Distant past

"Distant past" is a title based upon conjecture.

Check the behind the scenes section, the revision history and discussion page for additional comments on this article's title.

The formation of the Sol system and the end of the Dark Times. (TV: The Runaway Bride)

For later events, see the pages for BC, the 1st century and subsequent century pages. You may also wish to consult the Dark Times, an epoch without clear boundaries.

The distant past was that period which was historically remote to the Doctor's usual travels. It had no exact date range, but could be considered to extend from the Big Bang (and perhaps earlier) to the development of modern humans, in about 100,000 BC. The Dark Times of the Universe were known to have occurred in the distant past.

Timeline

• Beginning of time: The Big Bang occurred due to a combination of at least two events: an ejection of fuel from the leper ship Terminus (TV: Terminus) and the explosion of the time ship Vipod Mor. (AUDIO: Slipback) On at least two occasions the TARDIS, through malfunction or interference, attempted to return to this point in time, which was also known as Event One, only to be prevented from doing so. (TV: The Edge of Destruction, Castrovalva)
• 5 billion B.C.: An unknown species created the Arkive to preserve their knowledge after their planet was destroyed by a supernova. The plan failed and the Arkive was badly damaged by the supernova. Eventually, it drifted into the Sol system and became the core of Mnemosyne. (PROSE: The Wheel of Ice)
• 4.6 billion B.C.: The Sol system formed. A Racnoss spacecraft entered the system and became the core of the Earth. (TV: The Runaway Bride) At the same time, the Sentience was trapped inside the forming Earth, underneath the area that would later be known as Crook Marsham. (PROSE: Nightshade)
• 4.5 billion B.C.: The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith observed Earth's development over the course of several million years and encountered Megron. (AUDIO: Exploration Earth)
• Around this time the Eleventh Doctor photographed what would be the site of the Caliburn House as part of his investigation of the Caliburn Ghost. (TV: Hide)
• Billions of years B.C.: The seas on Androzani Minor dried up. (TV: The Caves of Androzani)
• 3 billion B.C.: A civilisation of Venusian thrives on Venus, but likely goes extinct when the planet becomes uninhabitable. (PROSE: Venusian Lullaby)
• 1 billion B.C.: The Khorlthochloi invaded Earth, but were somehow stopped. (PROSE: Synthespians™)
• 1 billion to 500 million B.C.: The Angels created the bases on Belial and Moloch. They then used the "Mushroom Farm" (which could modify morphic fields) to change their shape. (PROSE: Lucifer Rising)

A more precise date can't be given, since this was gleaned from archaeological research and the living Angels refused to communicate with the humans.

• 500 million B.C.: The Cirranin home planet was destroyed in a war, wiping them out. (PROSE: The Last Dodo)
• 400 million B.C.: The last Jagaroth ship exploded on primitive Earth. The explosion killed the crew and splintered Scaroth into 12 sections in human history. The explosion also caused the development of life on Earth, meaning that to prevent the explosion would have left the planet a desolate rock. (TV: City of Death)
• 260 million B.C.: The Permians evolved on Earth. They eventually wiped out 96% of life on the planet and went dormant. (AUDIO: The Land of the Dead)
• Unknown point: The Silurians and Sea Devils developed an advanced culture, but were forced underground due to the arrival of the Moon. (TV: Doctor Who and the Silurians)
• 150 million B.C.: The Millennium War occurred, causing massive amounts of death and carnage. (TV: The Quantum Archangel)
• 150 million B.C.: A civil war erupted on Kastria, which led to the destruction of Eldrad and the eventual extinction of the Kastrians. (TV: The Hand of Fear)
• 150 million B.C.: A planet inhabited by parasitic lifeforms was destroyed by its dying star. One individual was able to escape, but crashed on Earth in the Mariana Trench. (AUDIO: Submission)
• 140 million B.C.: The Vardon-Kosnax War occurred, devastating Xeriphas. As a result, the Xeraphin merged into a gestalt and transported themselves to Earth. (TV: Time-Flight)
• 100 million B.C.: A allohistorical lure, sent back in time by Arkive, landed on Earth. It killed a dinosaur and was fossilized with it. (PROSE: The Wheel of Ice)
• Date unknown: The Seventh Doctor dropped off Ace on Earth during the Cretaceous period. (COMIC: Train-Flight) After arriving to pick her up, he witnessed her lead the dinosaurs in destroying an alien colony being constructed by slave labour. (PROSE: Living in the Past)
• 65 million B.C.: The crash of a human freighter from the future caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. (TV: Earthshock) In the immediate aftermath of the event, Jack Harkness, who for reasons unknown was present on Earth, lived off of dinosaur meat (TV: Fragments)
• 65.5 million to 59 million B.C.: The Cardiff Space-Time Rift connected the Paleocene ocean and the Cardiff Bay in 2008. The amino-acids from the Palaeocene broke down pollutants like oil, improving the quality of sea-water. (PROSE: The Undertaker's Gift)
• 60 million B.C.: A Xylok ship crashed into Earth and became trapped in the crust. (TV: The Lost Boy)
• 60 million B.C.: The Moon left the Cthalctose homeworld and entered the Sol system. (PROSE: Eternity Weeps)
• 50 million B.C.: Arkive tried to attract the Silurians to rescue itself. The attempt failed and the rings of Saturn were created by the destruction of Mnemosyne. (PROSE: The Wheel of Ice)
• 12 million B.C.: The Fendahl teleported itself to Earth from its homeworld using psychic power, possibly ravaging Mars along the way. (TV: Image of the Fendahl)
• Millions of years B.C.: The Mastons went extinct when their planet was destroyed. (AUDIO: Slipback)
• Millions of years B.C.: The Hervoken went to war with the Carrionites. (PROSE: Forever Autumn)
• 5 million B.C.: The Xhinn were created out of fire in an alternate universe. They rebelled against this creator and were banished into the universe. (PROSE: Amorality Tale)

This event may have been a myth, or an exaggeration of true events.

• 2.5 million to 3.6 million B.C.: The Tractite attempted to meddle in humanity's prehistory. (PROSE: Genocide)
• 497,400 B.C.: Saraani civilisation developed. (PROSE: Dry Pilgrimage)