Tautology (short story): Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox Short Story|
|image         = Tautology.jpg
name=Tautology|
|series         = ''[[Brief Encounter]]''
image=Tautology.jpg|
|main character = [[Frederick Marius]]
series=[[Brief Encounter]]|
|setting        = [[Earth]] and [[Bi-Al Foundation]], [[12 May|12]]-[[27 May]] [[4997]]
doctor= |
|writer         = Glenn Langford
companions= |
|publication   = [[DWM 194]]
main character=[[Marius]], [[K9 Mark I]], [[K9 Mark III]]
|release date  = 26 November 1992
year=|
|cover date    = 23 December 1992
writer=[[Glenn Langford]]|
|prev           = Toy (short story)
publication=[[DWM 194]]|
|next           = In the Community (short story)
prev=Toy (short story)|Toy (short story)|
}}
next=In the Community (short story)|
'''''Tautology''''' was a ''[[Brief Encounter]]'' short story published in ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' [[DWM 194|194]].
|}}
 
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was a ''[[Brief Encounter]]'' short story published in the ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]''.
== Summary ==
== Summary ==
''to be added''
[[Professor]] [[Frederick Marius|Marius]] writes in his [[computer]] [[diary]] that he has been posted to a [[Bi-Al Foundation|station]] close to the space lanes and believes he will be bored there. He acquires an [[K9 Mark III|old computer]] from his niece's [[fiancé]]. Strangely, although it is from the [[20th century]], its technology is far in advance of that time. However, due to [[shuttle]] weight restrictions he is forced to not only have it scrapped, but also to leave behind his dog Toby. He keeps the computer's motherboard and Toby's dog tag as mementos. At the station, he befriends an electronic specialist who helps him construct a new computer based on the motherboard and sketches Marius drew. The professor plans to name it after the old computer: [[K9 Mark I|K9]].


== Characters ==
== Characters ==
* Professor [[Marius]]
* [[Frederick Marius]]
* [[K9 Mark I]]
* [[K9 Mark I]]
* [[K9 Mark III]]
* [[K9 Mark III]]
* Gloria, the Professor's niece
* [[Gloria (Tautology)|Gloria]]
* Gloria's fiancé (unnamed)
* [[Frank (Tautology)|Frank]]
* [[Moore (Tautology)|Moore]]
* [[Toby (Tautology)|Toby]]


== References ==
== Worldbuilding ==
''to be added''
* Frank is a descendant of [[Sarah Jane Smith]].
* Marius uses a couple of [[tautology|tautologies]] in his diary, for which he chides himself.
* Frank inherited K9 from [[Frank's mother (Tautology)|his mother]].


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
* Gloria's unnamed fiancé is an ancestor of [[Sarah Jane Smith]], and K9 Mark III has been in his family for generations.
* "Momento" is not a misspelling, but an alternate spelling for "memento" frequently used in Australia, where the author is from.
* Professor Marius's dog is called Toby, but as the Professor is travelling to [[Titan]], he has to put Toby in a dog home.
* This story reveals that K9's existence is the result of an [[bootstrap paradox|ontological paradox]], as Marius gets the inspiration to construct K9 Mark I from his examination of K9 Mark IV, who was himself constructed by the Doctor after meeting K9 Mark I.
* Marius' dog and the creation of K9 were given a different background in the short story ''[[One Man and His Dog (short story)|One Man and His Dog]]''.


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
''to be added''


== Timeline ==
* [[TV]]: {{Cs|School Reunion (TV story)}} sees [[K9 Mark III]] destroyed and replaced by [[K9 Mark IV|a fourth model]]. Although technically ''Tautology'' does not mention which model was passed down to [[Frank (Tautology)|Frank]], making it possible to retcon it being the later version, this short story was written fourteen years before ''School Reunion'', meaning K9 Mark III would have been the intended model at the time.
* ''Tautology'' is set before [[DW]]: ''[[The Invisible Enemy]]'', and at some point long after after ''[[Moving On]]''. However, with the destruction of K9 Mark III in [[DW]]: ''[[School Reunion]]'', this story may now be classed as apocryphal.


== External Links ==
== External links ==
* {{dwrefguide|brief.htm#dwm194|Tautology}}
{{dwrefguide|brief.htm#dwm194|Tautology}}
{{prose stub}}
{{BE}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{TitleSort}}


[[Category:BE stories]]
[[Category:BE stories]]
[[Category:Brief Encounter stories]]
[[Category:Brief Encounter stories]]
[[Category:1992 short stories]]
[[Category:K9 short stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in 4997]]
[[Category:Short stories set on Earth]]
[[Category:Doctor Who short stories]]
[[Category:Doctor Who short stories]]
[[Category:Stories released in 1992]]
[[Category:K9 short stories]]

Latest revision as of 05:03, 26 November 2024

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Tautology was a Brief Encounter short story published in Doctor Who Magazine 194.

Summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

Professor Marius writes in his computer diary that he has been posted to a station close to the space lanes and believes he will be bored there. He acquires an old computer from his niece's fiancé. Strangely, although it is from the 20th century, its technology is far in advance of that time. However, due to shuttle weight restrictions he is forced to not only have it scrapped, but also to leave behind his dog Toby. He keeps the computer's motherboard and Toby's dog tag as mementos. At the station, he befriends an electronic specialist who helps him construct a new computer based on the motherboard and sketches Marius drew. The professor plans to name it after the old computer: K9.

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • "Momento" is not a misspelling, but an alternate spelling for "memento" frequently used in Australia, where the author is from.
  • This story reveals that K9's existence is the result of an ontological paradox, as Marius gets the inspiration to construct K9 Mark I from his examination of K9 Mark IV, who was himself constructed by the Doctor after meeting K9 Mark I.
  • Marius' dog and the creation of K9 were given a different background in the short story One Man and His Dog.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • TV: School Reunion [+]Loading...["School Reunion (TV story)"] sees K9 Mark III destroyed and replaced by a fourth model. Although technically Tautology does not mention which model was passed down to Frank, making it possible to retcon it being the later version, this short story was written fourteen years before School Reunion, meaning K9 Mark III would have been the intended model at the time.

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]