Also, is the exodus from Earth in the 29th century intended to be the same one referred to way back in the Fourth Doctor story The Ark in Space, where Earth was abandoned for about ten thousand years? If so, that's a major blunder in continuity, as many past stories depict Earth as still inhabited and powerful in the timeframe this story is set in. Mavic Chen was the Guardian of the Terran Solar System in the year 4000 (The Dalek's Master Plan), and there were still plenty of nations existing on the planet by the beginning of the 51st century, as we know from The Talons of Weng Chiang. Is Earth mentioned at all in Planet of the Ood, set in the 42nd century?
Yep, that's a major continuity cat-pigeon situation. It does sound like these solar flares are the ones from the back plot of Ark in Space, and the 29th Century line almost certainly comes from Ark as well (the Doctor looks at a 'Bennett oscillator' and says it was built in the 29th century - it's debateable whetehr this is an original feature of Nerva Beacon when it was first built, or something added when it was refitted into the Ark).
But having the solar flares happen in the 29th century (though possibly consistent with The Ice Warriors) does cause problems: Earth should be abandoned for more than 10,000 years (at least), yet clearly isn't in 4000 (Dalek Masterplan) and 5000 (Talons of Weng Chiang, Invisible Enemy, Empty Child...).
Planet of the Ood? If the Ood Sphere's in the same system as the Sense-Sphere (which humanity got to in the 28th Century), then the 41st Century date doesn't really make sense anyway (unless you reckon it took 1300 years for another Earth expedition to find that system. Possible, but doesn't quite fit with Masterplan, where Earth [and its allies] seems to control most of our galaxy in 4000).
Mind you, try reconciling Talons and Invisible Enemy - two stories apart, but toally different depictions of 5000AD (About Time has a good go, but it's not entirely convincing).
Don't we risk collapsing the galaxy or something?
