Theory:Doctor Who television discontinuity and plot holes/The Sensorites

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This page is for discussing the ways in which The Sensorites 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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• The Sensorites are able to cut the lock out of the TARDIS doors, which has the somewhat counter-intuitive effect of completely sealing the ship. From season 2 onwards, the TARDIS is depicted as being effectively invulnerable to this kind of brute-force attack.

That may have been one of the faults included when the Doctor stole the TARDIS. He probably fixed it by season two.

As for the counter-intuitive nature of the fault, the First Elder points out that upon examination the TARDIS lock is not a simple lock at all but a device too advanced for even Sensorite science to comprehend. Combining that with later information about the trans-dimensional nature of the TARDIS exterior and interior, it could be inferred that the "lock" is an essential component to safely interface between the dimensions (In fact, the Doctor himself suggests this by pointing out that trying to force entry to the TARDIS could have seriously unpleasant effects).

• It is stretching credibility to the extreme to suggest that the Sensorites can only recognize each other by the sashes they wear. Visits to the swimming baths on the Sense-Sphere must be fraught with opportunities for social embarrassment.

As explained in the episode where the idea is used, the only reason that the Sensorites don't recognize each other is that these Sensorites don't see the ones that he is dressing up as very often, and even then from very far away, so they don't have that good a idea of what they look like.

• Despite this story being set in the 28th century, the astronauts wore contemporary-looking space suits. This is not a trend which is seen in other stories set in this time period.

Perhaps they could not afford more advanced space suits. Time is also in flux; things may have happened due to CIA agents changing history.

According to "Terror of the Vervoids" people would still be playing "Galaxian" two centuries later (albeit on holographic screens). More implausibly still, according to "Bad Wolf", in the 2001st century TV programmes such as "The Weakest Link" and "Big Brother" will still be well-remembered and gruesomely parodied to facilitate Dalek invasion plans. In comparison, a revival of 20th century clothing styles seems a relatively minor suspension of disbelief.

• In episode 1, Susan is seen holding the TARDIS key, although we mostly see the Doctor holding the key and never giving it to Susan.

Susan may have had her own copy. They have copies all the time in the new series, and besides she is his granddaughter.

In fact, Susan had her own key which was destroyed in The Daleks but when the Doctor made a second key in Marco Polo, she was given the replacement. She was seen to drop her key after the Doctor left her at the end of The Dalek Invasion of Earth.

• At one point, one of the Sensorites refers to Susan as 'Carol', the name of the actress.

He is referring to Carol Richmond, not Susan.