Talk: Ice Lophius

Rename

I think it should be renamed as Sea serpent (Thin Ice). Moffat himself referred to it multiple times as a serpent. --DCLM ☎ 19:08, April 30, 2017 (UTC)

I'd like to hear some direct quotes from the episode on the subject. OS25 (Talk) 23:07, April 30, 2017 (UTC)

As I said Moffat himself called it a serpent, it is obviously not IN the episode. --DCLM ☎ 23:21, April 30, 2017 (UTC)

The Doctor referred to it as Tiny if this helps at all in the naming process. StevieGLiverpool ☎ 00:00, May 1, 2017 (UTC)

Didn't he also refer to it as the "Not-So-Little Mermaid"? :P TheFartyDoctor ^Talk 00:27, May 1, 2017 (UTC)

As I recall, the Doctor were merely nicknaming to refer to the size of it. --DCLM ☎ 09:20, May 1, 2017 (UTC)

Just a thought: why is everyone calling it a sea creature or serpent etc.? It lived in a river for centuries and it is not clear (from one watching) that it's even terrestrial. Wouldn't it be safer to call it an aquatic creature/serpent/...? Amorkuz ☎ 23:13, May 1, 2017 (UTC)

Isn't it safer to go with a description that has been given? I mean, nowhere is it referred to as "aquatic creature/serpent". The Doctor gave a number of names, but they were obvious as nicknames. Sutcliffe said "creature", but that seems like a generic description that could be given to any living thing. I still say it should be Sea serpent (Thin Ice) as that was a description Moffat gave. --DCLM ☎ 09:28, May 2, 2017 (UTC)

Here's the thing: the description "sea serpent" has not been given. Only in-universe descriptions count. I would consider using the name from the script. But an interview? What if the writer gives an interview and calls it a "river monster" and then a director calls it an "ice serpent"? The only point of second-guessing the creators is to drop the dab term. For instance, Stingray is indeed better than "Species (Planet of the Dead)", partly because the shape was quite distinct, partly because there was a period of time till the name stabilised in the discussions of the episode, partly because it appeared in the script. If the dab term stays anyway, it would be much easier to find by "creature" because everyone agrees it is one. Whether it's a serpent, a snake, a monster or something else is down to everyone's imagination. By choosing one of the options, we're cutting off all the others. I would keep it as is for now and wait till the mud settles. Maybe there will be a clear winner in half a year. Amorkuz ☎ 17:05, May 2, 2017 (UTC)

If we could somehow find the official script. --DCLM ☎ 19:41, May 2, 2017 (UTC)

The official Doctor Who website calls this creature the "Thames Ice Snake." - The Time Lord ☎ 05:31, May 11, 2017 (UTC)

Sea creature

Within the story, Bill searches for "London 1814 sea creature" on Search Wise. So in-narrative, Bill thinks this is the best name to find this creature by. We should probably follow suit.
× SOTO (☎/✍/↯) 05:17, May 16, 2017 (UTC)

EDIT: and it seems that The Soul Garden has her calling it a "sea monster", as well.
× SOTO (☎/✍/↯) 05:19, May 16, 2017 (UTC)

Well, that's disappointing. Just when we could go by the onscreen name and be done with it, they go and throw an alternative in-universe name into the mix. If pressed to choose, I would still go with "sea creature" for the following reason. The comic reference seems to be more colloquial, descriptive. "Hey, I'm Lucie bleeding Miller"-type of thing, which doesn't make "bleeding" her middle name. The onscreen search is, on the other hand, how Bill expected this to be recorded in history books, in encyclopaedias, in other words, in official records. So at the moment I would prefer a "sea creature"-based name. But it might make sense to wait a little longer for more references. Amorkuz ☎ 07:31, May 16, 2017 (UTC)

On that matter she also says "really big fish" and such. --DCLM ☎ 11:04, May 16, 2017 (UTC)