Talk:World War II/Appearances

Defining this list

I think this page is well worth having, but since it is relatively unique, in that it features a far-reaching event - rather than an object, location, or individual - I think we should properly define what it covers. Do we cover all stories which are set during WWII (and presumably on Earth), just those to which WWII has any degree of relevance, or do we restrict it to stories which directly involve the war itself, whether that be battles, war rooms, soldiers, hospitals, etc. I'd go for one of the latter two, but I'm really more interested in the opinions of others, particularly the creator of the article. Danochy ☎ 14:16, July 1, 2020 (UTC)

Happy to oblige. I felt it made sense to have the list given that the Last Great Time War and War in Heaven have their own lists - I don't know what the policy for those two are but it's probably a bit easier since they're fictional. I was quite general on this list and included a number of stories which weren't necessarily about the war in themselves, but still depicted some war-related activity - as in battles, planning, mission briefings, experiments, politics, occupation... Alternate timelines and parallel universes I'd also argue are fair game (Don't we live in a parallel universe to the DWU anyway?). What I excluded was:

• Stories in which characters simply talk about the war, unless there's a clear flashback.
• Stories set simply during the war years, so no Rosa just because of the 1943 prologue.
• No pre-war prep, so no Let's Kill Hitler or anything predating Poland... unless it's in China, where stories like The Shadow of Weng-Chiang can really muddy the waters, although to my knowledge, there are currently only two (three...?) that deal with this. (But pre-Marco Polo Bridge essentially.)
• Stories where the war activity turns out to be fake or simulated, or post-war re-enactments and commemoration, though again, these seem rare.

Based on that criteria, here's my reasoning for some of the more debatable ones:

• City of Death: A brief flashback scene in the novelisation sees a young Hermann fleeing with the Wehrmacht from Paris as the Americans draw near.
• The Beast Below and The Pandorica Opens: I felt the short scenes in the War Rooms were like miniature depictions of the same thing seen in Victory of the Daleks.
• Last of the Gaderene: The prologue sees Alec Whistler about to embark on an air mission before the area is struck. The bomb is presumed to be a V-weapon although it's later revealed to have been alien in origin.
• The Road to Hell: Controversial, this one, but Izzy's memories conjure up a depiction of the Hiroshima explosion.
• The Jabari Countdown: Not really a war story but the characters are led to believe they're being taken on a special war recruitment mission.
• Daleks Among Us: Some scenes see American artillery falling on Dusseldorf. I was conflicted about including Persuasion too but it's set just after VE-Day, although not VJ-Day. Of course, that raises the question about whether we should include...
• Subterfuge: Another controversial one, set in post-VE Day London, but it's clear the war with Japan is still going on and Churchill gives a little bit of war talk to that effect. (Churchill Victorious falls into a similar boat.)

I also have to admit that I haven't read, watched or listened to absolutely all stories listed on the page, so some are listed based on whether their respective pages categorised them as "set during WWII", and may be subject to review. But apart from that, my thinking was as above. To me, the trickiest bit is reconciling post-VE Day, pre-VJ Day stories or scenes set far apart from the Pacific theatres. TheCoud'veBeenKing ☎ 18:48, July 1, 2020 (UTC)