h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

That's what I thought - but then again - John Smith is human. So any children he has would be human too. I somehow doubt he'd marry matron after reverting back to time lord.

But I do wonder if that paves the way for his next companion being his grand daughter or great grandaughter....

Here's a wild theory:

What if Tim Latimer by looking into The Doctor's watch has somehow made him part-Timelord. The watch contained The Doctor's true self, opening it up and looking into it would transfer the Timelord part back into him. If it was anyone other than Latimer who had found that watch it probably would have had no effect. however Latimer has already shown he's no ordinary child since he's telepathic, as has already been demonstrated by "guessing" the contents of a private letter. That was probably enough to make the bit of difference, he was similar enough mentally to deal with the transfer, albeit partially. Therefore though Latimer's own curiosity and the randomness of genetics, he's inadvertently become the doctor's partial clone, his "brother" so to speak.

I can imagine Latimer harbouring a grudge against The Doctor for inadvertently giving him this "curse". No doubt it includes all the Timelord perks such as never really growing old, watching all your friends and family die, and worst of all being "reborn" with a completely different face when the old body finally does give in. If anything it could drive someone to madness.

This does not discount The Master theory at all. Latimer would know The Doctor's past, and by extension would know about the Timelord known as The Master (plus his fondness for pseudonyms that allude to his real name). Since all the other Timelords are supposedly killed in the Time War, it would just mean that The Master's name is potentially vacant for use by someone else. Who better placed to usurp that title other than a newly cloned Timelord.

The only thing that is lacking is his own Tardis, but if The Family can be dealt with successfully next Saturday that stumbling block could be overcome quite easily. Of course he might not actually need it yet, since all he has to do is wait 95 years to assume the role of Harold Saxon.

I think that there's some kind of mileage in this. Saxon was very quick to tell Martha's Mum about all of the bad things that the Dr has done, maybe he has a real grudge, like abandoning his child or Latimer.

Could the child be one of Susan's parents?

Were there any Saxon references in that one? Anywhere where Latimer (great child actor!) could have picked up the name?
He could grow up to be John Simm, he has that about him. Did Smith allow him to be punished? I need to watch it again as I was cooking tea at the time, that could lead to a grudge if nothing else.
Is the name Harold Saxon? That's one in the eye for the history buffs!

From reading a few of the latest posts here, it looks like a lot of speculation has been going on that I'm missing.
Where can I catch up on the conjecture about the Anakin/Latimer/ Master etc , Mr Saxon, watches and possible links to enigmatic Torchwood characters?

What is the current theory as to what's going on?

Speculation seems to be that John Simm may be playing a character we have heard of before! This comes from a comment made by the Life on Mars guys on a program called Soccer AM. I didn't see it as I never watch anyting with the word 'soccer' in it.
The idea being that the Face of Boe said the Doctor was both the last of the Time Lords and that he was 'not alone'.
Also, the Doctor has commented about being a father once or twice and this may be relevant.
I think that's some of it.

"Is the name Harold Saxon? That's one in the eye for the history buffs!"

One in the eye...very funny!

Thank you very much, I'll be here all week!

When Martha ran past Latimer, we saw him seeing her in the modern era, so exposure to the watch has presumably altered his perceptions. Indeed his vision while feeding the machine gun seems to imply that Latimer has also become privy to the moment of his own death.

My guess is Latimer is seeing events not bounded by linear time, hence his own future, Martha as a person from the future, possibly even seeing the family for what they are.

The shots of John Smith married, with a baby or with a family I reckon belong either to Latimer in a vision of a future to come, or to The Doctor as he re-awakens (that fabulous 'he's ancient and forever...' speech in the trailer)

>>Indeed his vision while feeding the machine gun seems to imply that Latimer has also become privy to the moment of his own death.


It could be, but I didn't assume that at the time. It's possible whatever it was that seemed to be an incoming 'shell' was soemthing else, or if it was a shell, it had a different effect than killing him.

I think what I meant to imply but didn't say was that this is how The Doctor always sees things. An interesting idea possibly.

Also Latimer says (looking at a watch similar to the doctor's) "One minute past the hour - it's now! Hutchinson this is it - it's now!" (looks up as if expecting the 'whatever-it-is' to drop from above.)

Suggests to me a premonitory quality to whatever changes Latimer is undergoing.

To me that just seemed to imply Latimers psychichness. He touched the gatling gun and foresaw it being used in WWI, and touching Martha he saw her future. The fact that he was in it might just be a visual thing.
I think the Doctor might decide to try life as a human for a while, so when gettin his memories back he´ll instruct Martha to head to 1923 or so and pick him up there instead. While in the meantime he lives as John Smith, getting married and having a child with Nurse Redfern.

it could reflect how the doctor/john smith was able to see what was going to happen to the baby in the pushchair, and that's what latimer has too.

Well I would just like to say I was right.

(well sort of...)

Okay so Latimer wasn't 'changing' but he did have his own time-lord qualities about him (so sayeth Confidential) that let him communicate with the time-lord in the watch; that did let him see the premonitions; or display that strange sensitivity to thing-that-have-not-which-are-possibly-maybe-about-to happen-but-haven't-happened-yet (hence avoiding his own death and living to a ripe old age or even reading wossname's mail) which the Dr, even masquerading as John Smith seems to share, when flinging cricket balls at innocent young ladies.

Now about the ending. Talk about wrought! Loved it. The only minor fumble in my mind was that after seeing all the agonies of John Smith forcing to choose to essentially cease to exist - we were led up to the pint of decision and never shown it, just a jump cut to the Dr in the Family's spacecraft - trailed as it was by the fates of the Family and the conversation with Joan (where the Dr has his moral handed to him and then some!) this felt like a punctuated gap in an otherwise near-flawless bit of emotional writing.

But enough of the analsying. Pure geek-joy: at the 'dark side' to The Dr's wrath. Mmm yes - more please!

Suggests to me that our Dr 'aint so squeeky clean as he maybe come across - all points to possible dark deeds during the time war. Coward or Sadist or possibly both.

Here's to idle speculation without all the facts. Cheers!

Hmm looks like I'll have to possibly come up with a new theory

Yeah I am with you Clive in thinking that the Dr did some bad stuff he aint proud of in the time war. I cannae wait to find out....

I agree with the fact that he was forced to do things in the time war that he wasn't comfortable with (but we've known that since 'Rose' when the ninth Doctor spoke to the Nestene Consciousness). However, the seventh Doctor showed us that he had a ruthless streak in him that he felt was 'for the greater good'; or was it? His manipulation of Ace never reached a satisfactory conclusion (at least on television) so we never got to find out why he behaved how he did. But Lady Peinforte's 'I can tell you who he really is' type stuff (Silver Nemesis), not to mention Morgaine's 'Merlin, I sealed you in the ice caves' type stuff (Battlefield) intimated a dark side to the Doctor that has always been there. Wasn't there a very early adventure where the Doctor was gonna bash a savage's brains in with a stone but Ian Chesterton stopped him?

The surprising thing, for me, was that Baines narrated the Family of Blood's coda. I found it somewhat creepy.

Sorry, think I've gone a bit off topic and not been as cogent as I could have been.

Please ignore/add/refute as appropriate Van

Traveller in Time just leaving the
"Next episode they will meet the great sourcerer and enter Middle-Earth. "