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Theory:Doctor Who television discontinuity and plot holes/Marco Polo: Difference between revisions
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Theory:Doctor Who television discontinuity and plot holes/Marco Polo (edit)
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* Marco Polo was not a lone European traveler. Specifically, his travels were almost always family ones, and certainly would have been in 1289. No explanation is provided for why Marco's father Niccolo Polo and uncle Maffeo Polo, who he mentions in the first episode, are not present during this journey. | * Marco Polo was not a lone European traveler. Specifically, his travels were almost always family ones, and certainly would have been in 1289. No explanation is provided for why Marco's father Niccolo Polo and uncle Maffeo Polo, who he mentions in the first episode, are not present during this journey. | ||
Historical accounts may have gotten this fact wrong, as they often do. | |||
* The name [[Peking]] is an anachronism and the city should properly have been referred to as Khan-balik. Furthermore, had the title of episode 7 been "Assassin at Cambuluc", it would have been an accurate nod to the way that Marco Polo was known to have spelled the name of the city. | * The name [[Peking]] is an anachronism and the city should properly have been referred to as Khan-balik. Furthermore, had the title of episode 7 been "Assassin at Cambuluc", it would have been an accurate nod to the way that Marco Polo was known to have spelled the name of the city. | ||
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* In episode 7, [[Kublai Khan]] refers to [[backgammon]] as a card game. | * In episode 7, [[Kublai Khan]] refers to [[backgammon]] as a card game. | ||
:In itself, this isn't really an error. The word "backgammon" only dates to the 17th century. Khan's confusion over the term is understandable. It's more of an error that Marco Polo calls the game "backgammon" and seems totally familiar with it. In truth, the anachronism of backgammon in this episode would have been alleviated by calling the game "nard", a Persian variant which dates to the [[6th century]]. It's probably the only thing resembling backgammon that could possibly have traveled to Khan-balik by the [[13th century]]. As with the use of the name "Peking", though, "backgammon" is almost certainly used here for the benefit of the audience. | :In itself, this isn't really an error. The word "backgammon" only dates to the 17th century. Khan's confusion over the term is understandable. It's more of an error that Marco Polo calls the game "backgammon" and seems totally familiar with it. In truth, the anachronism of backgammon in this episode would have been alleviated by calling the game "nard", a Persian variant which dates to the [[6th century]]. It's probably the only thing resembling backgammon that could possibly have traveled to Khan-balik by the [[13th century]]. As with the use of the name "Peking", though, "backgammon" is almost certainly used here for the benefit of the audience - and again attributable to the TARDIS translation circuit. | ||
* [[William Hartnell]] has an odd hysterical fit in episode one, laughing his head off for a full minute at all the troubles that have befallen the travellers. | * [[William Hartnell]] has an odd hysterical fit in episode one, laughing his head off for a full minute at all the troubles that have befallen the travellers. | ||
The Doctor's reactions are often unexpected or unusual compared to those of humans. He obviously found something about their predicament particularly amusing. | |||
* In 1289, Polo was anxious to leave China against Kublai's wishes, so what's he doing on the Pamir Plateau? | * In 1289, Polo was anxious to leave China against Kublai's wishes, so what's he doing on the Pamir Plateau? | ||
Historical accounts may have gotten this fact wrong, as they often do. | |||
