Theory:Doctor Who television discontinuity and plot holes/The War Machines

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This page is for discussing the ways in which The War Machines doesn't fit well with other DWU narratives. You can also talk about the plot holes that render its own, internal narrative confusing.

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• This is the story in which the Doctor is infamously referred to as "Doctor Who" by WOTAN. This is the only time on television that the Doctor is directly called this in dialogue.

WOTAN perhaps refers to the Doctor in this way due to not knowing who he is. The Doctor may have given a false name at some point.

I have a great theory to explain it and even make it an awesome foreshadowing (but I have no idea if it might go against the "Spoiler-Free" rule or something) Anyway, I personally believe that in The Time of the Doctor, when the message (Doctor Who?) was send to all of space and time, it was received by WOTAN who, not knowing the answer, went crazy and just started calling the doctor "Doctor Who" and requiring him to absorb his intelligence AND to know the Answer to the question : "DOCTOR WHO is required!"

• Why does WOTAN stamp a big "W" on the boxes containing the bits of War Machine? Isn't it a bit of a giveaway?

Perhaps so the otherwise anonymous looking boxes can be identified as belonging to WOTAN.

• In Episode 3, the War Machine that is ordered to kill the worker misses him completely, but he obligingly drops dead anyway.

This depends on how the guns work. He could have copped a lethal backwash of radiation (in the same way a Dalek's gun in this period is rather diffuse but lethal).

• Why do Ben and Polly go into the TARDIS at the end? If they think it's just a police box then surely they would wonder how they were going to fit inside.

One pushed or pulled the other.

Perhaps Dodo had told them enough to pique their curiosity. Otherwise Ben's protests about "only having a couple of minutes" would be nonsensical.

• It seems strange that WOTAN can divine the meaning of "TARDIS".

Dodo is shown to be influenced by WOTAN almost immediately she sees it, so it likely could have read the definition in her mind. Also, WOTAN can sense the Doctor's "special" mind (hence WOTAN's determination to recruit him), so WOTAN might have got the definition from the Doctor. Additionally, WOTAN had access to various computers and their records, which likely included references to the Doctor and/or the TARDIS.

Actually WOTAN didn't yet have access to other computers, this was only intended to be activated on C-Day.

It did however have some well-populated data banks, which may very well have contained the information. In addition, as mentioned above, it gathered information from the minds of those around it.

• The man giving the presentation contradicts himself, saying WOTAN is controlled by no one, but going on to say the Professor and his team have it well under control.

If you've never seen someone holding a press conference contradict himself, you haven't seen many press conferences... He was trying in both cases to be reassuring, first that they would not be surrendering control to any one person by their involvement with WOTAN, next by indicating that the WOTAN project was being properly supervised.

• In Episode 4, the Doctor knocks off the end of a War Machine's gun arm with his cloak. Later, examining the machine, the Doctor stands up and whacks his head against it.

The First Doctor was often clumsy; there's nothing out of character (much less against continuity) in him whacking his head on something.

• How does the War Machine get up to the top floor of the Post Office Tower?

It presumably uses the large elevators or perhaps WOTAN even has a short range teleport concealed in the tower.

• Sir Charles talks of Monday 16 July, which would set the story in 1962 or 1973!

It's possible at some point before this episode a calender change, similar to the loss of 11 days in 1752, occurred.

Or more likely, he could also have got his days muddled up, as genuine human beings often do.

Perhaps this is a clue that the story was actually set in 1973. I didn't see anything to indicate the story was set in 1966. When Dodo commented that the Post Office Tower tower had been finished; her statement would have been equally valid in 1973.

Everything in the episode - the clothes, the hairstyles, the Inferno Nightclub - suggests Swinging London in the swinging Sixties.

• Why would the guard let the Doctor go up to see WOTAN?

Psychic paper? Bluff? The guard was asleep?

He called Sir Charles and convinced him to listen to him fairly quickly; the Doctor has some pull in the scientific community even now.

Either that, or Torchwood was watching and knew not to get in his way.

• WOTAN's plans kick into high gear with incredibly unrealistic speed. It seemingly takes control of its first 4 humans on 12 July. It hasn't yet been linked up to other computers. Yet in less than 12 hours: Secret factories/bases have been set up in various places in London. Weapons and electronic components are being flown in. Complex war machines are being manufactured by hand in a few hours.

Some of those aspects may well have pre-existed WOTAN taking control of the humans. The factories/bases may have had other purpose before.