Theory:Doctor Who television discontinuity and plot holes/The Impossible Astronaut

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This page is for discussing the ways in which The Impossible Astronaut 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 direction Canton is being driven past the White House is the wrong way for him to get to the Oval Office. By that point in the road, he would have passed the entrance to the West Wing of the White House, where the Oval Office was situated.

This is the Whoniverse. Things may be different to the real world.

• The Doctor summons those he trusts the most to his wake. What about Martha, Mickey, Jack and Sarah-Jane though?

This Doctor has probably not seen Jack, Mickey, Sarah Jane, Martha, or any other pre-Eleventh Doctor companions for over 200 years. He does, however, presumably continue to interact with River for the rest of his life, and we don't know how much longer Amy and Rory continue to travel with him.

It's possible that even if he did trust them more, all of them (assuming Jack's returned to Earth) are busy with their own alien fights, while River's in Stormcage and Amy and Rory are watching movies back in Leadworth.

200 years in his future, The Doctor was aware that only he, River, Amy, Rory and Canton received the blue envelopes, so he only sent them to those people.

He was also aware those were the people he had this adventure with. "A lot more happened in 1969 than anyone remembers.... I thought I'd never get done saving you."

River, Amy and Rory are the most resent companions of the Eleventh Doctor at the time the future Doctor gave himself the envelope so it would seem logical to give himself his most resent companions who know this past Doctor the most.

• The Doctor has shown a dislike for wine before. Why try it again? In fact, he implies this is his first taste of the drink.

It is presumably 200 years since he last tried wine, and perhaps forgot that he disliked it/ had tried it before. Or he was just trying to be funny.

• The Doctor asks River Song who she is/ what she means to him despite the fact he knows they are going to be married from Silence in The Library.

Silence in the Library hinted at, but didn't state that the Doctor and River might be married. No episode has definitively stated that the Doctor and River are, will be, or have been married. Given the nature of how they meet, it isn't particularly likely they are married anyway.

• In Sound of Drums, the 10th Doctor appears considerably older after being aged 100 years by the Master. So why is the 11th Doctor at the start of Impossible Astronaut indistinguishable from his 200-years-younger self?

The Master said that he was going to show the physical effects of the years the Doctor has put on. It is likely that Time Lords don't show the age they are in physical appearences.

Look at the area around the 11th Doctor's eyes, they look wrinklier and older.

• If Amy is pregnant, why was she drinking wine at the picnic?

It was only the start of her pregnancy, and only a bit of wine can't do that much harm.

Additionally, we don't know if she knew that she was pregnant by that time.

Yes, we do, because the story's timeline followed the trio. Unless she got pregnant in the, apparently, short time between the start and end of the episode and found out then she must have known beforehand.

No; you didn't listen. Maybe Amy was already pregnant at the start of the episode, but didn't realize she was pregnant until after she went to the bathroom in the White House.

People don't just realise they're pregnant. They take tests. Even if it occured to Amy that she might be pregnant, she wouldn't have given the Doctor a definite "I am"

A bit of wine from time to time while pregnant isn't a big deal.

I think it's a clue. To what, I can't say

During Amy's encounter in the white house bathroom, the Silence tells her that she must tell Doctor what he must know and also never know. She then responds with, "How do you know about that?" implying that it was not referring to the Doctor's death (as she witnessed the Silence there), but indeed her pregnancy. So, she did have an idea before the picnic.

I believe it's a glass of wine a day being the limit to drink during pregnancy.

• While in the oval office, when The Doctor is being threatened by the security guards, the cocking sound from the guns is that of a semi-automatic pistol, but the guards are clearly holding revolvers.
• The second doctor would appear using the Tardis, so there would be two Tardis present in 1969, and one would be left behind.
  • Not necessarily: the TARDIS is smart enough to make itself scarce, if he used it at all. If the Doctor OR the TARDIS knew he wasn't coming back, at least one of them would make arrangements.