Doctor Who Future Continuity - Revision 4

Since it's been a while since I've done a future continuity post, here's a little reminder of what this article actually is. I'm basically going to try to guess what's coming up in the future of Doctor Who. This is not based on any inside information from the BBC, I'm as in the dark as any other fan.

First off, what we do know

• Season 10 is Steven Moffat's last and will air in spring 2017
• The only regular episode this year will be the Christmas special
• Chris Chibnall will take over as showrunner in season 11, due for 2018
• The spin-off series Class will air on BBC Three & BBC America in fall of this year
• So far, Class has no cast members, but it has a writer in the form of Patrick Ness
• Both shows will film sometime this year (rumors point to April/May)
• Peter Capaldi will be in season 10, no word on who his companion is

Now for the fun part. This time around, there's a lot more to speculate on then there has been in the past.

If we follow the convention of David and Matt, then Peter should stick around for three seasons spread across four years. That puts his regeneration at the end of season 10 (if we follow convention even more, in the Christmas special, however that may fall under Chibnall). This allows the introduction of a new Doctor to line up perfectly with the introduction of a new showrunner. My personal choices for 13th Doctor are Hayley Atwell or Tatiana Maslany. They both have shows currently going on, but they're only 10 episodes a year, which leaves room for Doctor Who's extra 13. However, all three shows are spring ones, so something would have to move if one of these actresses wants both parts. I did hear that Orphan Black had five seasons planned out, so that would end it in time for Tat to become the Doctor. On the other hand, Supernatural also had five seasons planned when it first started, and look at it now.

Season 10 is going to mark the introduction of the new companion. I don't really have any particular actresses in mind for the part (except maybe Alison Scagliotti). I do however, have some strong opinions on the character. Mostly, I do not want yet another 21st century Earth chick. Every companion since Peri (except for Jack and River) has been from contemporary Earth. All but two were from somewhere in Britain. A little more variety would be nice. My first choice would be someone from colonial America. Another idea, which I read in a fan fic, is a college student from the future (preferably not the 51st century AGAIN) on a trip to early 21st century London. The thing is, she doesn't admit to being from the future right away. It'd be even more interesting if she time jumped illegally and hid it from the Doctor because she thought he was a time agent. Alternately, bring back Jenny (the Time Lady one).

Another thing that will be interesting is how the companion casting plays into the new showrunner. Chibnall will probably want at least one of the main characters to be his own, but the question is whether that's the Doctor, companion, or both. The companion from season 10 might not be the one from season 11. There is precedent for both no companion stories and single episode companions. However, I feel like ratings would drop if we had a full season with no companion. That leaves a few options: 1) new companion in season 10 who stays for 11, 2) new companion in 10 who stays for one season, 3) new companion in 10 with an additional companion added in 11, and 4) bring back an old companion for 10 and don't cast until 11. I think it'd be hilarious to see the Doctor try to keep control over Missy, Jack, and River all at the same time. I also like the idea of adding a second companion into the mix in season 11 as it's been too long since we had a proper TARDIS Team®.

As for the story arc, I feel like anything's possible. They've more or less resolved all the major questions that have been hanging over our heads since Moffat started. Since Chibnall undoubtedly will be doing his own story arc, season 10 will probably be something minor and inconsequential. I hope Moffat doesn't do another story arc centered around the companion like he did with Clara in season 7. Doing the same thing two characters in a row is just lazy writing.

I hope Clara at least cameos in Class. I know Jenna probably wants to move on with her life and do other things, but she should be in at least one scene (even if it's just a flashback). According to IMDB, Jenna doesn't have anything lined up after she finishes filming Victoria, so it's possible she could have a major role. It just depends on when Victoria finishes filming compared to when Class starts. Now if she showed up alongside her wife, Ashildr, and Ian Chesterton, that would be awesome.

Can we get Torchwood in live action again? I mean, I know they have those new Big Finish stories, but give me some television. I don't even need a full season 5, though that would be awesome. Just have the characters show up for a single story in season 10.

Speaking of spin-offs, there's no reason to stop at one. There seems to be lots of fan support (on Tumblr, at least) for a Clashildr spin-off. In case you're confused by the portmanteau, it's about the adventures of space wives Clara and Ashildr flying around spacetime in their retro diner. I also would love an MA-rated show about Jack, Missy, and River living/sleeping together in Missy's TARDIS. Then there's that long-awaited Jenny spin-off.

You know what else comes out in 2017? Star Trek. RTD was totally planning on doing a crossover with Enterprise way back in 2005, but they canceled that show. These shows are some of the most popular sci-fi programs on television, doing a crossover would only help ratings. As long as the story was good, I doubt most of the fans would complain (except for the ones who take any excuse to do so). The only real hurdles would be legal ones.

Another crossover I would love is with Arrow. John Barrowman, Alex Kingston, and Arthur Darvill are all already on that show, so it would make for something interesting story lines. It would have to be done with Arrow taking place in a alternate universe that Jack and River are either stuck or vacationing in. Bonus points if the Doctor doesn't realize he's in a parallel universe for a while/is convinced the TARDIS still can't travel between dimensions.

One things fans have been asking for for ages is more TARDIS interior scenes. So far, we've seen lots of the console room and very little else. This would not be that hard to factor into an episode. They don't even have to do an entire story devoted to it like Journey to the Center of the TARDIS. All it would take is lots of little scenes across the course of the season. We could have things like the Doctor barging into the companion's room at 7am to drag them off on an adventure, the Doctor and companion discussing the day's plans over breakfast in the TARDIS' kitchen, or them just hanging out in the library for whatever reason. Alternately, when they introduce the new companion, they could show the Doctor giving her a tour of the TARDIS. I mean, I imagine he does that with every companion, but we never get to see it.

I think this post may have turned into more of a wishlist than realistic predictions, but oh well, I was going to write one of those anyway.

Star Trek TV Series Proposal

I've decided to write up my idea for a new Star Trek TV series.

• 25-27th century
• The Federation has explored most of the galaxy, incorporated many more civilizations, gained countless allies, and developed brand new enemies.
• The Romulans and Cardassians are part of the Federation.
• The Klingons are still allies.
• The Borg have been relegated to only a few scattered systems, but are still dangerous to anyone who ventures too close. Most of their drones were liberated in the late 24th/early 25th centuries. Of course, a new, more dangerous enemy has taken their place.
• The Warp 10 barrier has been broken.
• All Starfleet ships are equipped with phased cloaks and a full AI standard.
• When the captain issues a particular voice command, the AI can control all systems and the ship can function with zero crew. The AI can also inform the crew of equipment malfunctions and intruders/security issues.
• There is a minority of androids similar to Data, they have equal rights in the Federation, but still face discrimination by some.
• Takes place in the original timeline. If it takes place in the reboot universe, then it doesn't star one of the crews that we've already seen (i.e. isn't a retelling of TNG, DS9, or Voyager).
• Doctor Who crossover story (they were going to do this in 2005 with Enterprise, but CBS scrapped the show)
• Delta quadrant species from Voyager are mentioned and/or seen.
• One of the season-long story arcs can center on a disaster on a planet that was considering joining the Federation. Some people think Starfleet Intelligence engineered the disaster to force the civilization to join the Federation.
• The Federation Army and/or Navy are seen.

Proposal for Series 8 and Beyond

Here are a few things I would like in the coming few seasons (during Peter's time).

More two-part stories. Some of the stories in the new series could have benefited from extra time. This would allow 90 minutes per story, plenty of time to develop characters, lay out background, and tie up loose ends. I also feel like some of the longer stories are more "epic" with more interesting movie-style plot lines.

Keep the credits until Jenna leaves. The current title sequence isn't Matt's and it isn't Peter's, it's Jenna's. The new credits started when she came aboard, and they should leave with her. They can alter them to show Peter's name and face in the beginning. When she leaves, they can start a new credit sequence. I actually like the idea of theme music corresponding to companion, rather than Doctor, and they could probably keep it up indefinitely.

Have the search for Gallifrey be more low-key. This story arc could be drawn out over a long time. However, it shouldn't be as heavy of a plot line as series 6. It should be more similar to Davies' story arcs, where references are only thrown in every couple episodes. There could be a dramatic season finale where the Doctor picks up a Time Lord beacon and thinking it's from Gallifrey, goes to investigate. Instead it could turn out to be a lone scout TARDIS attempting to find a way back home. The Doctor could meet up with the crew and receive news of home while battling Daleks. There could also be an episode where the Doctor attempts to bust through to the parallel universe where Gallifrey is, but instead lands on the set of the show in Cardiff.

Revisit old companions. It'd be lovely to see how Martha and Mickey are faring, or for the Doctor to finally meet Gwen face-to-face. We could even meet a classic companion, such as Tegan or Ace. They don't even have to travel in the TARDIS, just meet the Doctor again for one more adventure.

Bring back Confidential. Seriously. Just do it.

Do something for the 10th anniversary of New Who. I don't care what it is, just something. It can be a brand new story featuring Chris, David, Matt, and Peter. It could also be a documentary about what it took to bring the show back to the air with brand new interviews. A retrospective look at the past ten years featuring never before seen behind the scenes footage would work, too. An Adventure in Space and Time, Part 2 starring Russell T. Davies, Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper, and David Tennant as themselves with other supporting actors and actresses would be brilliant.

Bring back K-9. There's no time like the present to bring back the Doctor's trusty robot dog. Kids love it, the Doctor loves it, I love it (and I'm a cat person). I think Clara would be amused by the fact that the Doctor once traveled with no more company than a metal dog. They should definitely do it while John Leeson is still alive.

Create a spin-off. I don't care whether they bring back Torchwood or create something brand new. There's been talk of a Paternoster spin-off, however, I would prefer to see the adventures of the Doctor's daughter, Jenny. I know it's been five years, but her story is just one giant loose end that needs addressing. The very least they could do is a novel or Big Finish series. Someone also suggested a semi-canon series where each week River, Rose, Martha, Donna, Amy, & Clara (or some combination thereof) steal the TARDIS and go on their own adventures.

More UNIT stories. I love a good old-fashioned "invasion Earth" story. There haven't been many of these stories since Davies left, in fact, there's only been two with UNIT in them. Just one story of this type per season would be sufficient. I think some fans would like to see more of Osgood and the secret underground base.

Break the fourth wall. A few possibilities exist here. First, the TARDIS could crash and get replaced with the TARDIS set at the studio and the Doctor and Clara swap places with Peter and Jenna. Then they'd have to find their way back. Another possibility is that the Doctor already knows he's a fictional character. Perhaps something happens (such as a plot hole the characters notice) and the Doctor comments on the poor quality of the script.

Have the next companion not be from present-day Earth. Davies and Moffat have been using the same format of present-day Earth girl over and over again since 2005. The classic series had all sorts of different companions. Someone from another planet or another time period would bring a nice refreshing change. Some ideas include a slave girl from ancient Rome, the daughter of some noble in 15th century France, or the sole survivor of some expedition in the 47th century. A Time Lady would work, too.

Develop the Paternoster Gang's backstory. We've already had The Crimson Horror, which was pretty centered on our Victorian trio. However, an explanation as to how Vastra and Jenny met and fell in love would be nice. It would also be nice to see how they came to be fighting crime.

Write pure historical episodes. They haven't done one of these since the sixties. Instead of all the usual sci-fi and aliens, an episode where the Doctor and companion travel back in time and get caught up in historical events. No monster, no aliens, no tech, just the Doctor and friend getting themselves in a pickle and having to get out. It's a nice break from the usual technobabble and complicated timey-wimey stories, just a nice, simple historical. Plus, it would go back to Doctor Who's roots as being educational, although I think we're long past that now.

More episodes set on other parts of Earth. The curse of the new series is London, London, London. Everything happens in London. An episode set in another part of Earth would be nice. There are loads of good places: the Mediterranean, Australia, the Amazon, China, the African Serengeti, North America, etc. It's quite literally a big planet.

Halloween special. With a full thirteen episodes airing in the fall, Doctor Who has an opportunity it's never had before. There's no time like Halloween for Moffat to crank up the fright levels. I know it isn't going to happen, but a crossover with Supernatural would make for some very spooky fun!

Tom Baker-esque pockets scene. I really want another scene where the Doctor is forced to empty his pockets and produces an endless array of random items. He's either captured and made to turn out his pockets or is looking for something and can't remember which pocket it's in. Either way, he produces a bizarre assortment of items that only a Time Lord would have on them.

Clara-centric story. In the theme of having Doctor-lite stories, I suggest something similar to Supernatural's Weekend at Bobby's. Since Clara doesn't travel with the Doctor all the time, it'd be interesting to what she gets up to in between adventures. I suggest something following up on her teaching job seen in The Day of the Doctor, while also showing what happened to the Maitland kids. Perhaps the Doctor phones in several times to update Clara on the status of some adventure he's having. He shows up later, needing her help, and Clara offers to help him in exchange for housework. The Doctor does some chores, then they pop off to another planet to finish his adventure.

Cross-over. I'd be happy with anything really, Star Trek, Supernatural, Sherlock, Warehouse 13, you name it. With the TARDIS' ability to travel to parallel universes restored, the list of possibilities is endless.

The aftermath of the Earth-Zygon treaty. How it plays out all depends on whether it's public knowledge. If it's an international treaty, and not just Britain (since UNIT is a global organization), every politician on Earth would have to be informed. The UN would probably ratify it, and it would have to become public knowledge. Then there's just the question of how much becomes public knowledge. The details of how the treaty was signed could probably be hidden. That way, the public doesn't know about the Doctor or the Dark Vault. Of course, there would always be rumors and speculation as to what really happened.

Pompeii story. I know Moffat has already promised to explain what the 12th Doctor was doing in Pompeii, but I want to see a full-fledged story made out of it. There needs to be a proper plot line (one that isn't totally dependent on David's story) that stars Peter, Jenna, John Barrowman, David, and Catherine Tate. The reason I want Jack there is because he mentioned visiting Pompeii way back in series 1. Also, we always need more Captain on this show.