Aquaria is another crossover story. The planet with the dolphins who morph into people was first created for the Theta Sigma series. It was one of those ideas that completely took off with the readers of those stories, and deserved to be re-visited. But I couldn’t do it too often in the same series, so bringing it into Nine’s world was the best solution.

Several people, including my friend, Prue, have raised questions about the way The Doctor and Rose went down to the underwater city. The Doctor acts as a sort of living aqualung, feeding Rose air from his own lungs as they swim down while kissing. No, I don’t think it really is possible. It is a completely romantic, fantasy idea. I am also not at all sure that I get away with saying ‘decompression stops don’t matter here’ to get around that issue. But impossible as it is, even those who queried it LIKED the idea. A little bit of romantic fantasy is good for the soul. And Doctor Who has never completely made sense in a serious scientific analysis.

The rescue of the Aquarians was problematic for one reason. It was starting to look too much like Star Trek: Voyage Home. The character of Doctor Franks started to look just a little bit like the whale biologist from that film. It wasn’t intentional. But there are only so many ideas going around. They are bound to cross over now and again. The rescue itself I had to try to do differently to the one in the second Theta Sigma dolphin story which has a group of the dolphin people imprisoned in a Sea Life Centre. I think I managed it. The dive into the pool, of course, takes it back to Voyage Home ever so slightly. Again, it’s just the pool of inspiration being stirred.

the two theta sigma stories.

http://www.pearsecom.co.uk/thetasigma/09lagen.htm

http://www.pearsecom.co.uk/thetasigma/16sealife.htm