Talk:The Beast Below (TV story)

Star Whale / Starship UK connectors?

The star whale has, at the very least, a hole cut in its head and its head fixed to the location of the Tower of London, a surgically implanted feeding tube, and a tube leading to an overflow area binding it to Starship UK. It's also reasonable to assume that all through its body are various girders and interlocks tying the two together. Why then, in the last scene, do we see the star whale apparently unhindered, especially around the mouth and head?

124.254.80.117 06:09, April 11, 2010 (UTC)

Elevator Verse

Here is the full text of the poem the girl in the elevator recites in the lift, in case anyone needs it.

A horse and a man, above, below

One has a plan but both must go

Mile after mile, above, beneath,

One has a smile and one has teeth

Though the man above might say hello

Expect no love from the Beast below.

124.254.80.117 01:03, April 11, 2010 (UTC)

Suggested Plot holes:

The computer registers Amy to be over 1300 years old, when it should register her to be over 700

Good spot there. It suggests either that the timeframe of the story was changed at some point, and the age calculation wasn't updated. Or Amy somehow gets registered several hundred years before she was born... possibly in a future adventure?

79.123.73.227 20:09, April 10, 2010 (UTC) Sensorite 20:09, April 10, 2010 (UTC)

One point: I know the Doctor mentions that mankind branched out in the 29th century, but I can't remember any point where it mentions explicity that they are travelling in the 2800s (although I may be wrong). Isn't it possible that they have been travelling for hundreds of years, perhaps up to the 3300s (which makes Amy about the right age)? You're right, look down at the Setting highlight, it should be edited.Doctorin the TARDIS 22:54, April 10, 2010 (UTC)

If the Doctor and Amy are in the mouth of the star whale, shouldn't that mean they are exposed to the open space and suffocate? Conmck22 18:45, April 10, 2010 (UTC)

Because the Star Whale has it's mouth closed? We only see the teeth, not the stars outside. Presumably it's lips form an air-tight seal, or it's lips had been sealed surgically when the feeding tubes were inserted. Any oxygen atomosphere would then come from Starship UK, possibly from the compressed air cannons used to force food down the tubes.

This also explains why The Doctor and Amy end up in an overflow tube when the Star Whale vomits, rather than being expelled into space.

79.123.73.227 20:09, April 10, 2010 (UTC) Sensorite 20:09, April 10, 2010 (UTC)

Production Errors

In the pre-credit sequence there is a shot of Timmy in the lift with the Smiler smiling. Then the shot switches to the "test card girl". Then back to a shot with Timmy in the lift with the Smiler already having it's "disapproving" face. Only then does the shot switch to a close-up of the Smiler, still with the smiling face, turning it's head to the disapproving face.

Setting

The machine gave Amy's age as about 1300, as Amy is 21 in 2010, this story should be given a setting in the 34th century not the 29th.

Doctorin the TARDIS 21:35, April 10, 2010 (UTC)Doctorin the TARDIS 10:35pm Sat 10th April 2010

Liz 10 had been queen for 300 years (by the Doctor's estimate), so if they left Earth in the 2900s and she was involved in capturing the whale as her recorded message suggests, then it could easily have been at least 3200, possibly later if you fudge the numbers a bit (late 2900s, and the Doctor underestimated by a century or so). Lokiofmidgaard 21:43, April 10, 2010 (UTC)

Yeah I checked it 1,306 so a setting of 3295, 33rd century :)Doctorin the TARDIS 00:15, April 11, 2010 (UTC)

The Crack

The crack reappeared again in this episode, less subtle than the one on the Doctor's monitor in the last - at the end of the episode, in the hull of Starship UK itself. 68.52.163.69 22:13, April 10, 2010 (UTC)

Guess I might've been right about it purposely reoccuring! I'd say not all of them will be so blatant, we should keep an eye out. Ponk 01:36, April 11, 2010 (UTC)

Plot error?

I'm not so sure my question really justifies the subject line, but am I to assume that the star whale will have to continue to live off english citizens after the events of this episode? Or was this resolved and i missed it?

I think that it isn't stated, whether the citizens are needed to feed the star whale. On the tongue of the whale is a lot of food. Maybe that is enough for it not to starve.78.43.114.215 12:18, April 11, 2010 (UTC)