Trenchcoat Canon Guide - Season 33 (Trenchcoat Ninth Aspect)

Trenchcoat Canon Guide - Season 33

Ninth Doctor

Season 33

In the hubbub surrounding the arrival of a new Doctor/Companion team, the fact that other key players of the series were hanging up their hats almost went unnoticed. Terry Nation and Gerry Davis, the co-producers who had guided the program onto American networks, wanted to expand their productions, and commissioned such new shows as Moonbase 4 and MacGyver: the Next Generation. So they decided to concentrate on these projects, and turn over their flagship to a new team.

The new team was Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt, up-and-coming writers and producers of a number of movies and television scripts. They jumped at the chance to take on Doctor Who, now widely considered to be both a venerable old show and the hip leader of a telefantasy resurgence. Davis and Nation would stay on as the show’s producers for the first six episodes, tying up unfinished storylines from the eighth Doctor’s era; after that, the program was all Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt’s, with Terry Nation acting as an Executive Producer.

Gerry Davis and Terry Nation were also responsible for selecting Jon Thaw to play the ninth Doctor. Thaw, a famous British character actor in his sixties, was best known for his rugged portrayal of the contemporary detective Inspector Morse. While some thought this flew in the face of the new producer’s drive to increase the comedy quotient, others pointed out that Mr. Thaw was no stranger to comedy.

The length of the season was increased to eighteen episodes, the equivalent of 36 old-style 25-minute episodes, as the program approached its goal of a full-length 22 episode American season. Jon Thaw did not object to the lengthening, as this had been established before his contract was signed. Whatever objections Cathleen Turner and Jon Ritter may have had were settled by a corresponding increase in pay.

The first episode of the 34th season debuted on BBC1 on Sunday, September 7, 1997.

Sentinel (50000 words) by Martin Proctor

On its return to Gallifrey, the TARDIS is sidetracked to the planet Rassidditon. Before the newly regenerated Doctor and his companions can ask why, they are caught up in complex planetary events.

Sentinel began life as a fan video organized by the Web of Weston DWIN Chapter in 1985. Also a regeneration story, this production was sadly never finished, but the script was easily adapted for the debut story of Ninth Aspect. The already tense relationship between the Doctor and companions Sue and Ryan reaches the breaking point in this episode, when the two humans are confronted by the Doctor’s miraculous change in appearance. This tale also ends on a cliffhanger…

The Shattered Clocks (23500 words) by James Bow

The TARDIS has exploded on its approach to Galllifrey, killing its occupants. Sue, Ryan and the Doctor have one question when they wake up in a surreal netherworld: is this the afterlife? If so, then what are all the Time Lords doing here?

This story finally resolves the ongoing Dalek plotline, and it ties up a few other loose ends in the Trenchcoat series. It is expected to be controversial, both for the way it ties up matters, and for some of the material it contains.

Dead Ringers (38500 words) by Edward Chan & Brad Connors

There isn’t time for tourism when the Doctor, Sue and Ryan land in 1994 Minneapolis. They stumble upon a morbid plot where no one is as they seem. As the TARDIS crew struggle to find the truth that’s out there, they quickly learn they can trust no one.

This story is significant, not only in that it is the fanzine series’ first real foray into comedy (albeit black comedy). This dark tale highlights Trenchcoat’s (as far as I can tell) unique perspective on US/UNIT relations, as hinted upon in Syndicate and it sets a new ongoing storyline in motion, to be resolved over three tales in Ninth Aspect 2.

Yesterday’s Avatar (21000 words) by John Riebow

Something is awakening on the planet Goundam Major—something evil which threatens the stability of the Continuum itself. Time and space may cease to exist. Only the Doctor can help, but he’s lost his mind.

John Riebow is a long time Doctor Who fan and an aspiring author. He is also the fanzine series’ second contributor to play the Doctor, in a radio play called “Doctor Who and the Murders on Moreland” that he produced and wrote in college.

Crescent, Cross, Star & Pentagram (69000 words) by Greg Gick

The Doctor, Sue and Ryan come upon a place where everyone, Muslim, Jew and Christian, live together in perfect harmony. It’s everything the Doctor ever wanted in humanity and, in this village just outside of Jerusalem during the height of the Crusades, quite impossible. The Doctor investigates an alien social experiment that could destroy all the religions in the world, and humanity along with them.

Greg Gick’s debut story blows away all previous word-count limits the series had. Even though it’s only 10000 words shy of a short New Adventures novel, it had to be cut down to fit into the issue. The story is packed with action, humour and characterization, and it introduces the first true ninth Doctor companion. Haleh Tabari is a 17 year old Islamic widow from 12th century Palestine.

Dark Magus (24000 words) by Chris Kocher

Sue and Ryan are kidnapped from the TARDIS by a powerful force. When the Doctor and new companion Haleh Tabari follow, they land on a planet where magic is real and a dark force rules the land. But when they follow the trail of their friends, they discover that the answer lies in the Doctor’s own past.

Dark Magus brings a number of other storylines to a close, while leaving others to progress. By writing the final story of the season, Chris was able to show others how the enlarged TARDIS crew would interrelate. The stage is now set for a number of storylines to progress, so now that the eighth Doctor’s ghost has been dealt with, the ninth Doctor is free to face gathering, dark, opposing forces of his own.