Dr. Who's Time Tales (DWM 31 comic story)
The second story in the Dr. Who's Time Tales series was printed in Doctor Who Weekly #31.
It followed the format of the series: short tales depicting strange events in the Doctor Who universe, narrated by the Fourth Doctor himself, similar to DWM backup comic stories, created by adding the Fourth Doctor framing device to a preexisting Marvel comic story, in this case Those Who Change, first published in 1961 in Amazing Adult Fantasy #10.
Plot
The Fourth Doctor reflects on a time tale about a Professor who foretold that his colleagues' experiments with "meddling in time" would have disastrous consequences, but who was ignored. This tale begins in a mansion on a stormy might as three scientists use a lightning strike to power an experimental time machine capable of propelling small objects into the past for a few moments before they return of their own accord.
Their test on a small iron ball is successful, but one of the three, a Professor, criticises the other two for their recklessness, fearing that even such a small object, landing at the wrong place and time in Earth's history, could alter its whole course. The two other scientists refuse to listen to his warnings as he storms out, however, and continue their experiments.
Some weeks later, they are ready for the true experiment, sending a camera back in time through the machine. Passing backwards through the Age of the Dinosaurs, the camera arrives at the historic moment where the first creature walked out of the marshes and onto dry land. However, as it arrives, it knocks the creature back into the water. When the camera returns to the "present", it is to a version of history that has indeed been fundamentally altered, with the two scientists now intelligent salamander-like creatures instead of human beings, but they show no awareness of the change, still believing that nothing can change the past.
Characters
Worldbuilding
- Some of the Professor's hypotheses for how the iron ball could alter the course of history include it potentially interrupting the ride of Paul Revere (which might mean "that America remained a British colony"), or injuring major historical figures and scientists like Edison, Marconi or Columbus.
- The scientists refer to the era of Earth's history where the reptilian creature walks out of the water as "the dawn of time".
Notes
- The story gives no explanation of how the scientists' interference with time was undone, assuming they indeed rewrote the prime timeline rather than creating an offshoot timeline. However, it can be inferred from the Doctor's cheerful attitude as he relates the story that the crisis was averted.
Continuity
- The Fourth Doctor knows that time can be dramatically rewritten. (TV: Pyramids of Mars)
