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IndexTimey-wimey detector → Timeline - Romana
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 Romana in the order in which she experienced them. This timeline is based on observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events in each of these stories. From these observations we have attempted to build a concise timeline. There are also many gaps between stories.

The layout of this timeline is based in part on the observations on Doctor Who Reference Guide and Doctor Who - The Complete Adventures, Lance Parkin's AHistory and other sources that allow us to make observations, such as DocOhoReviews, The History of Doctor Who, The Discontinuity Guide, Clive Banks Database, the Big Finish forums, The Whoniverse and the Divergent Universe forums. None of these sources should be used solely as a source or considered a "true" timeline for stories.

Timeline[]

Romana I[]

On Gallifrey[]

Romana meets her future self in the Matrix.

The Key to Time[]

Romana is assigned by the White Guardian to accompany the Fourth Doctor in his quest to assemble the Key to Time before the Black Guardian can.
Romana is wearing her outfit from The Ribos Operation.
Set between The Ribos Operation and The Pirate Planet.[source needed]
Set the morning after The Ribos Operation, with the Doctor sealing away the First Segment.
The Doctor takes Romana to Earth for the first time.
Romana refers to the events of The Stones of Blood.
The Doctor is taking a break from his quest.
Throughout the Doctor Who Annual 1980, the Doctor is travelling with Romana I and K9, but is not trying to assemble the Key to Time, nor is he using the randomiser, setting these stories during the break from the quest that ended in Heart of TARDIS.
The Doctor is forced to resume his quest for the Key to Time.
The Doctor and Romana are searching for the Fourth Segment, setting this shortly before The Androids of Tara.
The Doctor and Romana are looking for the Fifth Segment, setting this shortly before The Power of Kroll.
The Doctor and Romana investigated a mysterious painting. (AUDIO: Tales from the Vault)
The Doctor and Romana are looking for the Sixth Segment, setting this shortly before The Armageddon Factor.
The Doctor and Romana complete their quest to assemble the Key to Time, but the Doctor orders it to disperse itself to stop the Back Guardian claiming it. The Doctor installs a randomiser into the TARDIS to elude the vengeful Black Guardian.

Hiding from the Black Guardian[]

The Doctor and Romana are hiding from the Black Guardian in 1929 Hampshire, while K9 pilots the TARDIS around the universe to throw the Black Guardian off the Doctor's trail.
The Doctor and Romana are taking a holiday in 1929 Antibes without K9, setting this during The Auntie Matter.
The Doctor has only recently installed the randomizer.
The Doctor's companion is wearing "a neat designer dress straight from the pages of a magazine", a description matching the first incarnation of Romana.
Ending leads directly into War Against the Laan.
K9 is damaged after being affected by the time slippage.
The Doctor gives his age as 760-years-old.
Set one month after War Against the Laan, with K9 fully repaired from the damage caused by the time spillage.
Romana encounters the Daleks for the first time. Ending leads directly into The Final Phase.
Romana elects to continue travelling in the TARDIS instead of returning to Gallifrey.
The Doctor arrived in Prague due to the randomiser, setting this after The Armageddon Factor.

Romana II[]

A new body[]

Romana regenerates into a new body. The Doctor encounters Davros for the first time since Genesis of the Daleks.
According to this account, Romana was trapped in the wardrobe by the TARDIS, who took her form and accompanied the Doctor on Skaro. Afterwards, Romana was freed and she regenerated into her new body.
Romana is still wearing her outfit from Destiny of the Daleks.
Romana is still wearing her outfit from Destiny of the Daleks.
Romana's recent regeneration is referenced, setting this shortly after Destiny of the Daleks.
The Doctor plans to take Romana to Paris, leading into City of Death.
The Doctor and Romana fight Scaroth in 1979 Paris with the help of Duggan. The Doctor hasn't used his sonic screwdriver since Destiny of the Daleks.
Set during City of Death: Part One.
Romana has recently been to Paris, setting this shortly after City of Death.
Set on the same day as The Not-So-Sinister Sponge, Do You Love Anyone Enough? and Better Watch Out, Better Take Care.
The Doctor, Romana and K-9 attend the Queen's re-coronation, and are spotted by the Brigadier.
The Doctor, Romana and K-9 attend the Mars Conference, and have a run in with Bernice Summerfield.
Romana notes that she and the Doctor have been to Paris recently, setting this shortly after City of Death.
Romana encounters Ogrons with the Doctor for the first time, although she has already heard of them.
Set between The Creature from the Pit and Nightmare of Eden.[source needed]
Set after The Romance of Crime.[source needed]
Set during Nightmare of Eden.
The Doctor mentions recovering from the events of Nightmare of Eden.
Though the audio's blurb places this between Shada and The Leisure Hive, Romana does not yet have a sonic screwdriver, setting this before The Horns of Nimon.
The Doctor acquires a chrono-historical stress gauge.
The Doctor is still using the chrono-historical stress gauge from The Little Things.
The Doctor's the chrono-historical stress gauge has been broken.
Romana reveals she has her own sonic screwdriver.
The Doctor knows about Romana's sonic screwdriver, setting this after The Horns of Nimon.
The Doctor and Romana are still worried about the Black Guardian's revenge, and Romana possess a sonic screwdriver, setting this after The Horns of Nimon.
Ending leads directly into Legacy of Death.
The events of Shada are overwritten by The Five Doctors, and later experienced by the Eighth Doctor. Upon returning to the TARDIS, the Doctor decides to go to Brighton. In the novelisation, set without the interference of The Five Doctors, the Doctor claims to be 760 years old.
Set during The Five Doctors.
The Doctor and Romana encounter one of the escaped minds from Skagra's machine in 1976 Cambridge.

After Shada[]

The Doctor is trying to get to Brighton, setting this shortly after Shada.
The Doctor is beginning to think that the Black Guardian has grown bored of revenge on him and Romana.
Ending leads directly into Casualties of Time.
Romana has a sonic screwdriver, setting this after The Horns of Nimon.
The Doctor recalls the events of Shada.
Set between Shada and The Leisure Hive.[source needed]
The Doctor and Romana visit Hellan. (AUDIO: Collision Course)
Menlove Stokes remembers the Doctor from The Romance of Crime. The Black Guardian tracks the Doctor and Romana down, but is defeated and entrapped in the Time Vortex by the Doctor, but the Doctor and Romana also get trapped in the vortex in the ordeal.

Final voyages in the TARDIS[]

After switching his old clothes for a burgundy design, the Doctor decides to take Romana to Brighton.
Romana is surprised that the Doctor now wears a burgundy coat, feeling it reflects a more morose and sombre mood.
The Doctor is wearing his burgundy costume.
The Doctor is wearing his burgundy costume.
The Doctor refers to the events of Doctor Who and the Iron Legion. The Doctor is wearing his burgundy costume.
Authorial intent places this story, and most of the rest of the Season 6 audios, before The Leisure Hive, with the Doctor wearing his burgundy clothing, the Randomiser still effect and the Season 18 theme tune being used.[source needed]
The Doctor is still trying to get to Brighton.
After a holiday in Brighton, the Doctor completely removes the randomiser to give it for the Tachyon Recreation Generator on Argolis. K9 is damaged after rolling into the sea without his sea water defences.
K9 was recently damaged in Brighton, setting this shortly after The Leisure Hive. Ending leads directly into The Thief Who Stole Time.
K9 is still damaged.
Romana is still wearing her costume from Brighton and K9 is still in a damaged state. After repairing K9, the TARDIS is contacted by the Time Lords, who order Romana back to Gallifrey.

Journey into E-Space[]

En route to Gallifrey, the TARDIS gets sucked into E-Space, where Adric stows away on the TARDIS.
Set during State of Decay.
Set immediately after State of Decay.
The Doctor and Romana have been in E-Space for two months. They encounter an artificially created CVE, but it closes before they are able to return to N-Space through it. Romana decides to stall returning to N-Space.
A Full Life implies that this is set after The Invasion of E-Space. Adric recalls the events of State of Decay.
Adric mentions the imprisonments he endured during The Invasion of E-Space and O, Darkness. The Doctor and Romana die, but, after some years, Adric is able to change time so that they live.
Set between State of Decay and Warrior's Gate.[1] The Doctor has noticed that Romana is stalling their return to N-Space and questions her about it, setting this after The Invasion of E-Space. Ending leads directly into Chase the Night.
Romana's sonic screwdriver is destroyed, but she resolves to create a new one.
The TARDIS crew have been searching for a CVE for months by now.
As the Doctor and Adric escape E-Space, Romana elects to remain and help the enslaved Tharils release themselves from captivity, with K9 staying with her due to damage from the time winds preventing him from crossings back into N-Space.

Alone in E-Space[]

Romana is helping Biroc to free Tharil slaves.
Romana is still helping the Tharils to liberate their kind, but plans to return to N-Space soon. Before one final battle, she recounts a story of her travels with the Doctor and Adric.
Romana is still traveling with Lazlo. She has found a way to cross back and forth between E-Space and N-Space freely.
The Mistress and K9 have left the Tharils and are travelling Ecto-Space together.

Return to Gallifrey[]

Romana returns from E-Space. Shortly after the Doctor leaves Gallifrey, she encounters Ruatha, leading directly into Goth Opera.
Romana is trapped in a Miniscope by Ruath, who deliberately asynchronously involves the Fifth Doctor.
Romana has been working closely with the High Council, but is not yet president. She plans to bring Amy to the academy in attempt to convince them to open it to non-Gallifreyans.
Romana has recently become President of Gallifrey following a close election against Flavia.
Romana signs an executive order releasing three hundred prisoners from Shada, including Grandfather Paradox.
Romana is captured by the Daleks and held prisoner on Etra Prime. A previous president is called out of retirement to act as Lord President in Romana's absence. (AUDIO: The Apocalypse Element)
Vansell is Co-ordinator of the CIA. The Sixth Doctor is the wrong incarnation, and Romana comments on it. Gallifreyan security systems are changed to require a human retinal scan. Romana has been gone 20 years.
Romana meets the Eighth Doctor for the first time. She accompanied him, along with K9 to Cambridge.
Vansell dies.
Romana and Leela meet for the first time, although they were aware of each other by reputation.
Romana and Leela know each other, placing this after the events of Zagreus. Leela announces her pregnancy.
Leela is no longer pregnant. Narvin is the new head of the CIA.
Romana is president and calls Narvin a "CIA halfwit" behind his back, setting this before the two become good friends.
Romana is President of Gallifrey when she is kidnapped by the Nine.
Romana is President of Gallifrey.
Romana regenerates into her third incarnation aboard the Moros, and sends Leela to Legion. (AUDIO: Enemy Lines)

Romana III[]

Romana II has regenerated into a more ruthless incarnation to prepare for the War.
A Braxiatel saves Romana and Omega returns.
Romana is preparing for what is presumably the War.
Gallifrey is destroyed.
Set during The Ancestor Cell.
Romana sends Braxiatel back to prevent the regeneration of her previous self, thereby preventing the war from occurring. (AUDIO: Enemy Lines)

Romana II again[]

Co-ordinator of the CIA[]

Braxiatel changes the past so that Romana doesn't regenerate, thereby preventing the war and the destruction of Gallifrey. She steps down from the presidency and appoints Lady Livia Caralis as her successor.
Romana and Narvin's respective ranks aren't mentioned, but certainly set after Panacea, as Narvin and Leela visit Heartshaven.
Time Lords under the War Livia Caralis officially declare war on the Daleks, after they obliterate many other Temporal Powers. The War Council secretly operates a project in the Death Zone that could result in the resurrection of the dead Time Lords.
Follows on from Celestial Intervention. Ace and Braxiatel on a mission for Romana. She mentions that the Doctor refuses to help. Braxiatel wipes out Ace's memory and leaves her on the 20th century Earth, while telling Romana that she was killed by the Daleks.
Follows on from Soldier Obscura. The Master allows himself to be summoned to Gallifrey. He and Leela participate in a mission to recover vital information about a potential weapon that could end the Time War. He then throws Leela into the Time Vortex and decides to head for Arcking.
Follows on from The Devil You Know. Ace and Leela are lost and Braxiatel escapes the war. Livia steps down as Lady President and Rassilon returns to lead Gallifrey, which was the Livia's plan all along. The Doctor still refuses to help
Romana and Narvin steal a TARDIS and escape from Gallifrey.

Exiled from Gallifrey[]

Romana is cornered by Daleks who open fire.
Romana is saved from Dalek gunfire by Braxiatel. Leads into Beyond.
Romana escapes the Beyond in Braxiatel’s TARDIS.
Shortly after Beyond. Romana is imprisoned in a pocket dimension by Rassilon.

Currently unplaced[]

These entries are placed here due to being part of ongoing storylines that have yet to offer sufficient enough evidence to be placed in a specific part of this Doctor's timeline, unless further evidence arises in the stories to come.

Awaiting placement[]

These entries are placed here until a suitable position in the timeline can be determined based on the available evidence.

The Doctor Who Annuals Master[]

Romana II, wearing her pink coat, is kidnapped by Adam Mitchell among companions of the Doctor but is soon freed by Frobisher. Leads into Endgame.
The first eleven Doctors rescue their companions from Adam and the Tremas Master.

Footnotes[]

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