Well, given all this talk about what happened and now didn't happen in Who seems erroneous, considering Who never bothers with time as a straight line. Events in the past AND the future change often, as the Doctor has referenced on countless occasions, most of time is in constant flux while some events are “fixed”. It’s these particular events that maintain the timeline from completely falling adrift and resulting in the true erasure of people, planets, entire races, or the universe itself, instead of just slight (or even more than slight) alterations of historic events. And the Doctor seems to have the ability to keep it all straight, what must happen and what conceivably could, can, or will change if need be.
In only one example, we’ve seen human history completely re-written within a single episode arc, the only result being that time has been corrected, not restored necessarily, but repaired well enough to move on in the general direction it needs to go. I can only assume it means the "fixed" events will be allowed to happen even if history itself is changed.
Even the time traveling Daleks ostensibly recognize that certain events must occur if the universe is to be held in check for all of existing time. At the moment the Daleks had control of Earth and killed thousands indiscriminately, one Dalek still saw the value of one single human as among the first of Earth to colonize Mars, and spared her to fulfill her destiny of that fixed future event. How the Daleks would rectify this event in their plans for Earth’s domination or even destruction remains to be seen, even as it was never played out, thanks to the Doctor saving the day(s). But still, many alterations can occur as long as certain events exist in the time stream in order for it to remain their time stream, as it would be possibly detrimental to the existence of the Daleks as well had that future event not ever taken place. And this is how the Doctor sees time, as an endlessly fluctuating construct, held together by certain “tent poles” in time.
So, EVERY Doctor Who story has happened, none have been erased in that sense. It all happened to all 11 Doctors and all the companions and all their various foes, it all happened to them. Even if current history can’t perceive it. It all happened at one time, OR another.
In only one example, we’ve seen human history completely re-written within a single episode arc, the only result being that time has been corrected, not restored necessarily, but repaired well enough to move on in the general direction it needs to go. I can only assume it means the "fixed" events will be allowed to happen even if history itself is changed.
Even the time traveling Daleks ostensibly recognize that certain events must occur if the universe is to be held in check for all of existing time. At the moment the Daleks had control of Earth and killed thousands indiscriminately, one Dalek still saw the value of one single human as among the first of Earth to colonize Mars, and spared her to fulfill her destiny of that fixed future event. How the Daleks would rectify this event in their plans for Earth’s domination or even destruction remains to be seen, even as it was never played out, thanks to the Doctor saving the day(s). But still, many alterations can occur as long as certain events exist in the time stream in order for it to remain their time stream, as it would be possibly detrimental to the existence of the Daleks as well had that future event not ever taken place. And this is how the Doctor sees time, as an endlessly fluctuating construct, held together by certain “tent poles” in time.
So, EVERY Doctor Who story has happened, none have been erased in that sense. It all happened to all 11 Doctors and all the companions and all their various foes, it all happened to them. Even if current history can’t perceive it. It all happened at one time, OR another.
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