H.M.S. Tardis (short story): Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox Short Story|
{{Infobox Story SMW
story name=H.M.S. TARDIS|
|name           = ''H.M.S. Tardis''
series=[[Doctor Who annual|''Doctor Who'' annual]]|
|range          = The Dr Who Annual 1968
image=[[File:HMSTARDIS.jpg|250px]]|
|number in range = #24
doctor=[[Second Doctor]]|
|image          = HMSTARDIS.jpg
companions=[[Ben Jackson]], [[Polly Wright|Polly]]|
|doctor          = Second Doctor
year=[[21 October]] [[1805]] aboard the [[HMS Victory|HMS ''Victory'']] during the [[Battle of Trafalgar]]|
|companions      = [[Polly Wright|Polly]], [[Ben Jackson|Ben]]
writer=|
|setting        = The [[HMS Victory|HMS ''Victory'']], [[21 October]] [[1805]]
publication=[[Doctor Who Annual 1968]]|
|publisher      = World Distributors
previous story=[[World Without Night]]|
|writer          = [[Doctor Who Annual 1968#Credits|unclear authorship]]
next story=[[The King of Golden Death]]|
|contributors    = One or more of:
|}}'''''H.M.S. TARDIS''''' was the seventh illustrated short story in the [[Doctor Who Annual 1968|1968 ''Doctor Who Annual'']]. It featured the [[Second Doctor]], [[Ben Jackson|Ben]] and [[Polly Wright|Polly]] and was notable for featuring a rare instance of the Doctor actively trying to change something about the known history of [[Earth]].
{{il|[[K. McGarry]]|[[J. L. Morrissey]]|[[J. H. Pavey]]|[[M. Broadley]]|[[J. W. Elliot]]|[[Colin Newstead]]}}
|artist          = One or more of:
{{il|[[Walter Howarth]]|[[David Brian]]|[[Susan Aspey]]|[[Peter Limbert]]}}
|genre          = Science fiction
|number          = 24
|publication     = [[The Dr Who Annual 1968|''The Dr Who Annual'' 1968]]
|release date    = September 1967
|series          = [[The Dr Who Annual 1968|''The Dr Who Annual'' 1968]]
|prev            = Star Facts (feature)
|next           = All set for Take Off? (feature)
}}
'''''H.M.S. Tardis''''' was the eighth short story and twenty-fourth release exclusively published in ''[[The Dr Who Annual 1968]]'' in [[September (releases)|September]] [[1967 (releases)|1967]] by [[World Distributors]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141114163608/https://doctorwho.org.nz/archive/tsv42/annuals.html ''The Annuals - A Collector's Guide'' on doctorwho.org.nz via the Wayback Machine]</ref> It featured the [[Second Doctor]], [[Ben Jackson|Ben]] and [[Polly Wright|Polly]]. It was a rare instance of the Doctor actively trying to change something about the known history of [[Earth]].


== Summary ==
== Plot ==
[[Second Doctor|The Doctor]], [[Ben Jackson|Ben]] and [[Polly Wright|Polly]] land on the [[HMS Victory|HMS ''Victory'']] during the [[Battle of Trafalgar]]. In the lull immediately before the fight with the ''Redoubtable'', the trio must prove to Flag Captain [[Thomas Hardy|Hardy]] that they are not spies or deserters. The Doctor, though, proposes to his [[companion]]s that they try to do a bit more than that. He tells Polly that he aims to change history, but neither she nor Ben believe he is capable of that. He tries to give Nelson specific advice that will avert his death, but, in the end, Nelson dies, anyway. Still, Ben seems to have changed history a tiny bit, by encouraging Nelson to send a message to the whole British fleet: "[[England]] expects that every man this day will do his duty."
[[Dr. Who (The Tenth Planet)|Dr. Who]], [[Ben Jackson|Ben]] and [[Polly Wright|Polly]] land on the [[HMS Victory|HMS ''Victory'']] during the [[Battle of Trafalgar]]. In the lull immediately before the fight with the ''Redoubtable'', they must prove to Flag Captain [[Thomas Hardy|Hardy]] they are not spies or deserters. Dr. Who proposes to his [[companion]]s that they try to do a bit more than that. He tells Polly that he aims to change history, but neither Ben nor she believe he is capable of that. He tries to give Nelson specific advice to avert his death, but, in the end, Nelson dies, anyway. Still, Ben seems to have changed history a tiny bit, by encouraging Nelson to send a message to the whole British fleet: "[[England]] expects that every man this day will do his duty."


== Characters ==
== Characters ==
* [[Second Doctor]]
* [[Dr. Who (The Tenth Planet)|Dr. Who]]
* [[Ben Jackson]]
* [[Ben Jackson]]
* [[Polly Wright]]
* [[Polly Wright]]
* Lord Admiral [[Horatio Nelson]]
* Lord Admiral [[Horatio Nelson]]
* Flag Captain [[Thomas Hardy]]
* Flag Captain [[Thomas Hardy]]
== References ==
* [[Tom (H.M.S. Tardis)|Tom]]
* The story mentions the following real ships and captains:  the ''[[wikipedia:Bucentaure|Bucentaure]]'' under [[wikipedia:Pierre-Charles Villeneuve|Villeneuve]]; the ''[[wikipedia:French ship Redoubtable (1791)|Redoubtable]]''; and the [[wikipedia:HMS Royal Sovereign (1786)|HMS ''Royal Sovereign'']] under [[wikipedia:Cuthbert Collingwood|Collingwood]]. The story also mentions the [[wikipedia:Battle of the Nile|Battle of the Nile]], though it incorrectly asserts that there was a ship called the ''Indefatigable'' at that conflict.
* [[Dickon (H.M.S. Tardis)|Dickon]]
* [[Quartermaster (H.M.S. Tardis)|Quartermaster]]
 
== Worldbuilding ==
* Excited about the possibilities of the ship they might be on, Ben mentions the [[Spanish Armada]], [[Francis Drake|Drake]], the [[Spanish Main]] and [[Morgan the Pirate]].
* [[Napoléon Bonaparte]] is [[Emperor of the French]].
* The ''[[Bucentaure]]'', under [[Villeneuve]], the ''[[Redoubtable]]'', and the [[HMS Royal Sovereign|HMS ''Royal Sovereign'']], under [[Collingwood]], are mentioned.
* A battle at the [[Nile]] occurred, during which the ''[[Indefatigable (H.M.S. TARDIS)|Indefatigable]]'' was lost.


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
* Like many early ''Doctor Who'' print stories, both comic and prose, the Doctor is referred to as "Doctor Who" or "Dr. Who". The word "doctor" is not even seen as a proper noun here when used on its own to refer to the character.
* Like many early ''Doctor Who'' print stories, both comic and prose, the Doctor is referred to as "Doctor Who" or "Dr. Who". The word "doctor" is but once even seen as a proper noun here when used on its own to refer to the character.
* As with other stories in [[Doctor Who Annual 1968|the 1968 annual]], the second Doctor refers to Ben and Polly as "my children", or, individually, "my child", "my girl", or "my boy". Uncharacteristic of the [[Patrick Troughton|Troughton]] Doctor, this seems to be a hold-over from the [[William Hartnell|Hartnell]] interpretation; there was simply too little time between when Troughton took over and this annual had to go to print for the annual's editors to understand Troughton's approach to the role.
* As with other stories in ''[[The Dr Who Annual 1968]]'', the Doctor refers to Ben and Polly as "my children", or, individually, "my child", "my girl", or "my boy". Uncharacteristic of the [[Patrick Troughton|Troughton]] Doctor, this seems to be a hold-over from the [[William Hartnell|Hartnell]] interpretation; there was simply too little time between when Troughton took over and this annual had to go to print for the annual's editors to understand Troughton's approach to the role.
* As in other illustrated stories throughout the annual, the Doctor is shown here wearing his [[stovepipe hat]].
* As in other illustrated stories throughout the annual, the Doctor is shown here wearing his [[stovepipe hat]].
* The Doctor's stance on changing history seems unusual in the light of ''[[The Aztecs]]'', and many historical stories thereafter. Here the Doctor is actively trying to ensure that Nelson will live into old age, instead of being killed in the [[Battle of Trafalgar]]. In fact, it's his [[companion]]s who have to reign in his enthusiasm, which is decidedly jingoistic. He tries to enlist Ben's aid by saying it's "for the good of [[England]]" that they save Nelson. In the end, though, it's possible to interpret the Doctor's activities as scientific more than patriotic. "I had a feeling all through that it couldn't be that easy," he says, almost indicating that he was experimenting with changing history just to see if it could be done. Another interpretation is that since the Doctor has only recently regenerated, he is not in a stable mind when thinking about the rules of time travel, and explains why he acts out of character.
* The Doctor's stance on changing history seems unusual in the light of ''[[The Aztecs (TV story)|The Aztecs]]'', and many historical stories thereafter. Here the Doctor is actively trying to ensure that Nelson will live into old age, instead of being killed in the [[Battle of Trafalgar]]. In fact, it's his [[companion]]s who have to rein in his enthusiasm, which is decidedly jingoistic. He tries to enlist Ben's aid by saying it's "for the good of [[England]]" that they save Nelson.
* This is one of the few stories in which Ben plays a dominant role, and in which his naval background is significant to the plot. Ben is in his element here, certainly than in any televised story, and probably more than in any other story in any medium.
* This is one of the few stories in which Ben plays a dominant role, and in which his naval background is significant to the plot. Ben is in his element here, certainly more than in any televised story, and probably more than in any other story in any medium.


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
* Ben claims not to have been at sea for a very long time.  It's possible to construct a timeline for Ben in which this is the first time he's been at sea since long before we viewers met him at the [[Inferno (nightclub)|Inferno nightclub]].
* This is the first of two times the [[Second Doctor]] has direct contact with Lord Admiral [[Horatio Nelson]]. Though this occasion is at the very beginning of the second Doctor's life, the next instance, in [[PROSE]]: ''[[World Game (novel)|World Game]]'', came after his trial in [[TV]]: ''[[The War Games (TV story)|The War Games]]''.
* This is the first of two times the [[second Doctor]] has direct contact with Lord Admiral [[Horatio Nelson]]. Though this occasion is at the very beginning of the second Doctor's life, the next instance, in [[PDA]]: ''[[World Game]]'', came after his trial in [[DW]]: ''[[The War Games]]''. The two stories aren't necessarily contradictory, because the Doctor's interaction with Nelson in ''World Game'' is not on board the ''Victory''.  Instead, it comes a little earlier, at a point when Nelson wouldn't have met the Doctor in ''H.M.S. TARDIS'' yet.
* The Doctor would later be present for the Battle of Trafalgar again during his both [[Eleventh Doctor|eleventh]] ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Rough Waters (comic story)|Rough Waters]]'') and [[Twelfth Doctor|twelfth incarnations]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Ghosts of the Seas (comic story)|Ghosts of the Seas]]'')
 
== Timeline ==
Relative to television stories, this story must happen between ''[[The Power of the Daleks]]'' and ''[[The Highlanders]]'', as [[Jamie McCrimmon|Jamie]] is not a part of the TARDIS crew.  Moreover, it must take place before any [[Earth]]bound stories featuring the trio, because Ben and Polly specifically state this is the first time they've been on Earth in a while. One arbitrary but acceptable placement is:
 
* This story occurs after [[DWAN]]: ''[[World Without Night]]''
* This story occurs before [[DWAN]]: ''[[The King of Golden Death]]''


== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}


{{TitleSort}}
{{TitleSort}}


[[Category:Second Doctor short stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1805]]
[[Category:Historical stories]]
[[Category:DWAN 1968 short stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in the 1800s]]
[[Category:Stories released in 1967]]
[[Category:DWAN short stories]]

Latest revision as of 16:17, 25 March 2024

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H.M.S. Tardis was the eighth short story and twenty-fourth release exclusively published in The Dr Who Annual 1968 in September 1967 by World Distributors.[1] It featured the Second Doctor, Ben and Polly. It was a rare instance of the Doctor actively trying to change something about the known history of Earth.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Dr. Who, Ben and Polly land on the HMS Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar. In the lull immediately before the fight with the Redoubtable, they must prove to Flag Captain Hardy they are not spies or deserters. Dr. Who proposes to his companions that they try to do a bit more than that. He tells Polly that he aims to change history, but neither Ben nor she believe he is capable of that. He tries to give Nelson specific advice to avert his death, but, in the end, Nelson dies, anyway. Still, Ben seems to have changed history a tiny bit, by encouraging Nelson to send a message to the whole British fleet: "England expects that every man this day will do his duty."

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Like many early Doctor Who print stories, both comic and prose, the Doctor is referred to as "Doctor Who" or "Dr. Who". The word "doctor" is but once even seen as a proper noun here when used on its own to refer to the character.
  • As with other stories in The Dr Who Annual 1968, the Doctor refers to Ben and Polly as "my children", or, individually, "my child", "my girl", or "my boy". Uncharacteristic of the Troughton Doctor, this seems to be a hold-over from the Hartnell interpretation; there was simply too little time between when Troughton took over and this annual had to go to print for the annual's editors to understand Troughton's approach to the role.
  • As in other illustrated stories throughout the annual, the Doctor is shown here wearing his stovepipe hat.
  • The Doctor's stance on changing history seems unusual in the light of The Aztecs, and many historical stories thereafter. Here the Doctor is actively trying to ensure that Nelson will live into old age, instead of being killed in the Battle of Trafalgar. In fact, it's his companions who have to rein in his enthusiasm, which is decidedly jingoistic. He tries to enlist Ben's aid by saying it's "for the good of England" that they save Nelson.
  • This is one of the few stories in which Ben plays a dominant role, and in which his naval background is significant to the plot. Ben is in his element here, certainly more than in any televised story, and probably more than in any other story in any medium.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ The Annuals - A Collector's Guide on doctorwho.org.nz via the Wayback Machine
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