Tardis

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Tardis
Planet

Planets were celestial bodies of varying size, large enough to be rounded into a spherical shape by their own gravity, but not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion. Most planets existed as part of a star system. Some planets possessed an atmosphere and could support life.

Overview[]

Planets generally orbited stars, but rogue planets (COMIC: The Rogue Planet) and wandering planetoids were not uncommon. (TV: Revenge of the Cybermen, The Tenth Planet) Perihelion was when a planet or other body came closest to its star. (HOMEVID: The Zero Imperative)

There were a number of highly unusual planets in the universe, including Magla, in reality, an immense amoeba with a crust-like shell, (TV: Destiny of the Daleks) and the artificial planet Arcadia. (PROSE: Deceit) Unlike most planets, Tigella at an anti-clockwise rotation. (TV: Meglos)

Some planets were artificially accelerated through the interference (intentional or not) of other life forms. Normally in these cases, large starships provided the initial large mass which began the process of planetary formation. Such a fate befell a Minyan ship, the P7E, by accident (and nearly also happened to another Minyan vessel, the R1C), (TV: Underworld) and the Secret Heart, the vessel carrying the last of the Racnoss, by design. (TV: The Runaway Bride [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who Christmas Special 2006 (BBC One, 2006).)

As noted by Professor Alistair Gryffen, planets would continually move through space across their history. Thus, in the year 50000, the Earth would be located far away in the galaxy from the place it held in the 21st century. (TV: The Bounty Hunter)

Dwarf planets were a smaller type of celestial body, not considered to be true planets. (AUDIO: The Anachronauts, The Bounty of Ceres)

Statistics[]

According to the Tenth Doctor, the galaxy known as Mutter's Spiral contained about 50 billion planets. (PROSE: The Last Dodo)

The New Dalek Empire used a magnetron to steal 27 planets, including the "lost moon of Poosh" across time and space, with twenty-four being taken from the 2000s.[nb 1] (TV: The Stolen Earth [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008).) They were returned to their rightful places by the Children of Time. (TV: Journey's End [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008).)

The Daleks gained control of over seventy planets in Ninth Galactic System and forty more in the constellation of Miros in the five hundred years up to 4000. (TV: Mission to the Unknown)

According to the Ninth Doctor, the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire encompassed a million planets. (TV: The Long Game)

The Rally of the Twelve Galaxies encompassed 94 planets. (TV: The Ghost Monument)

According to Emperor Ludens Nimrod Kendrick Cord Longstaff XLI, the Tiberian spiral galaxy encompassed a hundred million planets when it was destroyed. (TV: Nightmare in Silver)

The Olveron Cluster contained a hundred million inhabited planets. (TV: The Caretaker)

Other references[]

In early 2005, following the Dummy Massacre, Artie D responded to Who is Doctor Who?'s request for sightings of the then missing Rose Tyler, saying that she looked like a girl he entirely failed to get off with at a party in Islington since she "swan off" after this other chap came up and said something about a different planet. (PROSE: The Doctor Was Involved in the Dummy Massacre [+]BBC webteam, Who is Doctor Who? (BBC, 2005).)

In early 2006, Mickey mentioned his website that the Slitheen had attempted to end all life on the planet. (PROSE: Hoax This! [+]BBC webteam, Who is Doctor Who? (BBC, 2005).)

Footnotes[]

  1. The present day of Doctor Who's fourth series is not consistently dated, with TV: The Fires of Pompeii [+]James Moran, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008)., TV: The Waters of Mars [+]Russell T Davies and Phil Ford, Doctor Who Autumn Special 2009 (BBC One, 2009)., and AUDIO: SOS setting the present of the 13 regular episodes in 2008, and PROSE: Beautiful Chaos setting them in about April to June 2009.
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