Theory:Doctor Who television discontinuity and plot holes/Smith and Jones

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This page is for discussing the ways in which Smith and Jones doesn't fit well with other DWU narratives. You can also talk about the plot holes that render its own, internal narrative confusing.

Remember, this is a forum, so civil discussion is encouraged. However, please do not sign your posts. Also, keep all posts about the same continuity error under the same bullet point. You can add a new point by typing:

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• Why was the Doctor afraid of being scanned if the judoons were chasing a specific alien (plasmavor, if I remember well).

The scene when the Judoon attack them proves his fear; they were scanning for non-humans not plasma specifically.

• The Judoon's clothes are seen to flutter while walking when the camera has a close up shot while they march out of their spaceships. There is no air on the moon, so how can their clothes flutter in the same manner back and forth as on Earth?

It may be their legs moving that makes their clothes flutter, not air.

Just like in the moon landing footage, where the flag appears to be waving in the air.

• How can the Judoon march on the moon when it's one sixth earth gravity.

The Judoon aren't from Earth, they may have be from a planet that has very little gravity. Or their suits could be helping them.

Maybe they are heavier then an average human so the 1 sixth of gravity doesn't affect them.

The people in the hospital aren't floating, so the Judoon must have been creating some kind of artificial gravity field.

• When Martha is making her rounds with the other medical students she listens to both of the Doctors' hearts. As a medical student, she should know that she had her stethoscope in her ears backwards.

Perhaps she was distracted by the fact the Doctor had spoken to her in a weird manner that morning.

• Apparently Martha is the first person since "Mr. Smith" was admitted to Royal Hope the day before to do so much as listen to his heart, or check his pulse, blood pressure or body temperature, or run a blood test, as any of those should have alerted medical personnel to his physical differences. And if so, what exactly is on the chart that Mr. Stoker chided her for not consulting?

Time Lords have been shown to have excellent control over their bodies, so it's not unfeasible he was able to pass at least some of his tests on that merit.

I wouldn't put it past the Doctor to have filled in his chart himself.

• Where does the power come from to increase the radiation of the X-ray machine by 5000%?

The power may come from the sonic screwdriver.

• The Doctor absorbing all the radiation and expelling it into his shoe without damaging the shoe or making it dangerously radioactive is rather implausible.

They may not be Earth made and therefore able to withstand damage. The Doctor also stated he had absorbed it all and it was completely harmless now.

• In Planet of the Spiders the Doctor is seen to be vulnerable to massive doses of radiation.

It is only certain types of radiation. This type of radiation, presumably isn't harmful, just itchy, as the Doctor states that he "Played with Rontgen blocks in the nursery" and begins to hop on one foot.

• A magnetic pulse might disrupt electronic devices, but it shouldn't kill a person. And a strength of 50,000 Tesla would have no noticeable effect at a distance of 250,000 miles. It certainly wouldn't kill half the Earth's population.

A large enough magnetic pulse could kill a Human as most of the Human body is controlled by electrical impulses and could result in an overload.

• Why doesn't the blood loss cause the Doctor to die or regenerate?

The Doctor can choose not to regenerate, as the blood loss is not enough to be lethal.

The Doctor has a binary vascular system, so his blood may have been taken from one heart but the other would have enough to keep him alive in a comatose like state.

Time Lords have a different anatomy to Humans. Blood loss may not be as fatal to them and they may be able to recreate blood within a short period of time.

Remember, the plasmavore was interrupted. So the Doctor might not have lost enough blood to guarantee death - indeed Martha managed to revive him.

• When the oxygen runs out, shouldn't the windows have shattered?

The oxygen that people inhaled was replaced by carbon dioxide as they exhaled. Therefore there would be no net change in air pressure on either side of the windows.

Definitely not, on a number of grounds: Oxygen running out wouldn't cause a vacuum, because it's only a portion of the various gasses that make the air. For the windows to shatter, you need a large pressure differential. That's not going to happen, because the windows aren't sealed; so even if pressure did gradually change on the inside, it would stay in balance with the outside.

• After the hospital is teleported to the moon, where does it get electricity from?

Many hospitals have backup generators to handle power loss.

The Judoon may have kept electricity running.

• When the Judoon began speaking Judoon, shouldn't the TARDIS have translated it?

The TARDIS was located on Earth and so the translation circuit wouldn’t have worked. Also, the Doctor or anyone who travelled in the TARDIS was in that scene so to us, the Judoon were speaking their language and needed to use their translating device.