Theory:Timeline - Seventh Doctor

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This page lists appearances of the Seventh Doctor in the order in which he experienced them. This timeline is based upon observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events that occur during each of these stories. From these observations we have attempted to build a concise timeline. It is assumed, much like its TV story counterparts that for each novel or audio series their published/numbered order is the order they occur in. This does not apply to short stories which are often ambiguous about their placement. There are also many gaps between stories.

The layout of this timeline is in part based on the observations on Doctor Who Reference Guide and Doctor Who - The Complete Adventures, as well as Lance Parkin's AHistory and other sources that allow us to make observations. None of these sources should be used solely as a source or considered a "true" timeline for stories.

Additionally there are statements on the back many BBC Past Doctor Adventures novels that state between which TV stories the novel takes place between. These can be used to narrow the field, and should be viewed as the only placing for these novels.

Limiting factors

Limiting factors for the Seventh Doctor's timeline placement are based on which companions he is travelling with at the time. However there are also several instances when the Doctor travels alone, these can often be placed in the latter part of his regeneration as they represent a more sombre character for the Doctor.

Any stories featuring Melanie Bush must take place between TV: Time and the Rani and Dragonfire.

Any stories involving a younger Ace must take place from TV: Dragonfire to PROSE: Love and War. Any story featuring an older Ace must take place between PROSE: Deceit and Set Piece or after AUDIO: The Lights of Skaro.

Any stories where he travels with Bernice Summerfield must take place between PROSE: Love and War and Happy Endings or after AUDIO:The Lights of Skaro (except Return of the Living Dad, which takes place later).

Any story featuring Roz Forrester must take place between PROSE: Original Sin and So Vile a Sin. Any story featuring Chris Cwej must take place between PROSE: Original Sin and Lungbarrow.

Any story featuring Hex must take place after AUDIO: The Harvest and before Signs and Wonders.

There are however some issues with using these stories alone to define story placement as some companions (such as Ace) have contradictory departure stories. Ace departs travelling the with the Doctor in PROSE: Set Piece and is apparently killed in COMIC: Ground Zero.

Series basics

The Seventh Doctor's adventures can be sorted roughly by medium and then also roughly by companion.

Medium

Companions

TV created

Novel created

Audio created

Comic created

Timeline

Continued Adventures with Mel

The Doctor regenerates from his previous incarnation.
Mel is wearing the same clothes as in Paradise Towers.
Comic placements established in DWM 168
The Fires of Vulcan is set here as it begins the transfer to a more S25 type tone but is set before Mel's departure. Red follows it per authorial intent plus it fits better here than in the earlier gap due to tone as well.

Ace

Ace is surprised that the Doctor keeps secrets.
The Doctor and Ace leave for Terra Alpha.
Broadcast out-of-order.
Comic placements established in DWM 168
The Doctor starts using a new jacket — the one seen in season 26.
The Doctor apologises to baby Ace over the Gabriel Chase and Fenric incidents
Placement is arbitrary.
Ace doesn't know Ice Warriors in Legacy, but if placed here this can be blamed on her memory-alteration in Timewyrm: Genesys. The Time Lords will not yet allow Ace into the Academy, so it must be before Romana's presidency begins in Lungbarrow, as well as The Revolution.
Set immediately after Survival. Ace is still feeling the effects of the Cheetah virus.
Both are prequels to The Mark of Mandragora.
The Doctor has been unable to take the TARDIS away from Earth "recently," which stretches from Train-Flight to Battlefield to Fellow Travellers.
The Doctor hasn't been to Alaska, at least since he cleaned out his memory in Timewyrm: Genesys.
Authorial intent.
The Doctor and Ace haven't been anywhere exciting since he "pulled his old ship back together again."
Order of the NAs and DWM comics based on editorial intent in "Interweaving with the New Adventures"
It has been some time since the Doctor and Ace last saw Raine.

Benny Summerfield and Ace

Ace still keeps track of her age.
Order of the NAs and DWM comics through Theatre of War and Uninvited Guest based on editorial intent in "Interweaving with the New Adventures"
The Big Finish pages for The Shadow of the Scourge and The Dark Flame places them after All-Consuming Fire and before Blood Harvest. Ace and Benny are not antagonistic towards each other.

Chris and Roz

Authorial intent places it within The Room With No Doors. Furthermore the NA style tone without a companion also makes this the only plausible gap anyway.
The Doctor is sent on a mission by the Time Lords to pick up the Master's remains.

Ace (and sometimes Benny) again

The Doctor and Ace have been reunited, post-Set Piece
Ace refers to Happy Endings. She is travelling with the Doctor without Benny, and they are not always in the same temporal location, as in The Vaults of Osiris. She loses her memory, which the Doctor does his best to restore. He may be using a copy left after Timewyrm: Genesys, as this would explain her travels with Hex and being older. The Doctor later did similar to Kode.

Just Ace

Ace also recalls the Blitz of Illegal Alien which cannot occur between storm and Matrix for the above reason.
This leads directly into Storm Harvest.
Must take place before Dust Breeding as the doctor and Ace know of the Krill.
Ace's death here is undone in Sometime Never....
Ace recognises the Master in his Tremas form.
Ace still has the CD Walkman from The Fearmonger.
Ace mentions Dust Breeding as a recent event.

Ace and Hex

Ace still goes by 'McShane.'
The Doctor is older looking, and his TARDIS is damaged, implying that it is about to change to the interior seen in Doctor Who. Any placement for this story will be contentious because of Ace's death. For now, the best option is to ignore that plot element.
This, Ground Zero, and Thicker Than Water take place concurrent with The Veiled Leopard for Ace and Hex. The Doctor changes TARDIS interior to the one seen in Doctor Who.
The Doctor has delivered babies before, so this must be after Tragedy Day. The TARDIS interior is now the same as in Doctor Who.
Ace has significant military/tactical knowledge, so after Deceit.
Ace has a romantic/sexual relationship, so it must be after Love and War.
The Doctor goes to Alaska, so after Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible. He leaves Ace and Hex for a time and begins travelling with Sally Morgan and Lysandra Aristedes. In Black and White, the Doctor states that he left them after their adventure in Alaska.
Ace no longer knows her age, so this must be after Shadowmind.
Ace sees herself riding a motocycle through Paris and wearing a high collar, to which the Doctor comments something vague and inconclusive about "different universes."

Traveling Alone (Mostly)

While recovering his memories, the Doctor erroneously refers to Genevieve as Mel, Ace and Hex, before remembering he's alone.
Ace is on Gallifrey again.
Set at some point after UNIT: Dominion.
The Doctor is taking a few side steps before he collects the Master's remains.
The Doctor regenerates into his next incarnation.

Unplaced

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