The Lost Generation (short story)

The Lost Generation

Doctor:

Fourth Doctor

Companion(s):

Sarah

Main setting:

Prosperity

Key crew

Writer:

George Mann

Release details

Part of:

The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who

*The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who*
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Sunset Over Venus	The Room with All the Doors

The Lost Generation was the second short story of The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who, featuring the Fourth Doctor.

Summary

The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith are hiding from a giant mutant sheep behind a bush. Suddenly, a spear lands nearby, scaring off the sheep. A tribe of tall humanoids approaches them. A man, Euripides, tells them they are his prisoners, and they will be taken to the Temple of Life.

In the village, Sarah notices some electronics in the huts. Euripides leads them to the Elders' hut. Inside, they meet a man and a woman, the left-tenant and the right-tenant. The pair explain that they are threatened by another tribe who want the crucible, the source of life. Just then, the other tribe attacks, and the Elders retreat through the door to the crucible. The Doctor convinces Euripides to let him and Sarah in as well.

The crucible is a room full of stasis pods. The pods have long since failed and the bodies inside have decomposed. The Doctor realises they are on a spaceship like the Ark. The people have lived on it for generations and forgotten it is a spaceship. A humanoid drone being operated by the pilot appears, and takes the Doctor and Sarah to the bridge at gunpoint.

On the bridge, they find the pilot, Ana, in a state of decay, being kept alive by the ship. She has been alive for over three thousand years, piloting the first ark ship, Prosperity. The Doctor says he can end the mission by boosting the engines to reach a planet in a day, but it would destroy the engines and Ana would die.

On the TARDIS scanner, Sarah and the Doctor watch Prosperity land on a new planet. Then, the Doctor goes forward a thousand years and strolls outside to see how the colonists are getting on.

Characters

References

The Doctor distracts the mutant sheep with his scarf.
There are oak trees in the forest.
In the time since Prosperity has left Earth, faster-than-light travel has been invented.

Notes

This short story accompanied a chapter about space travel.

Continuity

Sarah remembers being shot at by a gang of homicidal androids. (TV: The Android Invasion)
The room with the life pods reminds Sarah of Space Station Nerva. (TV: The Ark in Space)

v • e BBC New Series Adventures anthologies

Summer Falls and Other Stories	About the Authors • Summer Falls: Introduction • Summer Falls • The Angel's Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery • Devil in the Smoke: An Adventure for the Great Detective

Tales of Trenzalore: The Eleventh Doctor's Last Stand	Tales of Trenzalore • Let it Snow • An Apple a Day... • Strangers in the Outland • The Dreaming

The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who	Sunset Over Venus • The Lost Generation • The Room with All the Doors • The Hungry Night • All the Empty Towers • Rewriting History • Silver Mosquitoes • In Search of Lost Time • Natural Regression • Potential Energy • The Arboreals • The Piper • The Girl Who Stole the Stars • The Mercy Seats • The Constant Doctor

Time Lord Fairy Tales	The Garden of Statues • Frozen Beauty • Cinderella and the Magic Box • The Twins in the Wood • The Three Little Sontarans • Jak and the Wormhole • Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday • Little Rose Riding Hood • The Gingerbread Trap • The Scruffy Piper • Helana and the Beast • Andiba and the Four Slitheen • The Grief Collector • The Three Brothers Gruff • Sirgwain and the Green Knight • The Emperor Dalek's New Clothes

The Legends of Ashildr	The Arabian Knightmare • The Fortunate Isles • The Triple Knife • The Ghosts of Branscombe Wood

The Legends of River Song	Picnic at Asgard • Suspicious Minds • A Gamble with Time • Death in New Venice • River of Time

Twelve Doctors of Christmas	All I Want for Christmas • A Comedy of Terrors • The Christmas Inversion • Three Wise Men • Sontar's Little Helpers • Fairy Tale of New New York • The Grotto • Ghost of Christmas Past • The Red Bicycle • Loose Wire • The Gift • The Persistence of Memory

Tales of Terror	Murder in the Dark • Something at the Door • The Monster in the Woods • Toil and Trouble • Mark of the Medusa • Trick or Treat • The Living Image • Organism 96 • The Patchwork Pierrot • Blood Will Out • The Mist of Sorrow • Baby Sleepy Face

The Missy Chronicles	Dismemberment • Lords and Masters • Teddy Sparkles Must Die! • The Liar, the Glitch and the War Zone • Girl Power! • Alit in Underland

The Day She Saved the Doctor	Sarah Jane and the Temple of Eyes • Rose and the Snow Window • Clara and the Maze of Cui Palta • Bill and the Three Jackets

Twelve Angels Weeping	Halfway Into the Dark • Grey Matter • Red Planet • Celestial Intervention — A Gallifreyan Noir • Ghost in the Machine • Student Bodies • A Soldier's Education • The Red-Eyed League • The Heist • The King in Glass • The Third Wise Man • The Rhino of Twenty-Three Strand Street • Anything You Can Do

The Wintertime Paradox	He's Behind You • Father of the Daleks • Inflicting Christmas • For the Girl Who Has Everything • Visiting Hours • We Will Feed You to the Trees • Christmas with the Plasmavores • A Girl Called Doubt • A Perfect Christmas • Missing Habitas Frond • A Day to Yourselves • The Paradox Moon • Canaries

I Am The Master	Anger Management • The Dead Travel Fast • Missy's Magical Mystery Mission • A Master of Disguise • The Night Harvest • The Master and Margarita

Adventures in Lockdown	A Message from the Doctor • Things She Thought While Falling • The Terror of the Umpty Ums • Doctor Who and the Time War • Revenge of the Nestene • Rory's Story • One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes • The Simple Things • The Tourist • Press Play • The Shadow Passes • Shadow of a Doubt • The Shadow in the Mirror • Fellow Traveller • Listen • The Secret of Novice Hame

Origin Stories	Chemistry • My Daddy Fights Monsters • The Myriapod Mutiny • The Last of the Dals • Murmuration • The Big Sleep • Doctor Jones • The Girl Who Tore Through the Universe • Clara Oswald and the Enchanted Forest • Velvet Hugs • Tempered

Tardis