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{{ImageLink}}
{{Infobox Individual
{{Infobox Individual
|image           = [[Image:Series5riversong.jpg|300px]]
|image       = <gallery>
|individual name = River Song
Young melody escaping.jpg|Melody
|alias           = Professor Song <br> Doctor River Song |
Mels in Hitler's office.jpg|Mels
|race            = [[Human]]?
River Looks Left LKH.jpg|River
|home planet     =  
</gallery>
|home era        = [[51st century]]
|alias       = [[Mels Zucker]], [[River Song]] <!-- for aliases pertaining to specific incarnations, please see those pages -->
|appearances    = <ul><li>[[DW]]: ''[[Silence in the Library]]''</li><li>[[DW]]: ''[[Forest of the Dead]]''</li><li>[[DW]]: ''[[Journey's End]]'' (flashback)</li><li>[[DW]]: ''[[The Time of Angels]]''</li><li>[[DW]]: ''[[Flesh and Stone]]''</li>
|species      = Human
|actor           = [[Alex Kingston]]
|species2    = Proto-Time Lord
|species3     = Data ghost
|job          = Archaeologist
|job2        = Detective
|job3        = Writer
|job4        = Assassin
|affiliation  = The Silence
|affiliation2 = Luna University
|affiliation3 = Felman Lux Corporation
|birth date  = [[52nd century]], [[Demons Run]]
|death date  = [[51st century]], [[the Library]]
|spouse      = The Doctor
|spouse2      = Ramone
|spouse3      = Hydroflax
|spouse4      = Stephen Fry (in-universe){{!}}Stephen Fry
|spouse5      = River Song's second wife{{!}}second wife
|spouse6      = Jack Harkness
|grandparent  = Tabetha Pond
|grandparent2 = Augustus Pond
|grandparent3 = Brian Williams (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship)
|grandparent4 = Rory Williams's mother{{!}}Rory's mother
|mother      = Amy Pond
|father      = Rory Williams
|adoptive brother = Anthony Williams
|sibling      = Lake (The Lady in the Lake)
|sibling2    = Rindle
|sibling3    = Tarn (The Lady in the Lake)
|sibling4    = Stream (The Lady in the Lake)
|sibling5    = Creek (The Lady in the Lake)
|sibling6    = Wadi
|sibling7    = Beck (The Lady in the Lake)
|sibling8    = Brooke (The Lady in the Lake)
|sibling9    = H-One
|sibling10    = H-Two
|sibling11    = O (The Furies)
|adopted child = Kamen Vers
|adopted child2 = Charlotte Lux
|origin      = [[Demons Run]]
|first        = Silence in the Library (TV story)
|appearances  = {{appears}}
|actor       = Alex Kingston
|other actor  = Harrison and Madison Mortimer
|other actor2 = Sydney Wade
|other actor3 = Maya Glace-Green
|other actor4 = Nina Toussaint-White
|clip        = The REAL Melody Pond - Doctor Who - A Good Man Goes to War - Series 6 - BBC
|bts          = Introducing the Pond Family - Doctor Who Confidential - Series 6 - Episode 13 - BBC Three
}}
}}
{{semi-protect}}
{{MelodyPonds}}
'''Melody Pond''' was the child of [[Amy Pond]] and [[Rory Williams]]. She was a "[[Child of a TARDIS|child]] of the [[The Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]]", born mostly [[Human]] with some [[Time Lord]] [[DNA]]. She was transformed by [[the Silence]] into the first of several [[Proto-Time Lord]]s, and had the ability to [[Regeneration|regenerate]].


Professor '''River Song''' is a mysterious archaeologist who shared a close relationship with [[the Doctor]]. Although his [[Silence in the Library|first meeting]] with her ended in her death, she told [[Tenth Doctor|him]] that, due to the complicated nature of [[time travel]], he had many adventures with her yet to come. As of "The Time of Angels," she had traveled in the TARDIS at least once, meaning she could now technically be considered a [[Companion]].
Melody was named after her parents' childhood friend, '''[[Mels Zucker]]''', who was in fact secretly her second incarnation gone back in time to ensure her parents got together. Regenerating once more into her third incarnation after being shot by [[Adolf Hitler]], she became best known as [[Professor]] '''[[River Song]]''', and married the [[Time Lord]] known as [[the Doctor]] in his [[Eleventh Doctor|eleventh incarnation]].


==Profile==
== Biography ==
===Early Life===
=== Incarnations of Melody Pond ===
River Song was an [[archaeologist]] already highly familiar with [[the Doctor]] when they first meet (from his perspective) in the [[51st century]]. She was, in fact, a future companion of his who travelled with him off and on. According to her, he came to trust her implicitly, though at the start of their relationship (from his perspective) he was generally suspicious of her and almost hostile to her at times. Prior to her encounter with the [[Weeping Angel]]s, she was imprisoned for murder of someone she described as, "A very good man. Best man I've ever known." She was imprisoned in the Storm Cage Facility until she was put under [[Father Octavian]]'s custody. If she were to carry out the mission assigned to her she would earn her pardon. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Time of Angels]] / [[Flesh and Stone]]'')
During her first incarnation, Melody was a [[Melody Pond (Prequel to The Impossible Astronaut)|little girl]], who had been kidnapped by [[Madame Kovarian]]. She harvested Melody's embryonic [[DNA]] in order to [[clone]] more children like her. This resulted in the creation of River's clones, the [[Proto-Time Lord|Proto-Time Lords]]. The clones referred to one another as siblings. The first batch consisted of seven clones named [[Lake (The Lady in the Lake)|Lake]], [[Rindle]], [[Tarn (The Lady in the Lake)|Tarn]], [[Wadi]], [[Creek (The Lady in the Lake)|Creek]], [[Stream (The Lady in the Lake)|Stream]], and [[Beck (The Lady in the Lake)|Beck]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Lady in the Lake (audio story)|The Lady in the Lake]]'') The second batch of clones included [[Brooke (The Lady in the Lake)|Brooke]], [[H-One]], [[H-Two]], and [[O (The Furies)|O]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[My Dinner with Andrew (audio story)|My Dinner with Andrew]]'', ''[[The Furies (audio story)|The Furies]]'') Like River, the clones had [[Binary vascular system|two hearts]] and the ability to regenerate; however, the exact amount of regenerations each of them had was random. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Lady in the Lake (audio story)|The Lady in the Lake]]'')


=== With [[The Doctor|the Doctor]] ===
After escaping from the Silence, Melody had made her way to [[New York City]] and developed a terminal illness, but knew she could "fix it" by [[Regeneration|regenerating]]. She was living homeless in an alley when she finally succumbed to her ailment in January [[1970]], and regenerated. ([[TV]]: ''[[Day of the Moon (TV story)|Day of the Moon]]'')


====The Opening of the Pandorica====
Now under the name of [[Mels Zucker]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Mels at School (short story)|Mels at School]]'') and residing in [[Leadworth]], Melody grew up once more, now alongside her parents. She became Amelia and Rory's close childhood friend, ([[TV]]: ''[[Let's Kill Hitler (TV story)|Let's Kill Hitler]]'') Upon meeting the [[Eleventh Doctor]], Mels held him at gunpoint and made him take her to "kill [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]". There, she was caught in a crossfire between him and the ''[[Teselecta]]''. She got the Doctor to promise to marry her, and revealed her true identity to the three of them. Beginning to regenerate, Melody reflected on her last regeneration, and told her parents she was glad she had found them, before she exploded with [[regeneration energy]].
{{quote|I will see you again when the Pandorica Opens.|River to [[Eleventh Doctor|the Doctor]]|Flesh and Stone}}


====Crash of the [[Byzantium (ship)|Byzantium]] ====
Shortly after regenerating, Melody began examining her new body. Unbeknownst to her, both the Doctor and her parents were already acquainted with this new incarnation, who more commonly used the name [[River Song]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Let's Kill Hitler (TV story)|Let's Kill Hitler]]'')
[[File:D11s01e04-5 gfx 02.jpg|thumb|right|River breaks into the [[Byzantium (ship)|Byzantium ship]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Time of Angels]]'')|200px]][[File:Dw504_0529.jpg|thumb|left|Amy Pond, The Doctor and River looking at the crash site of the Byzantium]]
Doctor River Song was a guest on the Byzantium ship in the 51st century. She was working for a military organisation at the time when that happened, in exchange for a pardon for the murder. She infiltrated the lower levels to the [[Home Box]], into which she carved the message "Hello Sweetie" in the [[Old High Gallifreyan]] language to attract the Doctor. About 12,000 years later the Doctor found the [[Home Box]] in a museum. The Doctor used the cube to home in on her location where she was being pursued by guards. She then jettisoned herself from an air lock, where the waiting Doctor and Amy Pond picked her up in the TARDIS. River then showed exceptional TARDIS flying skills landing it next to the Byzantium, which had crashed into the Maze of the Dead. Along with the Bishop and his Clerics, River accompanied the Doctor and Amy into the maze. She made it out of the maze alive along with Amy and the Doctor, to be imprisoned once more. However she mentions she will see the Doctor again at Pandorica and that she remembers it well, implying the events have already happened for River but are yet to come for the Doctor. ([[DW]]: ''[[Flesh and Stone]]'')


===Death===
{{Proto-Time Lords}}
River's expedition to [[The Library|the Library]] was financed by [[Felman Lux]] and was chartered to find out what disaster had happened there,[[File:Dw408_1001.jpg|thumb|River, The Doctor and Donna Noble in 'The Library']] 100 years previously, that had caused 4022 people to "die" or disappear. When her team ran into trouble during an expedition to a deserted library, it was only natural that River should try to summon the Doctor by sending him a message via [[psychic paper]]. [[Tenth Doctor|The version of the Doctor]] who turned up had not yet met her. Though bewildered, he agreed to help River and her team.
{{NameSort}}
[[File:River and 10.png|thumb|left|River Song "do diaries". ([[DW]]: ''[[Silence in the Library]]'')|200px]]
River and the Doctor appeared to be very familiar, even considering the strong bonds the Doctor forms with his companions. She kept a worn and battered diary which the cover looked very much like the TARDIS doors, keeping a journal of her travels with the Doctor. There was a suggestion that in the future the Doctor's personal future she would carry a similar journal, as she commenteted about needing to "compare" diaries. She carried a [[River Song's sonic screwdriver|upgraded version]] of the [[sonic screwdriver]] which "her" version of the Doctor had given her.
As the situation in the Library deteriorated, River realised she must prove to the Doctor that she was (or will become) someone he trusts completely and with profuse apologies, she whispers his true name into his ear. The Doctor was stunned by this information, and River succeeded in winning his trust.


River physically died when she chose to sacrifice herself in order to stop the Doctor from sacrificing himself in order to save Donna and the other 4022 people trapped in the Library. She pleaded with him to not try and change history, not to change one moment of what is to come for them.
[[Category:Spouses of the Doctor]]
 
[[Category:Companions of the Doctor]]
After saving all the trapped people, the Doctor realized his future self must have given her his sonic screwdriver for a reason. Inside he found a [[data chip]], which contains River's [[Data Ghost]]. The Doctor&nbsp;saved her by uploading her into the virtual world contained in [[The Library]]'s data core. [[CAL]], the library's data core controlled by a human girl wired into its mainframe, also managed to save the data ghosts of all of River's dead archaeological team, so she would have company in the virtual world. ([[DW]]: ''[[Silence in the Library]]''/''[[Forest of the Dead]]'')
[[Category:Partial Time Lords]]
 
[[Category:Fifth Doctor companions]]
===Post-Death===
[[Category:Tenth Doctor companions]]
When [[Davros]] said to [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]] that ''"Everywhere you go there are always deaths"'' River appeared in a flashback, as the Doctor had flashbacks over those who have died during his travels. ([[DW]]: ''[[Journey's End]]'')
[[Category:Eleventh Doctor companions]]
 
[[Category:Twelfth Doctor companions]]
===Other Information===
[[Category:The Doctor's Time Lord companions]]
*River Song seemed to take shorter trips with the Doctor, living a more or less normal life between trips, rather than having one extended trip with the Doctor and never seeing him again after parting ways.
[[Category:The Doctor's human companions]]
*River Song is a skilled TARDIS pilot (with very different methods from the Doctor). She has mentioned that she "learned from the best" but implied that her teacher was not the Doctor.
[[Category:Biologically modified humans]]
*Song appears to have knowledge of Time Lord anatomy, including knowledge of regeneration. She indicates that destruction of both of the Doctor's hearts is a circumstance after which regeneration is not possible.
[[Category:Cloned individuals]]
*River Song has the ability to write messages in [[High Gallifreyan]].
[[Category:Human archaeologists]]
*River possessed pictures of all the Doctor's incarnations.
[[Category:Human assassins]]
*River is sentenced to prison for murdering a man described as "a hero of many" and whom she calls "A very good man. Best man I've ever known". Octavian felt that the murder victim's identity is something that the Doctor "really [doesn't] want to know."
[[Category:Human students]]
*Before his death, Octavian tells the Doctor that "You think you know [River], but you don't. You don't understand who or what she is." He may be referring to her status as a murderer (possibly ''the eigth Doctor's''  murderer), or something else.
[[Category:Human murderers]]
 
[[Category:Human professors]]
[[File:River_Song_Sonic_Screwdriver.jpg|thumb|Song's screwdriver]]
[[Category:Human war criminals]]
 
[[Category:20th century individuals]]
===River Song's Timeline===
[[Category:21st century individuals]]
 
[[Category:51st century individuals]]
* Meets [[the Doctor]] for the first time.
[[Category:52nd century individuals]]
 
[[Category:Human time travellers]]
* Has an adventure with the Doctor at the Bone Meadows. (mentioned [[DW]]: ''[[The Time of Angels]]'')
[[Category:Human prisoners]]
 
[[Category:Stormcage inmates]]
* Has a picnic with the Doctor at Asgard. (mentioned [[DW]]: ''[[Silence in the Library]]'')
[[Category:Human thieves]]
 
[[Category:Business owners]]
* Meets the Doctor when the Pandorica Opens. (mentioned [[DW]]: ''[[Flesh and Stone]]'')
[[Category:Human writers]]
 
[[Category:Human detectives]]
* Kills "a hero to many", "the best man [she's] ever known" and is imprisoned. (mentioned [[DW]]: [[Flesh and Stone]])
[[Category:Humans who have been kidnapped]]
 
[[Category:Humans who met the Doctor as babies]]
* [[Father Octavian]] releases her from a storm cage. ([[DW]]: [[Flesh and Stone]])
[[Category:Members of the Silence]]
 
[[Category:Humans who met the Doctor as children]]
* Four days later, she breaches the [[Byzantium]] and is rescued by the [[Eleventh Doctor]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Time of Angels]]'')
[[Category:Leadworth Primary School students]]
 
[[Category:Leadworth Secondary School students]]
* River Song and the [[Eleventh Doctor]] investigates the the crash landing of the [[Byzantium (ship)|Byzantium]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Time of Angels]]'')
[[Category:Luna University students]]
 
[[Category:Aliases]]
* Travels to the End of the Universe with the Doctor. (mentioned [[DW]]: [[Silence in the Library]])
[[Category:Individuals impersonated by the Teselecta]]
 
[[Category:Human imposters]]
* The Doctor, with a new haircut and a suit, visits River Song and takes her to see the [[Singing Towers of Darillium]]. He gives her his [[Sonic Screwdriver]].
[[Category:Humans who have been inside the Doctor's TARDIS]]
 
[[Category:Time Lords who have been inside the Doctor's TARDIS]]
* Tries to send 'her Doctor' a message via the [[Psychic paper]], asking him to come to [[the Library]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Silence in the Library]]'')
[[Category:Suspension of time]]
 
[[Category:River Song's World individuals]]
* The [[Tenth Doctor]], whilst traveling with [[Donna Noble]] comes to the Library in the 51st Century at her request and meets River Song for the first time, when they face an infestation of [[Vashta Nerada]] within [[the Library]].
[[Category:Humans caught in a time loop]]
 
[[Category:Time Lords caught in a time loop]]
* Proves to the Tenth Doctor how important she will be to him by whispering his true name in his ear. ([[DW]]: ''[[Silence in the Library]]'')
[[Category:Human royalty]]
 
[[Category:Human travellers between universes]]
* Sacrifices herself to save the Tenth Doctor and the Library. ([[DW]]: ''[[Forest of the Dead]]'')
[[Category:Time Lord travellers between universes]]
 
[[Category:Humans who have witnessed regeneration]]
* The Tenth Doctor beams River Song from a [[Neural Relay]] in her sonic screwdriver into the Library's Data Core. ([[DW]]: ''[[Forest of the Dead]]'')
[[Category:Time Lords who have witnessed regeneration]]
 
[[Category:Time Lords who have been inside the Master's TARDIS]]
* River Song's brainwaves live on in the virtual world inside the Data Core, containing [[Charlotte Lux|CAL]] and [[Doctor Moon]]. She is reunited in this virtual world with her crew mates, [[Proper Dave]], [[Other Dave]], [[Anita]] and [[Miss Evangelista]], whose brainwaves must have also been added to the Data Core. ([[DW]]: ''[[Forest of the Dead]]'')
[[Category:Humans who have been inside the Master's TARDIS]]
 
[[Category:Human mercenaries]]
== Behind the Scenes ==
[[Category:The Doctor's romances]]
*It is unknown precisely where in time and space River Song originally came from. As the Doctor has left previous companions in different parts of the universe from where he originally found them, it is possible that River was not originally from the 51st century at all.
[[Category:Luna University staff]]
*Although well-known to have appeared in episodes 4 and 5 of series 5, Alex Kingston was seen filming for the finale (12 and 13) at Stonehenge, later being seen in the trailer.
[[Category:Human Coal Hill teachers]]
*In a recent interview by Digital Spy, Steven Moffat made a passing comment to the effect that River Song might turn out to be very different from people's presumptions as to who she really is. [http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s7/doctor-who/tubetalk/a210033/video-steven-moffat-bonus-cut.html]
[[Category:Humans who have been inside the Clocksmith's TARDIS]]
{{Companions of the Eleventh Doctor}}
[[Category:Time Lords who have been inside the Clocksmith's TARDIS]]
[[Category:Human companions|Song, River]]
[[Category:Individuals who remembered the Year That Never Was]]
[[Category:51st century individuals|Song, River]]
[[Category:TARDIS pilots]]
[[Category:Human adventurers|Song, River]]
[[Category:Individuals who have kissed the Doctor]]
[[Category:Human archaeologists|Song, River]]
[[Category:Non-heterosexual individuals]]
[[Category:Companions of the Eleventh Doctor]]
[[Category:Amy Pond's relatives]]
[[Category:Pre-broadcast spoilers]]
[[Category:Rory Williams's relatives]]
[[Category:Combatants in the Last Great Time War]]
[[Category:Individuals who knew the answer to the Question]]
[[Category:UNIT scientific advisors]]

Latest revision as of 11:56, 2 April 2024

Melody Pond was the child of Amy Pond and Rory Williams. She was a "child of the TARDIS", born mostly Human with some Time Lord DNA. She was transformed by the Silence into the first of several Proto-Time Lords, and had the ability to regenerate.

Melody was named after her parents' childhood friend, Mels Zucker, who was in fact secretly her second incarnation gone back in time to ensure her parents got together. Regenerating once more into her third incarnation after being shot by Adolf Hitler, she became best known as Professor River Song, and married the Time Lord known as the Doctor in his eleventh incarnation.

Biography[[edit] | [edit source]]

Incarnations of Melody Pond[[edit] | [edit source]]

During her first incarnation, Melody was a little girl, who had been kidnapped by Madame Kovarian. She harvested Melody's embryonic DNA in order to clone more children like her. This resulted in the creation of River's clones, the Proto-Time Lords. The clones referred to one another as siblings. The first batch consisted of seven clones named Lake, Rindle, Tarn, Wadi, Creek, Stream, and Beck. (AUDIO: The Lady in the Lake) The second batch of clones included Brooke, H-One, H-Two, and O. (AUDIO: My Dinner with Andrew, The Furies) Like River, the clones had two hearts and the ability to regenerate; however, the exact amount of regenerations each of them had was random. (AUDIO: The Lady in the Lake)

After escaping from the Silence, Melody had made her way to New York City and developed a terminal illness, but knew she could "fix it" by regenerating. She was living homeless in an alley when she finally succumbed to her ailment in January 1970, and regenerated. (TV: Day of the Moon)

Now under the name of Mels Zucker (PROSE: Mels at School) and residing in Leadworth, Melody grew up once more, now alongside her parents. She became Amelia and Rory's close childhood friend, (TV: Let's Kill Hitler) Upon meeting the Eleventh Doctor, Mels held him at gunpoint and made him take her to "kill Hitler". There, she was caught in a crossfire between him and the Teselecta. She got the Doctor to promise to marry her, and revealed her true identity to the three of them. Beginning to regenerate, Melody reflected on her last regeneration, and told her parents she was glad she had found them, before she exploded with regeneration energy.

Shortly after regenerating, Melody began examining her new body. Unbeknownst to her, both the Doctor and her parents were already acquainted with this new incarnation, who more commonly used the name River Song. (TV: Let's Kill Hitler)

v • e
Proto-Time Lords
Original
First batch
Lake / Lily • Rindle • Tarn • Stream • Creek • Wadi • Beck
Second batch
Brooke • H-One • H-Two • O
The Proto-Time Lords were created by Kovarian on Demons Run, clones of the original: Melody Pond.
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