Theory:Doctor Who television discontinuity and plot holes/Warriors of the Deep


 * Why would the sea Devils call themselves, 'Sea Devils?' Ditto for the Silurians.
 * They presumably refer to themselves and their race by some name or other, and the "translation" for us is Silurians and Sea Devils. It's like watching a scene where the characters obviously aren't speaking English to each other, but we "hear it as such" as a convenience.


 * In TV: Doctor Who and the Silurians the Silurians are land-based beings. It is not explained how they come to be in the sea.
 * They went there to find and team up with the local Sea Devils. The DVD commentary mentioned that the original script said that a build-up of ultraviolet light on the Earth's surface had forced the Silurians underwater.


 * The function of the "light" on the Silurians head has changed from TV: Doctor Who and the Silurians, and is now closer to the Daleks' light bulbs showing which one is speaking. In the previous story they were far more interesting. They had the power to kill, render unconscious, dissolve rock, and activate Silurian technology.
 * They might still have that capability, but also choose to use it while talking.


 * The Doctor says that the Silurians had always wanted to live in peace with humanity. And Ichthar refers to two occasions when they, the Silurians and Sea Devils, 'offered the hand of friendship' to the humans. These two occasions would seem to refer to Doctor Who and the Silurians and The Sea Devils, though in neither of these stories do the Silurians or the Sea Devils initiate any friendly contact with their human opponents.In TV: Doctor Who and the Silurians their attitude is at first ambivalent. They regard humans with contempt and call them 'apes'. It is the Third Doctor who persuades the leader of the Silurians to seek peaceful co-existence. But there exists a more powerful faction amongst them, which, lead by a younger Silurian, overthrows and kills the leader. From that point they mean to exterminate humanity. In The Sea Devils the creatures have hostile intentions toward humanity. The Doctor very briefly persuades their leader to seek peace. But after the humans attack their base (understandable since the Sea Devils are attacking the humans without provocation), they resume their malevolent intent.
 * The Doctor is perhaps being somewhat hopeful or optimistic at this point, as he is often wont to do. The Silurians did intend peace at points during those stories, however briefly, and that is what they are referencing.


 * Also, as the Silurians in their original story provided an ironic reflection of the worst aspects of humanity (exhibiting towards the humans the same "speciesist" bigotry that they received in turn, regarding them as an altogether inferior lifeform), it is by no means implausible that they would have selective memories of the prior tales, just as human nations tend to gloss over their war crimes and play up their moments of peacemaking. The fact that the fifth Doctor never challenges them on this propaganda, appearing to support their biased version of events, may be a desperate attempt to effect a diplomatic solution (which would be even more unlikely, if he informed the base personnel of the Silurian biological attack, Van Allen Belt destroyer, etc.), or it may stem from his own lingering guilt at having twice failed to bring about peace between the species.


 * How can the Doctor be offended that the personnel of the base suspect he is a saboteur when he has initiated a nuclear meltdown merely to provide a distraction so he and his companions can escape?
 * Being offended is often not a logical emotional response.


 * Why does Solow ludicrously attack the Myrka as soon as she sees it, instead of running away as she could so easily have done?
 * It is in some people's nature to attack rather than run away in such situations.


 * The airlock doors bend as the Myrka waddles through them. If they are so strong and heavy why do they not crush Tegan's legs, and why can the Doctor lift them so easily?
 * The door is clearly buckled; the part pinning Tegan's legs is bent upwards away from the floor so the full weight is not on her. The Doctor doesn't lift the door: as the heavy Myrka walks forwards it treads on the end of the buckled door furthest from Tegan and, like a seesaw, the opposite end lifts up. Hence the Doctor's sarcastic "Thank you so much" to the Myrka after he has dragged Tegan from under the door.


 * Why dose the Doctor bother with the UV converter when he has the Hexocromite gas that could kill the Myrka with out any of the risks to him and his friends?
 * Somehow, the Doctor is still holding onto the hope that there's a more peaceful/nongenocidal solution to this.


 * Why isn't Tegan blinded when she uncovers her eyes when the UV converter is on? How come she, the Doctor and Preston don't all get skin cancer from it?
 * Though he doesn't bother explaining it, the Doctor likely worked out a safety precaution to avoid this, at least temporarily.


 * How come the Human's guns have no effect on the Sea Devils? & why do they keep using them when its clear they have no effect?
 * The Sea Devils have a tough outer skin. It might not be working, but they really have no other options at the moment. Maybe they think they'll get lucky and hit a weak spot.
 * Another pertinent question might be why do late 21st century firearms seem substantially less effective against Sea Devils than 1970s Royal Navy weapons (which decimate them quite satisfactorily)?
 * There's a key component in 1970s Royal Navy weapon ammo that is deadly to Sea Devils. Whatever this component is, it has clearly been excised by the late 21st century with their cheaper (and less effective against Sea Devils) ammo.
 * The Royal Navy are not firing their guns within a pressurised underwater environment. If a bullet pierced a wall or window, it could cause a catastrophic breach. Ergo, the guns the Sea Base agents use are probably less powerful in order to prevent this; still powerful enough to stop a human, perhaps, but less effective against the tough hides of a Sea Devil or Silurian.


 * Why do Nilsson and Solow go to all the trouble of killing Michaels, getting Maddox to replace him and then brainwashing him into sabotaging the computer, rather than just sabotaging the computer themselves?
 * Nilsson and Solow cannot sync up with the computer.