Index → Timey-wimey detector → Timeline - Steven Taylor
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This page lists appearances of Steven Taylor 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, comic story and 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 information in Lance Parkin's AHistory which allow us to make observations on placement of stories, such as Doctor Who Reviews, The History of Doctor Who, The Discontinuity Guide, Clive Banks Databank, the Big Finish forums, The Whoniverse and the Divergent Universe forums. 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 of Virgin Missing Adventures and 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.
Timeline[[edit source]]
With the Doctor and Vicki[[edit source]]
- Steven Taylor is saved from the Mechanoids by the First Doctor. Ian Chesterton and Barbara use a Dalek time machine to return to their home time period, and the Doctor and Vicki Pallister find Steven in the TARDIS immediately afterwards.
- Set immediately after The Chase, with the Doctor and Vicki finding Steven in the TARDIS shortly after saying goodbye to Ian and Barbara. The Doctor invites Steven to remain aboard, and the trio battles with the First Monk for the first time in 1066 Northumbria.
- Vicki and Steven are still wearing their outfits from The Time Meddler.
- Steven mutters that his last meal was in 1066, and is still getting used to time travel etiquette, setting this shortly after The Time Meddler.
- Vicki mentions that Steven has only recently joined the TARDIS crew.
- The Doctor is switched with his fifth incarnation by the Monk. Steven has not yet been given a TARDIS key, setting this before The Empire of Glass.
- The Doctor mentions that everywhere the TARDIS arrives can't be a fun fair, alluding to the events of Frostfire.
- The Doctor is experimenting with the component he stole from the Monk's TARDIS in The Time Meddler.
- Set immediately after The Three Doctors, with the Doctor being returned from the Omega crisis with his memory of the events wiped. Vicki recalls the recent events of The Time Meddler.
- Steven has only recently started traveling with the Doctor and Vicki, setting this shortly after The Time Meddler.
- Authorial intent places this directly after The Dalek Occupation of Winter.[1]
- Authorial intent places this directly after An Ideal World.[1]
- Authorial intent places this directly after Entanglement.[1]
- Time briefly becomes distorted.
- The Doctor, Steven and Vicki briefly encounter an apparition of a Charley Pollard from an alternate timeline.
- Time briefly becomes distorted.
- Vicki thinks to herself that she's not a child anymore.
- Vicki injures her ankle, leading directly into The Myth Makers.
- Vicki is still recovering from her ankle injury, setting this shortly after Galaxy 4. She leaves the TARDIS to stay in Ancient Greece with Troilus, and the Doctor and Steven are joined by Katarina. Ending leads directly into The Daleks' Master Plan.
Temporary travels with Katarina[[edit source]]
- Set directly between The Myth Makers and The Daleks Master Plan.
- Set during The Nightmare Begins, just before the TARDIS lands on Kembel. The Doctor's TARDIS collides with that of his second incarnation, setting them off course. They arrive on Urbinia and spend three months there while the TARDIS is repaired. Steven still hasn't got a TARDIS key, and the Doctor gives his to Katarina. The Second Doctor averts this timeline by preventing the two TARDISes from colliding, leading back into The Nightmare Begins.
Fighting the Daleks[[edit source]]
- TV: The Daleks' Master Plan (The Nightmare Begins–The Feast of Steven)
- Katarina loses her life in a hostage situation, and Sara Kingdom joins the TARDIS crew in her place.
- The Doctor, Steven and Sara are still celebrating Christmas together in the TARDIS' control room, setting this immediately after The Feast of Steven. Sara has not yet been told about interfering with history, setting before The Little Drummer Boy.
- Set an hour after the events of The Feast of Steven. Robert grabs the taranium that the Doctor stole in The Daleks' Master Plan: Day of Armageddon.
- After Katarina's death, the sleeping Doctor is summoned by Persephone to help Katrina in the afterlife.
- Sara recalls Robert dying in her arms during The Little Drummer Boy.
- Upon visiting the House on Ely, Sara leaves a copy of her mind as the House's conscience and then continues on her travels, setting this after The Drowned World, The Guardian of the Solar System and The Little Drummer Boy, as the House recalls these adventures.
- After their ordinary life is over, the Doctor decides to return to Kembel, leading the TARDIS crew back into the events of The Daleks' Master Plan.
- The Doctor battles the Sontarans for the first time, and learns about their war with the Rutan Host. Another time machine begins pursuing the TARDIS, leading directly into Volcano.
- TV: The Daleks' Master Plan (Volcano–Destruction of Time)
- Sara dies as a result of the Time Destructor.
Joined by Oliver Harper[[edit source]]
- The Doctor and Steven have just left Kembel following the death of Sara Kingdom and the TARDIS returns to I.M. Foreman's junkyard for the first time since departing in An Unearthly Child. Steven recalls the recent deaths of Katarina, Bret Vyon, and Sara Kingdom from The Daleks' Master Plan.
- This is Oliver's first trip in the TARDIS. The Doctor decides to take Steven and Oliver to the plantoid Grace Alone, leading directly into The First Wave.
- The Doctor, Steven and Oliver successfully arrive on Grace Alone. Oliver sacrifices his life to save the Doctor and Steven from the Vardans.
After Oliver[[edit source]]
- The Doctor and Steven are taking a break after the events of The Daleks' Master Plan. Roses leads directly into The Five Doctors.
- Steven has had trouble sleeping since leaving Kembel, and is still recovering from Sara and Katarina's deaths, setting this at least a couple of days after The Daleks' Master Plan from Steven's perspective.
- Steven thinks of Sara, as well as Ian and Barbara, suggesting that this takes place not long after The Daleks' Master Plan.
- The Doctor and Steven stop an alien invader on a nearby beach with the help of Greenaway, who loses his legs and part of his skull, and ends up in a coma.
- Steven mentions the Omwanadar, setting this after Making History.
- Steven has met the Vardans before, setting this after The First Wave.
Joined by Dodo[[edit source]]
- After storming out of the TARDIS due to an argument with the Doctor, Steven returns immediately after Dodo Chaplet walks into the TARDIS, joining the two in their travels.
- Dodo takes her first trip in the TARDIS, setting this immediately after The Massacre.
- Dodo takes her first trip into the future. Ending leads directly into The Celestial Toymaker.
- Ending leads directly into The Gunfighters.
- Steven voices his surprise that the Doctor wants another holiday so soon after The Gunfighters.
- Intent is the story is set relatively early during Dodo's travels in the TARDIS, to account for time for her accent to change.
- Only a few days have passed since The Celestial Toymaker.
- Steven mentions Tombstone, setting this after The Gunfighters.
- The Doctor investigates a crashed spaceship during the Boer Wars. (AUDIO: Tales from the Vault)
- Steven mentions the events of Mother Russia. Steven and the Doctor discuss Steven leaving the TARDIS.
- Steven decides that the next place the TARDIS lands is where he wants to make a lasting impression, setting this immediately before The Savages.
- Steven leaves the TARDIS to mediate a peace between the Elders and the Savages.
After leaving the TARDIS[[edit source]]
- Steven parted ways with the Doctor "a very long time ago" and is depicted with an elderly appearance on the cover. He is reunited with Ian and Sara, among other companions meeting the Fifth Doctor. Steven notes that the Doctor is quite a bit younger than when they last met, while the Doctor suggests that Steven is quite a bit older. The Doctor suggests that Steven's memory of these events will be hazy and he may not remember them.
- Steven is reunited with Vicki inside the remembered TARDIS and they recall the events of The Time Meddler. He appears to still be king, suggesting a setting before The War to End All Wars, and implies that he has not seen the Doctor since The Savages. When Vicki laments having not seen the Doctor either, she and Steven use the power of the memory TARDIS to summon the First Doctor to them.
Exile[[edit source]]
- Steven is living in self-imposed exile after abdicating the throne to allow his people to govern themselves. He is regularly visited by his granddaughter Sida whom he recounts stories of his travels with the Doctor to. Sida tells Steven that the copy of the Doctor's mind is planning to become King.
- Steven accompanies Sida to visit the copy of the Doctor's mind, suggesting a setting shortly after The War to End All Wars. The copy of the Doctor's mind convinces Sida to stand for election and she successfully becomes President of the planet. Steven returns to his exile and continues with his experiment to summon the real Doctor.
- Three years have passed since The Founding Fathers and Steven has built a radio telescope with which to send a message to the Doctor. Steven is almost 100 years old.