Tautology (short story)

Tautology
Main character(s):	Frederick Marius
Main setting:	Earth and Bi-Al Foundation, 12-27 May 4997
Key crew
Writer:	Glenn Langford
Release details
Printed in:	DWM 194
Release date:	26 November 1992
Cover date:	23 December 1992
Brief Encounter
← Previous	Toy
Next →	In the Community

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

Summary

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

• Frederick Marius
• K9 Mark I
• K9 Mark III
• Gloria
• Frank
• Moore
• Toby

Worldbuilding

• Frank is a descendant of Sarah Jane Smith.
• Marius uses a couple of tautologies in his diary, for which he chides himself.
• Frank inherited K9 from his mother.

Notes

• "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

The television story School Reunion 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, since this short story was written years before the television story, it is clear which model is intended.

External links

• Tautology at the Doctor Who Reference Guide