Okay, there are a lot of wacky, complex and specific theories flying around out there. I'm not asking for more.

But, in the broadest terms, what sci-fi or fantasy elements you think will be invoked in order to change the events we witnessed at the start of The Impossible Astronaut?

Time to nail your colours to the mast!
Last edited by johnnysaucepn : 10-05-2011 at 14:53

Well it's all about whether Amy is pregnant or not, the Tardis can't make it's mind up - if she is pregnant the Doctor dies as her baby becomes the Astronought with timelord DNA added to its genes...

If Amy isn't pregnant then time is altered and none of the above happens... So it's all about whether time gets altered and the Tardis can't resolve that at the moment...

We don't know that the little girl is her child, it was merely implied. Not confirmed. Recent speculation and set reports suggest that Amy's child is somebody way more surprising.

No need for specifics - just a vague hunch will do! For example, I would have said that allen_who's idea would sit squarely in the category of 'alternate timelines', with possibly a touch of wibbly.

There are a million different ideas out there, and if we're lucky, one of them might turn out to be vaguely close.

I want to see if we're all generally thinking along the same lines, or if there's a favourite.

Well either way, The Doctor will be brought back. Unless they plan for Matt Smith to be the last Doctor, I doubt they would kill him off.

I voted 'Clone' as that was the closest to my hunch that the doctor bifurcates and it is actually he who was in the suit.

Pocket/alternate universe, alternate timeline, rewriting existing timeline (wibbly wobbly), and dreaming are all too much like lazy cheating - unless it's part of an incredibly well thought out storyline - and would tend to make future series harder to get involved with, particularly for those who think there's too much of this 'deus ex machina ' stuff already.

Outright fakery and other character are pretty much ruled out as SM has stated, on camera, and very definitely that 'it is him and he is dead' and he would lose a lot of credibility if that turned out to be untrue.

I vote - whatever the script writers/Moffat decide! Sorry but I think that your getting a bit ahead of yourself there.

Colin Baker?????

Even more surprising than that

Harriet Jones - former Prime Minister?

All useless guesses (but they're fun, aren't they?)

So far, high turnout for timelines (alternate or otherwise). Interesting...

Now, is that because of Moffat's track record? Is he perhaps playing with our expectations? Implying time travel weirdness, having Amy going down the same line of thinking, then switching tracks?

I voted both "Alternate Timelines" and "Cloning" because I think it will have both elements: I think that the clone comment by Amy in TIA is indicative for the story arc; and I believe it's an alternate timeline because of the undecided nature of Amy's pregnancy status.

No idea how it this fuses, though

I voted for cloning. We have tissue samples riding around and it would fit.. Don't know though..

Maybe the doctor used an emergency temporal shift just before he burnt to death.

I reckon an alternative timeline / rewriting job.

Can't see it being anything other than rewriting / alternative timeline. It is a lot more interesting than the 'crack in the wall' of last series, at least from a discussion point of view. We know some things are going to happen, some things are not. The Doctor will live on I am sure but the question is obviously at what cost.

Wow, more of a mixed bag than I'd thought - I love it!

Though it certainly seems like some form of time shenanigans is still the leading idea - but that's still only 60% of voters.