The Thing from Outer Space (short story): Difference between revisions
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== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
* In this story, the Doctor is the leader of an organisation based in Portsmouth that is similar to | |||
* In this story, the Doctor is the leader of an organisation based in Portsmouth that is similar to UNIT but is not identified as such. | |||
* "The Secret Research Centre", implies that this secret organisation does research of a highly classified nature, and are not known to the general public, however as the Navy wanted to know if they were responsible for whatever splashed down in the harbour, it would appear they are known to them at least, and, have authority over them. The organisation which appears to be headed by Dr Who, must deal with the science of extra-terrestrial creatures and the possibilities of dimensions other than our own, as it is Fenton, not Dr Who that theorises about the Thing being some form of alien life that's intruded into our dimension of time and space. It also implies Fenton is part of the secret organisation. | |||
* The Thing is described as "a great glowing mass, heaving and pulsing like some monstrous jelly fish." It has long tendrils protruding from its body and a hideous frog-like head. | |||
* Captain Fenton surmises that the Thing is "... an alien life form that intruded into our dimension of time and space." Dr Who then goes on to say that it is "... obviously a cosmic freak, which has broken the normal laws of nature and become totally destructive in our Earthly environment." The Thing needs some kind of cosmic energy to sustain it, and its breathing is defined as an eerie green pulsating light. It is capable of self generating its own a surface force field. | |||
* "The Thing From Outer Space" was released in the summer of 1971, and set in Portsmouth. By October of 1971, the BBC were already filming ''The Sea Devils'', with its locations including the Fraser Gunnery Range at HMS St George in Portsmouth, HMS Reclaim, a diving training vessel based at Portsmouth, and No Man's Land Fort in the Solent, a sea fort near to Portsmouth. | |||
* The Secret Research Centre is said to be based NEAR Portsmouth. However it is close enough to the harbour for Dr Who to be able to see the frigate from the window of his sleeping quarters. The Operations Room, at top of the ten storey, Control Centre within the Research Centre itself, has windows that overlook the centre of Portsmouth Harbour, where the Thing is situated. The Dockyard mentioned could be Portsmouth's Historical Dockyard, or more likely because of its view of the middle of the harbour, the dock known as the Continental Ferry Port. This would seem to indicate that The Secret Research Centre is based on Whale Island, a small island in Portsmouth Harbour, that is home to a navy base and indeed HMS Excellent. The dockyard reference could therefore merely refer to the port area on Whale Island itself. The Underwater Warfare Building could refer to the island's Maritime Warfare School. The Anti-Submarine Establishment, relates to the real life Anti-Submarine Experimental Establishment, which existed from 1940-1947. It was renamed the Underwater Detection Establishment in 1947 and officially closed in 1960. The organisation was thereafter incorporated into the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment, which remained operational until 1995. This is included here, as the author of "The Thing From Outer Space", must have based the story on his knowledge of these facts. | |||
== Continuity == | == Continuity == | ||
