Theory:Doctor Who television discontinuity and plot holes/42


 * If the Doctor can turn Martha's phone into a superphone like Rose's with the sonic screwdriver, why did he need to replace parts when he upgraded Rose's phone in DW: The End of the World?
 * Newer technology integrated into the sonic screwdriver or her phone has more potential than Rose's, which needed a hardware upgrade, but the manufacturer doesn't realise.


 * The computer announces the time to impact at somewhat irregular intervals. Also, the time it took for the cast to move around the ship seemed to vary considerably between conveniently quickly or conveniently slowly according to plot requirements.
 * The episode doesn't appear to be told in real-time. Also, it is possible that regular announcements were made, but only some were audible to the viewers, while others were edited out.


 * How does the oxygen in the infected peoples' bodies get changed into hydrogen? That kind of nuclear fusion would require a colossal amount of energy, and leave the bodies a lot hotter than 100 degrees in addition to creating a lot of neutron radiation. Furthermore, it would lead to the bodies literally falling apart at a molecular level.
 * They're being controlled by a being that lives inside the star, so probably whatever mechanism that the creature uses to avoid burning up itself is also protecting the bodies of the infected people.
 * Oxygen to hydrogen is not fusion, it's fission. And it would absorb massive amounts of heat, not release it.
 * But the science is still ridiculous if you get it right.
 * In fact, most of the other specifics mentioned in the question would be relatively easy to get around, but that still doesn't make anything even remotely plausible about converting oxygen to hydrogen or the effects of doing so.


 * Why is the light from the infected peoples' eyes not visible through their eyelids? And given that they seem to be able to see where they're going with their eyes closed, why do they need the masks with the visors?
 * Perhaps the suits prevent the possessed bodies from burning up too quickly. Also, maybe the light is somehow "turned off" when their eyes are closed.


 * Why doesn't Abi run away from Korwin? There is enough time between her asking for assistance and her death for her to run out the door of the med center.
 * Neither she nor any of the rest of the crew realized at that point that Korwin could- or would- kill her.


 * Why does the screen for the escape pod jump from "Jettison Reactivated" to "Jettison Initiated".
 * Reactivated and Initated mean different things.


 * Why are the controls to remagnetise the escape pod on the outside of the ship?
 * So that if they are using the escape pod to escape from someone (a space pirate for example), that person can't bring them back easily.
 * It is possible that this can usually be overridden by the person in the escape pod.


 * Why don't the bodies incinerate instantaneously that close to the sun?
 * The ship has heat shields.


 * If releasing the material taken from the star solves the problem, then why doesn't the star just do that in the first place? And how, exactly, does it prevent the heat shields from collapsing?
 * The star seemed to be out for revenge, as well as after its material.


 * Does Ashton live or die?
 * Ashton was killed after being trapped in the stasis chamber.


 * The Doctor uses a Pentalion spacesuit rather than the Impossible Planet/Satan Pit spacesuit, so how come he uses it in The Waters Of Mars than in this episode?
 * Possibly because the Impossible Planet/Satan Pit spacesuit was already inside the TARDIS and the Doctor could not access, and due to the urgency of the situation, he had to make do with the Pentalion suit