The Year That Never Was: Difference between revisions

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'''The Year That Never Was''' was a year which never occured for a majority of the population of Earth but was remembered by a few people who witnessed it. It was set betweeen [[May]] [[2008]] and [[2009]], and was when the new [[Time Lord Empire]] was being created on [[Earth]] by [[the Master]].
In an [[alternate timeline]], '''The Year That Never Was''' was a period lasting a [[year]] and a [[day]] in the mid-[[2000s]]{{note|name="the year"|According to the episode ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'', [[Martha Jones]]' present day during [[Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 3]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' takes place over a six-day period, with {{Simm}} being elected three days after ''Smith and Jones'', and the [[Toclafane]] [[Toclafane invasion|invading Earth]] five days after ''Smith and Jones''. However, [[Aliens of London dating controversy|sources differ on which dates these stories are set]]. According to [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Paradox Moon (short story)|The Paradox Moon]]'', the Toclafane invasion happens on [[23 June]] [[2007]], placing the events of ''Smith and Jones'' on [[18 June]]. According to [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Hysteria (audio story)|Hysteria]]'', ''Smith and Jones'' takes place in [[2008]], with a [[UNIT]] mission log in [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Recruits (audio story)|Recruits]]'' referring to the recovery of moon rocks from [[Royal Hope Hospital]] in [[March]] 2008. A newspaper clipping in [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Secret Lives of Monsters (short story)|The Secret Lives of Monsters]]'' places ''Smith and Jones'' on a [[Sunday]] [[4 June]], thus placing the Toclafane invasion on [[Friday]] [[9 June]]. In the real world, these dates do not fall on a Sunday and Friday in either 2007 or 2008.}} which, due to the destruction of the [[paradox machine]], never occurred for a majority of the population of [[Earth]], but was remembered by a few people on the ''[[Valiant (aircraft carrier)|Valiant]]''. During this time, {{Simm}}, with the assistance of the [[Toclafane]], ruled over [[Earth]]. However, once the year was erased from history, everything was restored to how it was, the Master failing in his efforts.
== Overview ==
=== Background ===
During the [[Last Great Time War]], {{Jacobi}} chose to flee the conflict after his use of the [[Heavenly Paradigm]] caused the [[Dalek Emperor in the Last Great Time War|Dalek Emperor]] to seize the [[Cruciform]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Heavenly Paradigm (audio story)|The Heavenly Paradigm]]'') Using a [[Chameleon Arch]], he hid as a human in the far future near the [[end of the universe]]. The Master's human identity, Professor [[Yana]], worked with a group of surviving humans on [[Malcassairo]] to build a rocket to reach "[[Utopia (Utopia)|Utopia]]", a rumoured safe haven. The [[Tenth Doctor]], [[Martha Jones]] and [[Jack Harkness]] arrived on Malcassairo and helped Yana launch the survivors in their rocket, however in the process Martha brought the Chameleon Arch to Yana's attention. Compelled by voices of his true self, Yana opened it and became the Master again. He made to steal [[the Doctor's TARDIS]], however was shot by Yana's assistant [[Chantho]] and forced to [[regenerate]]. In his new incarnation {{Simm}} stole the TARDIS, abandoning the Doctor and his companions, ([[TV]]: ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'') however the Doctor first fused the co-ordinates, rendering the TARDIS only capable of travel between the end of the universe and its previous destination on [[2000s]]{{note|name="the year"}} Earth.


== Background ==
[[File:TARDIS Paradox Machine.jpg|thumb|left|[[The Doctor's TARDIS]] converted into a [[paradox machine]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'')]]
In the year [[2008]] [[Harold Saxon]] became [[British Prime Minister|Prime Minister of Great Britain]] following the downfall of [[Harriet Jones]]. Unknown to the people of [[Great Britain]] Harold Saxon was actually a [[Time Lord]] called the Master, and enemy of [[the Doctor]]. He claimed to have established contact with aliens called the [[Toclafane]] and planned a formal greeting for them. However [[President]]-Elect of the [[North America|United States]] [[Arthur Coleman Winters]] informed the United Nations who transferred the greeting of the Toclafane to the [[UNIT]] airship, the ''[[Valiant]]''.
Arriving on Earth about a year and a half before the TARDIS arrived on Earth, the Master established himself as British politician Harold Saxon, eventually becoming [[Minister of Defence]]. From that position he oversaw the establishment of the [[Archangel Network]] of satellites and the designing of [[UNIT]]'s flying mobile base, the ''[[Valiant (aircraft carrier)|Valiant]]''. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'') The Master met [[Lucy Saxon]], who fell in love with him. He took her on a trip in the TARDIS to the end of the universe, finding Utopia. There he discovered the last of humanity had found no paradise, and had cannibalised themselves into the [[Toclafane]] to survive. The Master promised to help them make a new civilisation, by invading their ancestors trillions of years earlier. The Toclafane fondly called him their "Mister Master". The Master cannibalised the TARDIS into a [[paradox machine]] to enable the paradoxical invasion. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')


On the day of the connection with the Toclafane, the Master revealed his true intentions to the people of Earth. He had the Toclafane kill Winters and then ordered them to begin the attack of Earth, slaughtering one tenth of the population. He took [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]], [[Jack Harkness]], [[Francine Jones]], [[Clive Jones]] and [[Tish Jones]] captive. However, Martha Jones manages to escape by teleporting to Earth with Jack's Vortex Manipulator. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums]]'')
As Harold Saxon, the Master used the hypnotic influence of the Archangel Network to campaign in the [[general election]], receiving celebrity endorsements and being supported by politicians who abandoned their parties once they saw he was winning. During this time he sponsored Professor [[Lazarus]]' experiments in rejuvenation, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'') and had agents monitor Martha's family, claiming to them the Doctor was putting their daughter in danger. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Lazarus Experiment (TV story)|The Lazarus Experiment]]'', ''[[42 (TV story)|42]]'') He also arranged for Jack's friends in [[Torchwood Three]] to be sent on a mission to the [[Himalayas]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'')  


== Occupation of Earth ==
[[File:LucyBehindSaxon.jpg|thumb|right|"[[Harold Saxon]]" in a broadcast following his election as [[British Prime Minister]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'')]]
The Master had enslaved the [[human]] race with the intention of using them to build weapons in preparation for war against the rest of the universe. The Master wished to turn Earth into New Gallifrey and create a new [[Time Lord Empire|empire]] stretching across the universe, lasting one hundred trillion years. This was done by the use of the [[The Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]], which he turned into a [[paradox machine]], creating a [[temporal paradox]] between the [[End of the Universe]] and [[2008|the last place the TARDIS landed]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums]]'') This was due to the Doctor fusing the coordinates on the TARDIS so he would know where to find the Master. ([[DW]]: ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'')
The Master triumphed in the election and became [[British Prime Minister|Prime Minister of Great Britain]]. At this time the Doctor, Martha and Jack returned to Earth using [[Jack Harkness' vortex manipulator|Jack's vortex manipulator]]. The Master used his new power to have them branded public enemies and took Martha's family into custody, forcing the trio to go into hiding using [[perception filter]]s fashioned from [[TARDIS key]]s. As Prime Minister, the Master announced first contact with an alien species, the Toclafane, to be broadcast live. The unilateral announcement met with fury from UNIT and US President [[Arthur Winters]], so the Master allowed it to occur on the ''Valiant''. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'')


Also during this year the Doctor realised that the Toclafane were actually the humans from the future.
=== Day Zero ===
{{Main|Day Zero}}
[[File:Toclafane Assassinate Winters.jpg|thumb|left|The assassination of US President [[Arthur Winters]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'')]]
On the day of [[First Contact with the Toclafane|first contact with the Toclafane]], the Doctor, Martha and Jack infiltrated the ''Valiant'' and discovered the paradox machine onboard, primed to activate during the first contact broadcast. The Toclafane arrived on schedule and killed President Winters on the Master's audience. The Doctor attempted to reach the Master in hopes of his perception filter breaking the Archangel Network's influence but was captured. Using Professor Lazarus' technology he'd incorporated into his [[laser screwdriver]] the Master aged the Doctor decades to weaken him and killed Jack, knowing the immortal would resurrect.  


== Resistance ==
[[File:HereComeTheDrums.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Toclafane invasion]] begins. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'')]]
Head of the resistance was [[Martha Jones]] who became renowned amoung the human race for travelling across the world and evading capture from the Master. One of the more notable escapes was the flight from Japan. She had escaped the Valiant using the [[vortex manipulator]] given to her by [[Jack Harkness]] and witnessed the slaughter of one tenth of the population of Earth. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums]]'')
The Master announced the end of the world to the viewing public as the paradox machine activated, allowing billions of Toclafane to travel to Earth. The Master ordered them to remove one tenth of the Earth's population. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'') As [[Toclafane invasion|Earth fell]], the aged Doctor discreetly whispered a plan into Martha's ear, ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'') and she used Jack's vortex manipulator to teleport away from the ''Valiant''. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'') The beginning of the invasion was later known as Day Zero. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Story of Martha (short story)|The Story of Martha]]'')


Many legends developed around Martha Jones and the purpose for her travelling the world. The most common belief held by people was that she travelled across the world in search of a weapon. Another belief held by the people was that Martha Jones was the only one who could kill the Master.
=== Occupation of Earth ===
Ruling from the ''Valiant'', the Master enslaved the [[human]] race with the intention of using them to build weapons in preparation for war against the rest of the universe. The Master wished to turn Earth into New Gallifrey and create [[Time Lord Empire|a new empire]] stretching across the universe, lasting "one hundred trillion years". He imposed a dictatorial and despotic regime upon the Earth with himself at the head of it whilst the Toclafane enforced his rule. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'') A select number of humans were chosen to serve as his agents, working to hunt down any resistance. These included Mr [[Strand]] and Miss [[Beecham]]. The agents were kept in competition with each other to earn the Master's favour. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Deceived (audio story)|Deceived]]'') The Master kept the Doctor, Jack and Martha's family as prisoners aboard the ''Valiant''.  


Members of the resistance include [[Tom Milligan]], [[Leo Jones]] (Martha's brother) and Professor [[Alison Docherty]], who betrayed Martha to the Master in return for information about her son.
The [[Archangel Network]] kept most of the human population docile, though resistance did persist. Any military action however caused the Toclafane to descend. The enslaved people suffered severe over-crowding, often with many families crammed into a single house, and economic and technological regression occurred massively in the neglected urban centres, with [[London]] becoming full of wild dogs. Television and any notable technology was shut down. The effects on Earth were so great that the planet was declared closed to the wider universe, and the planet was designated to be unsafe to approach. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')


A small resistance also existed on the Master's headquaters, the Valiant, headed by the Doctor. Members of this resistance included Francine Jones, Clive Jones, Tish Jones and Jack Harkness. ([[DW]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords]]'')
During the Master's time he was known to have frozen the [[River Nile]], poisoned the [[Caspian Sea]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Story of Martha (short story)|The Story of Martha]]'') built fusion mills in [[China]], created radiation pits in [[Europe]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'') and ruined [[New York City]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Story of Martha (short story)|The Story of Martha]]'') The Master also carved his face into [[Mount Rushmore]], and ordered statues of himself to be built across the world to enforce his regime. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')


== Eve of War ==
=== Martha's travels ===
The Eve of War was the day before the Master planned to go to war against the rest of the universe. He chose this day to transmit a warning to Martha. He used his [[laser screwdriver]] to age the Doctor to his actual age of 900 years. ([[DW]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords]]'')
Martha became renowned among the human race for travelling across the world and evading capture by the Master. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'') Martha travelled around [[London]] and started to tell people of the [[Tenth Doctor]] as part of his master plan. She rescued a little girl known as [[Aleesha]] and then travelled to Europe and met a man known as [[Mathieu Vivier]]. Martha also met a man in [[Turkey (country)|Turkey]] known as Brigadier [[Erik Calvin]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Story of Martha (short story)|The Story of Martha]]'') Many legends developed around Martha Jones and the purpose for her travelling the world. The most common belief held by people was that she travelled across the world in search of a weapon. Another belief held by the people was that Martha Jones was the only one who could kill the Master. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')


== Revolt on Earth ==
Eventually Martha went to spread the message to [[Japan]] but the Toclafane burned the islands to the ground after the Master learnt of the [[Drast]] meddling there, killing everyone there. Only Martha escaped the country. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Story of Martha (short story)|The Story of Martha]]'')
Martha Jones was captured on the Eve of War and taken to the Valiant to be executed as the Master wished for the Doctor to see her die. The Master transmitted to all of Earth so that they too could witness the death of Martha. However she reveals that she had traveled the universe to spread the word about [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]] as part of the plan they both made when the Master took control to use the [[Archangel Network]] against him.


She explained that she told them that if they think at one word, at one time and at one moment they could defeat the Master. When the Master's countdown to war reaches zero the people of Earth began to chant the Doctor's name. [[Lucy Saxon]] and the soldiers also began to chant the Doctor's name.
The Master's agents sought to capture Martha. Miss [[Beecham]] used cloning technology leftover from [[UNIT]] and [[Torchwood]] to make hundreds of clones of Martha's mother, [[Francine Jones]], which she sent to reported sightings of Martha. The clones were unaware they were fakes and had false memories of escaping the ''Valiant''. Beecham also became aware of a lightning strike in [[South Africa]] that had brought down a Toclafane, using that knowledge to devise a way to torture Toclafane. She used this to force an army of Toclafane to serve her, ultimately hoping to usurp the Master. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Deceived (audio story)|Deceived]]'')


The Doctor was rejuvenated to his normal form and briefly became god-like, towering over the Master. This is one of the Master's greatest fears. The Doctor then says he forgave the Master for his behavior, another of the Master's fears. He attempted to escape using the vortex manipulator he had taken from Martha but the Doctor took hold of him, transporting them to a cliff overlooking the missiles field.
Martha travelled to the [[United States of America]]. Reaching a diner, reputed to be the last diner, she told stories to the slaves who gathered there in secret at night. There she was reunited with an old friend, [[Holly (The Last Diner)|Holly]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Last Diner (audio story)|The Last Diner]]'') and one of Beecham's clones of her mother. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Deceived (audio story)|Deceived]]'') Her presence attracted a lot of slaves to the diner, resulting in tragedy when the Toclafane bombed it, leaving Holly the only survivor. Martha continued her travels with her mother and Holly, ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Last Diner (audio story)|The Last Diner]]'') reaching [[the Hope (Silver Medal)|the Hope]], the largest resistance group in America, in [[Nevada]]. The group believed they were in contact with aliens seeking to help their cause, ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Silver Medal (audio story)|Silver Medal]]'') but this was actually a trick used by Miss Beecham to lure rebel groups. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Deceived (audio story)|Deceived]]'') Martha was uncomfortable with the competition system the Hope operated under and told a story about visiting a mine in the area a century ago to make a point. When their camouflage was exposed the Hope chose to abandon a planned assault on a Toclafane base, to their leader [[Jessie (Silver Medal)|Jessie]]'s disappointment, and fled to the mine Martha had told them about. Beecham subsequently cornered Jessie and revealed the planned attack had been a lure, having Toclafane kill Jessie. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Silver Medal (audio story)|Silver Medal]]'')


Meanwhile Martha Jones and her family took control of the Valiant, preventing the Master from launching the fleet. However the Toclafane began to descend on the Valiant to protect the paradox machine. Jack Harkness and two soldiers attempted to take control of the paradox machine. As he cannot die, Jack is able to get past the Toclafane and destroy the paradox. ([[DW]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords]]'')
Unaware Holly had been secretly replaced by the Master's agent Mr [[Strand]], wearing a hologram disguise, whilst in Nevada, Martha travelled on to [[Las Vegas]], taking sometime to relax in an abandoned hotel. She was located by Beecham who sent in Toclafane to hunt her down, telling them to attack her rival Strand as well. Beecham found Martha herself, bypassing her perception filter with her certainty she was there, and revealed the true identity of the clone, who she killed. Beecham subsequently interrogated Martha whilst she was chained to a roof, wanting to know if rumours about her being able to kill the Master were true. Holly, who had been held at Beecham's facility, escaped and contacted the Hope to come to Martha's aid. They found Strand and let him make a call as he was dying, which he used to inform the Master of Beecham's treachery. Martha managed to hide by dangling over the side of the roof as the Master's forces arrived to destroy Beecham's Toclafane, teleporting Beecham herself aboard the ''Valiant'' where she was executed. Holly rescued Martha from the roof and together they resolved to continue her travels, having found Beecham's data on the lightning strike. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Deceived (audio story)|Deceived]]'')


The Doctor managed to talk the Master into handing over the black hole converter, as the Doctor states that the Master could never bring himself to kill himself, even to spite him. They are transported back to the Valiant. ([[DW]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords]]'')
=== Eve of war ===
A year into the occupation of Earth, the Master was preparing for [[Launch Day]] to begin his conquest of the universe. At this time Martha returned to Britain where she met resistance contact [[Thomas Milligan (The Year That Never Was)|Tom Milligan]]. He helped her reach Professor [[Alison Docherty (The Year That Never Was)|Alison Docherty]], who had the resources to read the data on the South Africa lightning strike. The Master made a global broadcast as a warning to Martha, using his [[laser screwdriver]] to age the Doctor's body to his actual age of 900 years.


== Outcome ==
[[File:Bexley's got rough.jpg|thumb|left|{{Simm|c}} hunts down [[Martha Jones]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')]]
As the paradox machine used to subvert a [[temporal paradox]] was destroyed, time began to reverse to the point when the paradox first took effect thereby allowing the year to occur was destroyed. As a result the events of the year did not actually happen for the majority of the population of Earth. Time was reset to a few moments after the murder of President-Elect Winters. The only people with memories of the year were those on the Valiant: the Doctor, the Master, Jack Harkness, Lucy Saxon (the Master's companion), Martha Jones, Francine Jones, Clive Jones, Tish Jones, and the soldiers aboard the ''[[Valiant]]''.
Armed with the lighting strike knowledge, Martha and Tom brought down a Toclafane enabling Docherty to open it and discover their true nature. Horrified at the scale of the paradox, Martha travelled with Tom to slave houses in London to continue her storytelling. Docherty however betrayed them to the Master, wanting information on whether her son was still alive. The Master personally came to London to capture her, forcing her out by threatening to have his guards to fire on the houses at random. Tom attempted to shoot him however the Master killed him and then taunted Martha of planet Earth's imminent march to war. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')


The Master once again attempted to escape but was stopped by Jack who, along with Clive, Tish and Francine, wished to execute the Master for his crimes. However the Doctor took control of the situation, announcing that he planned to leave Jack and Martha to "keep" the Master in TARDIS. The Doctor had previously offered this to the Master but he had refused. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums]]'') The Master was shot by Lucy, and refused to regenerate despite the fact the Doctor begged him to do so, therefore committing suicide just to spite him. The Master took this as a final victory over the Doctor, and died. ([[DW]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords]]'')
=== Negation ===
[[File:Toclafane over Earth.jpg|thumb|right|The Toclafane in position to begin their conquest of the universe. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')]]
On [[Launch Day]], the Master had Martha brought before him aboard the ''Valiant'', planning to execute her as the countdown to launch ticked down, with the Toclafane in position over Earth and the rockets primed. Martha's sniggering as he prepared to kill her caused him to stop and she finally explained the purpose of her wandering. In addition to telling everyone she met about the Doctor she gave them an instruction, to think of him at the end of the grand countdown that the Doctor had always known the Master couldn't resist. With the Doctor having had a year to integrate himself into the Archangel Network, the moment the entire human race thought of him restored him to health and broke the Master's control.


== Negative effects of the Year being erased ==
[[File:Last-of-the-time-lords.jpg|thumb|left|Restored, the Doctor confronts the Master. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')]]
Theoretically speaking, anyone who had been on board the ''Valiant'' at the time the paradox machine was activated but was elsewhere at the point it was destroyed would have been obliterated by the negation of the Year, as the ''Valiant'' and its occupants were the last remnants of the Year. Similarly, anyone who had been outside the ''Valiant'' at the time the paradox machine was activated but on board when it was destroyed would now exist in two versions - one who had never experienced the Year and one who had. ''This point, however, is moot as there is no indication that any major (or minor) character fell into this circumstance.''
Now at liberty, [[Jack Harkness]] took the Master's human guards to destroy the paradox machine, however the Master contacted the Toclafane and then fled via Martha's confiscated vortex manipulator, with the Doctor seizing hold of him to following him. The Master threatened to use the [[black hole converter]]s in each rocket to destroy Earth, which the Doctor recognised as a hollow threat. He teleported them back onboard just as Jack reached the TARDIS and destroyed the paradox machine, breaking the paradox moments before the Toclafane reached the ''Valiant''. Time was thrown into reverse, reverting back to moments after President [[Arthur Winters|Winters]] was killed before the invasion, and the Toclafane were sent back to the future. Everyone on the ''Valiant'' retained their memories of the year owing to being at the eye of the storm, while the rest of the human race had no knowledge of the events under the Master's reign which had now never happened. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')


== Behind the scenes ==
=== Legacy ===
''[[The Story of Martha]]'', scheduled for publication in [[December]] [[2008]], will fill in and chronicle Martha's activities during this year.
In the immediate aftermath of the negation, the survivors on the ''[[Valiant (spacecraft)|Valiant]]'' confronted {{Simm}}, with the [[Tenth Doctor]] talking down [[Francine Jones]] from shooting him, hoping to take the Master into his custody. [[Lucy Saxon]] however discreetly picked up a gun and shot the Master, after a year of abuse at his hands. To spite the Doctor, the Master refused to [[regenerate]] and died in his arms, leaving the Doctor once again the last of the Time Lords.  


[[Category:Timeline|Year]]
His experiences over the erased year inspired [[Jack Harkness]] to return to [[Torchwood Three]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'') resuming his leadership of the team. ([[TV]]: ''[[Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (TV story)|Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang]]'')
[[Category:Alternative timelines|Year]]
 
[[Category:21st century events|Year]]
Martha sought out [[Tom Milligan]], who was alive in the restored timeline, ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'') and became engaged to him. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)|The Sontaran Stratagem]]'') However they ultimately broke up. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Dissected (audio story)|Dissected]]'')
 
[[Anke Von Grisel]] collected artefacts from erased timelines for her [[Verbier Museum of the Impossible]], among them being a metal sphere labelled "[[Toclafane]]". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Canaries (short story)|Canaries]]'')
 
== Footnotes ==
{{notelist}}
 
{{TitleSort}}
[[Category:The Year That Never Was| *]]
[[Category:Alternate Earth]]

Latest revision as of 17:28, 21 October 2024

In an alternate timeline, The Year That Never Was was a period lasting a year and a day in the mid-2000s[nb 1] which, due to the destruction of the paradox machine, never occurred for a majority of the population of Earth, but was remembered by a few people on the Valiant. During this time, the Saxon Master, with the assistance of the Toclafane, ruled over Earth. However, once the year was erased from history, everything was restored to how it was, the Master failing in his efforts.

Overview[[edit] | [edit source]]

Background[[edit] | [edit source]]

During the Last Great Time War, the War Master chose to flee the conflict after his use of the Heavenly Paradigm caused the Dalek Emperor to seize the Cruciform. (AUDIO: The Heavenly Paradigm) Using a Chameleon Arch, he hid as a human in the far future near the end of the universe. The Master's human identity, Professor Yana, worked with a group of surviving humans on Malcassairo to build a rocket to reach "Utopia", a rumoured safe haven. The Tenth Doctor, Martha Jones and Jack Harkness arrived on Malcassairo and helped Yana launch the survivors in their rocket, however in the process Martha brought the Chameleon Arch to Yana's attention. Compelled by voices of his true self, Yana opened it and became the Master again. He made to steal the Doctor's TARDIS, however was shot by Yana's assistant Chantho and forced to regenerate. In his new incarnation the Saxon Master stole the TARDIS, abandoning the Doctor and his companions, (TV: Utopia) however the Doctor first fused the co-ordinates, rendering the TARDIS only capable of travel between the end of the universe and its previous destination on 2000s[nb 1] Earth.

The Doctor's TARDIS converted into a paradox machine. (TV: The Sound of Drums)

Arriving on Earth about a year and a half before the TARDIS arrived on Earth, the Master established himself as British politician Harold Saxon, eventually becoming Minister of Defence. From that position he oversaw the establishment of the Archangel Network of satellites and the designing of UNIT's flying mobile base, the Valiant. (TV: The Sound of Drums) The Master met Lucy Saxon, who fell in love with him. He took her on a trip in the TARDIS to the end of the universe, finding Utopia. There he discovered the last of humanity had found no paradise, and had cannibalised themselves into the Toclafane to survive. The Master promised to help them make a new civilisation, by invading their ancestors trillions of years earlier. The Toclafane fondly called him their "Mister Master". The Master cannibalised the TARDIS into a paradox machine to enable the paradoxical invasion. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)

As Harold Saxon, the Master used the hypnotic influence of the Archangel Network to campaign in the general election, receiving celebrity endorsements and being supported by politicians who abandoned their parties once they saw he was winning. During this time he sponsored Professor Lazarus' experiments in rejuvenation, (TV: The Sound of Drums) and had agents monitor Martha's family, claiming to them the Doctor was putting their daughter in danger. (TV: The Lazarus Experiment, 42) He also arranged for Jack's friends in Torchwood Three to be sent on a mission to the Himalayas. (TV: The Sound of Drums)

"Harold Saxon" in a broadcast following his election as British Prime Minister. (TV: The Sound of Drums)

The Master triumphed in the election and became Prime Minister of Great Britain. At this time the Doctor, Martha and Jack returned to Earth using Jack's vortex manipulator. The Master used his new power to have them branded public enemies and took Martha's family into custody, forcing the trio to go into hiding using perception filters fashioned from TARDIS keys. As Prime Minister, the Master announced first contact with an alien species, the Toclafane, to be broadcast live. The unilateral announcement met with fury from UNIT and US President Arthur Winters, so the Master allowed it to occur on the Valiant. (TV: The Sound of Drums)

Day Zero[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: Day Zero
The assassination of US President Arthur Winters. (TV: The Sound of Drums)

On the day of first contact with the Toclafane, the Doctor, Martha and Jack infiltrated the Valiant and discovered the paradox machine onboard, primed to activate during the first contact broadcast. The Toclafane arrived on schedule and killed President Winters on the Master's audience. The Doctor attempted to reach the Master in hopes of his perception filter breaking the Archangel Network's influence but was captured. Using Professor Lazarus' technology he'd incorporated into his laser screwdriver the Master aged the Doctor decades to weaken him and killed Jack, knowing the immortal would resurrect.

The Toclafane invasion begins. (TV: The Sound of Drums)

The Master announced the end of the world to the viewing public as the paradox machine activated, allowing billions of Toclafane to travel to Earth. The Master ordered them to remove one tenth of the Earth's population. (TV: The Sound of Drums) As Earth fell, the aged Doctor discreetly whispered a plan into Martha's ear, (TV: Last of the Time Lords) and she used Jack's vortex manipulator to teleport away from the Valiant. (TV: The Sound of Drums) The beginning of the invasion was later known as Day Zero. (PROSE: The Story of Martha)

Occupation of Earth[[edit] | [edit source]]

Ruling from the Valiant, the Master enslaved the human race with the intention of using them to build weapons in preparation for war against the rest of the universe. The Master wished to turn Earth into New Gallifrey and create a new empire stretching across the universe, lasting "one hundred trillion years". He imposed a dictatorial and despotic regime upon the Earth with himself at the head of it whilst the Toclafane enforced his rule. (TV: Last of the Time Lords) A select number of humans were chosen to serve as his agents, working to hunt down any resistance. These included Mr Strand and Miss Beecham. The agents were kept in competition with each other to earn the Master's favour. (AUDIO: Deceived) The Master kept the Doctor, Jack and Martha's family as prisoners aboard the Valiant.

The Archangel Network kept most of the human population docile, though resistance did persist. Any military action however caused the Toclafane to descend. The enslaved people suffered severe over-crowding, often with many families crammed into a single house, and economic and technological regression occurred massively in the neglected urban centres, with London becoming full of wild dogs. Television and any notable technology was shut down. The effects on Earth were so great that the planet was declared closed to the wider universe, and the planet was designated to be unsafe to approach. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)

During the Master's time he was known to have frozen the River Nile, poisoned the Caspian Sea, (PROSE: The Story of Martha) built fusion mills in China, created radiation pits in Europe, (TV: Last of the Time Lords) and ruined New York City. (PROSE: The Story of Martha) The Master also carved his face into Mount Rushmore, and ordered statues of himself to be built across the world to enforce his regime. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)

Martha's travels[[edit] | [edit source]]

Martha became renowned among the human race for travelling across the world and evading capture by the Master. (TV: Last of the Time Lords) Martha travelled around London and started to tell people of the Tenth Doctor as part of his master plan. She rescued a little girl known as Aleesha and then travelled to Europe and met a man known as Mathieu Vivier. Martha also met a man in Turkey known as Brigadier Erik Calvin. (PROSE: The Story of Martha) Many legends developed around Martha Jones and the purpose for her travelling the world. The most common belief held by people was that she travelled across the world in search of a weapon. Another belief held by the people was that Martha Jones was the only one who could kill the Master. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)

Eventually Martha went to spread the message to Japan but the Toclafane burned the islands to the ground after the Master learnt of the Drast meddling there, killing everyone there. Only Martha escaped the country. (PROSE: The Story of Martha)

The Master's agents sought to capture Martha. Miss Beecham used cloning technology leftover from UNIT and Torchwood to make hundreds of clones of Martha's mother, Francine Jones, which she sent to reported sightings of Martha. The clones were unaware they were fakes and had false memories of escaping the Valiant. Beecham also became aware of a lightning strike in South Africa that had brought down a Toclafane, using that knowledge to devise a way to torture Toclafane. She used this to force an army of Toclafane to serve her, ultimately hoping to usurp the Master. (AUDIO: Deceived)

Martha travelled to the United States of America. Reaching a diner, reputed to be the last diner, she told stories to the slaves who gathered there in secret at night. There she was reunited with an old friend, Holly, (AUDIO: The Last Diner) and one of Beecham's clones of her mother. (AUDIO: Deceived) Her presence attracted a lot of slaves to the diner, resulting in tragedy when the Toclafane bombed it, leaving Holly the only survivor. Martha continued her travels with her mother and Holly, (AUDIO: The Last Diner) reaching the Hope, the largest resistance group in America, in Nevada. The group believed they were in contact with aliens seeking to help their cause, (AUDIO: Silver Medal) but this was actually a trick used by Miss Beecham to lure rebel groups. (AUDIO: Deceived) Martha was uncomfortable with the competition system the Hope operated under and told a story about visiting a mine in the area a century ago to make a point. When their camouflage was exposed the Hope chose to abandon a planned assault on a Toclafane base, to their leader Jessie's disappointment, and fled to the mine Martha had told them about. Beecham subsequently cornered Jessie and revealed the planned attack had been a lure, having Toclafane kill Jessie. (AUDIO: Silver Medal)

Unaware Holly had been secretly replaced by the Master's agent Mr Strand, wearing a hologram disguise, whilst in Nevada, Martha travelled on to Las Vegas, taking sometime to relax in an abandoned hotel. She was located by Beecham who sent in Toclafane to hunt her down, telling them to attack her rival Strand as well. Beecham found Martha herself, bypassing her perception filter with her certainty she was there, and revealed the true identity of the clone, who she killed. Beecham subsequently interrogated Martha whilst she was chained to a roof, wanting to know if rumours about her being able to kill the Master were true. Holly, who had been held at Beecham's facility, escaped and contacted the Hope to come to Martha's aid. They found Strand and let him make a call as he was dying, which he used to inform the Master of Beecham's treachery. Martha managed to hide by dangling over the side of the roof as the Master's forces arrived to destroy Beecham's Toclafane, teleporting Beecham herself aboard the Valiant where she was executed. Holly rescued Martha from the roof and together they resolved to continue her travels, having found Beecham's data on the lightning strike. (AUDIO: Deceived)

Eve of war[[edit] | [edit source]]

A year into the occupation of Earth, the Master was preparing for Launch Day to begin his conquest of the universe. At this time Martha returned to Britain where she met resistance contact Tom Milligan. He helped her reach Professor Alison Docherty, who had the resources to read the data on the South Africa lightning strike. The Master made a global broadcast as a warning to Martha, using his laser screwdriver to age the Doctor's body to his actual age of 900 years.

The Saxon Master hunts down Martha Jones. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)

Armed with the lighting strike knowledge, Martha and Tom brought down a Toclafane enabling Docherty to open it and discover their true nature. Horrified at the scale of the paradox, Martha travelled with Tom to slave houses in London to continue her storytelling. Docherty however betrayed them to the Master, wanting information on whether her son was still alive. The Master personally came to London to capture her, forcing her out by threatening to have his guards to fire on the houses at random. Tom attempted to shoot him however the Master killed him and then taunted Martha of planet Earth's imminent march to war. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)

Negation[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Toclafane in position to begin their conquest of the universe. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)

On Launch Day, the Master had Martha brought before him aboard the Valiant, planning to execute her as the countdown to launch ticked down, with the Toclafane in position over Earth and the rockets primed. Martha's sniggering as he prepared to kill her caused him to stop and she finally explained the purpose of her wandering. In addition to telling everyone she met about the Doctor she gave them an instruction, to think of him at the end of the grand countdown that the Doctor had always known the Master couldn't resist. With the Doctor having had a year to integrate himself into the Archangel Network, the moment the entire human race thought of him restored him to health and broke the Master's control.

Restored, the Doctor confronts the Master. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)

Now at liberty, Jack Harkness took the Master's human guards to destroy the paradox machine, however the Master contacted the Toclafane and then fled via Martha's confiscated vortex manipulator, with the Doctor seizing hold of him to following him. The Master threatened to use the black hole converters in each rocket to destroy Earth, which the Doctor recognised as a hollow threat. He teleported them back onboard just as Jack reached the TARDIS and destroyed the paradox machine, breaking the paradox moments before the Toclafane reached the Valiant. Time was thrown into reverse, reverting back to moments after President Winters was killed before the invasion, and the Toclafane were sent back to the future. Everyone on the Valiant retained their memories of the year owing to being at the eye of the storm, while the rest of the human race had no knowledge of the events under the Master's reign which had now never happened. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)

Legacy[[edit] | [edit source]]

In the immediate aftermath of the negation, the survivors on the Valiant confronted the Saxon Master, with the Tenth Doctor talking down Francine Jones from shooting him, hoping to take the Master into his custody. Lucy Saxon however discreetly picked up a gun and shot the Master, after a year of abuse at his hands. To spite the Doctor, the Master refused to regenerate and died in his arms, leaving the Doctor once again the last of the Time Lords.

His experiences over the erased year inspired Jack Harkness to return to Torchwood Three, (TV: Last of the Time Lords) resuming his leadership of the team. (TV: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang)

Martha sought out Tom Milligan, who was alive in the restored timeline, (TV: Last of the Time Lords) and became engaged to him. (TV: The Sontaran Stratagem) However they ultimately broke up. (AUDIO: Dissected)

Anke Von Grisel collected artefacts from erased timelines for her Verbier Museum of the Impossible, among them being a metal sphere labelled "Toclafane". (PROSE: Canaries)

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 According to the episode The Sound of Drums, Martha Jones' present day during series 3 of Doctor Who takes place over a six-day period, with the Saxon Master being elected three days after Smith and Jones, and the Toclafane invading Earth five days after Smith and Jones. However, sources differ on which dates these stories are set. According to PROSE: The Paradox Moon, the Toclafane invasion happens on 23 June 2007, placing the events of Smith and Jones on 18 June. According to AUDIO: Hysteria, Smith and Jones takes place in 2008, with a UNIT mission log in AUDIO: Recruits referring to the recovery of moon rocks from Royal Hope Hospital in March 2008. A newspaper clipping in PROSE: The Secret Lives of Monsters places Smith and Jones on a Sunday 4 June, thus placing the Toclafane invasion on Friday 9 June. In the real world, these dates do not fall on a Sunday and Friday in either 2007 or 2008.
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