"Where Are We Going This Time": The Golden Age of Science Fiction

[Ogrebear]

Warner Comics buys/merges with Malibu @Timelordtoe?

I could see Warner with it’s changed focus wanting Malibu’s publishing house as much as Marvel did OTL.

 

[Timelordtoe]

Chapter XXII: "What NeXT?"​

“Microsoft’s breakup really changed the whole computer industry here, but it’s more than recovered since then. Of course, the industry has had its fair share of ups and downs since then, but the computer industry is still very much one of the things that we in Washington do better than anybody else.”​

- Senator Lonnie de Soto (D-WA), in an interview concerning the dominance of Washington-based information companies in a 2017 interview. [1]


Microsoft’s woes were not over yet. Already having been forced to stop including Internet Explorer as part of their operating system, greatly reducing their market share, and hurting their attempt to gain a major foothold in internet services. But they had what they thought was one last trick up their sleeve. While they had been ordered to distribute a version of Windows that no longer came with Internet Explorer bundled with it, they had asserted that doing so would cause issues with the Windows operating system. So, they told the computer manufacturers that they had a choice, either use an outdated, unsupported version of Windows, or use a new one that would not work properly.

It did not take long for news of this to reach the Department of Justice. To say that they were not pleased was an understatement. When confronted, Microsoft insisted that it was effectively the fault of the court for forcing Microsoft into such a situation. However, during the trial, Microsoft’s evidence that removing Internet Explorer caused issues with the Windows operating system had been shown to be falsified. [2]


This was only the latest in a series of gaffes for Microsoft related to the trial. During deposition, CEO Bill Gates’ interview had proven meandering, with Gates arguing over the definition of various words. While it avoided incriminating Microsoft, or outright perjury, Gates’ attitude was not a good look for the company. Media coverage had been almost entirely negative towards Microsoft, though they had paid for ads, most notably “An Open Letter to the President On Antitrust Protectionism”.

The DOJ had, quite frankly, had enough of Microsoft. They had lost two anti-trust cases now, and showed no signs that they were going to change their actions. There was, in their eyes, only one solution. Break Microsoft up. [3]


On May 6 1998, the court ordered that Microsoft be split up, with one company holding the rights to the Windows operating system, and the other holding the rights to all of Microsoft’s software, including Internet Explorer. Though Microsoft would appeal this decision, the D.C. Court of Appeals upheld the decision.

Microsoft would not fully be broken up until the end of 1998, but by then both Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer had jumped ship. Microsoft’s successors, Windows Systems (which inherited the Windows operating system) and Microsoft Corp. (which retained the software rights), were left largely rudderless without either of the two men who had built the company up from the beginning. [4]



The Microsoft case had hurt the computer industry considerably, though some did profit. Apple’s stock recovered somewhat, leading them to abandon the deal which would have had them purchase NeXT. However, this rebound was short-lived, and by the time they realised as such, there was not enough time to strike a deal with NeXT. In June 1997, Apple declared bankruptcy. [5]

Much of Apple’s staff moved on to other sectors in the market, with many going on to make a name for themselves elsewhere. Apple’s place in the market was swiftly taken by NeXT, who continued their work on innovating in the market. Steve Jobs was in the limelight once more, and he intended to make sure that the next NeXT computer would not have only a limited release. In the years to come, NeXT would make a name for themselves as the go-to high-end computer company. [6]


With a major player out of the game, and another left in chaos, the market for operating systems was wide open to new competitors. By 2000, the market for OSes was completely different, with some new players having stepped up to the plate.


NeXT Time: "You're Looking Animated", Doctor Who: The Animated Series's first season.
[1] Yeah, the character's name is a reference. To what, I won't quite say, but she'll be making an appearance in the political timeline around 1995.
[2] The second Microsoft anti-trust trial kicks off two years early, but the story beats are pretty much the same. Gates is very arrogant, and isn't too co-operative.
[3] Very nearly happened in OTL. It got reversed on appeal, but here, it doesn't.
[4] I think these names are plaudible. Anyway, the industry is really shaken up by this.
[5] Again, a company gets arrogant and pays the price. The stock recovery is attributed to their changes in the company, rather than Microsoft being attacked from all sides. The NeXT deal doesn't go through, because a lot of the board still really don't like Jobs, and if they don't need to deal with him, they won't.
[6] There's a couple of former Apple employees that will be making appearances later on, but NeXT certainly won't have the same aesthetic as Apple under Jobs. NeXT is about innovating the market, being the most powerful, rather than being chic.
I've hit a bit of a groove recently, and I'm really enjoying writing these again. I'll probably put an update out on the political timeline before the next one here, and there's a hint as to what might be coming up soon there in this here update.

 

[Ogrebear]

Ok - breaking up Microsoft and getting rid of Apple is more than a 'shakeup' it is HUGE in terms of changing computing history.

Am suprised Gates and Bullmer would jump ship. There are other people who guide MS though so I expect after a couple of rocky years someone would step up to be heads of both and get things moving again.

I can actually see Windows Systems surviving just because of the size of its user base, however having Office at Microsoft Corp. will be a mess for support and development. Unless the judgement says something about it expect to see some conferences and 'joint working' on projects. I expect Office to survive better than Windows due to the fact it can be made to run on other OS's. Depends on what OS come out.

Apple is going to go into Chapter 11 protection before it vanishes to try and clear Predator- sorry creditors, expect a Firesale. Apple's remains will be gobbled up by someone- the Macintosh name and user base is just too valuable. If NeXt does not get it, I could see someone like Alan Sugar or similar making a bid to get it. Maybe Compaq, HP, or one of them go for it. Apple has a lot of stuff floating around other companies will want inc the Newton. proto-IMac, digital camera, and the PowerMac. Apple going under will cause a mess.

 

[Timelordtoe]

Ok - breaking up Microsoft and getting rid of Apple is more than a 'shakeup' it is HUGE in terms of changing computing history.

Am suprised Gates and Bullmer would jump ship. There are other people who guide MS though so I expect after a couple of rocky years someone would step up to be heads of both and get things moving again.

I can actually see Windows Systems surviving just because of the size of its user base, however having Office at Microsoft Corp. will be a mess for support and development. Unless the judgement says something about it expect to see some conferences and 'joint working' on projects. I expect Office to survive better than Windows due to the fact it can be made to run on other OS's. Depends on what OS come out.

Apple is going to go into Chapter 11 protection before it vanishes to try and clear Predator- sorry creditors, expect a Firesale. Apple's remains will be gobbled up by someone- the Macintosh name and user base is just too valuable. If NeXt does not get it, I could see someone like Alan Sugar or similar making a bid to get it. Maybe Compaq, HP, or one of them go for it. Apple has a lot of stuff floating around other companies will want inc the Newton. proto-IMac, digital camera, and the PowerMac. Apple going under will cause a mess.

Gates and Ballmer had planned to leave the company if it was going to be broken up, though I suspect that they may return in due course. The split is as it was planned, though I'm guessing that there wil probably be some collaboration between Microsoft and Windows.

What happens with Apple's products and staff will be addressed in the near future, especially as it could provide some hardware companies a foothold in the OS market. I'd be surprised if Sugar grabbed up too much, but certainly HP and Compaq might, the latter not least of all because they did a lot of acquisitions around this time in OTL. Where the staff go is also of great importance, and there are a couple of people that will come up at some other points.

But yeah, the computer industry is a complete mess right now. The major OS producer just got cleft in twain, and another major player went under. It's anybody's guess as to who will be on top by the time the milennium rolls around.


Also, slight change of plans to the update schedule. Next update (or two) will be about the first season of Doctor Who: The Animated Series. @The Chimera Virus has been working on it for a little while, and now it's done!

 

[Timelordtoe]

Part III, Chapter XXIII: "You're Looking Animated!"​

"I think that out of all of the different Doctors in all of the canons, the Sixth has to have had the roughest time of it. Think about it, he had to spend decades on Earth without a functioning TARDIS, and even when he fixed it, it rarely hit the right time period. And to top it all off, the poor sucker got killed off twice. Talk about a run of bad luck."​

- comment taken from a video titled "Which Doctor had the Roughest Time?"

The creation of Doctor Who: The Animated Series was primarily due to the shifting demographics of the main Doctor Who show. Under Cartmel and Gaiman, the audience had shifted from being primarily families to being mainly teenagers and young adults. While the viewing figures remained rather stable, many of the executives at NBC felt that they were losing out on some of the potential audience.

Concept art for the proposed NBC-Nelvana Doctor Who animated series.​

Nelvana had some interest in creating a Doctor Who show, and their pitch involved a version of the Doctor that was somewhat ambiguous with regards to the incarnation, taking inspiration from multiple different incarnations of the Doctor, particularly the Fourth and Sixth. Nelvana had had some success as of late with the The Magic School Bus series, starring Lily Tomlin, and there were some executives at NBC that worried that their Doctor Who series would bear too many similarities.

Concept art for the "Nelvana Doctor".
​

In addition, Amblin and Universal still held the rights to the Sixth Doctor and his companions, and amidst a market that seemed to be clamouring for more Doctor Who, there was an interest in putting them to use. Therefore, the decision for NBC, Universal, and Amblin to work together in creating a new animated show aimed primarily at family audiences was an obvious one. By making the show animated, they would not only reduce much of the cost of creating it, but would also give them opportunities for stories that the live-action show did not have.


Production of the show was handed over to Greg Weisman and Dwayne McDuffie. Weisman was fresh off of the Gargoyles TV series, one of Disney’s few financial successes of late, while McDuffie was one of the main writers for the upcoming Warner Comics Doctor Who line. Both would write stories for the show, but two people alone did not a writing staff make.

Thankfully, due to the high profile nature of the franchise, getting in writers was no issue. Weisman tapped husband-and-wife team Michael and Brynne Chandler Reaves, with whom he had worked on Gargoyles. McDuffie contacted John Semper, who had been the primary writer of the now-finished Spider-Man animated series. Soon enough, sixteen stories had been penned for the twenty-six episode first season. Of particular note were the first and last stories, Identity Crisis and The Doctor Must Die!, both of which were given limited theatrical releases.


In addition, it was far easier to bring in more high profile actors to the franchise, especially as now, all that they needed to do was come in and record their lines and get paid. David Bowie would join the cast of Identity Crisis, playing William Shakespeare, joined by Tim Curry and Miriam Margolyes. Bowie’s presence in the cast would help to build some hype around the series, as would the return of Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox.

Marty in his room aboard the TARDIS, taken from Conglomerate, Part One.​

Of course, the circumstances around Lloyd and Fox’s returns were more complex. In truth, they would only be voicing their characters in the first and last stories, their roles filled by Dan Castellaneta and David Kaufman in the remainder of the episodes. They would be joined by Pamela Segall-Adlon as Marty’s girlfriend Elyse Parker, and Kate Mulgrew as Agnes Hortensia of Ravenna, the first Doctor Who companion to be from the audience’s past since Victoria Waterfield in the classic series.

Neither Lloyd nor Castellaneta were interested in a second season, so the decision was made to recast, with an alternate Seventh Doctor, firmly establishing the animated continuity as being separate from the live action one.

Marty and his cousin Ernie, taken from Through the Looking Glass, Part One.​

A notable return would be Carole Ann Ford, who played the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan at the start of the show, and Peter Purves, who played Steven Taylor. Neither would be reprising their role. Ford would be playing a fashion designer called Zorelle and the Rutan Host’s Great Mother in the story Shakedown, which would also see Terrance Dicks’ return to the show. Purves would be voicing a terrorist in a prequel to one of the serials he featured in, The Ark.

Marty and the Doctor navigate with a lantern, taken from The Brownout. Note the very literal sonic screwdriver.​

The series was able to be produced far faster than its live action counterpart, in no small part due to the reduced runtime of the episodes (25 minutes animated vs. 45 minutes live action). The stories were ready for release in the 1997-1998 US television season, making up for Doctor Who’s awkward mid-season placement due to the BBC’s insistence. In fact, the BBC had little to do with the show beyond giving it the green light, and broadcasting it in the UK.

Marty is confused, taken from Educating Agnes.​

Season One of Doctor Who: The Animated Series was first broadcast on September 20th, 1997. It received positive reviews.


List of Episodes of Season One of Doctor Who: The Animated Series: (all stories by @The Chimera Virus)

1. Identity Crisis, Part One
2. Identity Crisis, Part Two
3. Identity Crisis, Part Three
4. Starcrossed
5. The Will of Cernunnos
6. Shakedown, Part One
7. Shakedown, Part Two
8. The Fossilist, Part One
9. The Fossilist, Part Two
10. The Solar Sailors
11. Disciples of Hercules, Part One
12. Disciples of Hercules, Part Two
13. Medical Mystery
14. Educating Agnes
15. Through the Looking Glass, Part One
16. Through the Looking Glass, Part Two
17. The Plant That Knew Too Much
18. Batter Up!
19. Conglomerate, Part One
20. Conglomerate, Part Two
21. The Brownout
22. All the Stars in the Sky, Part One
23. All the Stars in the Sky, Part Two
24. The Doctor Must Die! Part One
25. The Doctor Must Die! Part Two
26. The Doctor Must Die! Part Three

Voice Cast of Season One of Doctor Who: The Animated Series:

• The Sixth Doctor – Dan Castellaneta (Christopher Lloyd for episodes 1-3 and 24-26)
• Marty McFly – David Kaufman (Michael J. Fox for episodes 1-3 and 24-26)
• Elyse Parker – Pamela Segall-Adlon
• Agnes Hortensia of Ravenna – Kate Mulgrew

The generally positive reviews of the show led to a second season being commissioned, though major cast changes were abound. Though the viewing figures were perhaps not quite as high as NBC or Universal had hoped, they had succeeded in both diversifying the franchise and bringing back much of the family audience that they felt that they had lost. The show was a success.

 

[Timelordtoe]

Overview of Season 1 of Doctor Who: The Animated Series
by @The Chimera Virus​

Identity Crisis

While taking Marty and Elyse to the Wild West, the Doctor realizes they don’t know who Shakespeare is – something that ought to be impossible. There’s a glitch in time, one that can’t be unintentional. The Doctor course-corrects to Elizabethan England, where he and his companions find that the real Shakespeare has been killed in a duel that should never have happened. Unable to budge the TARDIS back down the timeline to avert this, the Doctor must salvage the timeline before things become irrevocably changed.​

Special Guest Star: David Bowie as the Monk and William Shakespeare​

Guest Stars: Brian George as Kit Marlowe, Maurice Denham as Francis Bacon, Tim Curry as Edward de Vere, and Miriam Margolyes as Queen Elizabeth I​

Note: Also released as a 75-minute animated film by the same name.​

Starcrossed

The Doctor blows something out in the console while trying to fix the fault in the TARDIS preventing backwards time travel. Marty and Elyse end up on Starcrossed, a Dating Game-style game show hosted by the nefarious Slim Strange. The game is rigged in favor of a gelatinous blob of a predator, a Plenduthan named Krt’nyl’krryx. With a nervous wreck of an Ice Warrior as their only ally, Marty and Elyse may be in for more than they expected. Can the Doctor save his companions before they’re devoured by the voracious ’Kyrrx?​

Guest Stars: Jim Lange as Slim Strange and Corey Burton as Sseskor​

The Will of Cernunnos

New York City, October 1999. The Doctor intends to visit the Museum of Modern Art to meet with an old friend of his, Whitmore Alstein. “Whitsy,” as the Doctor calls him, turns out to be very fond of Elyse despite their age difference. He invites her to a gathering he’ll be attending with his friends the next evening. Elyse, currently angry with Marty, accepts. She finds that Alstein is a Wiccan, as are all his friends. They intend to summon the horned god Cernunnos that evening and require one outside observer for the ritual to take effect. However, none of them realize why the observer is really needed – Cernunnos needs a body, and Elyse’s will do nicely….​

Special Guest Star: Peter Boyle as Whitmore “Whitsy” Alstein​

Guest Star: Kevin Conroy as the voice of Cernunnos​

Shakedown

For millions of years the Sontarans and the Rutan Host have fought each other across the Milky Way. Now the Sontarans have a plan to strike at the heart of the Rutan Empire, and utterly exterminate the Host. The Doctor has his suspicions, but the information regarding this secret plan is contained in the mind of one Rutan spy who has been trained to think independently. It is being pursued from planet to planet by Marty, augmented Ogron private detective Garshak, and by a Sontaran hit-squad. After a confrontation aboard the racing space-yacht Tiger Moth, the chase culminates on the library planet Sentarion – home of Rutan-uplifted insects and where Elyse’s research into the history of the Sontaran/Rutan War turns into explosive reality.​

Special Guest Stars: Michael Wisher as Chief Engineer Robar and Carole Ann Ford as Zorelle and the Great Mother​

Guest Stars: Tony Jay as Detective Garshak, Toby Aspin and Charlie Adler as the Sontarans, and Dee Bradley Baker as Karne the Rutan​

The Fossilist

When she was a little girl, Mary Anning hunted for fossils on the beach, both for fun and to sell for a few extra pennies. When she grew up, she became one of the best-known paleontologists in the world – all from the rooms of her little fossil shop. In a time when humanity is just beginning to learn of the vast prehistory of its own world, Mary is swept up in an adventure with the Doctor, Marty, and Elyse. One that takes her further into the past than she could ever have believed, to meet creatures she could never have imagined.​

Guest Stars: Jane Leeves as Mary Anning and Corey Burton, Dee Bradley Baker, and Lauren Tom as the voices of the Sea Devils​

The Solar Sailors

The TARDIS lands on an intergalactic cruise-liner in the year 2091 – the MSC Vita. The Vita is a repurposed solar sail ship whose captain is the prideful and stubborn Marta McFly, Marty and Elyse’s great-great-granddaughter. While enjoying their time on the ship, the TARDIS team finds that the solar sail ship has been sabotaged. As the Doctor attempts to repair the solar sails, Marty and Elyse try to reason with their descendant that it may be necessary to abandon ship and tarnish her spotless record.​

Guest Star: Mary Kay Bergman as Marta McFly​

Disciples of Hercules

The TARDIS is having issues with its chronometer, and lands at Herculaneum, a settlement near Pompeii. Marty and Elyse are concerned that the nearby Mount Vesuvius is due to erupt, but the Doctor dismisses them. The chronometer has only been a few years off so far and it currently says it’s 69 A.D. It could only be 75 A.D. at the latest. The Doctor sends them into town while he affects repairs. To the companions’ surprise, Hercules himself is roaming Herculaneum, turning men into his muscular disciples. He claims that Vulcan is working to forge a new race to replace humanity and Hercules needs an army to stop him.​

​

Turning Marty into one of the swollen disciples, they leave for Vesuvius. Assisted by vacationing Agnes Hortensia of Ravenna, whose husband Felix has been turned into a disciple, Elyse runs to find the Doctor for help. Meanwhile, the Doctor finds that the chronometer is 10 years off when Pliny the Elder arrives to inspect the ship - he only came to the area in 79 A.D. It’s Volcano Day after all, and it seems the cause may very well be an epic fight between Hercules and Vulcan. But how are literal gods walking around? Who are these people really?​

Special Guest Star: Leonard Nimoy as Vulcan​

Guest Stars: John O’Hurley as Hercules, Ernest Borgnine as Pliny the Elder, and Scott McNeil as Felix Cato of Ravenna​

Note: Kate Mulgrew joins the regular cast as Agnes Hortensia of Ravenna following Felix’s death at the hands of Vulcan.​

Medical Mystery

After being transformed by Hercules, Marty is still a muscular meathead. The Doctor isn’t sure how to fix him and elects to go to the Varkliktian Central Medical Station in the 51st Century. Once there, Marty is taken away by Doctor Yoraf Gred to be returned to normal. However, while waiting things out, the Doctor, Elyse, and Agnes find that something more sinister is happening in another wing. Mx. Gorgsen Calturnica has a very strange condition, and they’re now growing at an alarming rate, spreading across the walls, floor, and ceiling like a disgusting sort of mold!​

Guest Star: Alan Oppenheimer as Dr. Yoraf Gred​

Educating Agnes

Returning to Hill Valley so Marty can recuperate, the Doctor takes it upon himself to help Agnes adjust to the 20th Century. She’s receptive, but things still proceed more like a comedy of errors rather than a well-oiled machine. Things grow complicated when, while chaperoning a field trip to the museum, temporal terrorists come back to rewrite history. Worse yet, Mr. Strickland won’t let the Doctor near the field trip, meaning the companions must save the day on their own.​

Special Guest Star: James Tolkan as Gerald Strickland​

Through the Looking Glass

Marty’s young cousin Ernie has come to visit and is obsessed with Harry Houdini. After breaking much of Lorraine’s good china in an effort to perform tricks, he’s sent to stay in the back yard all day. While exploring, Ernie accidentally finds the TARDIS and begs to be taken back in time to meet his idol. Marty tells the Doctor it’s useless to argue as Ernie always gets what he wants, so the Doctor, Anges, and Ernie head back in time. Upon arriving in Detroit circa 1926, there’s just one problem. Harry Houdini is dead, and his widow, Bess, claims that she keeps seeing him standing just behind her in the mirror, beckoning for her to come through. However, she’s not sure it’s him and wonders if the recent gift of a dybbuk box might have something to do with all this…​

Special Guest Star: Lea Thompson as Lorraine Baines McFly​

Guest Stars: Eddie Deezen as Ernie Baines, Barbara Goodson as Bess Houdini, and Phil LaMarr as Harry Houdini/The Dybbuk​

The Plant That Knew Too Much

With the Doctor, Agnes, and Ernie in the past, Marty helps Elyse in her mother’s garden. While there, they find a strange plant has taken root and seems to be growing bigger with each passing day. It then begins to psychically inform them of things it couldn’t possibly know. It also begs them to dig it up so it can “begin its great work.” As it asks this, Marty gets a vision of the world overrun and enslaved by the plant. While trying to fend off his aunt and uncle’s hysteria over their missing son, Marty must scour the Doctor’s handwritten logs to find out what this plant is before it convinces Elyse to help it take over the world.​

Special Guest Stars: Lea Thompson as Lorraine Baines McFly and June Foray as the Plant​

Guest Stars: Corey Burton as Toby Baines and Tress MacNeille as Janet Lamont Baines​

Batter Up!

Agnes is trying to move past her late husband Felix. To this end, she has a date with a local expert on Roman culture. Elyse is still recovering from her bout with the Plant. With it being just him and the Doctor for the first time in a long time, Marty asks to go back to the 1897 National League Pennant Race. He’d like to see his ancestor, Pee-Wee McFly – the pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters – win the Series. The pair finds that Pee-Wee is unable to pitch. Using the Doctor’s pair of glasses that helps the batter to hit like a major leaguer, Marty “steps in” for Pee-Wee and wins a critical game. Instead of being thankful, Pee-Wee is terrified – he has been being pressured to throw the games by Diamond Jim Tannen, a major gangster. With Elyse and the Doctor’s help, Marty helps Pee-Wee win the Pennant and Diamond Jim is arrested. Written by John Hays.​

Special Guest Star: J.J. Cohen as Diamond Jim Tannen​

Conglomerate

Instead of returning to Hill Valley, the TARDIS arrives in an empty subway station. Curiously, the empty trains are still running – and perfectly on time at that – despite no apparent operators. The city above is equally devoid of life… save for a voracious, oozing slime that overtakes the Doctor before slithering off again. Now unconcerned with Marty, the Doctor descends back into the subway to head for corporate headquarters. He acts as if he’s a corporate executive who’s running late for an important meeting. Marty tries to follow, but is cut off and pursued by Conglomerate, Inc.’s patented drudger robots. As the Doctor is brought to a boardroom to redesign the city in a more efficient and profit-maximizing manner, Marty tries to reach the TARDIS. However, the Chairman of the Board (the slime creature from before) is intent on making the Doctor the crowning achievement of the Conglomerate School for Promising Talent. To do that, however, the Doctor must use the collapsing city to destroy his TARDIS and murder the “subversive anti-capitalist” Marty in the process.​

Guest Star: Greg Weisman as the voices of the P.A. system and the drudgers​

Note: Weisman, the show’s producer, stepped into the two other roles to cut on costs. Other than him, this is a character-focused two-hander between Dan Castellaneta as the Doctor and David Kaufman as Marty.​

The Brownout

Finally returning to Hill Valley, Marty and the Doctor find that Agnes’s date ended with her becoming frustrated with the historical record’s many faults and her date’s inability to grasp that he’s wrong about quite a lot. Elyse is feeling much better and she and Marty go on a date to the Founders’ Day celebration. The Doctor returns to his lab to tinker and his experiment causes a brownout in Hill Valley, ruining the celebration. In trying to keep the peace, Marty and Elyse run afoul of Biff, who butts heads with Agnes. She does a lot more to him, and he ends up with a black eye and several missing teeth. Still reeling, Biff rallies the townsfolk and they storm the Doctor’s laboratory to run him out of town. Just as they do, the Doctor gets the power back on. Everyone is suddenly much less inclined to do Biff’s bidding and the Doctor chides them for being so easily manipulated. In the end, Biff and his family are run out of town instead.​

Special Guest Star: J.J. Cohen as Biff Tannen​

All the Stars in the Sky

The TARDIS lands on the planet Refusis. The Doctor is keen to see how the humans and Monoids are getting along with their Refusian hosts, but is informed that the locals have never heard of humans or Monoids. Realizing this is long before the arrival of the Ark, the Doctor is keen to leave so as not to possibly rewrite his own history (and that of Steven, Dodo, and humanity). Things become complicated when Elyse and Agnes are kidnapped by off-world terrorists – Spiridons who are violently unhappy with recent harsh economic sanctions against their homeworld. They plan to detonate the nearest stars to Refusis as revenge with special equipment. The Doctor and Marty rush to save their friends, with the former growing concerned that they might not be able to accomplish this. The gears of history are turning, and the “solar flare” explanation for the Refusians’ later invisibility may not be so far-fetched after all….​

Special Guest Star: Peter Purves as Vaskat, the lead terrorist​

The Doctor Must Die!

Inescapably drawn to a planet called Hideaway, the Doctor is aghast to find Daleks hiding deep in the many caverns criss-crossing the planet’s mountainous north. Marty has heard the Doctor mention the Daleks before and is ready to fight, as is Agnes, but Elyse implores everyone to listen to the Daleks before doing anything rash. As it turns out, these are the Human Factor Daleks from long ago. The resultant civil war never actually finished, though Skaro has allegedly been destroyed by the Doctor. Of course, the Doctor has no idea when he could’ve done that, nor any inkling as to why he would.​

​

The Human Factor Daleks explain they’ve hidden themselves on Hideaway to ensure the Daleks remain preoccupied with hunting them down, sparing at least some of the rest of the universe. However, a group of Movellans discover them and covertly inform the Dalek Empire of the Human Factor Daleks’ location, and that of the Doctor, in exchange for their own lives. The Movellans plan to leave this universe for another soon, and if they can do that unmolested, they’ll help the Daleks get rid of both their problems.​

​

Further complicating matters are the Thals, who all blame the Doctor for the destruction of Skaro. They will stop at nothing to make him pay. Faced with enemies on all sides, can the Doctor, Marty, Elyse, and Agnes save the Human Factor Daleks and not die trying?​

Special Guest Stars: Michael Wisher, Roy Skelton, and Nicholas Briggs as the Daleks, Sandy Duncan as Sarilla, the chief Thal, and David Warner as Rinnes, the eldest Thal​

Guest Stars: Phil LaMarr as Commander Crylak, leader of the Movellans, and Dawnn Lewis as Lieutenant Eleste, Crylak’s adjutant​

Note: First appearance of the Animated Seventh Doctor, as played by Avery Brooks.​

 

[Ogrebear]

Interesting developments on Doctor Who there.

Miriam Margolyes as Queen Elizabeth I is nice casting.

 

[Plus-Sized Scribe]

Interesting developments on Doctor Who there.

Miriam Margolyes as Queen Elizabeth I is nice casting.

Thanks! I thought she'd be a perfect fit.

 

[WhovianHolmesianChap]

Overview of Season 1 of Doctor Who: The Animated Series
by @The Chimera Virus​

Identity Crisis

While taking Marty and Elyse to the Wild West, the Doctor realizes they don’t know who Shakespeare is – something that ought to be impossible. There’s a glitch in time, one that can’t be unintentional. The Doctor course-corrects to Elizabethan England, where he and his companions find that the real Shakespeare has been killed in a duel that should never have happened. Unable to budge the TARDIS back down the timeline to avert this, the Doctor must salvage the timeline before things become irrevocably changed.​

Special Guest Star: David Bowie as the Monk and William Shakespeare​

Guest Stars: Brian George as Kit Marlowe, Maurice Denham as Francis Bacon, Tim Curry as Edward de Vere, and Miriam Margolyes as Queen Elizabeth I​

Note: Also released as a 75-minute animated film by the same name.​

Starcrossed

The Doctor blows something out in the console while trying to fix the fault in the TARDIS preventing backwards time travel. Marty and Elyse end up on Starcrossed, a Dating Game-style game show hosted by the nefarious Slim Strange. The game is rigged in favor of a gelatinous blob of a predator, a Plenduthan named Krt’nyl’krryx. With a nervous wreck of an Ice Warrior as their only ally, Marty and Elyse may be in for more than they expected. Can the Doctor save his companions before they’re devoured by the voracious ’Kyrrx?​

Guest Stars: Jim Lange as Slim Strange and Corey Burton as Sseskor​

The Will of Cernunnos

New York City, October 1999. The Doctor intends to visit the Museum of Modern Art to meet with an old friend of his, Whitmore Alstein. “Whitsy,” as the Doctor calls him, turns out to be very fond of Elyse despite their age difference. He invites her to a gathering he’ll be attending with his friends the next evening. Elyse, currently angry with Marty, accepts. She finds that Alstein is a Wiccan, as are all his friends. They intend to summon the horned god Cernunnos that evening and require one outside observer for the ritual to take effect. However, none of them realize why the observer is really needed – Cernunnos needs a body, and Elyse’s will do nicely….​

Special Guest Star: Peter Boyle as Whitmore “Whitsy” Alstein​

Guest Star: Kevin Conroy as the voice of Cernunnos​

Shakedown

For millions of years the Sontarans and the Rutan Host have fought each other across the Milky Way. Now the Sontarans have a plan to strike at the heart of the Rutan Empire, and utterly exterminate the Host. The Doctor has his suspicions, but the information regarding this secret plan is contained in the mind of one Rutan spy who has been trained to think independently. It is being pursued from planet to planet by Marty, augmented Ogron private detective Garshak, and by a Sontaran hit-squad. After a confrontation aboard the racing space-yacht Tiger Moth, the chase culminates on the library planet Sentarion – home of Rutan-uplifted insects and where Elyse’s research into the history of the Sontaran/Rutan War turns into explosive reality.​

Special Guest Stars: Michael Wisher as Chief Engineer Robar and Carole Ann Ford as Zorelle and the Great Mother​

Guest Stars: Tony Jay as Detective Garshak, Toby Aspin and Charlie Adler as the Sontarans, and Dee Bradley Baker as Karne the Rutan​

The Fossilist

When she was a little girl, Mary Anning hunted for fossils on the beach, both for fun and to sell for a few extra pennies. When she grew up, she became one of the best-known paleontologists in the world – all from the rooms of her little fossil shop. In a time when humanity is just beginning to learn of the vast prehistory of its own world, Mary is swept up in an adventure with the Doctor, Marty, and Elyse. One that takes her further into the past than she could ever have believed, to meet creatures she could never have imagined.​

Guest Stars: Jane Leeves as Mary Anning and Corey Burton, Dee Bradley Baker, and Lauren Tom as the voices of the Sea Devils​

The Solar Sailors

The TARDIS lands on an intergalactic cruise-liner in the year 2091 – the MSC Vita. The Vita is a repurposed solar sail ship whose captain is the prideful and stubborn Marta McFly, Marty and Elyse’s great-great-granddaughter. While enjoying their time on the ship, the TARDIS team finds that the solar sail ship has been sabotaged. As the Doctor attempts to repair the solar sails, Marty and Elyse try to reason with their descendant that it may be necessary to abandon ship and tarnish her spotless record.​

Guest Star: Mary Kay Bergman as Marta McFly​

Disciples of Hercules

The TARDIS is having issues with its chronometer, and lands at Herculaneum, a settlement near Pompeii. Marty and Elyse are concerned that the nearby Mount Vesuvius is due to erupt, but the Doctor dismisses them. The chronometer has only been a few years off so far and it currently says it’s 69 A.D. It could only be 75 A.D. at the latest. The Doctor sends them into town while he affects repairs. To the companions’ surprise, Hercules himself is roaming Herculaneum, turning men into his muscular disciples. He claims that Vulcan is working to forge a new race to replace humanity and Hercules needs an army to stop him.​

​

Turning Marty into one of the swollen disciples, they leave for Vesuvius. Assisted by vacationing Agnes Hortensia of Ravenna, whose husband Felix has been turned into a disciple, Elyse runs to find the Doctor for help. Meanwhile, the Doctor finds that the chronometer is 10 years off when Pliny the Elder arrives to inspect the ship - he only came to the area in 79 A.D. It’s Volcano Day after all, and it seems the cause may very well be an epic fight between Hercules and Vulcan. But how are literal gods walking around? Who are these people really?​

Special Guest Star: Leonard Nimoy as Vulcan​

Guest Stars: John O’Hurley as Hercules, Ernest Borgnine as Pliny the Elder, and Scott McNeil as Felix Cato of Ravenna​

Note: Kate Mulgrew joins the regular cast as Agnes Hortensia of Ravenna following Felix’s death at the hands of Vulcan.​

Medical Mystery

After being transformed by Hercules, Marty is still a muscular meathead. The Doctor isn’t sure how to fix him and elects to go to the Varkliktian Central Medical Station in the 51st Century. Once there, Marty is taken away by Doctor Yoraf Gred to be returned to normal. However, while waiting things out, the Doctor, Elyse, and Agnes find that something more sinister is happening in another wing. Mx. Gorgsen Calturnica has a very strange condition, and they’re now growing at an alarming rate, spreading across the walls, floor, and ceiling like a disgusting sort of mold!​

Guest Star: Alan Oppenheimer as Dr. Yoraf Gred​

Educating Agnes

Returning to Hill Valley so Marty can recuperate, the Doctor takes it upon himself to help Agnes adjust to the 20th Century. She’s receptive, but things still proceed more like a comedy of errors rather than a well-oiled machine. Things grow complicated when, while chaperoning a field trip to the museum, temporal terrorists come back to rewrite history. Worse yet, Mr. Strickland won’t let the Doctor near the field trip, meaning the companions must save the day on their own.​

Special Guest Star: James Tolkan as Gerald Strickland​

Through the Looking Glass

Marty’s young cousin Ernie has come to visit and is obsessed with Harry Houdini. After breaking much of Lorraine’s good china in an effort to perform tricks, he’s sent to stay in the back yard all day. While exploring, Ernie accidentally finds the TARDIS and begs to be taken back in time to meet his idol. Marty tells the Doctor it’s useless to argue as Ernie always gets what he wants, so the Doctor, Anges, and Ernie head back in time. Upon arriving in Detroit circa 1926, there’s just one problem. Harry Houdini is dead, and his widow, Bess, claims that she keeps seeing him standing just behind her in the mirror, beckoning for her to come through. However, she’s not sure it’s him and wonders if the recent gift of a dybbuk box might have something to do with all this…​

Special Guest Star: Lea Thompson as Lorraine Baines McFly​

Guest Stars: Eddie Deezen as Ernie Baines, Barbara Goodson as Bess Houdini, and Phil LaMarr as Harry Houdini/The Dybbuk​

The Plant That Knew Too Much

With the Doctor, Agnes, and Ernie in the past, Marty helps Elyse in her mother’s garden. While there, they find a strange plant has taken root and seems to be growing bigger with each passing day. It then begins to psychically inform them of things it couldn’t possibly know. It also begs them to dig it up so it can “begin its great work.” As it asks this, Marty gets a vision of the world overrun and enslaved by the plant. While trying to fend off his aunt and uncle’s hysteria over their missing son, Marty must scour the Doctor’s handwritten logs to find out what this plant is before it convinces Elyse to help it take over the world.​

Special Guest Stars: Lea Thompson as Lorraine Baines McFly and June Foray as the Plant​

Guest Stars: Corey Burton as Toby Baines and Tress MacNeille as Janet Lamont Baines​

Batter Up!

Agnes is trying to move past her late husband Felix. To this end, she has a date with a local expert on Roman culture. Elyse is still recovering from her bout with the Plant. With it being just him and the Doctor for the first time in a long time, Marty asks to go back to the 1897 National League Pennant Race. He’d like to see his ancestor, Pee-Wee McFly – the pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters – win the Series. The pair finds that Pee-Wee is unable to pitch. Using the Doctor’s pair of glasses that helps the batter to hit like a major leaguer, Marty “steps in” for Pee-Wee and wins a critical game. Instead of being thankful, Pee-Wee is terrified – he has been being pressured to throw the games by Diamond Jim Tannen, a major gangster. With Elyse and the Doctor’s help, Marty helps Pee-Wee win the Pennant and Diamond Jim is arrested. Written by John Hays.​

Special Guest Star: J.J. Cohen as Diamond Jim Tannen​

Conglomerate

Instead of returning to Hill Valley, the TARDIS arrives in an empty subway station. Curiously, the empty trains are still running – and perfectly on time at that – despite no apparent operators. The city above is equally devoid of life… save for a voracious, oozing slime that overtakes the Doctor before slithering off again. Now unconcerned with Marty, the Doctor descends back into the subway to head for corporate headquarters. He acts as if he’s a corporate executive who’s running late for an important meeting. Marty tries to follow, but is cut off and pursued by Conglomerate, Inc.’s patented drudger robots. As the Doctor is brought to a boardroom to redesign the city in a more efficient and profit-maximizing manner, Marty tries to reach the TARDIS. However, the Chairman of the Board (the slime creature from before) is intent on making the Doctor the crowning achievement of the Conglomerate School for Promising Talent. To do that, however, the Doctor must use the collapsing city to destroy his TARDIS and murder the “subversive anti-capitalist” Marty in the process.​

Guest Star: Greg Weisman as the voices of the P.A. system and the drudgers​

Note: Weisman, the show’s producer, stepped into the two other roles to cut on costs. Other than him, this is a character-focused two-hander between Dan Castellaneta as the Doctor and David Kaufman as Marty.​

The Brownout

Finally returning to Hill Valley, Marty and the Doctor find that Agnes’s date ended with her becoming frustrated with the historical record’s many faults and her date’s inability to grasp that he’s wrong about quite a lot. Elyse is feeling much better and she and Marty go on a date to the Founders’ Day celebration. The Doctor returns to his lab to tinker and his experiment causes a brownout in Hill Valley, ruining the celebration. In trying to keep the peace, Marty and Elyse run afoul of Biff, who butts heads with Agnes. She does a lot more to him, and he ends up with a black eye and several missing teeth. Still reeling, Biff rallies the townsfolk and they storm the Doctor’s laboratory to run him out of town. Just as they do, the Doctor gets the power back on. Everyone is suddenly much less inclined to do Biff’s bidding and the Doctor chides them for being so easily manipulated. In the end, Biff and his family are run out of town instead.​

Special Guest Star: J.J. Cohen as Biff Tannen​

All the Stars in the Sky

The TARDIS lands on the planet Refusis. The Doctor is keen to see how the humans and Monoids are getting along with their Refusian hosts, but is informed that the locals have never heard of humans or Monoids. Realizing this is long before the arrival of the Ark, the Doctor is keen to leave so as not to possibly rewrite his own history (and that of Steven, Dodo, and humanity). Things become complicated when Elyse and Agnes are kidnapped by off-world terrorists – Spiridons who are violently unhappy with recent harsh economic sanctions against their homeworld. They plan to detonate the nearest stars to Refusis as revenge with special equipment. The Doctor and Marty rush to save their friends, with the former growing concerned that they might not be able to accomplish this. The gears of history are turning, and the “solar flare” explanation for the Refusians’ later invisibility may not be so far-fetched after all….​

Special Guest Star: Peter Purves as Vaskat, the lead terrorist​

The Doctor Must Die!

Inescapably drawn to a planet called Hideaway, the Doctor is aghast to find Daleks hiding deep in the many caverns criss-crossing the planet’s mountainous north. Marty has heard the Doctor mention the Daleks before and is ready to fight, as is Agnes, but Elyse implores everyone to listen to the Daleks before doing anything rash. As it turns out, these are the Human Factor Daleks from long ago. The resultant civil war never actually finished, though Skaro has allegedly been destroyed by the Doctor. Of course, the Doctor has no idea when he could’ve done that, nor any inkling as to why he would.​

​

The Human Factor Daleks explain they’ve hidden themselves on Hideaway to ensure the Daleks remain preoccupied with hunting them down, sparing at least some of the rest of the universe. However, a group of Movellans discover them and covertly inform the Dalek Empire of the Human Factor Daleks’ location, and that of the Doctor, in exchange for their own lives. The Movellans plan to leave this universe for another soon, and if they can do that unmolested, they’ll help the Daleks get rid of both their problems.​

​

Further complicating matters are the Thals, who all blame the Doctor for the destruction of Skaro. They will stop at nothing to make him pay. Faced with enemies on all sides, can the Doctor, Marty, Elyse, and Agnes save the Human Factor Daleks and not die trying?​

Special Guest Stars: Michael Wisher, Roy Skelton, and Nicholas Briggs as the Daleks, Sandy Duncan as Sarilla, the chief Thal, and David Warner as Rinnes, the eldest Thal​

Guest Stars: Phil LaMarr as Commander Crylak, leader of the Movellans, and Dawnn Lewis as Lieutenant Eleste, Crylak’s adjutant​

Note: First appearance of the Animated Seventh Doctor, as played by Avery Brooks.​

Wow. Just..... Wow.

 

[Plus-Sized Scribe]

Wow. Just..... Wow.

Is that good or bad...?

 

[UrbanNight]

Excellent stuff!

Note: First appearance of the Animated Seventh Doctor, as played by Avery Brooks.

Yay, he's back!

 

[WhovianHolmesianChap]

Is that good or bad...?

Good.

 

[Plus-Sized Scribe]

Right. So. Shakedown, Conglomerate, Starcrossed, and The Fossilist are adaptations. Shakedown was a BBV production and a Virgin New Adventures novel, Conglomerate was one of the first AudioVisuals, Starcrossed was an ultimately unproduced comic my friend Scott D. Harris and I wrote featuring the Third Doctor, Jo Grant, and Mike Yates, and The Fossilist is a Brief Encounters story my friend Dan Tessier and I wrote for The Doctor Who Project featuring their Ninth Doctor, his companion Silver, and their pet cat Mortimer. The Solar Sailors, Batter Up!, and The Brownout were all episodes of Back to the Future: The Animated Series.

 

[Timelordtoe]

I'm very happy to announce that something I teased a while back is done! Around the new year, I commissioned a take on the Doctor Who theme from a Youtube channel and producer that I'm a big fan of. Given the "Hollywood" style of the theme, it's taken a little while to get right, but here it is in all of its glory.

I really couldn't be happier with how it's turned out, and if, like me, you're a fan of listening to remixes of the Doctor Who theme, Dalekium's channel is a great place to go.

As an aside, the Disney update is proving a tough nut to crack, and I'm also planning on getting an update done on the political timeline before we progress. I've had some uni stuff to deal with over the past week, but it's resolved now, and I'm hoping to get the next few updates out soon. We're almost on to 1998, in part because the "MYSTERY UPDATE" is something I realised really fit better in the political side, so I'm moving it over there.

 

[Plus-Sized Scribe]

Also, there are a few minor issues with the Animated Season 1 there, but we'll be addressing that next week. I'm preoccupied this week with the untimely death of my uncle.

 

[WhovianHolmesianChap]

My condolences.

 

[Clorox23]

Same. Take as much time as you need.

 

[Timelordtoe]

Part III, Chapter XXIV: "Not Disney's Decade"​

"I don't think most people realised how close we were to falling apart back then. When Apple went bankrupt, Sidney [Poitier] said to me 'if we're not careful, that's us'. The feeling among the board isn't what I'd call panic, but definitely hightened concern. Nobody wanted to be part of 'the Group that Killed Disney'."​

- Michael Eisner in the 2004 documentary "The Happiest Place on Earth".

Disney was not in a great place. While the leadership duo of Eisner and Katzenberg seemed to be a winning combination on paper, it had brought problems. The only remaining Disney family member on the board, Roy E. Disney, did not like Katzenberg at all, and had started a proxy war to replace him and Eisner.

Furthermore, the animated feature films, what should by all means have been Disney’s heavy hitters, were experiencing diminishing returns. Following Robin Williams’ less than amicable departure from Aladdin, there was some difficulty in getting big names in the cast for the films.

Perhaps most importantly, despite early successes with The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, Disney was having real trouble finding a formula for their animated films that worked consistently. The Lion King had been a big success, but subsequent films Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame had been underwhelming.

By this point, much of the company’s revenue came from the theme parks they owned and operated. However, this too was faltering, in no small part due to the presence of competing parks near to theirs. Their main competition came from Universal, who operated parks in both Orlando, Florida and Hollywood. Universal Studios Florida, in particular, was hurting DisneyWorld’s revenues, as the creation of many rides based on popular franchises of the time brought in new visitors. Particular note was given to the Doctor Who: The Ride, which was highly successful.


So something new was needed for Disney, and fast. At least, that was if Eisner and Katzenberg wanted to keep their jobs. Already, the ABC deal had fallen through, and as time went on, Roy Disney was able to sway more of the board to his cause.

Katzenberg had taken note of a particular phenomenon in entertainment at the time, namely, the success of science fiction material, not on film, but rather on TV. With the huge successes of both the Doctor Who and Star Trek franchises, with Star Wars about to enter the fray, he felt that Disney would be missing a trick by not staking their own claim to that market before it dried up.

Disney had dipped its toe into sci-fi before, but never in a way that was highly successful. There was, however, a certain cult classic film that he felt would lend itself well to the TV. TRON. [1]


CBS, likewise, were struggling. NBC, Fox, UPN, and The WB all seemed to have “killer apps” in their schedules, while they did not. Their viewing figures were dropping, and the “CBS Block Party” was not bringing in the number of people that they wanted. They needed a hit show, and fast. So, when the offer came in from Disney to help produce TRON, they jumped at the opportunity.

They would be on the back foot to begin with, no doubt, as the show would be ready for the 1999-2000 season at the absolute earliest. However, they were counting on the cult following that the film had to watch, and by aiming for family audiences, they could stand out more easily.

Bruce Boxleitner, who played Tron in the original film, was quick to sign on, as was David Warner, who played and voiced the main antagonists. The early scripts were set to focus on a new worldwide “grid”, in which a sinister force is lurking and slowly taking control.


But one TV show alone would not save Disney. Over the past decade, they had made numerous acquisitions, many of which were not tailored towards their traditional family audience, such as Hyperion Books, Hollywood Records, and Miramax Films. Rather than trying to tailor these to the family audience, there was some push from the board to diversify, and create a new image of Disney as a company for everyone, not just the family. [2]

As profits continued to falter, with them now dangerously close to the “break even” point, Disney seemed to have a basic plan as to how they were to recover. Still, the future was uncertain, but there was at least a sense of optimism in the board.


Next Time: "The Times, They Are A Changin", 1996-1997 in Music. [3]

[1] TRON is going to stand out among the "big four" of sci-fi. For one, it's not actually set in space, and aims for a different audience.
[2] It's a little difficult to get clear information about what was happening with Disney around this time in OTL, but with the changes that have happened elsewhere in the timeline, it's definitely not looking good for them. They need big change, and even this may not be enough to save them.
[3] More on this in a post that will be going up right after this.

 

[Timelordtoe]

Hey everyone,

The next update is going to focus on music, meaning that as usual, a great deal of it is by @Drorac. However, he and I have grown apart as of late (no bad blood, these things just happen), so while I've certainly got plans, further music updates will likely be a bit different.

Also, for the immediate (next week or two, maybe longer), I'm going to focus on "The Beginning of the End of History", as we're only at 1992 with that, and I'd like to get that a lot closer to where we are, because it's getting more difficult to avoid spoiling stuff ahead of time for that. I'm also enjoying writing for that a lot more right now. A link to it is in my signature, if you want to give it a read.

See you all around.

 

[UrbanNight]

Bruce Boxleitner, who played Tron in the original film, was quick to sign on, as was David Warner, who played and voiced the main antagonists. The early scripts were set to focus on a new worldwide “grid”, in which a sinister force is lurking and slowly taking control.

Ooh, Tron! That's certainly a bit of a twist.

To clarify - the big four of sci-fi (I'm assuming on TV) are Doctor Who, Star Trek, Tron, and an as-yet unrevealed one?