Talk:List of companions in Doctor Who spin-offs

Max

Is Max really a companion? He only hitched a ride in the TARDIS for one trip, to that haunted spaceship, in The Stars Fell Over Stockbridge, in End Game and then appeared with Izzy - and made a one-panel cameo in The Flood at the end of the Eighth Doctor comic strip run. But he never quite filled the traditional companion role, unlike the others on the page. He's a recurring character, definitely, but I'm not sure he qualifies as a companion, even a minor one. --khaosworks (talk • contribs) 06:09, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

Arguably, he's as much of a companion as Sir Justin (who also accompanied the Doctor for only one adventure, albeit an epic one with lots of stops). However, I see your point — I just always thought of him as one of the Fifth Doctor's comic companions. I suppose it doesn't really hold up to examination, though. —Josiah Rowe 06:19, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

Well, I mean, by that token, Laurence Scarman from Pyramids of Mars is a companion... any objections to removing Max? I like the character, but I don't think he's a companion. Now, Gus Goodman... --khaosworks (talk • contribs) 06:27, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

Nah, you can take him out. And if you want to get started on Gus, feel free — I'm about to retire for the night. —Josiah Rowe 06:48, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

Stacy and Ssard

Should Stacy Townsend and Ssard perhaps be merged into this page? Or does the fact that they appeared in two media mean they merit their own entries? —Josiah Rowe 17:02, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

I was just about to suggest the same thing (merge). Anyone else have any thoughts? --khaosworks (talk • contribs) 14:40, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

I think they should stay on their own. Looking at the minor companions list, they mostly seem to be folks with only one appearance (except for Gus). Most DWM comic strip companions have their own pages, and I think we've got as much info on them as we do on, say, Sharon, if not more. Given that almost all of their appearances are together, maybe they should be merged together, like John and Gillian? --Brian Olsen 01:00, September 8, 2005 (UTC)

Emma image

Is anyone else having problems with the Emma image I added to this page (i.e. cannot see it) ? --TimPope 17:10, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

Looks fine to me. Did you try emptying your cache and reloading the page? —Josiah Rowe 17:21, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

Wolsey

Somebody's misremembered The Blue Angel: there's no cat in it. Wesley the kitten was invented for my fanfic sequel "Cabinet of Changes" (http://www.infinitarian.com/cabinet.html), in reference to Wolsey and Wyclif (who wasn't previously mentioned on this page, but is now). I'm fairly sure Wikipedia doesn't want to extend the definition of "minor companion" as far as cats in fanfic. (My other edit relates to a story in a forthcoming Big Finish anthology.) -- Phil Purser-Hallard

Moving the page

A proposal: moving this page to List of Doctor Who spin-off companions and placing direct-outs to all non-televised companions who have their own articles in it. --khaosworks (talk • contribs) 03:24, 7 December 2005 (UTC)

Sounds reasonable to me. (By the way, I think you put three tildes instead of four above, but I fixed it for you.) —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 03:42, 7 December 2005 (UTC)

I'm fine with it (and it was five tildes- see WP:SIG)--Sean|Black 03:52, 7 December 2005 (UTC)

It's a good idea because it reduces the interpretation of "minor": Katarina and Sara Kingdom are both minor compared to say Fitz Kreiner and Sam Jones in terms of appearances but have their own articles as well. --TimPope 19:46, 7 December 2005 (UTC)

It's done. Someone help me fix the redirects? --khaosworks (talk • contribs) 16:29, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

Antranak

As a matter of pedantry, isn't Antranak really Erimem's companion/cat rather than the Doctor's, unlike Wolsey? --khaosworks (talk • contribs) 03:36, 22 February 2006 (UTC)

He travelled with the TARDIS crew for at least three adventures. I believe he fits the standard sketchy definition of "companion," albeit one the Doctor wasn't too thrilled about. Rob T Firefly 16:30, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

Recurring characters who aren't companions

I added Irving Braxiatel to the page, but Khaosworks removed him. He's right and I was wrong. What I'm wondering is whether there's a list of spin-off recurring characters who aren't companions as such? Bondegezou 12:00, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

There's List of Doctor Who supporting characters, which is sorely in need of an overhaul these days. --khaosworks (talk • contribs) 13:12, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

Possible Additions

It's just struck me that there's no entry here for Jeremy Fitzoliver, of The Paradise of Death and The Ghosts of N-Space fame. And, having just updated the entry for Short Trips: The History of Christmas with the names of featured companions, I'm wondering whether Leonardo da Vinci, as seen in Marc Platt's short story "The Innocents" (alternative Doctor, set between Auld Mortality and A Storm of Angels) ought to be added. Phil PH 10:33, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

If we're talking about minor companions (and I'm not saying they shouldn't be added), we might as well also add the Tramp and that kid from Short Trips: Repercussions. I haven't read "History of Christmas" - what's Leonardo's history there? --khaosworks (talk • contribs) 10:42, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

Fair enough -- I've not read Repercussions myself, so I wasn't aware of their existence. (There's also an arguable minor companion called Ayfai in another of the History of Christmas stories, Eddie Robson's "Not in My Back Yard".) In "The Innocents" Leonardo's travelling with the Bayldon Doctor and Susan, visiting several eras and seeing all kinds of things he shouldn't -- such as Herod's original "massacre of the innocents" and an exhibition of his own future work, including the painting of that name and the date of his own death. It's implied that this exposure causes the changes to history in A Storm of Angels, though as I've not yet listened to that I can't swear to it. Phil PH 11:35, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

Well, I've listened to "A Storm of Angels" but not read "The History of Christmas", so I've got the other half of the puzzle — in that story, it's explicit that the Doctor has changed history by showing Leonardo the future, resulting in Sir Francis Drake exploring the Solar System in a space vessel. —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 21:16, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

Page name

Last month, this page was moved from List of Doctor Who spin-off companions to List of companion characters in Doctor Who spin-offs. While I understand the reasoning for the move (a reader might think that "spin-off companions" are books like I, Who that cover the multitudinous Doctor Who spin-offs), I wonder whether the new name is longer than it need be. Would List of companions in Doctor Who spin-offs be sufficiently clear? —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 07:44, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

It's the use of the word "character," then? --Chris Griswold (☎☓) 08:02, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

I just think it's redundant, especially now that we've got an article at companion (Doctor Who). —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 22:08, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

OK. I'm amenable. --Chris Griswold (☎☓) 22:14, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

I'll move the page as soon as I've finished taking care of all the links pointing to Category:Doctor Who companions instead of companion (Doctor Who). —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 07:39, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Drax

Drax has not ever been a companion of the Doctor. The list is wrong about Search for the Doctor: he does appear in that, but as an independent agent travelling under his own steam, not as a companion. If he's not notable enough to get his own article, is there a "List of recurring Doctor Who characters who were never companions" that he can be moved to? --Paul A 13:50, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Since nobody has said not to, I'm going to move him to List of Doctor Who supporting characters. --Paul A 02:19, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Crystal drwhoua.PNG

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BetacommandBot 02:20, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Rationale added. —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 04:17, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Georges-Pierre

We've generally confined ourselves on this page to companions appearing in the licensed Doctor Who spinoffs rather than charity fanthologies and other fanfic -- which, with all respect to it, is what Cosmic Fugue 2 is. From what I gather from the entry for that volume, Georges-Pierre also appears in exactly one story, which is also rather below the usual threshold for inclusion. If we start including fanfic companions in this page, we might be paving the way for out-of-control proliferation of material, much of it unverifiable. I've deleted Georges-Pierre, but I'm willing to listen if others (not just Wolf of Fenric) disagree. Phil PH 14:53, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

I should add that I wasn't intending to imply I wouldn't listen if Wolf of Fenric disagrees. Just not change my mind, probably. Phil PH 18:54, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

No, fair enough. I understand your reasoning. I just thought the involvement of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society and Colin Baker raised him above usual fanfic. Also, I must point out that the use of the word "companion" in the narrative is ambiguous - it could simply mean the person with him in the cafė as oppose to a traditional companion, especially as the story lasts only about a minute - and I had planned to add a sentence noting this ambiguity. The fact that he only appears in one story is irrelevant - (Sara Kingdom, Donna Noble's first and originally intended to be only appearance and Astrid in the forthcoming "Voyage of the Damned") - but I have little concern if people feel he does not fulfil the criteria of the page. I was testing the water, really. Wolf of Fenric 19:27, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Oh and Grace Holloway and the Eighth Doctor himself for that matter, for further examples of one-offs. Wolf of Fenric 19:32, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

"Companion", in the Doctor Who sense, is defined here. There's some ambiguity as to the breadth of the definition, but it's fairly clear that a bloke the Doctor chats to in a pub doesn't qualify. And what would raise a story above the level of fanfic is intellectual property rights to the characters -- without that it's just fans (among whom I'd count Colin Baker in this instance) having fun. Which is fine -- nothing wrong with it at all -- but it's not really noteworthy. I reckon, anyway. Phil PH 17:56, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

You've misunderstood. I was agreeing with your reasoning for removal on grounds of its source being an unlicensed story. I was just noting that your claim that just one appearance wouldn't qualify him as a companion was wrong. I was also pointing out that it is unclear in the narration if the use of the term "companion" is meant to mean Doctor Who companion or merely person with him and without asking the writer, we cannot rule out the former otherwise it would be original research. Additionally, I was explaining why I had added it in the first place as the production, Cosmic Fugue 2, involves not only a major fan organisation in the Doctor Who Appreciation Society, but a Doctor actor Colin Baker, companion actors Louise Jameson, Wendy Padbury, Elisabeth Sladen and Caroline John, writer Barry Letts and author Gary Russell, elevating it above normal fanfic. I didn't state it isn't fanfic. Just above average fanfic. Oh and they drink in a cafė not a pub. Wolf of Fenric 22:58, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Lady Larna

A short story, "Birth of a Renegade" by Eric Saward published in the Radio Times special commemorating the 20th anniversary of Doctor Who, had previously established Lady Larna as the true Gallifreyan name of Susan Foreman.

Not quite. In this tale Susan is described as having been the Lady Larn not Larna. Passing Scottish Bloke