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Theory:Timeline - River Song

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Index → Timey-wimey detector → Timeline - River Song
Spoilers are strongly policed here.
If this thread's title doesn't specify it's spoilery, don't bring any up.

This page lists appearances of River Song in the order in which she experienced them. This timeline is based upon observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events that occur in each of these stories, as well as the narrative feature of CON: When Time Froze, River Song: Her Story, which states her entire history up to the airdate of that Doctor Who Confidential episode in 2011. We have attempted to build a concise timeline from these observations.

The layout of this timeline is in part based on the observations on Clive Banks Databank, The Doctor Who Site, Cameron K. McEwan's blog post, Huw Fullerton's blog post, 9GAG page, and The Haunted Coconut page. None of these sources should be used solely as a source or considered a "true" timeline for stories.

Limiting factors[]

Any story where River is a professor must take place after Flesh and Stone, with most taking place after her release from Stormcage Containment Facility. It should be noted, however, that while a doctorate is a degree that River would retain throughout her life, a professorship would be closer to a job title and she may not always use that title. This is supported in The Husbands of River Song, where Nardole claims that River mostly goes by "Doctor Song" and only sometimes by "Professor".

Any story where River is aware of incarnations of the Doctor beyond their eleventh incarnation must take place after The Husbands of River Song.

Series basics[]

River Song has only appeared in a handful of Doctor Who media, mostly from series 5 and 6 of the revived television series, but she is noteworthy for having met the Doctor, as well as her parents, Amy Pond and Rory Williams, in an anachronic order. As a result, the audience also sees her in an order different from how she experiences things. There are also several stories where as many as three Rivers at different points in her timestream appear.

For the sake of clarity, her first incarnation will be referred to as "Melody" to differentiate from her second, referred to as "Mels", and her third, which dominates her appearances in the Doctor Who universe.

Organisational aids[]

Sonic screwdriver[]

Doctor or Professor?[]

River Song begins studying for a doctorate in archaeology at the Luna University at the conclusion of TV: Let's Kill Hitler and is awarded her doctorate in TV: Closing Time, so any story where she uses the title should take place after this.

She later learns in TV: The Time of Angels that she will one day become a professor, placing any stories where she has knowledge of this information after this.

It is established in AUDIO: The Eye of the Storm that one of the first things River did upon being released from the Stormcage Containment Facility was finish her journey to becoming a professor. This is likely a reference to her time spent as a "visiting professor" at a university in 1920s Earth during the events of AUDIO: The Boundless Sea.

While working for the Luna university in AUDIO: Friend of the Family, River discovers that the university is considering her for a professorship and she even manages to acquire a letter of recommendation for this role. She also states that she’s used the title "professor" in the past, due to her foreknowledge that she would one day receive the title.

TV: The Husbands of River Song establishes that by the end of her life, she primarily uses the title "Doctor" over "Professor" but does switch between the two.

Vortex manipulator[]

"Little girl" timeline[]

Birth and upbringing[]

(REFERENCE)
Melody Pond is conceived by Amy Pond and Rory Williams on their wedding night aboard the Doctor's TARDIS as it flies through the Time Vortex, causing Melody to develop Time Lord traits from the exposure. (TV: A Good Man Goes to War)
Amy begins giving birth to Melody at Demons Run, with Madame Kovarian acting as midwife.
As a three-week-old baby, Melody is taken by Kovarian and replaced by a Ganger before the Eleventh Doctor and Rory Williams can rescue her and Amy.
(REFERENCE)
Melody is trained and brainwashed by the Silence to assassinate the Doctor before he can reach Trenzalore and free the Time Lords, and thus prevent the Siege of Trenzalore. (TV: Let's Kill Hitler, The Time of the Doctor) By the time she reaches adolescences, Melody is transferred to Graystark Hall Orphanage in 1969 Florida, and forced into an Apollo astronaut suit. (TV: The Impossible Astronaut)

Escaping the Silence[]

In 1969, Melody sends a distress message for President Richard Nixon.
Melody is found by the Doctor and Amy, but is shot by Amy to "save the Doctor's life", leading into Day of the Moon.
The bullet barely misses Melody, but damages the suit as the Doctor and Amy flee. When Amy is captured by the Silence three months later, Melody is able to escape the suit and goes on the run.
(SEGMENT)
In 1969 New York, a homeless Melody shares a pizza with Jack Harkness due to his retroactive interference in her timeline. (AUDIO: R&J)
(EPILOGUE)
Six months after her escape from the Silence, Melody regenerates into Mels in 1970 New York City. (TV: Day of the Moon, Let's Kill Hitler)

Mels Zucker timeline[]

Growing up again[]

(NOTE)
Renaming herself Mels Zucker, (PROSE: Mels at School) Melody makes her way to Leadworth, and attends Leadworth Primary School with her parents in the 1990s. Mels becomes "the most in trouble" girl at Leadworth Primary School, partially due to her blaming the Doctor for historical catastrophes. (TV: Let's Kill Hitler)
During Year Three, Mels defeats Krampus.

Adult life[]

(FLASHBACK)
Sometime before 2008, Mels helps Amy realise her feelings for Rory by exposing his feelings for her, ensuring her own existence by bringing her parents together. She decides against attending her parents' 2010 wedding, citing that she "[doesn't] do weddings" as the reason. (TV: Let's Kill Hitler)
(SEGMENT)
Trying out a new body that looks like a younger version of her third incarnation, Mels attempts to assassinate the Ninth Doctor with a Meson cannon, but is stopped by Jack Harkness due to his retroactive interference in her timeline. She is using a vortex manipulator. (AUDIO: R&J)
In 2011, Mels steals a car to meet the Doctor when Amy and Rory rendezvous with him in a cornfield. Needing to escape the police, Mels hijacks the Doctor's TARDIS at gunpoint, and causes it to crash in 1938 Berlin. Exiting the damaged TARDIS, Mels is hit by a ricocheting bullet fired by Adolf Hitler, and regenerates into her third incarnation in front of the Doctor and her parents.

River Song timeline[]

A new body[]

Adjusting to her new body, and being referred to as "River Song" by the Doctor and her parents, Melody successfully poisons the Doctor with Judas tree poison. Running amok in Berlin, Melody is confronted by the Teselecta, but is saved by the dying Doctor. After he helps her pilot the TARDIS to save Amy and Rory, Melody learns that her third incarnation is known as River Song, and revives the Doctor by sacrificing her remaining regenerations, though the process drains her into unconsciousness. She awakens in the Sisters of the Infinite Schism hospital with a TARDIS-shaped diary.
(DIARY ENTRY)
The next morning, Melody finds clothing left for her by her parents, and secures access to a pen to begin writing her diary. (GAME: The Eternity Clock)

Studying at Luna University[]

(EPILOGUE)
Officially taking on the name "River Song", Melody enters Luna University in 5123 to study the Doctor's movements in history through archaeology. (TV: Let's Kill Hitler)
(SEGMENT)
River attends her first lecture at the Luna University. Her lecturer is supposed to be Bernice Summerfield, but she is replaced by "Hark Jackness". Despite his alias and faux accent, River recognises Jack due to his retroactive interference in her timeline. Together, they fight off the vortex wraiths, which River encounters for the first time. (AUDIO: R&J)
Set during December in 5124. River has stolen a Vortex manipulator before and has been studying at Luna University for three years, despite Let's Kill Hitler establishing that she enrolled in 5123. She has begun studying archaeology and is 34-years-old.
River has yet to visit Planet One, setting this before The Pandorica Opens. She is interviewing Tegan Jovanka about her involvement with the Fifth Doctor, and is referred to as "Dr. Song" in a transcribed version of the interview.
River interviews Jackie Tyler, Sylvia Noble, Francine Jones, and Wilfred Mott about their encounters with the Tenth Doctor. She has a more hostile attitude towards the Doctor.
River creates a research paper as part of her doctorate degree. She gathers information on the eleven incarnations of the Doctor, interviews several of his former allies and companions and collates her finding into a diary. She has somehow acquired the Doctor's Five Hundred Year Diary. The events of When It Was Fun and Judge, Jury and Executioner are chronicled in the diary.
Shortly after receiving her doctorate in archaeology, River is kidnapped by the Silence to fulfil her mission of assassinating the Doctor at Lake Silencio on 22 April 2011, leading directly into The Impossible Astronaut and The Wedding of River Song, just after she has finished reading about the Eleventh Doctor.

The assassination of the Doctor[]

(SEGMENT)
River appears to the Doctor as the astronaut in Lake Silencio. (TV: The Impossible Astronaut) Before the suit can force her to kill him, River is able to drain the weapon pack and prevent the assassination. However, by defying the fixed point in time, River shreds time into a reality where all history happens at once. (TV: The Wedding of River Song)
River oversees operations at Area 52.
River is posing as Cleopatra.
Having captured Kovarian and the Doctor, River confesses her love for the Doctor, and the two wed atop the Great Pyramid of Giza so that the Doctor can get close enough to River to reveal his secret plan; he is hiding within the Teselecta to make the Silence believe their assassination worked. River then restores the timeline.
(SEGMENT)
With the assassination appearing successful, River disappears into the lake, narrowly avoiding being shot by her future counterpart. (TV: The Impossible Astronaut)
(NOTE)
River is captured by the authorities and arrested for the murder of the Doctor. She is confined to Stormcage Containment Facility in the 52nd century with twelve thousand consecutive life sentences for her "crime". (TV: The Wedding of River Song)

Early imprisonment[]

(SEGMENT)
On her way to imprisonment in Stormcage, River's transport shuttle is attacked by an assassin. Due to his retroactive interference in her timeline, Jack Harkness rescues her and attempts to take her away from Stormcage, but she uses her hallucinogenic lipstick on him and insists that she needs to stay. (AUDIO: R&J)
On her first night in prison, River is rescued by the Doctor, who explains to her the purpose of her diary, and tells her he is taking her to Calderon Beta.
Follows directly on from Night and the Doctor: First Night. River gains a liking for the word "spoilers".
(SEGMENT)
Due to his retroactive interference in her timeline, River meets Jack Harkness for the first time in her third incarnation while trying to steal from Snorvlast's jewel safe. (AUDIO: R&J)
(SEGMENT)
While posing as Queen Elizabeth I in the Elizabethan era, River is investigated by Javic Piotr Thane. She sends him away when they are attacked by androids disguised as the Queen's guard. After her escapade in the Elizabethan era, River takes over the Time Agency in an attempt to get Javic out of her way, suggesting this is set before they get to know each other better. (AUDIO: R&J)

Living with the Ponds[]

River appears to be living with Amy and Rory. She goes on a date with the Doctor, who picks her up in the TARDIS.
The Doctor and River act like more of a married couple. River appears to believe that the Doctor has further regenerations.
The Doctor and River go on a double date with Amy and Rory. The Doctor alludes to his marriage to River.
The Doctor and River are visiting Amy and Rory for a "family holiday". River is using her vortex manipulator.
The Doctor and River act like a married couple.
The Doctor and River act like a married couple and are staying at Amy and Rory's house.
The Doctor and River act like a married couple and are staying with Amy and Rory.
The Doctor and River are staying with Amy and Rory for Christmas.
The Doctor and River are staying with Amy and Rory for New Year's Day.

Nights out with the Doctor[]

(SEGMENT)
Five years into her prison sentence, River breaks out with a vortex manipulator. Needing to escape some Sontarans after insulting them, she enters the Doctor's TARDIS and pretends to collapse. (HOMEVID: Night and the Doctor: First Night) The Doctor then returns River to Stormcage by hacking her vortex manipulator. (HOMEVID: Night and the Doctor: Last Night)
With it having been "far too long" since she last saw the Doctor, River encounters the Master and Missy for the first time, setting this before The Bekdel Test. Believing Missy to be a new incarnation of the Doctor, she helps her and the Master escape from Stormcage.
Set thirteen years after The Wedding of River Song, with River preparing for an anniversary treat that involves Stevie Wonder.
River is taken to the last Winter Frost Fair of 1814 by the Doctor as a birthday treat, with Stevie Wonder performing for her. Upon her return to Stormcage, River is met by Rory shortly before the Battle of Demons Run, and has to reject his invitation to the battle. She later uses her vortex manipulator to return to the Battle of Demons Run after her younger self has been taken. She tells the Doctor of her true identity, and then informs Rory and Amy that she is their daughter.
River is invited by the Doctor to witness his faked assassination at Lake Silencio with Amy and Rory. Pretending to not know what is transpiring to preserve the timeline, River joins Amy, Rory and a younger Doctor as they search for Canton Everett Delaware III and stumbles upon her younger self contacting President Nixon.
Set immediately after The Impossible Astronaut. River is studying Silents, and their influence on human history in the TARDIS databanks.
River spends three months travelling through the United States, searching for Silents.
Three months after The Impossible Astronaut, River and the Doctor defeat the Silence by using their brainwashing of humanity against them. At her request, the Doctor returns River to Stormcage, and kisses him, not realising that it was his first kiss from her.
(REFERENCE)
The Doctor and River attend a party where the Queen is turned into a fish. (HOMEVID: Night and the Doctor: Bad Night) Once disaster is averted, they plan to meet in Antwerp with Marilyn Monroe. (HOMEVID: Night and the Doctor: Good Night)
In 5145, River is telephoned by Winston Churchill due to TARDIS rerouting a phone call for the Doctor, and learns of a painting depicting the destruction of the TARDS. Acquiring a new vortex manipulator from Dorium Maldovar, River steals the painting from Liz Ten, and vandalises a diamond cliff at the dawn of time with the coordinates to 102 AD England. Meeting the Doctor and Amy while masquerading as Cleopatra, River takes them to Stonehenge to find the Pandorica, and is ordered by the Doctor to fetch the TARDIS. However, the TARDIS is pulled to 26 June 2010 and River is trapped in a time loop as the TARDIS explodes, leading directly into The Big Bang.
River is rescued from the TARDIS by the Doctor in 1996. After the Doctor uses the Pandorica's restoration field to reverse the Total Event Collapse of the universe, River leaves her now blank diary at her parents' wedding so Amy can remember him back into existence. After her diary is restored, River departs after saying goodbye to the Doctor.
River is brought to trial on the Planet of the Hats for blowing up the Doctor's fez, setting this shortly after The Big Bang.
In 5145, River uses her vortex manipulator to rescue the Doctor from 2012 London, and joins him in his search for the pieces of the Eternity Clock.

Chance encounters[]

(SEGMENT)
River races dinosaurs with Jack in the Jurassic period. River tells Jack that her husband has left her to "fight a war" and she won't see him for a while. (AUDIO: R&J)
River is in the first of her twelve-thousand consecutive life sentences. She refers to "parties" and "fish" when she talks about her trips out with the Doctor. She recalls burning the Doctor's body, setting this after The Impossible Astronaut.
(SEGMENT)
River is fully aware of Jackie Tyler but Jackie doesn't yet recognise her. River sets up events so that a degenerating Doctor meets Jackie and Lady Christina de Souza, in order for him to save his own timeline. (AUDIO: Two's Company)
(SEGMENT)
River moves into the Powell Estate and becomes a neighbour of Jackie Tyler. She asks Jackie for advice about her conflicting feelings for the Doctor and Jack, and they become friends by the time Jack arrives to visit Jackie. (AUDIO: R&J)
(SEGMENT)
River prevents the Rarvinsko Robot army from destroying another planet. She hears about Darillium for the first time. (NOTVALID: The Final Night)
(SEGMENT)
River discovers that Jack has ordered four duplicate robots of her, and promptly destroys them. They intend to talk their relationship through properly. (AUDIO: R&J)
(SEGMENT)
River travels to Cardiff in order to meet Jack Harkness, but meets a younger version of him inside the TARDIS. They recall their encounter with dinosaurs. River sees the Ninth Doctor's TARDIS interior for the first time. (AUDIO: R&J)
(SEGMENT)
River visits Jack during his incarceration on the Valiant in the Year That Never Was. River recalls recently visiting his younger self in Cardiff, and they have encountered vortex wraiths, robot duplicates and assassins together. (AUDIO: R&J)
River thinks about her mortality after an adventure with the Doctor and Jim the Fish. She recalls the events of Day of the Moon and The Pandorica Opens, as well as visiting the Bone Meadows and ice skating on the River Thames in 1814. The Doctor then arrives to give River a surprise adventure.
Set before Last Night. River asks the Doctor for a trip to Darillium, but he declines the request.
(SEGMENT)
River rescues a young Javic Piotr Thane during a raid on the Boeshane Peninsula, to return the favour for him visiting her as a homeless child. River has not yet met the Face of Boe. (AUDIO: R&J)
River and the Tenth Doctor break into the Apocalypse Vault. River doesn't recognise the Fifth Doctor, setting this before The Lady in the Lake, The Time of Angels, and The Husbands of River Song. She mentions being in prison.
(SEGMENT)
While participating in a dangerous race in space, River receives a call from the Doctor, who tells her about the significance Darillium has to them for the first time after she passes the planet. (NOTVALID: The Final Night)
(SEGMENT)
River visits Jack in Gallipoli. They plan to get married, but the ceremony is interrupted by Snorvlast, who is devoured by the vortex wraiths. Jack and River then visit the end of time for their honeymoon. River knows that she can't die until after she visits Darillium. (AUDIO: R&J)

The crash of the Byzantium[]

River is recruited by Father Octavian to track down a Weeping Angel on Alfava Metraxis. Wanting to earn a pardon, River agrees with the promise of bringing the Doctor along as a consultant. She learns from the Doctor that she will one day become a professor, and has acquired photos of all his eleven faces.
Follows directly on from The Time of Angels. River mentions the events of The Pandorica Opens, and alludes to previous outings that involved handcuffs.
(EPILOGUE)
Immediately after leaving Alfava Metraxis, River visits Amy to tell her and Rory that the Doctor survived his assassination at Lake Silencio. (TV: The Wedding of River Song)
River recalls the events of The Time of Angels and Flesh and Stone.

Facing the Malignant[]

River is still imprisoned in the Stormcage Containment Facility. The Doctor arrives at Stormcage to ask for River's help, leading directly into The One.
Though she is already familiar with her, River meets Alice Obiefune for the first time. She remarks on the Doctor "still" leaving the TARDIS brakes on, setting this after The Time of Angels. River arrives on Shada with the Doctor and his companions, leading directly into Downtime.
After leaving Shada, the TARDIS is discovered by the Malignant, leading directly into Running to Stay Still.
River is infected by the Malignant, and placed in suspended animation to protect herself from being erased.
River is still in suspended animation.
River is still in suspended animation, but her infection is growing more fatal.
River is still in suspended animation, but the Malignant has spread to most of her body.
River is released from suspended animation to absorb the full Malignant, curing herself of the inflection when the Malignant exits her body. She returns to Stormcage.

Final years at Stormcage[]

The Tenth Doctor and River travel back to 1632
The Tenth Doctor and River meet on Demonese 2. The Doctor nearly reveals the details of River's death.
River escapes Stormcage during 5147, setting this a minimum of two years after The Big Bang. She is considering having a child. During a picnic at the planet-sized theme park Asgard, River attempts to ask the Doctor his views on them having a child, but is unable to broach the subject due to Tomith attacking Asgard. River is calling herself a professor, setting this at least after The Time of Angels.
River recalls Rory's time as a Roman, setting this after The Big Bang.
River has a is calling herself a professor and is still imprisoned in Stormcage.
River has faced Weeping Angels, Silents, Daleks, Cybermen, and the Crimson Revenants. River is still in prison, but is calling herself a professor. She has yet to visit Gallifrey. Upon her return to Stormcage, she has all of her privileges revoked and it is revealed that she has been memorising recent entries so that she can write them down properly in her journal when she gets it back.
River is visited in Stormcage Containment Facility by Doom who is searching for the Doctor. River points her towards New Calamino where the Sixth Doctor is currently located.
(NOTE)
After the Doctor erases all mention of himself from every database in the universe, River is pardoned after no evidence of her victim can be found. (TV: The Angels Take Manhattan) She returns to her archaeology studies and earns a true professorship (AUDIO: The Eye of the Storm) in 1924 England. (AUDIO: The Boundless Sea)

Combating the Rulers of the Universe[]

Set between The Wedding of River Song and The Angels Take Manhattan. (DWM 495) River is in a self-imposed exile, and is reluctant to get involved with any adventures, believing that she should be serving a penance. She uses her sonic trowel, and mentions leaving someone "behind". Ending leads directly into I Went to a Marvellous Party.
Ending leads directly into Signs.
Ending leads directly into The Rulers of the Universe.
River meets the Eighth Doctor and is worried about the prospect of him finding out her identity. She also intends to follow the Laws of Time, suggesting that this is one of her earliest meetings with a Doctor who hasn't met her yet.

Investigating Golden Futures[]

River meets the Seventh Doctor. River has a sonic device that she built herself, and refers to it as a screwdriver while in a state of amnesia, though the Doctor disagrees with her. Ending leads into Five Twenty-Nine.
Ending leads into World Enough and Time.
River meets the Sixth Doctor and uses her sonic trowel. Ending leads into The Eye of the Storm.
River was pardoned from Stormcage "not long ago", and recalls how she became a professor upon her release.

Travels with the Fifth Doctor[]

River has been married to a maximum of eleven-to-thirteen men by this point, and is looking for family and belonging. She recalls the events of A Good Man Goes to War, and joins the Fifth Doctor and Brooke in the TARDIS.
River recalls the events of Picnic at Asgard, The Time of Angels, and A Good Man Goes to War. Ending leads directly into My Dinner with Andrew.
Ending leads into The Furies.

Fleeing from the Discordia[]

River uses her sonic trowel. Ending leads into Kings of Infinite Space.
Ending leads into Whodunnit?
River uses the alias "Melody Malone" and has her sonic trowel. Ending leads into Someone I Once Knew.
River meets the Fourth Doctor. The Doctor loses her vortex manipulator in an alternate timeline.

Continued adventures[]

(SEGMENT)
The Eleventh Doctor and River accidentally visit the planet of the Rain Gods. The Doctor mentions choosing a “restaurant,” implying an attempted trip to Darillium.
The Eleventh Doctor and River are going to Darillium, but he changes his mind on the destination after a run in with his younger self. (HOMEVID: Night and the Doctor: Last Night)
River is a professor and uses her vortex manipulator.
(FLASHBACK)
River retrieves Katarina's body from deep space to give her a proper burial, and encounters the Nine. (AUDIO: Companion Piece)
River is using her vortex manipulator and her sonic trowel.
(SEGMENT)
River and the Tenth Doctor stop the Wirrn from turning various planets, including Darillium, into incubation farms. (NOTVALID: The Final Night)

Travels in time[]

River has her sonic blaster and vortex manipulator. A bounty hunter working for the Ravenous destroys what it referred to as her "sonic device". She refers to herself as "Doctor Song".
River has a vortex manipulator, and recently read the Doctor's Five Hundred Year Diary to learn about the events of The Web of Fear. She is calling herself a professor and has recently borrowed the Doctor's TARDIS in order to access his diary.
River recalls her doctorate.
River uses her sonic trowel.
(SEGMENT)
River encounters Jack Harkness in 1940s London while tracking the vortex wraiths as "a favour for a friend". She promises the vortex wraiths that they will have a feast in the future, alluding to the demise of Snorvlast. (AUDIO: R&J)
River returns to Rachel, setting this after The Eye of the Storm, and takes her on several adventures. Rachel decides to leave River and join a colony, leading directly into A Brave New World.
River and Rachel arrive on the colony ship, where River leaves Rachel behind. River goes on dates with various incarnations of the Doctor after leaving Rachel behind. River mentions being a professor.
River makes a mental note to build another "sonic... something", perhaps setting this after her sonic device was destroyed in An Unearthly Woman. She mentions Missy, setting this after The Bekdel Test and is familiar with various incarnations of the Master.
The events of Queen of the Mechonoids are mentioned.

Undercover at UNIT[]

Working for the Master, in truth so she can manipulate him, River infiltrates UNIT. (AUDIO: Rivers of Light)

Further adventures[]

River is a professor. She is investigating the Doctor's old haunts, and is familiar with his travels to Peladon.
River uses her sonic trowel. She recalls meeting her altered clone family, setting this after The Furies.
Although authorial intent places this before The Pandorica Opens,[1] River has a sonic device and identifies herself as a professor.
River recalls her previous meeting with Susan in An Unearthly Woman, and The Husbands of River Song is explicitly still in her future.

Working as a professor[]

River is working at the Luna University and they are considering making her a professor, although she admits she has used the title in the past due to learning that she would one day earn it from others' foreknowledge. She recalls the events of The Two Rivers and carries a Sonic trowel. The Luna University is sent a letter of recommendation for giving River a professorship. She is halfway through her diary and reluctant to chronicle any non-Doctor related adventures in it out of fear that it will take up space that could be spent with the Doctor.
River is currently working as a Visiting Professor at the Chasca Major University, with Luke Sullieman as one of her students, setting this after she officially becomes a professor.
River is a professor and accompanied by students, setting this after she officially gains the title. She encounters the Eighth Doctor and hasn't been to Gallifrey, setting this between The Rulers of the Universe and Songs of Love.

Becoming Melody Malone[]

River has a professorship.
River has a professorship.
River is running a detective agency in 1930s New York under the alias of "Melody Malone". She uses her sonic pen torch. Luke Sullieman is working as her secretary, having graduated from university, setting this after Animal Instinct. They encounter the Weeping Angels and River sends Luke away in their timeship while she remains in New York to investigate the Weeping Angels more.
River is recruited from 1938 New York while facing the Weeping Angels by the Eleventh Doctor and his allies.
Follows directly on from Legacy.
Immediate prequel to The Angels Take Manhattan. River spends one month investigating Weeping Angel activity in 1938 New York City under the alias "Melody Malone". However, according to The Ruby's Curse, this month is actually a work of fiction written by River in the Melody Malone series subsequent to the events of The Angels Take Manhattan.
Still investigating the Weeping Angels in 1938 New York City, River finds Rory and is later found by the Doctor and Amy. After seeing an older Rory die in Winter Quay, River and the Doctor hold off the Weeping Angels to allow Amy and Rory to escape. After their suicide kills the Angels with a paradox, the Doctor, River, Amy and Rory find themselves in a 2012 graveyard, where Amy and Rory are taken beyond the Doctor's reach by a lone Weeping Angel.
Set during The Angels Take Manhattan, when the Doctor and River are distracting the Weeping Angels from Amy and Rory.
River breaks into Stormcage Containment Facility in 5147 to write a new Melody Malone book. She is living in 1939 New York and has been working as a writer to support Amy and Rory since the events of The Angels Take Manhattan one year prior. River's vortex manipulator is destroyed and she plans to leave the city following a last meal with her parents.

Looking for family[]

Struggling with the loss of her family, the Doctor sends River to help a group of people also dealing with the loss of their families, suggesting a setting soon after The Angels Take Manhattan. She expects him to come and pick her up after a while.
River recalls the events of The Angels Take Manhattan and claims she can never see her parents again due to the laws of time. She checks up on Jackie Tyler on behalf of the Doctor.
River spends some time working with Susan Campbell helping to rebuild Earth following the 2150s Dalek invasion of Earth. She mentions being unable to see her mother again, setting this after The Angels Take Manhattan.
River previous spouses include Stephen Fry, Bernice Summerfield, Jack Harkness, all four of the Tetra Brothers and The Doctor. River is reunited with her sister Brooke, setting this after The Furies, who helps her escape a fake reality created by The Scourge. The two sisters leave for further adventures together.

The night on Darillium[]

Set immediately before The Husbands of River Song, with River sending Nardole to find the surgeon.
Set during Nardole's Very Bad Day, detailing River's instructions to Nardole on finding the surgeon.
According to her diary, River has just been to Manhattan, setting this shortly after The Angels Take Manhattan. River is 200-years-old, and is unaware of the Doctor's extended regeneration cycle. River marries King Hydroflax to steal the Halassi Androvar diamond embedded in his head. With the aid of a surgeon that her assistant, Nardole, brought to her, River escapes in the Doctor's TARDIS with Hydroflax's head. Heading to the Harmony and Redemption to sell the diamond, River is betrayed by the crew, and discovers that the surgeon accompanying her is the Twelfth Doctor. Escaping the ship to Darillium, the Doctor and River share a final night together for twenty-four years, during which the Doctor gifts River with her own sonic screwdriver.
(SEGMENT)
The Doctor and River stop members of the Slitheen family from stealing crystals from the Singing Towers. (NOTVALID: A Night on Darillium)
(SEGMENT)
Jack meets with River during her night on Darillium. He asks her to have a relationship with him, but River turns him down and tells him that the Doctor is her husband. (AUDIO: R&J)
The Doctor and River have been on Darillium for twelve years, which is 9:34pm on Darillium time. They decide to start rebuilding Nardole.
(SEGMENT)
River saves the life of the Revered 34th King of Sypraxium III when he is poisoned during one of her dinner dates with the Doctor. (NOTVALID: A Night on Darillium)
(SEGMENT)
Reaching the end of her journal, River looks back on her time on Darillium. (NOTVALID: A Night on Darillium)
The Doctor and River have been on Darillium for 23-to-24-years. According to this account, the events of Silence in the Library occur immediately after River leaves Darillium.
Writing the final page of her diary, River reflects on her life up until her night on Darillium. She tells Nardole to look after the Doctor, and gives him permission to kick his arse, which Nardole claims she did when she left Darillium in Extremis.

Archaeological adventures[]

River is familiar with the Twelfth Doctor, setting this after The Husbands of River Song.
River recalls the events of The Husbands of River Song.
River is a professor, and is not fazed by an image of the Twelfth Doctor, setting this after The Husbands of River Song.
River believes she has met all of the Master's incarnations. She has a professorship.
(SEGMENT)
River and Bernice Summerfield meet on Valderaaz while investigating the tomb of Hemnus, and make plans to call in the Doctor. (NOTVALID: Expectations)
Set after The Husbands of River Song. River gives the vortex manipulator she received in The Pandorica Opens to Ramone's body so that it can returned to its original owner.

Facing the Doom Coalition[]

River makes reference to "the magician", "the spiv" and "the geography teacher", setting this after The Husbands of River Song. She travels to Calcot to investigate a piece of the Doomsday Chronometer. She leaves the Eighth Doctor a pointer towards a new rendezvous point and decides to find a disguise to wear, leading into The Eighth Piece.
River recalls meeting Helen Sinclair during The Sonomancer. Ending leads into The Doomsday Chronometer.
Ending leads into The Crucible of Souls.
Ending leads into Songs of Love.
The Doctor remembers facing the Discordia and the Great Storm with River, alongside their trip to Vienna, and River responds to these references with recognition. River visits Gallifrey for the first time and believes that she is on detour to her final destination, suggesting that this is set shortly before Silence in the Library.
Follows on immediately from Songs of Love. The Nine rescues River from the Time Vortex. She loses her vortex manipulator, and instead starts using the Clocksmith's TARDIS.

Final escapades[]

River works as a reporter for the Dark Times Times. She recalls visiting Gallifrey before its destruction to steal the Black Scrolls of Rassilon, setting this after Songs of Love.
(SEGMENT)
River meets up with the Thirteenth Doctor in New New York to reassure her to keep being hopeful after the destruction of Gallifrey and not become the Time Lord Victorious again. (NOTVALID: Expectations)
(SEGMENT)
While waiting on a beach for the Doctor to turn up for one of their dates, River encounters Jack, who asks her to run away with him. River's days with the Doctor are numbered as one of them is going to die soon. Jack and River are now synchronised in their timelines. (AUDIO: R&J)
River has a professorship, and her sonic screwdriver. She is worried about having the first meeting with the Doctor from his perspective.
(SEGMENT)
River attempts to visit the Face of Boe, but she has arrived at his funeral. She promptly leaves, missing the arrival of Jack by moments. (AUDIO: R&J)

The Library expedition[]

After giving the Tenth Doctor information about the Zygons, River is recruited by the Felman Lux Corporation to lead Strackman Lux and a team into the Library, leading into Silence in the Library.
Set immediately before Silence in the Library, with River writing in her diary on her way to the Library.
Arriving at the Library, River sends a message summoning the Tenth Doctor, only for him to arrive with no idea about her identity. Realising this is the Doctor's first official meeting with her, River assists him and Donna Noble in eluding the Vashta Nerada.
Set during Silence in the Library, just after the Doctor teleports Donna into the TARDIS.
Follows directly on from Silence in the Library. River sacrifices her life to free the people trapped in the Library, and to prevent the Doctor from doing the same. However, the Doctor is able to preserve her memory in the Library's database.
(FUTURE COUNTERPART)
While evading the Vashta Nerada, River helps Martha Jones find Alison Docherty's diary from the The Year That Never Was in the Library. (NOTVALID: Legacy)

Afterlife in the Library[]

Due to having a weak energy signature when she was uploaded to the library, River is missing her memories and sense of self. However when a virus infects the library, her memories are restored as a side effect.
River recalls the events of her life, setting this after Forest of the Dead.
River is summoned to a conference call by Vastra from the Library, and meets Clara Oswald. After the Great Intelligence kidnaps the Paternoster Gang to the Doctor's tomb on Trenzalore, River continues to appear to Clara until she jumps into the Doctor's time stream to defeat the Great Intelligence. River fades away after sharing a final goodbye with the Eleventh Doctor.
As an echo, River writes a guide to each incarnation of the Doctor. Despite this River being an echo, a physical version of the guide somehow ends up in the hands of the Thirteenth Doctor.

Currently unplaced[]

These entries are placed here until evidence presents itself that provides a clue as to where they happen in relation to other entries. Some of these are part of ongoing storylines that could present evidence towards the end of the plot.

Footnotes[]

  1. ↑ The interview with the authors of this story states that their intent was to address the line "I dated a Nestene Duplicate once", adding that it was Mikhael.
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