Alternate timeline: Difference between revisions

From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
Line 47: Line 47:
|-
|-
|Earth in [[2008]] was controlled by smoke creatures||[[Fifth Doctor]], [[Nyssa]] and [[Thomas Brewster]]||[[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Haunting of Thomas Brewster]]''
|Earth in [[2008]] was controlled by smoke creatures||[[Fifth Doctor]], [[Nyssa]] and [[Thomas Brewster]]||[[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Haunting of Thomas Brewster]]''
|-
|[[Adric]] created a city of intelligent [[scorpion]]s||[[Fifth Doctor]] and [[Nyssa]]||[[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Boy That Time Forgot]]''
|-
|-
|[[Walter Raleigh]] went back in time and encountered aliens||[[Sixth Doctor]]||[[AUDIO]]: ''[[Voyage to the New World (audio story)|Voyage to the New World]]''
|[[Walter Raleigh]] went back in time and encountered aliens||[[Sixth Doctor]]||[[AUDIO]]: ''[[Voyage to the New World (audio story)|Voyage to the New World]]''

Revision as of 16:02, 25 October 2013

An alternate timeline was a reality that diverged from the "true" timeline due to the actions of time travellers or other temporal phenomena. They were different from parallel universes in that they did not separate cleanly at the point of creation resulting in the new timeline destroying the old one. (PROSE: Imperial Moon) The phenomenon was also described as an "interstitial spillage of time." (AUDIO: Project: Lazarus)

Physics

Alternate timelines could be visited accidentally by jumping a time track (TV: The Space Museum, AUDIO: The Mutant Phase) or contacting other anomalies (AUDIO: Colditz) in the Time Vortex. Deliberate travel to these timelines was possible if the traveller possessed something, such as the sigil ring, that allowed them to change time streams. (PROSE: Goth Opera)

They may have diverged from points in history when there was temporal fluctuation. The power required to adjust the timeflow and overcome temporal inertia on such a scale couldn't fit on a single planet, but beings with enough power were capable of doing so, such as Sutekh, the Guardians of Time, Rassilon, and the Chronovores. Even the Doctor or the Master could have the know-how or inclination to create them. Because the universe only had a finite amount of mass and energy to exist as one universe, the creation of an alternate timeline adversely affected the real timeline, causing chaos throughout the universe; releasing enough energy could destroy the timeline and set history back on its correct course. (PROSE: Blood Heat)

Though a timeline could be negated, memories of it could still be retained. (TV: The Big Bang, The Impossible Astronaut) Sometimes these memories were subconscious and only surfaced in dreams. (AUDIO: The Time of the Daleks, Jubilee)

Metaphysics

From a metaphysical viewpoint, alternate timelines were always being extinguished as fewer and fewer choices became open. This was particularly affected by time travellers who changed the future whenever they arrived in a new time. This was the cosmic pain of the universe and in this manner Gabriel and Tanith were personifications of the timelines that never existed. (PROSE: Falls the Shadow)

Terminology

The phrase "alternate/alternative timeline/universe" was sometimes used interchangably with "parallel universe"; however, alternate timelines usually changed after a single moment in time, whereas parallel universes usually had more than one difference from the "normal" universe.

Timelines encountered by the Doctor

Timeline Negated By Featured in
The First Doctor and his companions became exhibits in the Moroks' Space Museum First Doctor, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright, Vicki TV: The Space Museum
Barbara Wright married Ptolemy I and became Queen of Alexandria Alternate Barbara PROSE: The Book of Shadows
WOTAN conquered Earth (this was the correct timeline before it was changed by the Doctor) First Doctor PROSE: The Time Travellers, TV: The War Machines
1794 Earth became the World Machine, with the French Revolution continuing until 1804 The Pageant after being confronted by the First Doctor PROSE: The Man in the Velvet Mask
Mechanistria was taken over by machines possibly negated by Drako, though he might not have succeeded PROSE: Peril in Mechanistria
Nancy Grover used Grold technology to become a goddess Third Doctor and Liz Shaw PROSE: The Eye of the Giant
The Power Elite took over Earth Third Doctor PROSE: Prisoners of the Sun
Freedom fighters from the 22nd century assassinated Sir Reginald Styles, causing a war which enabled the Daleks to invade Earth Third Doctor and Jo Grant TV: Day of the Daleks
Theodore Cassells's experiments led to a global war which devastated Earth Third Doctor COMIC: A Stitch in Time
The Third Doctor died on Dust and regenerated Eighth Doctor by destroying Gallifrey (PROSE: The Ancestor Cell) PROSE: Interference - Book One, Interference - Book Two
Sutekh was freed in 1911 and devastated Earth Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith TV: Pyramids of Mars
Daleks underwent the Mutant Phase Dalek Emperor AUDIO: The Mutant Phase
Melanicus created the Millennium Wars Fifth Doctor, Sir Justin and Shayde COMIC: The Tides of Time
The 22nd century Dalek invasion didn't take place Fifth Doctor and Nyssa AUDIO: Renaissance of the Daleks
Earth in 2008 was controlled by smoke creatures Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Thomas Brewster AUDIO: The Haunting of Thomas Brewster
Adric created a city of intelligent scorpions Fifth Doctor and Nyssa AUDIO: The Boy That Time Forgot
Walter Raleigh went back in time and encountered aliens Sixth Doctor AUDIO: Voyage to the New World
Cyberverse Possibly negated when Evelyn Smythe left the Sixth Doctor WC: Real Time/AUDIO: Real Time
Daleks invaded Earth in 1903 and were defeated by the British Empire the last surviving Dalek AUDIO: Jubilee
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart became immortal Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smythe AUDIO: My Own Private Wolfgang
Daleks were peaceful Seventh Doctor PROSE: The Ripple Effect
Humans evolved into Haemovores Seventh Doctor and Ace TV: The Curse of Fenric
The Dark Matrix terrorised England Seventh Doctor and Ace PROSE: Matrix
The Nazis won World War II after a piece of laser technology was left at Colditz Castle Alternate Eighth Doctor and Elizabeth Klein (inadvertently) AUDIO: Colditz, Klein's Story
Vladimir Kryuchkov succeeded Konstantin Chernenko as leader of the Soviet Union, causing World War III to occur in 1989 Seventh Doctor AUDIO: Protect and Survive
Adolf Hitler used the Timewyrm's power to enable Nazi Germany to conquer Earth Seventh Doctor and Ace PROSE: Timewyrm: Exodus
Chad Boyle killed Dorothy McShane with a brick to the head Ace PROSE: Timewyrm: Revelation
The Process enslaved the Time Scaphe crew Seventh Doctor PROSE: Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible
Silurian Earth Destroyed, not negated, by Seventh Doctor PROSE: Blood Heat
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was shot and killed by a Vardan in 1976 Artemis the Chronovore PROSE: No Future
Alternate timeline (Time & Time Again) Seventh Doctor, Ace and Bernice Summerfield COMIC: Time & Time Again
The Knights of Velyshaa conquered Gallifrey Fifth Doctor, Sixth Doctor, Seventh Doctor, the Temperon AUDIO: The Sirens of Time
Elizabeth Klein created the Galactic Reich after stealing the Doctor's TARDIS and making repeated corrections to the timeline Seventh Doctor and Elizabeth Klein and the Selachians (both inadvertently after being manipulated by the Doctor) AUDIO: The Architects of History
Edward Grove came to life Eighth Doctor and Charley Pollard AUDIO: The Chimes of Midnight
Sebastian Grayle became immortal and helped the Nimon conquer Earth Eighth Doctor and Charley Pollard AUDIO: Seasons of Fear
Daleks invaded Earth in the 17th century Eighth Doctor and Charley Pollard AUDIO: The Time of the Daleks
Humans didn't evolve and Earth was a Tractis colony known as Paratractis Eighth Doctor, Sam Jones, Jo Grant PROSE: Genocide
Sato Katsura formed the Church of the Glorious Dead which conquered Earth Kroton COMIC: The Glorious Dead
Pete Tyler didn't die and Reapers began consuming humanity Pete Tyler TV: Father's Day
The Year That Never Was Tenth Doctor, Martha Jones and Captain Jack Harkness TV: Last of the Time Lords
Donna's World alternate Donna Noble, with assistance from Rose Tyler TV: Turn Left
The Progenitor Daleks repopulated Skaro and exterminated humanity to extinction in 1963 Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond GAME: City of the Daleks
The Doctor's TARDIS exploded, creating Cracks in Time which began erasing the universe's history Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond, Rory Williams (Auton) and River Song (TV: The Big Bang) TV: Series 5
Ship kidnapped people and wiped Foxtown off the map Eleventh Doctor PROSE: The Way Through the Woods
Amy Pond was stranded on Apalapucia for 36 years Eleventh Doctor TV: The Girl Who Waited
River Song's World Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond, Rory Williams, River Song, the Teselecta TV: The Wedding of River Song
The Silurians attempted to pump poison onto Earth's surface to reclaim it Eleventh Doctor and River Song GAME: The Eternity Clock
The Progenitor Daleks invaded and destroyed London in or before 2106 Eleventh Doctor and River Song GAME: The Eternity Clock
Amy Pond was killed by Jack the Ripper Eleventh Doctor COMIC: Ripper's Curse
The Cybermen conquered the galaxy Eleventh Doctor and Jean-Luc Picard COMIC: Assimilation²
Rory Williams remained imprisoned in Winter Quay for the rest of his life Rory Williams, Amy Pond TV: The Angels Take Manhattan
The TARDIS was damaged by van Baalen Bros. and self-destructed Eleventh Doctor TV: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS
The Great Intelligence negated the Doctor's victories Clara TV: The Name of the Doctor

Timelines encountered by others

Timeline Negated By Featured in
The Seventh Doctor defeated the Vardan invasion of Earth by leaving clues for his past self The Monk PROSE: No Future
Insects of the Mind evolved as the dominant life on Earth The existence of time travel PROSE: Falls the Shadow
Britain was a conformist republic The existence of time travel PROSE: Falls the Shadow
Andrea Yates' World alternate Andrea Yates TV: Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?
The Trickster's World Eddie and Barbara Smith TV: The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith
Ship erased Sarah Jane Smith, Luke Smith and Clyde Langer Adam Lloyd TV: The Mad Woman in the Attic
Deindum from the future conquered the galaxy Bernice Summerfield PROSE: Present Danger, AUDIO: Escaping the Future