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The Rift
Theophile
Posts: 2,947 Forum Member
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O.k... so I am re-watching through 21st Century Doctor Who (because Netflix seems to be out of other good shows) and I figure why not run through it again while I am waiting for Series 8 to come out on Blu-Ray. Anyways, I am watching The Unquiet Dead. They wind up in Cardiff and the corpses are animating because something is coming out of The Rift. For some reason, I have never before connected this with The Rift in Torchwood. (Probably because I saw this before Torchwood and it didn't seem too important at the time.)
As well as the actress who plays Gwyn being in this episode, it seems as if the entire episode is setting up the whole Torchwood/Cardiff/Rift scenario en Toto. I can't believe that I never noticed this before. The episode takes place in 1869. Torchwood, of course, was officially created in 1879 according to Tooth and Claw.
Now, Wikipedia states that Torchwood was seeded throughout the Second Series. However, it looks as if that seeds were also planted as early as the third episode of the First Series. (Obviously, Captain Jack was a giant seed planted in the First Series).
Was there anything else that I missed in the First Series about Torchwood?
Was Torchwood in the making from the get-go?
I so wish that we could have another good spin-off like Torchwood.
As well as the actress who plays Gwyn being in this episode, it seems as if the entire episode is setting up the whole Torchwood/Cardiff/Rift scenario en Toto. I can't believe that I never noticed this before. The episode takes place in 1869. Torchwood, of course, was officially created in 1879 according to Tooth and Claw.
Now, Wikipedia states that Torchwood was seeded throughout the Second Series. However, it looks as if that seeds were also planted as early as the third episode of the First Series. (Obviously, Captain Jack was a giant seed planted in the First Series).
Was there anything else that I missed in the First Series about Torchwood?
Was Torchwood in the making from the get-go?
I so wish that we could have another good spin-off like Torchwood.
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It had to have been planned. I just saw the end of the episode and there, in the "Next Episode" bit at the end, is Toshiko. I didn't recognize her in Torchwood from a single appearance in Doctor Who, but after watching all of Torchwood a couple of times, it was really easy to recognize her in the trailer.
First Gwyn, then Toshiko, then Jack. This had to have been set up from the beginning. Either that or RTD is the greatest cobbler and carver of parts since Geppetto.
According to "sources", RTD came up with the main idea for Torchwood before the DW reboot went into production - he wanted an "adult" sci-fi show that was more like Buffy, Angel etc. He had the title "Excalibur" in mind.
He was given the greenlight for both Doctor Who and "Excalibur" before DW was filmed so he was able to plant "set-ups" for the adult show throughout the first series. The name changed from Excalibur to "Torchwood" cos that anagram of Doctor Who was used to help disguise tapes etc.
In short - Torchwood was a spin-off only in the sense of it stemming from the DW universe - it wasn't a matter of someone saying "That Captain Jack should have his own show".
Personal opinion - it's too good an idea to remain dead. It may not come back in the near future or have the same cast but I have no doubt that there'll be a version of Torchwood on screen at some point in the next five years.
"the Great Cobalt Pyramid is built on the remains of which famous Old Earth Institute?"
Keep an eye out for it!!
Oh yeah I forgot about that. In that case I retract my statement haha.
Eve Myles for example was only cast as Gwen in Torchwood after she had appeared in The Unquiet Dead.
Same was probably true of Naoko Mori in Aliens of London.
It wasn't even till the end of TW Series 2 that it was confirmed she played the same character in both shows (mainly down to fans continually asking this).
Even then they had to come up with an excuse of why Torchwoods Computer expert had gone undercover as a medical Doctor instead of Torchwoods medical Doctor doing the job.
If they had always meant to be the same character she'd have been in the same profession in both series'.
As for the Rift itself I'm guessing that originally the idea was just to be used in TUD and Boomtown but once it was decided to set Torchwood in Cardiff it was incorporated into that show.
As for torchwood as an organisation at all, It's first mention actually is in series 1. It's an answer to a question on the weakest link when rose is playing on the game station.