 9, 2010 (UTC) James

New main pic
The new pic of the Doc holding the new series 5 sonic needs changed, imo. it should be an image of the sonic itself, rather the the Doctor. I suggest putting it back to the previous one until we have a better picture. Excalibur-117 17:23, April 4, 2010 (UTC)

Sonic Screwdriver!!
Lovin the new pic of the sonic it looks awesome i've got the replica of it to so i recomend it to every Doctor Who fan out there!!

-Gallifrey1298

4th doctors ss uses
Didn't he reconnect some wires with it in 'the ark in space'?

Sonic Screwdriver Picture
Shouldn't the sonic screwdriver picture be changed as it is not the real sonic just a toy replica. The toy is very good as I have got it and think it is perfect but I just don't think it appropriate that it is used as the main picture on the page. For now, I think the old picture of the screwdriver just after its creation is an OK picture to use for a while until we can get a better picture of it.

Sonic Screwdriver Picture!!!!!!!!!
Do u like the new pic i put on???????????????????????????????

I took it using my webcam its the replica its awesome I recomend it to everyone!!!!!!!!!!!:)

The Sonic Screwdriver picture!!!!!!
I've put my pic back on mwahaha =) Ellisanddavid 16:56, May 7, 2010 (UTC)


 * Images on in-universe articles need to be of an in-universe style, see Tardis:Manual of Style. --Tangerineduel 17:00, May 7, 2010 (UTC)

Sonic screwdriver toy pictures
I would just like to mention that some of the pictures in this article are of toy replicas of the sonic screwdriver and therefore I believe should be removed and replaced with a picture of the actual prop. For instance, the Ninth and Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver pictures on this page are both pictures of the toys made by Character Options.

Green. . ? In Star Wars this means sitting between dark and light.
Moffat grew up with Star Wars, same as most, and I wonder if the shift from blue to green in the sonic is indicative of anything more than just aesthetics. ..

In Star Wars, pure Jedi used Blue. Vader used Red. Green is right in between, (RGB), and Luke was using Green when he was tinkering with the Dark Side, doing choke grips and wearing black gloves and all that. (At least, this deliberate color scheme fit before the next series of prequels came out after Lucas' brain had melted and everything went to poop in the Star Wars universe.) I can't help but wonder if Moffat has assigned this same symbolic meaning to the sonic, which, let's be honest, is a geek's light saber. It even sort of looks the same, and certainly performs the same emotional/symbolic function.

Meddling Fool


 * Are you sure that's what they meant. I'm sure the colours meant different things. Besides, Moffat wrote Silence in the Library, and the sonic screwdriver in that had red settings as well as blue. Mc hammark 15:27, May 11, 2010 (UTC)
 * What? The color of the blade doesn't represent Force alignment( cept Red); It represents the Jedi's "class": Blue for Guardian, Green for Consular, and Yellow for Sentinel. If anything, I'd say purple was the "tinkering with the Dark Side" colour. The screwdriver is green because it's green. Leave it at that.-  I. Am. Excalibur-117 -(talk • contribs) 19:07, June 27, 2010 (UTC)
 * no, the purple lightsaber was a Samuel L Jackson special request (pimp color maybe?) Andrew-108 14:38, December 29, 2010 (UTC)
 * no, the purple lightsaber was a Samuel L Jackson special request (pimp color maybe?) Andrew-108 14:38, December 29, 2010 (UTC)

New picture
I've got a new screen shot of the sonic screwdriver. What do you guys think? I know that the present one is unliked by some. Mc hammark 19:19, May 22, 2010 (UTC)

Its good. Go for it. Fan555 19:34, May 22, 2010 (UTC)

Sound Effect
I was recently watching an episode of Series 4 (Revived) with commentary, I can't actually remember what episode otherwise I'd just check, and they mentioned what was used to make the original sound effect of the sonic screwdriver. I can't for the life of me remember what it was though! I thought if someone with a better memory than me could add it as a point of interest to the article's 'Behind the Scenes' section, like I'm sure it's mentioned on the TARDIS page that the sound effect for when it dematerializes/materializes is made by moving a key on a string up and down inside the pipe of an organ, though I could be wrong. Lyco 02:21, June 5, 2010 (UTC)

It was 'Silence in the Library' S4's commentary, David Tennant, Steven Moffat and Julie Gardener mentioned that the sound effect for the Sonic Screwdriver is made using a Cork Screw. Julie Gardener said she knew because she'd seen it on Doctor Who Cofidential, so it must have been in an episode of that also. I'm about to add it to the article as a little fun fact. Lyco 01:36, July 11, 2010 (UTC)

Origin
In the Doctor Dances, doesn't the Doctor essentially admit to getting his screwdriver at the weapons factories at Villengard or something? Jack's blaster came from there, anyway. It seems possible that the Doctor's started to have the TARDIS generate them because he destroyed the factories (there's a banana grove there, now. I like bananas).

68.102.227.79 21:46, July 2, 2010 (UTC)

No, it's just the Sonic Blasters that come from Villengrad, the Screwdrivers came from the Doctor's own hand (or the TARDIS, more likely). - '' I. Am. Excalibur-117 ''-(talk • contribs) 15:16, July 5, 2010 (UTC)

In A Christmas Carol the Doctor commented that he designed "a new type of screwdriver" instead of dating (im probably slightly off on the quote) Andrew-108 14:22, December 29, 2010 (UTC)
 * "Uh, now? I kiss her now?" "Kazran, trust me, it's this or go to your room and design a new kind of screwdriver. Don't make my mistakes." -- Darth Culator  (Talk) 01:47, December 31, 2010 (UTC)
 * bingo! Andrew-108 14:29, December 31, 2010 (UTC)

Doesn't do wood???
Just in case people didn't quite catch it, the Doctor's screwdriver DOES do wood, it just can do it if it is jammed from water-logging. He mentions this in BOTH silence in the library and the hungry earth, so why doesn't anyone pick it up???? I've tried to edit it out of most pages that have mentioned it. If someone could delete it from this page (i'm a n00b and don't know how), that would be great.

Sonic screwdriver Marks?
In the article, the ninth incarnation starts with a screwdriver. It was seen to be fleshy in colour and smooth in texture. The article states that the screwdriver was used until it was destroyed in Smith and Jones. This cannot be true, as since The Christmas Invasion he used the grey and textured one, which is different. These are different Marks and the page should changed to suit this. The Thirteenth Doctor 23:28, August 18, 2010 (UTC)


 * I'm not so sure. The article should certainly at least discuss this change in appearance, but it seems to me that unless it is stated otherwise, there's no reason to think it's not the same unit with a different handle... That said, the article does already differentiate between the "Mark II" and "Mark III" which similarly differ only slightly with no story-established reason, so I suppose the article should at least be consistent. In fact, I may have talked myself out of my differing opinion in the time it took to write this comment. -Porlob 02:29, December 31, 2010 (UTC)

Eighth doctor's new Sonic, the proper Mark 5?
Paul Mcgann had undergone a redesign for his Doctor, involving a new costume and sonic screwdriver (see link). Weta Workshops created the functioning prop for him. So my question is weather this screwdriver should be added to the list?

Here's the link for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3XcsfTmYb8&feature=related

Drop the line on what you guys think.

Well, Paul Mcgann himself said that the redesign may be permeating the audio stories and/or comics. So maybe this Sonic will be coming through with him. -BillNigh12thDoctor, 12:03 a.m. Feruary 23rd
 * Unless and until the Weta screwdriver shows up in some "official" media as the sonic screwdriver, I think this can safely be considered apocryphal. -Porlob 17:16, February 14, 2011 (UTC)

I'm entitled to agree. -SonicPunk

MK II, III and IV moving parts
The MK II and III had a spring loaded center section that was pulled down between thumb and forefinger to activate the device. It was also shown that it could be put into a "constant on" mode by turning the bottom cap (as done by Harry Sulivan in The Sontoran Experiment).

The MK IV eschewed this function in favor of the 2 inch section of neck between the thumb ring and top assembly being able to collapse into the body of the device. This allowed for easier storage in a pocket by dropping the over all length of the device from around 8 inches to around 6. The sonic screwdriver was shown in collapsed mode through out most of the Doctor's adventure in 1999 San Francisco. It can be seen extended in the Tardis when the 7th Doctor locks the Master's Casket and when the 8th Doctor finishes repairing the Console. Both times the device is then collapsed by hand after use. The MK IV appeared to be touch activated since no parts were moved to make it work.

mark vii not destroyed
Currently the article reads "This version of the screwdriver was destroyed when a sky sharkbit it in half and swallowed the top half. (DW: A Christmas Carol)"

but we can see the Doctor waving the sonic around in The Impossible Astronaut using it in the same function as seen in The Beast Below, so can we edit that sentence clarify that the sonic was eventually repaired off screen?

207.216.38.197 21:33, April 28, 2011 (UTC)

Just because it looks the same doesn't mean it isn't a new screwdriver. I'm sure the MK V and VI have no discernable differences. 94.2.179.230 15:24, May 2, 2011 (UTC)
 * Well, unless or until something official comes from BBC, I think it's safe to say the the Doctor either repaired his old SS while off-screen, or he got a SS off-screen, this new SS being exactly the same as the previous one. Either way, he still has the Mark VII. -- Bold  Clone  16:08, May 2, 2011 (UTC)

The Mark VII can be used as a non-leathal weapon
The Doctor has used the Sonic Screwdriver as a weapon on two occasions: Once, in 'A Christmas Carol' it was used to stun a shark. Again in 'Day of the Moon' it was used as a weapon against the Silence to help river song. Shouldn't this be added to its list of uses?

New 'driver
Looks like the Doctor's screwdriver after the end of The Almost People is a new one after all: Thoughts? d ● ● ●  15:27, June 8, 2011 (UTC)
 * DaveyK: @steven_moffat Dr gave sonic to ganger then had another in the TARDIS, yet had to put it in Amy's pocket in pandoricum due to only having 1?
 * steven_moffat: @DaveyK He's got spares in the TARDIS. Didn't have a TARDIS in Pandorica.

Settings
In the paragraph about the various settings of the Screwdriver, setting 54 is omitted. It is the one the tenth Doctor tells Martha Jones to use in order to break through a locked security door in the Lazarus Experiment.

Mark X
Was there actually an episode or spinoff that said that the different versions of the sonic screwdriver were referred to as mark whatever. Apart from the fact that that seems to be a completely random term that was made up, we don't even know if the numbers are accurate. For all we know, the First Doctor could have had hundreds of different sonic screwdrivers before the first one we saw with the Second Doctor. Also, do we need to list everything that the sonic screwdriver has ever done. For example, the Eleventh Doctor's screwdriver is said to be capable of scanning Starship UK's engine room, scanning Father Octavian's computer, determining the nature of the cracks, scanning life forms, scanning piles of dust for traces of children, detecting where lights are, scanning for heat signatures, scanning an infection, scanning stonehenge, scanning the Pandorica, to confirm the isomorphic nature of a control panel, scanning the flesh, and detecting if a person is fatally wounded. Why don't we just say that one of its functions is scanning. The way it is now is very redundant, and if you were to ask the Doctor what one of the functions of his screwdriver is, he wouldn't say "oh, I can use it to scan Father Octavian's computer." The same goes for other repetitive uses like opening doors and hatches, or unlocking things.Gowron8472 17:31, August 16, 2011 (UTC)


 * I think we should keep them, though if it gets too large, we could put the different versions into seperate articles. --MrThermomanPreacher 18:01, August 16, 2011 (UTC)