Theory:SJA television discontinuity and plot holes/The Last Sontaran

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This page is for discussing the ways in which The Last Sontaran 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 lack of reference to the Earth being relocated suggests this episode may take place before the events of DW: The Stolen Earth/Journey's End, however in The Stolen Earth Maria and Alan are said to be in Cornwall, whereas they leave for America at the end of this storyline.

Lack of reference to the events don't mean they didn't already occur. However, the vacation in Cornwall could conceivably have occurred during the six weeks that elapse between the main part of this story and the Jacksons' departure for America. There is no evidence for or against.

• To add further confusion to where this story lies in relation to DW: The Stolen Earth / Journey's End, Chrissie Jackson is incredulous about the existence of aliens. Which she wouldn't be after experiencing the Daleks pulling Earth across the universe.

Sarah explains in the following story that people will say anything to avoid facing the truth. Also, DW: The Runaway Bride gave us Donna Noble, a similar character (initially) to Chrissie, who had managed to remain oblivious to the Battle of Canary Wharf and the Sycorax invasion; in the case of Chrissie several previous episodes have established that she is rather dense when it comes to these things (Revenge of the Slitheen, Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?). And a very public Dalek invasion doesn't mean that people will believe in aliens that are showing up all the time. The Torchwood episode Children of Earth: Day One establishes that following the Dalek invasion many people do now believe in alien life, but not all have chosen to accept it; this strongly implies that there has been no government cover up.

• And to add even more confusion as to the chronological timeline of this story Mr Smith has a new more waterlike shape on his screen while in the Stolen Earth he has the diamond shapes that he had before his reboot.

His look here is consistent with his look after the reboot, and going forward in the series. If anything, the discontinuity would be in DW: The Stolen Earth.

• When Kaagh's face is revealed his helmet slides open for him but in 'The Sontaran Stratagem' and 'The Posion Sky', all Sontarans take their helmets off by hand.

The fact that a few Sontarans take their helmets completely off does not mean that they don't have the capability to slide open.

• Why didn't Kaagh just use Lucy first rather than risk his first plan failing as Sarah-Jane had 45 mins to stop him?

Because using his first plan he had time to escape, and Lucy was the plan-B.

• Why was Kaagh's Scoutship already fleeing? The Sontarans were destroyed only seconds after finding out their ship would be destroyed, he couldn't escape that quickly.

When the Doctor stopped the Sontarans choking the Earth, General Staal ordered his soldiers to take Earth by force; Kaagh was probably one of the first troops sent to attack. We do see several scoutships leaving the mother ship as the explosion occurs.

• In DW: The Sontaran Stratagem and The Poison Sky, the Sontaran's laser killed people immediately, but in Sarah Jane's case, she was merely stunned.

Kaagh had the gun on a different setting.

• About 13 minutes into Part Two, a shot of the countdown is shown as a video playing in VLC Media Player.

Many graphics seen on screens on TV shows are videos that have been prepared beforehand and played as the scene is shot. If you ever watch Doctor Who Confidential and see someone entering the TARDIS console room set through the doors, you can often see a computer displaying that TARDIS screen graphics, which is being played on that computer and the monitor on the console. In this case, however, perhaps turnaround between takes was so fast that they didn't wait for the video control bar (which often disappears on VLC when a video is playing full-screen) to disappear, possibly for continuity as shots have to match previous ones, you'd notice if the countdown said 4 minutes and then in the next shot said 5).