Theory talk:Timeline - Fifth Doctor

Ophiuchus Placement
I thought it was worth having a discussion about the placement of COMIC: Ophiuchus, To determine whether it’s best placed between Mawdryn Undead and Terminus, or at some point during the run of older Nyssa audio stories.

A few points about the story in question to begin with:


 * Tegan is wearing her air hostess costume and has longer hair than she did in Season 20.


 * It’s not specified how long Turlough has been around but he’s reluctant to get involved in Gallifrey’s affairs.


 * Nyssa seems younger, but I’ve not heard any of the older Nyssa stories so I can’t verify how different she might be. She’s also wearing her Trakenite fairy skirt.


 * The only continuity reference is Nyssa mentioning that she would bring her father back if she had the opportunity, and the Doctor replied with a comment about the Master killing Tremas.

It’s a fairly brief adventure, so it wouldn’t have all that much impact on continuity if placed before Terminus, and obviously Gardens of the Dead, has already opened that gap up slightly.

But then again, it could potentially fit just as well towards the end of the Older Nyssa Arc, after her rejuvenation. My gut is probably telling me to play it safe and leave it before Terminus, but the significant other Big Finish references in that comic are making me wonder if this story was intended for the later gap.

SarahJaneFan ☎  15:06, October 2, 2018 (UTC)


 * Well, in these cases, Turlough is the breaking point. We just need to evaluate his demeanor, position and trust to determine is this occurs before or after he sided with the Doctor against the Black Guardian.BananaClownMan ☎  02:42, October 4, 2018 (UTC)

That’s a bit of an issue because his part is very brief, in fact so brief that I can actually be bothered to transcribe it.


 * Turlough: “Dark down here, isn’t it? Why did he make us come?”


 * Nyssa: “The Doctor believes there’s more going on here than meets the eye.”


 * Turlough: “They said this man had committed terrible crimes - vivisection - to extend the life of some Time Lord criminals. Is it really our job to bring him to justice?”


 * Nyssa: “You could have stayed in the capitol.”


 * Turlough: “I wish I had.”

Turlough then just stands around in the background for the rest of the story. SarahJaneFan ☎  10:04, October 4, 2018 (UTC)

So, he's still a bit of a "cowardly lion" at this point. Could be evidence enough for a pre-Enlightenment setting, where he spent a lot of his time afraid of both the Black Guardian and being discovered as a double agent.BananaClownMan ☎  11:21, October 4, 2018 (UTC)

Yeah, I mean if I was forced to choose a placement, I’d probably go with the pre-Terminus setting. SarahJaneFan ☎  11:55, October 4, 2018 (UTC)