Sixth Corsair: Difference between revisions

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{{ImageLink}}
{{Infobox Individual
{{Infobox Individual
|image      = The Corsair (Old Friends).jpg
|timelord        = {{Corsairpic}}
|species     = Time Lord  
|species         = Time Lord  
|origin     = [[Gallifrey]]
|origin           = [[Gallifrey]]
|first       = Old Friends (comic story)
|first mention    = The Doctor's Wife (TV story)
|appearances = [[COMIC]]: ''[[Alternating Current (comic story)|Alternating Current]]''
|first            = Old Friends (comic story)
|appearances     = [[PROSE]]: ''[[One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes (short story)|One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes]]'', [[COMIC]]: ''[[Alternating Current (comic story)|Alternating Current]]''
}}{{Corsairs}}
}}{{Corsairs}}
An incarnation of '''the Corsair''' was acquainted with the [[Thirteenth Doctor]] and the rest of the [[Team TARDIS|Fam]].
'''The [[Corsair]]''' was a [[Time Lord]] adventurer and an old friend of [[the Doctor]], described by the [[Eleventh Doctor]] as "one of the good ones." The Corsair changed gender a few times throughout their many incarnations. The Doctor noted with fondness that when the Corsair was female, "she was a bad girl." ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor's Wife (TV story)|The Doctor's Wife]]'')


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
[[File:The Doctor and the Corsair.jpg|thumb|left|The Corsair embraces the [[Thirteenth Doctor]] after deducing her identity. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Old Friends (comic story)|Old Friends]]'')]]
=== Early life ===
This incarnation of the Corsair stole the [[Gem of Niag]] from the [[Devivian]]s to return it to the people of [[Pppppppppppplun]] on the behalf of a third party who put out a Want Ad for her services, in actuality the [[Hoarder]]. She intentionally allowed the organ scan to detect her as an alien, in hopes of luring the Doctor. The [[Thirteenth Doctor]] was arrested instead of the Corsair because she had a similar [[binary vascular system]] and, along with her companions [[Graham O'Brien|Graham]], [[Yasmin Khan|Yaz]], and [[Ryan Sinclair|Ryan]], tracked down the Corsair to a pub on another planet with [[The Corsair's TARDIS|her TARDIS]].
Like all [[Time Lord]]s, the Corsair was taken from their family at the age of eight, for the selection process in the [[Drylands]]. Staring into the [[Untempered Schism]] as part of a Time Lord initiation rite, the Corsair reacted by running away from what they saw in the Schism. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[A Brief History of Time Lords (novel)|A Brief History of Time Lords]]'')


At first, the Corsair didn't recognise the Doctor because of her new incarnation, and when the Doctor reminded the Corsair about one of their last encounters which saw them waking up drunk in a bank vault, the Corsair remarked that didn't narrow it down for her. After recognising the Doctor from her destroying the killgun of an alien, holding another at gunpoint, and fighting through a pub brawl with a sword, the Corsair explained her actions to the Doctor over tea, complimenting the Doctor's more heroic behavior as something she was aspiring to. She then confessed that she needed the Doctor's help with a heist of sorts. After taking time to think over it, the Doctor agreed and asked about the job. The Corsair briefed them, the team infiltrated [[Raddplina]] to rescue a [[star whale]]. Once the whale was placed in a [[stellar net]] attached to [[the Doctor's TARDIS]], the Corsair insisted they left to escape guards, leaving the Doctor’s friends behind. They took the whale to the Hoarder, who revealed his true intent as a collector and had them inprisoned. The Corsair and the Doctor had a proper talk whilst in a cage, which the Doctor then revealed they could easily escape from using her sonic screwdriver. They returned to her TARDIS, with the Corsair taking care of some of Hoarder’s drones herself, and rescued the Doctor’s friends. The Doctor then contacted the [[Time Agency]] to arrest the Hoarder and free the whale, though the Corsair insisted her name was kept out of it as the Agency knew all about her. With the whale freed, the Doctor took the Corsair back to her TARDIS, advising her to find some friends to travel with. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Old Friends (comic story)|Old Friends]]'')
At some point in their lives, the Corsair left [[Gallifrey]] in [[The Corsair's TARDIS|their Type 60 TARDIS]] to travel the universe. They named the TARDIS ''Esperanza''. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes (short story)|One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes]]'') Each one of the Corsair's incarnations had the symbol of the [[Ouroboros]] [[tattoo]]ed somewhere on their body. It changed size each time with each different [[regeneration]]. Without it, they did not feel themselves. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor's Wife (TV story)|The Doctor's Wife]]'')


The Corsair later reunited with Graham, Ryan and Yaz in [[2020]] whilst the Doctor had left them briefly to fix a problem in her timeline. She greeted the Doctor upon her return. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Alternating Current (comic story)|Alternating Current]]'')
At least one of the Corsair's incarnations was female. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Keeping up with the Joneses (short story)|Keeping up with the Joneses]]'') The [[Fourth Doctor]] once said to [[Romana II]] that he should meet up with the Corsair sometime, referring to the Corsair as both a man and woman when he did so. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Shada (novelisation)|Shada]]'') According to the [[Eleventh Doctor]], the Corsair was a woman a couple of times, saying she was "a bad girl" each time. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor's Wife (TV story)|The Doctor's Wife]]'')


== Appearance ==
According to the [[Ninth Doctor]], the Corsair kept a [[sub-dimensional void]] in a [[hatbox]] in [[23rd century]] [[Swindon]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Weapons of Past Destruction (comic story)|Weapons of Past Destruction]]'')
This incarnation was a dark-haired woman who wore [[irate]] clothing and was proficient at sword fighting. Her [[Ouroboros]] [[tattoo]] was located on her left [[wrist]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Old Friends (comic story)|Old Friends]]'')
 
The Corsair and the Doctor have ended up in jail cells on more than one occasion. The [[Thirteenth Doctor]] noted the last time the two of them had a drink together, the Doctor woke up in a [[bank]] vault. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Old Friends (comic story)|Old Friends]]'')
 
=== Incarnations of the Corsair ===
[[The Corsair (Old Friends)|An incarnation of the Corsair]] met the [[Thirteenth Doctor]] and her [[Team TARDIS|Fam]] on at least two occasions. [[COMIC]]: ''[[Old Friends (comic story)|Old Friends]]'', ''[[Alternating Current (comic story)|Alternating Current]]'')
 
[[The Corsair (One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes)|Another incarnation]] travelled with a [[Parrot (One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes)|parrot]] as her companion. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes (short story)|One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes]]'')
 
In [[The Corsair (The Doctor's Wife)|his final incarnation]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor's Wife (TV story)|The Doctor's Wife]]'') he was described as a "strapping big fellow" with "a trustworthy face". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes (short story)|One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes]]'') The Corsair went the way of [[House (The Doctor's Wife)|House]]'s numerous other Time Lord victims who had fallen into House's [[bubble universe]] and was marooned when [[The Corsair's TARDIS|his TARDIS]] was drained of energy. The Corsair had only just enough time to get a message together before he was finally killed. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor's Wife (TV story)|The Doctor's Wife]]'')
 
== Legacy ==
In one account of events of the rediscovery of [[Shada (prison)|Shada]], the [[Fourth Doctor]] mentioned the Corsair while he and [[Romana II]] mused over Time Lords who broke with traditional Gallifreyan inactivity, considering him "one of the good 'uns" and desiring to catch up with her. ([[PROSE]]: [[Shada (novelisation)|''Shada'']])
 
During one adventure, while pushing a heavy crate, the Eleventh Doctor said that if he kept up this habit, he would develop big arms like the Corsair. ([[GAME]]: ''[[The Eternity Clock (video game)|The Eternity Clock]]'')


== Behind the scenes ==
== Behind the scenes ==
* [[Neil Gaiman]] has stated that this incarnation of the Corsair was intended to be the Sixth Corsair, as confirmed by Houser herself.<ref>https://twitter.com/neilhimself/status/1325637673508364293</ref> This previously unmentioned incarnation had the Ouroboros tattoo on her left wrist.
=== The Brilliant Book 2012 ===
[[File:The Corsair's Ouroboros tattoo Old Friends.jpg|thumb|The Corsair's [[Ouroboros]] tattoo on her left wrist. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Old Friends (comic story)|Old Friends]]'')]]
In ''[[The Brilliant Book 2012]]'', a book that contains [[Tardis:Valid sources|non-narrative]] information, [[Neil Gaiman]] provided more information in "[[Eleven Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Corsair]]".
* Artist [[Roberta Ingranata]] confirmed details from the "[[Eleven Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Corsair]]" feautre from ''[[The Brilliant Book 2012]]'' influenced her work on the comic story ''[[Old Friends (comic story)|Old Friends]]''.<ref>https://twitter.com/Robbertopoli/status/1142438683217473537</ref> The Corsair's pirate ship TARDIS, not travelling with companions, the drinking with the Doctor, and waking up in a bank vault were acknowledged in the comic story. She was inspired by the actress Julianna Margulies.<ref>https://twitter.com/robbertopoli/status/1152277067121270784</ref>
 
==== Incarnations ====
Specific attributes and details about the Corsair's incarnations were first provided in ''The Brilliant Book 2012'':
* Third Corsair: Had a multi-coloured Ouroboros tattoo on their back, the largest version of the tattoo.
* Fourth Corsair: Male incarnation who got drunk with the Doctor.
* Fifth Corsair: Female incarnation who got drunk with the Doctor. She had the smallest Ouroboros tattoo, which was the size of a ten pence piece on her upper thigh.
* Eighth Corsair: Male incarnation who got drunk with the Doctor.
 
[[File:The Corsair's incarnations.jpg|thumb|Seven of the Corsair's incarnations. ([[REF]]: ''[[Eleven Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Corsair]]'')]]
Additionally, seven images of the Corsair's incarnations are provided, albeit unnumbered:
 
* A bearded man with a top hat. Tattoo on the back of the neck.
* A person with a bowler hat and a cane topped with an hourglass. Ouroboros on the back of the trenchcoat.
* Light-skinned arm with a [[sonic screwdriver]]-like device. Tattoo on the inside left wrist. (Closest match to the Corsair's arm in ''The Doctor's Wife''.)
* A dark-haired woman in a black dress. Tattoo on the upper back.
* A dark-skinned arm with a parrot. Tattoo on the back right wrist.
* A person wearing a black coat and a tricorn hat.
* Dark-haired woman in red Gallifreyan robes and collar. Tattoo on lower right thigh.
 
==== Other details ====
* The [[Ouroboros]] tattoo trademark of the Corsair — a [[snake]] eating its own tail, symbolising eternity — moved around the Corsair's body with each regeneration.
* The Doctor and Corsair had many adventures together, getting drunk in the Corsair's fourth, fifth, and eighth incarnations. Twice they woke up in jail and once in the [[Bank of England]] vaults.
* Amongst their secret missions for the Time Lords, the Corsair stole the Callisto Pulse from the Callistan Kleptocracy. The Corsair denied stealing it and Time Lords denied asking him to steal it.
* They visited [[Earth]] several times. He was once worshipped as a [[god]] by the [[Assyria]]ns but left with the sacred temple cat after getting bored.
* No matter which race or gender, the Corsair had an amazing and trustworthy smile.
* The Corsair preferred to travel alone, but liked having a [[cat]] or a [[parrot]] on his TARDIS.
* The Corsair was formally censured by the Time Lords after they may have been linked to the theft of the Portrait of Rassilon. This was overturned by [[Lord President|Lady President]] [[Flavia]], perhaps due to the Corsair's smile.
 
=== Other matters ===
* The Corsair was not the only Time Lord to bear a snake tattoo on their arm. Whereas the Corsair tattooed an ouroboros on each of their new bodies, the [[Third Doctor]] had a tattoo of a snake in the shape of a question mark on his right arm. ([[TV]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'')
* On his blog, ''[[The Doctor's Wife (TV story)|The Doctor's Wife]]'' scriptwriter [[Neil Gaiman]] stated that before he began writing the first draft, he wanted to make sure the idea of the Corsair was okay with series [[show runner]] [[Steven Moffat]] before he became fixed in the story, so he sent him an email with a piece of dialogue between the Doctor and [[Amy Pond]] in which the Doctor discussed the Corsair. In this draft, the Doctor explained that the Corsair did not have a name and used to travel, exploring the limits of [[time]] and [[space]]. The Doctor said that when he was twelve he had asked the Corsair if he could travel with him and act as his "[[companion|assistant]]", but the Corsair had just laughed. Moffat replied that he wanted the Corsair to be less like the Doctor because the Doctor "does what he does for reasons too vast and terrible to relate." <ref>[http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2011/06/fairly-humongous-doctor-who-q-mostly.html Neil Gaiman's Journal: A Fairly Humongous Doctor Who Q&A Mostly]</ref>
* According to Neil Gaiman, [[Russell T Davies]] saw the image of the Corsair's arm with a parrot and liked the idea that [[The Shopkeeper (Lost in Time)|the Shopkeeper]] from [[Sarah Jane Adventures]] episode ''[[Lost in Time (TV story)|Lost in Time]]'' was actually the Time Lord known as the Corsair, although no in-scene references have been made.<ref>[http://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/30786184930/eleven-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the Neil Gaiman's Journal: Eleven Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Corsair]</ref>
* The Corsair, being the first confirmed example of a [[Time Lord]] changing [[gender]]s on [[regeneration]], was frequently cited in media and online discussions in 2013 as to whether any future incarnation of the Doctor could be played by a woman. The Doctor would not get a female incarnation until 2017, with [[Jodie Whittaker]]'s [[Thirteenth Doctor]].
* The Corsair's [[hypercube]], with [[Ouroboros]] motif, was among the variants of toy hypercube produced by [[Character Options]].


== Footnotes ==
== Footnotes ==
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[[Category:Residents of Gallifrey]]
[[Category:Residents of Gallifrey]]
[[Category:Individual time travellers]]
[[Category:Individual time travellers]]
[[Category:Gallifreyans with incarnations of varied genders]]
[[Category:Thieves]]
[[Category:Thieves]]
[[Category:Individuals who can fly a TARDIS]]
[[Category:Individuals who can fly a TARDIS]]
[[Category:Time Lords who have been inside the Doctor's TARDIS]]
[[Category:Time Lords who have been inside the Doctor's TARDIS]]
[[Category:Incarnations of the Corsair]]

Revision as of 22:18, 31 July 2021

The Corsair was a Time Lord adventurer and an old friend of the Doctor, described by the Eleventh Doctor as "one of the good ones." The Corsair changed gender a few times throughout their many incarnations. The Doctor noted with fondness that when the Corsair was female, "she was a bad girl." (TV: The Doctor's Wife)

Biography

Early life

Like all Time Lords, the Corsair was taken from their family at the age of eight, for the selection process in the Drylands. Staring into the Untempered Schism as part of a Time Lord initiation rite, the Corsair reacted by running away from what they saw in the Schism. (PROSE: A Brief History of Time Lords)

At some point in their lives, the Corsair left Gallifrey in their Type 60 TARDIS to travel the universe. They named the TARDIS Esperanza. (PROSE: One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes) Each one of the Corsair's incarnations had the symbol of the Ouroboros tattooed somewhere on their body. It changed size each time with each different regeneration. Without it, they did not feel themselves. (TV: The Doctor's Wife)

At least one of the Corsair's incarnations was female. (PROSE: Keeping up with the Joneses) The Fourth Doctor once said to Romana II that he should meet up with the Corsair sometime, referring to the Corsair as both a man and woman when he did so. (PROSE: Shada) According to the Eleventh Doctor, the Corsair was a woman a couple of times, saying she was "a bad girl" each time. (TV: The Doctor's Wife)

According to the Ninth Doctor, the Corsair kept a sub-dimensional void in a hatbox in 23rd century Swindon. (COMIC: Weapons of Past Destruction)

The Corsair and the Doctor have ended up in jail cells on more than one occasion. The Thirteenth Doctor noted the last time the two of them had a drink together, the Doctor woke up in a bank vault. (COMIC: Old Friends)

Incarnations of the Corsair

An incarnation of the Corsair met the Thirteenth Doctor and her Fam on at least two occasions. COMIC: Old Friends, Alternating Current)

Another incarnation travelled with a parrot as her companion. (PROSE: One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes)

In his final incarnation, (TV: The Doctor's Wife) he was described as a "strapping big fellow" with "a trustworthy face". (PROSE: One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes) The Corsair went the way of House's numerous other Time Lord victims who had fallen into House's bubble universe and was marooned when his TARDIS was drained of energy. The Corsair had only just enough time to get a message together before he was finally killed. (TV: The Doctor's Wife)

Legacy

In one account of events of the rediscovery of Shada, the Fourth Doctor mentioned the Corsair while he and Romana II mused over Time Lords who broke with traditional Gallifreyan inactivity, considering him "one of the good 'uns" and desiring to catch up with her. (PROSE: Shada)

During one adventure, while pushing a heavy crate, the Eleventh Doctor said that if he kept up this habit, he would develop big arms like the Corsair. (GAME: The Eternity Clock)

Behind the scenes

The Brilliant Book 2012

In The Brilliant Book 2012, a book that contains non-narrative information, Neil Gaiman provided more information in "Eleven Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Corsair".

Incarnations

Specific attributes and details about the Corsair's incarnations were first provided in The Brilliant Book 2012:

  • Third Corsair: Had a multi-coloured Ouroboros tattoo on their back, the largest version of the tattoo.
  • Fourth Corsair: Male incarnation who got drunk with the Doctor.
  • Fifth Corsair: Female incarnation who got drunk with the Doctor. She had the smallest Ouroboros tattoo, which was the size of a ten pence piece on her upper thigh.
  • Eighth Corsair: Male incarnation who got drunk with the Doctor.
Seven of the Corsair's incarnations. (REF: Eleven Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Corsair)

Additionally, seven images of the Corsair's incarnations are provided, albeit unnumbered:

  • A bearded man with a top hat. Tattoo on the back of the neck.
  • A person with a bowler hat and a cane topped with an hourglass. Ouroboros on the back of the trenchcoat.
  • Light-skinned arm with a sonic screwdriver-like device. Tattoo on the inside left wrist. (Closest match to the Corsair's arm in The Doctor's Wife.)
  • A dark-haired woman in a black dress. Tattoo on the upper back.
  • A dark-skinned arm with a parrot. Tattoo on the back right wrist.
  • A person wearing a black coat and a tricorn hat.
  • Dark-haired woman in red Gallifreyan robes and collar. Tattoo on lower right thigh.

Other details

  • The Ouroboros tattoo trademark of the Corsair — a snake eating its own tail, symbolising eternity — moved around the Corsair's body with each regeneration.
  • The Doctor and Corsair had many adventures together, getting drunk in the Corsair's fourth, fifth, and eighth incarnations. Twice they woke up in jail and once in the Bank of England vaults.
  • Amongst their secret missions for the Time Lords, the Corsair stole the Callisto Pulse from the Callistan Kleptocracy. The Corsair denied stealing it and Time Lords denied asking him to steal it.
  • They visited Earth several times. He was once worshipped as a god by the Assyrians but left with the sacred temple cat after getting bored.
  • No matter which race or gender, the Corsair had an amazing and trustworthy smile.
  • The Corsair preferred to travel alone, but liked having a cat or a parrot on his TARDIS.
  • The Corsair was formally censured by the Time Lords after they may have been linked to the theft of the Portrait of Rassilon. This was overturned by Lady President Flavia, perhaps due to the Corsair's smile.

Other matters

  • The Corsair was not the only Time Lord to bear a snake tattoo on their arm. Whereas the Corsair tattooed an ouroboros on each of their new bodies, the Third Doctor had a tattoo of a snake in the shape of a question mark on his right arm. (TV: Spearhead from Space)
  • On his blog, The Doctor's Wife scriptwriter Neil Gaiman stated that before he began writing the first draft, he wanted to make sure the idea of the Corsair was okay with series show runner Steven Moffat before he became fixed in the story, so he sent him an email with a piece of dialogue between the Doctor and Amy Pond in which the Doctor discussed the Corsair. In this draft, the Doctor explained that the Corsair did not have a name and used to travel, exploring the limits of time and space. The Doctor said that when he was twelve he had asked the Corsair if he could travel with him and act as his "assistant", but the Corsair had just laughed. Moffat replied that he wanted the Corsair to be less like the Doctor because the Doctor "does what he does for reasons too vast and terrible to relate." [1]
  • According to Neil Gaiman, Russell T Davies saw the image of the Corsair's arm with a parrot and liked the idea that the Shopkeeper from Sarah Jane Adventures episode Lost in Time was actually the Time Lord known as the Corsair, although no in-scene references have been made.[2]
  • The Corsair, being the first confirmed example of a Time Lord changing genders on regeneration, was frequently cited in media and online discussions in 2013 as to whether any future incarnation of the Doctor could be played by a woman. The Doctor would not get a female incarnation until 2017, with Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor.
  • The Corsair's hypercube, with Ouroboros motif, was among the variants of toy hypercube produced by Character Options.

Footnotes