River-Doctor chronology question

[Alidar Jarok]

Eh, that's back to being ambiguous. What's "major encounter" mean? Why not just say encounter? My first reaction was that this was the second encounter and that, yes, he had been dreading it. It doesn't let things fit in quite so smoothly, but the change in Doctors kinda screwed that up.

 

[DAK]

^ That's what I think too. When the Library scripts were written Moffatt had no idea Tennant would be leaving before his next story with River would be filmed. If they'd gone right into season 5 instead of doing those specials these episodes probably would have been made with Tennant.

 

[The Wormhole]

Do we know for sure that River has met future Doctors past Eleven? I thought she had, but I may be wrong.

I don't think anything definitive has been stated, but I think the general implication is that yes, she has.

 

[ClayinCA]

Since Eleven appears to be meeting her for only the second time (from his perspective) in "The Time of Angels," I'm not sure how this can be reconciled, but it does seem pretty evident that River already knows Ten when she gets to the Library.

I seem to recall that Moffat has said that "The Time of Angels" is not the Doctor's second adventure with River, so unless the eleventh Doctor had an adventure with River while he was taking the TARDIS for a spin around the moon in "The Eleventh Hour" (which is not how that episode plays), the tenth Doctor must have met up with River at some point before his regeneration.

There's a comment in "The Time of Angels", but I forget exactly what it is, but the Doctor says something like "This always happens." It's small and easy to miss, but Moffat slyly referenced it in his Production Notes column in DWM as an indication they'd met more than once before.

Oh cool! I must have missed that. Thanks for pointing it out - for some reason it just makes me happy that Ten and River met up at least one more time.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Impossible Astronaut/ Day of the Moon has to be at least after Time Of Angels/Flesh and Stone since River refers to herself as a professor of archaeology in DotM, and is not yet one in ToA. This probably makes it the latest the Doctor has met her pre-Silence in the Library.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Does she says she isn't in Time of Angels or just doesn't say?

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Does she says she isn't in Time of Angels or just doesn't say?

The Doctor introduces her to Amy as Professor River Song, to which she responds: "Oh, I'm going to be a professor, am I? Spoilers!"

 

[David cgc]

Impossible Astronaut/ Day of the Moon has to be at least after Time Of Angels/Flesh and Stone since River refers to herself as a professor of archaeology in DotM, and is not yet one in ToA. This probably makes it the latest the Doctor has met her pre-Silence in the Library.

Did she call herself a professor? I just remember Rory asking what her doctorate was in.

Also, it'd be a bit odd if she got a teaching job while still in prison.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Did she identify herself as Dr. Song or an archeologist in The Impossible Astronaut or was it just the throwaway line with the Doctor?

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Ah well, that's true. Never mind me, then. Of course there's also the fact the she knows Rory which would place it at the very least post-Big Bang, unless we want to blame the time crack.

 

[David cgc]

Plus, she has the same wrist-strap she got in "Pandorica." Now, it could be that she just buys a new one every time she escapes from jail, but, well...

Personally, just to mix it up, I like Pandorica-Astronaut-Angels-Library for River's chronology so far. The straight-up opposite-directions thing irritates me, so I'm glad if I can avoid it.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I'm taking them at their word that the events depicted so far have been shown front to back and back to front. I'm not saying there aren't necessarily gaps that could exist at any point in their mutual timelines and haven't been shown (like theoretical other Tennant adventures), just that these events are reverse chronological order.

 

[arch101]

Boy, would I love a River/ 4th Doc story. I mean, If the first Romana drove him nuts, just think how comically cross he'd be with River and her TARDIS skills?

 

[Sindatur]

Boy, would I love a River/ 4th Doc story. I mean, If the first Romana drove him nuts, just think how comically cross he'd be with River and her TARDIS skills?

Not likely to happen visually, considering how much time has passed since Tom regenerated and how much he's changed, but, it would make fantastic Audio Dramas

 

[propita]

Timeline confusion

The Library episodes were at the end of River’s life. She saw the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble.

She met Amy in the Angels episodes. At the end she tells the Doctor that they’ll next meet when the Pandorica opens. Which means that had already occurred for her. Which means that she already met Amy (and Rory).

Was she just not letting on in the Angels episodes that she knew Amy, since it was technically earlier in Amy’s life? And was she just not interested in asking “What happened to the guy you married, since I saw you at your wedding”?

When did WAGMGTW occur in her timeline? Before YOTM, because the Doctor was taking her out one last time? Sometime way earlier than that? She appears to not recognize Rory at first, or at least seems surprised at his presence, but then very pleased that he’s there--like she wasn’t expecting to see him again (she killed him?)

Still confused. Probably always will be unless I can be directed to a good timeline.

 

[MacLeod]

Re: Timeline confusion

one word "Spoilers"

 

[TyberiusDeAngelo]

Re: Timeline confusion

You are not the only one confused by the timeline. I get head pain trying to figure it all out.

 

[Brendan Moody]

Re: Timeline confusion

It's a mistake to think about these questions until there's some evidence that Steven Moffat has.

 

[Awesome Possum]

Re: Timeline confusion

I think Moffat said on twitter that River is pretending that she doesn't know them.

 

[RoJoHen]

Re: Timeline confusion

I think Moffat said on twitter that River is pretending that she doesn't know them.

That's the easiest explanation.