Who's The Doctor? A TL

[DAv]

Part Twenty-One: Revival And Backlash:

With the growth of Apple's share of the video game market, Atari found its own sales dwindling in the face of competition from Apple and Nintendo. While being one of the leading forces in video games, the slump of the early 1980's in that industry damaged its dominance and allowed other competitors to step in. Atari's attempt to make a deal with Nintendo over the release of the Famicon console fell through, leading to one other possibility be raised. Microsoft's MSX had proven to be a popular home computer system in countries outside the US, with it being a popular system for many games in Japan. With the deal with Nintendo falling through, and the Famicom and GAME making waves in the North American market, Atari approached Microsoft in an attempt to find a way to distribute the system in the region. After six months of talks, the deal was struck with Atari looking to release the MSX2 system in time early 1987.
- Extract from 'Atari: The Rise And Fall of a Video Gaming Giant', 2010

Although there were some successes for the MSX in 1987 in the US, it wasn't until Metal Gear, and the advertising campaign that was led by Chiat/Day, that the system started to see its star rise. Actually taking out television advertisements, Chait/Day put forward a vision of the game that was gritty and portrayed games beyond the family friendly medium they'd been thought of as. While this helped increase the popularity of Metal Gear and increased the sales of the MSX2 by over 50% over the summer of 1987, it also started the calls for greater investigations into the levels of adult themes in video games.
- Extract from 'Censorship: A History', 2007 (1)

“Looking back by modern standards, even the standards of the late 90's, Splatterhouse really feels quite tame. There is gore and a lot of unpleasant imagery there, but arcades had been experimenting with this for quite a while. If not for the controversy around the death of that kid, it'd probably be forgotten by now.”
- Quote from RoganHules, member of the Freakin' Awesome Network, 2010

“It wasn't just about video games, the late 80's saw a lot of pop cultural shift with the rise of Dungeons And Dragons, anime dealing with mature themes getting Oscar nominations and one of the biggest Sci-Fi franchises coming from overseas. There was a sense among some that the US culture scene was ebbing in the face of foreign and Satanic forces among certain groups. When the Splatterhouse thing came along, that was all that was needed for these groups to strike in one of the biggest backlashes against an aspect of pop culture since the strike back against black rock and roll of the 1950's.”
- Quote from Doctor B, member of Alternate History Forums, 2012

“These vile tools of supposed entertainment are merely trickery forged by the Devil to turn our children away from God! You've heard the news from Boston! You've heard of the ruin of an entire family because of the Devil's tools! Well it's time to take a stand! These companies, in the pocket of Satan himself, are leading the charge against decency and wholesomeness of a Christian nation such as ours! We must stand up and be counted! These tools of the Devil must be sent back to the darkness from which they came!”
- Extract from a sermon by Jimmy Swaggart, 1989

The Splatterhouse Murder, as it was eventually dubbed, damaged video gaming with the sheer scale of the moral panic drawn up from it. The imagery of the game, featuring demons and gore, led Christian groups to condemn the medium as being a way for Satanists to influence their children. Sales of consoles and games plummeted as the panic spread throughout North America, many becoming fearful that the systems could turn their children to killing their siblings as they believed had happened in Boston. What these groups left out, whether due to ignorance or omission, was that the child in question had never played the game, having been denied to by the owner of the local arcade. The murder in question was largely accidental and the defence of being influenced by Splatterhouse a cynical tactic employed by the family and defence team. These facts failed to get in the way of the hysteria though, with the US Congress and Senate holding investigations into the standards of video game content with the companies having to move forward rapidly on the matter.
- Extract from 'Video Games & Violence: A History', 2007

“It is obvious that the time for consistent regulation for video games has come. This medium has risen unchecked and without any sort of regulation. Our children cannot be subjected to the violent and dark imagery of these games any longer. The office of Arkansas Governor will be among the first to take steps to ensure a greater sense of responsibility from the companies as they publish such material.”
- Extract from a speech by Hilary Clinton, speaking as chair of the Children's Defence Fund, 1989

The backlash over the level of violence in video games was impossible for the companies to ignore. In April 1989, a group of representatives from Apple, Nintendo, Atari and other publishers and developers met to hammer out a response to Senate hearings on the level of violence in video games. With the threat of actual federal regulations a strong possibility, self-regulation was deemed the best way forward and an announcement was made by the companies that a new organisation designed to regulate the age and content ratings would be created. While welcomed by the American public, the organisation was under great pressure to be as strict as possible and to make examples to prevent the matter of censorship being taken out of the hands of the industry completely. This policy would go onto become of the strictest examples of self-censorship in media since the Hays Code and would remain in effect until the mid-90's.
- Extract from 'Video Games & Violence: A History', 2007

“The role of Jimmy Swaggart really can't be understated here. Even without a Splatterhouse Murder, the controversy around the role of violence in video games goes back to the early 80's and would have had an effect somewhere down the line. Swaggart led the charge against violence and he easily could have been a major figure in it without Splatterhouse at all. Video games were just starting to become a big thing and there was almost certainly going to be a backlash of some kind at some point. It was similar to how people were organising boycotts of Kiki's Delivery Service, the Christian groups were really cracking down on these things and Swaggart led the way.”
- Quote from Rupan3, member of Alternate History Forums, 2011

ADULTS ONLY – Contains scenes of any sexual nature, graphic violence, blood and gore, gambling with real currency and strong language.
- Initial guide for the Adults Only rating as defined by the ESRB, 1989

“While there were things understandable about the backlash, it really did go too far. The home console release for World Warrior got a Teen rating for pity's sake. And that was after they had to censor it just to avoid a Mature rating. If Sega hadn't burst onto the scene with the Mercury in the mid-90's, there's no telling how bad it could have gotten.”
- Quote from Green Keaton, member of the Freakin' Awesome Network, 2012

Removal of all weapons from the character's sprites and backgrounds.
Hongxi Fang's outfit changed to cover her midriff.
Victory screens to remove shots of beat up characters.
Cries of pain from defeated characters removed.
Background of Hoshi's stage changed to remove images of Oni.
Balrog's stage changed to remove images of dancing women.
The Crosses on Gunson's stages were removed.
Master Vega's sprite changed to avoid similarities to Confederacy uniform.
Prestos' sprite changed to give him more clothing to cover more of his body.
All references to characters in the background of playable characters being dead were removed.
- List of edits made to home console versions of World Warrior to bring it down to a Teen rating. All censoring was dropped when the game was ported over to the Sega Mercury.

1: Ciat/Day was the advertising company behind Apple's '1984' advert. Something that hasn't happened in OTL, so this is how they'll make their mark.

 

[DAv]

Part Twenty-Two: Changing With The Times:

“Vince McMahon, the unknowing saviour of British wrestling.”
- Quote from Big Bulldog, member of the Freakin' Awesome Network, 2013

In 1988, the WWF's contract with Channel Four was coming to a close with negotiations starting over the continuation of programming on the channel. These negotiations hit a huge road block in September 1988 when Tom Billington and Davey Boy Smith both left the WWF over a backstage incident with a fight breaking out between Billington and various other wrestlers. When Billington's complaints over the fight led to no action being taken (In large part due to Billington himself being seen as the cause of it), the two left the WWF and went to work in Japan. (1) This left the WWF at a disadvantage with their two biggest names in the UK no longer part of the company and Channel Four found the money asked for in regards to continued broadcast rights of WWF programming far too high. By December 1988, Channel Four was happy to let the contract lapse with the final episode of World Wrestling From New York being broadcast on the channel on the 14th January 1989.
- Extract from 'From The Ashes: The Rise of British Wrestling', 2012

“It really can't be said too much, the WWF losing their slot on Channel Four really helped us a lot. Once they went, they had a lot of viewers that were left with British wrestling, the sort that had adapted to changing tastes. Our own ratings shot up throughout 1989, even as our older stars weren't the drawing power that they once were. It's around this time that we really tried to get Tom and Davey both on board to come over to Joint Promotions, but Tom dragged his feet over it, wanting the best deal he could get. This led to the split with Davey, got really nasty with Davey just up and leaving Japan without giving Tom any notification at all. It was all downhill for Tom after that sadly. When Davey came over in late '89, things were really just beginning though.”
- Extract from an interview with Max Crabtree, 2004

The general makeover Joint Promotions went through in the late 1980's revolved around being seen as the foremost wrestling promotion in Britain. Coinciding with a partnership with All Star Promotions created to help combat the rise of WWF's popularity in the mid-1980's that turned to a full merger in 1988, the business would emphasise the British aspects of the industry at that time. Calling their headlining Championship the British Heavyweight Championship was only a minor step in trying to show themselves as the premier force in British wrestling. The aim to be the flag-bearer of British wrestling would lead to the cementing of partnerships with other wrestling promotions to increase the level of talent available to Joint Promotions. The two primary companies that made this partnership were All Japan Pro Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions. The latter would be the more influential as the talent exchange would include those behind the scenes in the form of booker, Jim Cornette.
- Extract from 'The Rise And Rise of Professional Wrestling, 1984-2000', 2001

“The Joint Promotions deal was a big deal for us at the time, it was after the WWF had lost their own deal with the TV over there and our own business had been consolidated. The gamble we took going against WrestleMania with our own Bunkhouse event in 1985. We thought, with the WWF doing their looks into Britain at the time, we'd be able to hit them hard, but Vince pulling our show from the cable companies was a major wake up call for us. We had to stop plans for further touring outside the south once we realised what we were up against and focused on simply being an alternative to the WWF, they were too big at the time to try and knock over with one shot. The chance to get a talent exchange going with Joint Promotions was a way to get our name known outside the US. Jim Cornette was part of the deal, with the structure they wanted being closer to one of our shows to capture the popular style of the time.”
- Extract from an interview with Jim Crockett, 2008 (2)

“To put this in perspective, what Madison Square Garden is to the WWF, the Royal Albert Hall is to Joint Promotions.”
- Quote from Adog, member of the Freakin' Awesome Network, 2013

JOINT PROMOTIONS PRESENTS
LIVE AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT EVENING
WITH STARS SUCH AS
'BRITISH BULLDOG' DAVEY BOY SMITH
'BIG DADDY' SHIRLEY CRABTREE
GIANT HAYSTACKS
KENDO NAGASAKI
AND OTHERS
SATURDAY 16/11/1989​

- Poster advertising the Championship Tournament Evening of Joint Promotions

“My first job going over to Joint Promotions was to help set up this whole new era they had planned with Davey Boy as the Champ. Now, going into this, I hadn't worked with Davey Boy much before but, away from Dynamite, he was a big a teddy bear as you could ever hope to meet. Still Hell of a prankster, but a good guy to work with. When he came over from Japan, he was as eager as any of us to get started and never really got an ego over being selected as the main man for the company, which is a damn rarity I can tell you. So with me acting as the go-between as JCP and JP, we looked to get this tournament going and I remember the first thing that Davey Boy gave me was watch out for the grannies.”

“... Now I am like, 'mother fucker, what're you on about watch out for the grannies'? Davey wouldn't go on about it, he just said just keep away from the old ladies in the audience. They'd gotten me on to be manager for Steve Williams as part of the first talent exchange we were doing at the time and he was getting a match at the Royal Albert Hall deal. Now there's an event which went better than I imagined. Don't get me wrong, the matches are fucking terrible but the crowd loved every moment of it and Davey got the right push at the right time and he was bigger than Moses in Jerusalem in Britain for about five years. But, that wasn't my focus for the night, it was the fact that this eighty year old woman shanked me in the Goddamn back in the first match of the night!”

“Steve was taking on Norman Smiley, first match of the night, and I wanted Smiley to tone down some of the comedy stuff so we could be serious. But Britain, being some kind of bizarro land, is the place where funny actually does make money and he became huge and I had egg on my face until I went back to the States some time later. Well, the match was taking place, I was out by ringside working up the crowd, turned my back to the ring for a second when I felt the white hot pain shoot through to my kidneys. I turned around and there was this lovely eighty-year old woman looking at me like I'd broke into her house at Christmas and shit on her grandkids! Smiley's in the ring, getting the shit knocked out of him but laughing his ass off as he sees me running around the ring, 'cos apparently little old ladies with fucking shivs are the first in fucking line to buy tickets to wrestling events in Britain! I had to jump up on the apron just to make sure one of the bitches didn't slit my fucking throat before the match was done! Even Steve was corpsing by the end of it and I ran like I had the taco shits to the back when that bell rang to end it all.”

“When I finally got to see Davey in the back, he gave me the most smug son-of-a-bitch grin and asked what I thought about the British crowds. I said to him 'Davey, either we put in some fucking barricades or I swear to God I am bringing out a fucking SWAT team to make it through another night! I got onto Max Crabtree and Pat Roach about it and, sure enough, we got barricades for all further shows and every last guy in the back thanked me for it. So that was my first lesson in Britain, nothing's more terrifying than an old day with knitting needles 'cos those crazy bitches will take down even the toughest guy on the roster and ain't a damn thing you can do about it!”
- Extract from an interview with Jim Cornette, 2013 (3)

Steve Willaims (With Jim Cornette) vs. Norman Smiley
British Bulldog vs. Kendo Nagasaki
Chris Adams vs. Giant Haystacks
Drew McDonald vs. Johnny Smith
Johnny Smith vs. Big Daddy
Steven Regal & David Taylor vs. Robbie Brookside & Tiger Mask
British Bulldog vs. Giant Haystacks
Drew McDonald vs. Big Daddy
An announcement by Brian Dixon regarding this event and the future of Joint Promotions
British Bulldog vs. Big Daddy​

- A run down of the card for Championship Tournament Evening

“The merger between All Star and Joint Promotions had to be done in the end. With the WWF eating into our business, it was either hang together or hang apart really. The British stars from both our companies came together and put out the biggest show we could. Its why we had Pat Roach on board as well, help us build up the event while also acting as a backstage person to help get the older lads into their roles as someone to put the newer talent at the forefront. That's what the tournament in '89 was about, to make Davey Boy be the biggest name around. When he beat Big Daddy right clean in the middle of the ring, that sealed the deal for us for the next six years. Despite everything that came afterwards, the tour of the US, selling out Wembley going against Hogan and all the rest, I think Davey Boy has always seen that night in the Albert Hall as his biggest moment of his career.”
- Extract from an interview with Brian Dixon, 2004

1: Based off a similar incident in OTL. Considering Billington's personality, something like this was probably inevitable.
2: Vince McMahon playing silly buggers and not letting cable companies host his pay-per-views and WCW's really kneecapped the latter in 1987 onwards. Here, WWF attention in the UK meant others think they had a shot, a thought that was taken out the back and shot, giving Jim Crockett a nasty wake up call that causes him to change business practises early enough to right the ship.
3: Apparently, wrestlers in British companies were terrified of falling out of the rings due to the ring Jim Cornette lays out here. Those old lovelies were terrifying.

 

[DAv]

Part Twenty-Three: Shattering Perceptions:

“When the time came for us to make a decision over Grave of The Fireflies, that was the turning point for Studio Eleven. We were running high on Nelvana's output with the Big Three, Castle in The Sky was a success and MGM had finally greenlit a project for our own. Then, Studio Ghibli started major production of Grave of The Fireflies and it led to an outright civil war in our own boardrooms. Could we distribute this movie? We never doubted the quality, but the content was something that we feared could make us, or break us. With MGM telling us that we had to make the choice ourselves, it eventually came down to a vote by the executives. Do we dub and try to distribute this movie? We had the vote, and it passed by the slimmest of margins. To this day I'm convinced that the vote could have gone either way and I'm glad that it didn't.”
- Extract from an interview with Clive Smith, 2004

After the smash success of Valley of The Wind and the further acclaim gained by Castle in The Sky, Studio Ghibli's fame in the West was gaining speed as a producer of fine animated movies. The partnership with Studio Eleven had been a success story for both with the first strain of the relationship coming with Grave of The Fireflies. While Studio Eleven and, by extension, Nelvana, had begun to pride themselves on being completely different from Disney in terms of quality and output, the content of Grave of The Fireflies gave them pause. The nature of the film, showing children failing to survive in the final days of World War II, was beyond what Studio Eleven had been expecting from Studio Ghibli's output. With the insistence on not cutting or changing any scenes, it appeared that neither side would make a move until a vote among Studio Eleven's board finally brought about the decision to dub the film. With it would come great controversy and a shattering of conceptions of animation as being only for children.
- Extract from Animation in The Age of Amalgam, 2004

“Well... this is different.”
- Quote from Robin Williams after reading the script for Grave of The Fireflies

Grave of The Fireflies is an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation. Since the earliest days, most animated films have been “cartoons” for children and families. Recent animated features such as Nausicca of The Valley of The Wind and Rock And Rule have touched on more serious themes, and classics like Bambi have had moments that moved some audience members to tears. But Bambi, and films like it, exist within safe confines; they inspire tears, but not grief. Grave of The Fireflies is a powerful dramatic film that happens to be animated, one that showcases just what the medium can actually do.”
- Extract from Roger Ebert's review of Grave of The Fireflies, September 1988 (1)

Decisions regarding the release of the dubbed version of Grave of The Fireflies led to a delayed nationwide release. The late September date was chosen to avoid children having wider access that they would have gained during the summer vacation and hopefully avoid further controversy. It was around August that the rumours began that Studio Eleven actually began to lobby the MPAA for the movie to be given a higher age rating than a typical children's movie. The final rating of a PG-13 was seen to be a balance between the lobbying for a higher age rating and the wish to gain as wide as an audience as possible. The effect on advertising and public perception was noticeable from the outset, with the rating itself perhaps garnering more interest in the movie than it would have gotten from being left alone for the MPAA to make their own decision.
- Extract from You Can See The Munchkin in The Trees: A History of Movie Urban Legends, 2000

“It's hard to state just how much Grave of The Fireflies changed things. When you saw the commercials, saw them highlighting the war parts of the movie and the loss that was in it, you knew something had changed. When it was released and became as big as it did, the idea that cartoons were something only for kids was pretty much killed off.”
- Quote from RangerofSpace, member of AlternateHistory.com, 2013

Grave of The Fireflies:
Released: 23rd September, 1988
Budget: 32.7 Million US Dollars
Box Office: 82.3 Million US Dollars
- Run down of Grave of The Fireflies information and performance in western markets (2)

“The sheer success of Grave of The Fireflies really outmatched out expectations. I think there was still some of that anti-war sentiment left over from Vietnam which helped boost numbers, although we ran into some controversy from parents who hadn't paid much attention to the advertising campaign. Grave of The Fireflies did a lot to help shatter conceptions about what animation could do. In the aftermath of the success, we were really looking for new projects for our own in-house projects. We were even in negotiations over some of Terry Pratchett's Warhammer books before the Jimmy Swaggart really started to up the pressure on us after the video game controversy and his campaign against Totoro. Our efforts were hampered by that although what Grave of The Fireflies had helped break, My Neighbour Totoro helped build into something new.”
- Extract from an interview with Clive Smith, 2001

“Moving away from the tragedy of Grave of The Fireflies, Studio Eleven's latest distribution of a Japanese film, My Neighbour Totoro, blends the mundane with the fantastic into a film that will catch the imagination of people of all ages. The tale of Satsuki and Mei encountering the titular Totoro and gaining insight into his powers is counter-balanced by worries and fears that anyone can relate to. The two young girls are portrayed realistically and are endearing with a wonderful soundtrack and animation once again standing out. Studio Ghibli's movies can mesh the supernatural with the natural in ways that few others can achieve and produce viewing everyone can enjoy.”
- Extract from a review of the My Neighbour Totoro from the Boston Globe, March 1989

“And we have further proof that our Christian culture is under attack! A movie, a movie with the most vile images is now being marketed towards our children! A father molesting his daughters is presented clearly! These same girls go onto summon a Demon! A Demon! As we draw close to Easter, look not to this vile Satanic piece of filth! Write to your Congressman! To your Senators! Ban this movie and protect your children! Protect all our children!”
- Extract from a sermon by Jimmy Swaggart, March 1989

“The attempted boycott by Jimmy Swaggart on our films, starting with Totoro with his attempt to get theatres to drop it. Thankfully, the studio was behind us on this, I just think they didn't want anyone to try and censor what kind of movies they could release. Their faith was rewarded by Totoro's success despite the boycott, it being especially popular overseas in Europe. MGM really supported us during this period, although we had to self-censor a little. Negotiations over the potential Warhammer movie ended right there and then, the content being too controversial to carry on with. We still had some home grown projects, one that was released later that year. Despite the controversy, 1989 was a really good time for us with My Neighbour Totoro helping rebuild animation as something the entire family could enjoy without being kiddy, the Oscar nomination and the success of Don's first movie with us.”
- Extract from an interview with Michael Hirsh, 1997

“The rise of anime in the 1980's was rather fitful, if only because of how the majority first came into anime. Other anime had come before of course, but none had been on the back of major studio backing. Nausicca of The Valley of The Wind, along with the run of Studio Ghibli movies in the late 80's got people associating anime with high quality films that was brought up even more with the Oscar nomination for Grave of The Fireflies. So, when western companies looked for anime to mass distribute, a few of them got rather nasty shocks. MGM was, of course, the big winner to start with. Studio Ghibli was the jewel in their crown and they also negotiated for the rights to distribute the Lupin III TV specials and movies, although they aimed for a smaller cost with the home video market being their target for them. A strategy that really paid dividends, literally.”

“The biggest problem for studios was that if they wanted a good series or movie, they'd have to pay for the flops from the same studios so that they'd make some money off them. Warner Brothers, Fox and other studios erred on the choice which allowed a new studio to take centre stage. Enter Streamline Pictures and their ability to get a slot on HBO with the idea of broadcasting mature animation to a wider audience. So, 1989 brought us the dub of Mobile Suit Gundam, for better and for worse. The impact would be felt though, with Cartoon Network also having their Elder Hour at their launch. Mobile Suit Gundam was the first animated series on a major network that was given a more adult feel in tone. It added to the idea that anime was more for adults than western animation and added to the erosion of the attitude that cartoons were just for kids.”

“These years were interesting, as an anime fan, to say the least. A lot of smaller companies started at this time, to help snap up the anime they could to make the most of the medium's popularity. Some of the dubbing was poor, not going to lie, but seeing an explosion of anime at this time was huge, even if it did add into the whole moral panic at the time.”
- Quote from OreGriz, member of Alternate History.com, 2011

STUDIO ELEVEN PRESENTS
STEPHEN SONDHEIM'S
INTO THE WOODS
DIRECTED BY DON BLUTH​

- Poster advertising Studio Eleven's adaptation of Into The Woods, November 1989

1: A modified version of a review of the same movie by Roger Ebert IOTL
2: I could only find one source online regarding the budget of Grave of Fireflies, which said it was 3.27 million dollars. I looked into The Little Mermaid's Budget and decided to fudge the numbers and make a wild guess. If anyone's able to correct me, that'd be nice.

 

[DAv]

Part Twenty-Four: A Mirror of Worlds:

“I had just come back from the publishers, rather disappointed really. What had happened was my hopes for a book parodying Fantasy tropes had been rejected simply because they felt it wasn't going to work, not with all the excitement around Ultima. They wanted straight takes on the genre and satire was left by the wayside. I was rather dejected the rest of the day, took the time in the weekend to go to a car boot sale, take the time to mull things over. It was there that someone was selling an old stack of White Dwarf magazines, at quite a good price too. The rejection was on my mind so I thought I'd skim through them in the evening and see what sort of Fantasy was popular and measure my options. It was somewhere in the back that I saw the advert for writers for the Warhammer series. Although it almost a year old, I decided to send in an application. After that, I haven't really looked back.”
- Extract from an interview with Terry Pratchett, 1998

Bretonnia (Witches and Maidens)
Chaos Warriors
Daemons of Chaos
Dwarves
Elves
The Empire (Wizards and Atldorf Regiment)
Orcs (Goblins)
Night Elves
Slann (Amazons)
Skaven
Trolls
Vampires
Werewolves
- List of armies in Warhammer Fantasy that had their own individual army book as of the sixth edition. The forces listed in brackets were too small to feature in Warhammer Fantasy as their own factions, being sub-factions in Warhammer Fantasy, while greatly adding to the success of Warhammer Fantasy Heroes.

“Terry came to us at a crucial time for Warhammer Fantasy. The second edition had been worked on and the world had a map attached to it, but it had yet to be fully fleshed out. When Terry sent us some of his writing samples, the mixture of satire with the fantasy tropes presented a real area of potential for the franchise. The ideas of novels based around Warhammer was a new one for us. We'd have short pieces of fluff written into the game books and short stories in the magazines, but full length novels were something we hadn't considered before. Terry's work showed us it had potential and after publishing his first work back in '84, we realised just how successful it could be.”
- Extract from an interview with Ian Livingstone, 1998

The Light Fantastic
Mort
Wyrd Sisters
Sourcery
Soldiers!
A Midsummer Knight
Something Wicked
Men at Arms
Reaper Man
Carpe Jugulum
The Lost Continent
The Duke's Regiment
Great Gods
- List of the 'core thirteen' books that make up the Warhammer Fantasy World as defined by Terry Pratchett. Others were written, but these made up the core parts of the series which would be developed by other authors.

“At the time, the rules for the game were still rather open to what we hoped to do with them. As Terry continued writing through the 80's, the popularity of the characters made us realise that we could use an even smaller base of characters for a different type of game. Warhammer Fantasy Heroes was born from that, focusing the gameplay on small bands of warriors as opposed to large armies. With several of the characters from the books making up the forces in this, it soon became one of our biggest successes from the mid-90's onwards.”
- Extract from an interview with Ian Livingstone, 2003

Change in Uniform – Once the Nobby Nobbs model is within 6” of enemy units, he calls out that he's defecting to their side. Enemy units then must do a morale check, passing if they get a 5+.
- Special Rule concerning the character of Nobby Nobbs in Warhammer Fantasy Heroes

Bretonnia – Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Maiden Magrat, Maiden Agnes, Sir Eric
Unseen University – Mustrum The Brown, Henry The Licorice (It's not black, only evil Wizards wear black), Rincewind The Ivory, Ponder The Emerald, The Luggage
The Atldorf Regiment – Colonel Samuel Vimes, Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson, Sergeant Frederick Colon, Corporal Nobby Nobbs, Errol
Werewolves – Lady Angua Von Kislev, Wolfgang Von Kislev, Gavin, Guye Von Kislev, Lupine
- A list of some of the nations, races and characters that were available for the Warhammer Fantasy Heroes line

“I hadn't planned on the Atldorf Regiment becoming as popular as they have done, but these things have a mind of their own. You always had it in the old stories, hero breaking into the temple of such-and-such before stealing the diamond of so-and-so before being stopped by the local soldiers or guards. The hero would then slaughter them, adding multiple charges of murder to the initial theft. I decided to give these brave, doomed souls their time in the Sun. Soon turned into a full tropical holiday.”
- Extract from an interview with Terry Pratchett, 2005

The success of Warhammer, spurred on by the novels written by Terry Pratchett, soon brought it to the attentions of Studio Eleven, who looked to make movies on their own merits as opposed to constantly distributing Studio Ghibli movies. Negotiations began in early 1989 and continued through the year, the violence inherent in the game stalled creative thoughts as they tried to look into ways that the animation could handle the demands. The aftermath of the Splatterhouse murders, the negotiations were dropped as most North American media tried to shy away from images of extreme violence. It wouldn't be until the mid-90's that a movie we be considered when negotiations began with Cosgrove Hall over a short film adaptation of Reaper Man. This also fell through due to Cosgrove Hall's decision to accept Virgin's offer of doing a short film based off the upcoming Pokémon games. It wouldn't be until the new Millennium and the backing of Nelvana that Warhammer would see an adaptation onto the screen of its stories.
- Extract from From Tables to Screens, The Rise of Warhammer, 2009

“The split between Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40k has grown more pronounced as time has gone by. Whereas 40k has gone down the grimdark route, constant war and so on, Warhammer Fantasy has been a more satirical and almost light-hearted part of Game Workshop's output since Terry Pratchett joined it. I think that accounts for its much wider success, people bought the books, then got into Fantasy from there on. 40K still remains a popular game, but it's nowhere near the success of Fantasy. Even if people don't get into the game, the books have been successful enough that Games Workshop could probably just turn into a publishing company at this point and make money off Terry Pratchett's work until the cows come home.”
- Quote from OreGriz, member of Alternate History.com, 2009

“Well, we wanted the Five Horsemen as playable characters in Warhammer Heroes, and look what it's gotten us, the most broken and over powered army yet.”
“Don't care, get to play as the Grim Squeaker.”
- A conversation from the Warhammer Fan Forums and a common sentiment among the fandom is shown in the second post, 2002

Vimes looked up from his position on the ground, his eyes blinking back the blook that was running from the wound on his forehead as he looked over to where the Daemon was, seeing what had stopped it finishing him off. A figure in a black robe was standing between the two of them, a scythe in his hands with a blade so sharp that Vimes could feel its edge even from where he was. The Daemon snarled at the figure, its arms swinging its titanic sword directly at it.

"YOU DARE?!" It bellowed in a noise that almost deafened Vimes "You defy the Blood God! You go against your own purpose by siding with these mortals! Whose side are you on?!"

When the figure in the black robe answered, it wasn't with what Vimes could call a voice, it sounding like the lids of tombs slamming down in an empty catacomb. But he could still make out an edge of defiance running through the reply.

NOT YOURS.
- Extract from The Duke's Regiment, 1998

 

[DAv]

Part Twenty-Five: Odds & Ends:

Sam Malone............................................ Ted Danson
Diane Chambers (1982-97)...................... Shelley Long
Carla Tortelli Lebec...............................Rhea Perlman
Ernie "Coach" Pantusso (1982-85).. Nicholas Colasanto
Norm Peterson..................................... George Wendt
Cliff Clavin..................................... John Ratzenberger
Dr. Frazier Crane (1984-93)................ Kelsey Grammer
Woody Boyd (1985-93)...................... Timothy Treadwell
Rebecca Howe (1987-93).......................... Kirstie Alley
Dr. Lilith Sternin (1986-93).......................... Bebe Neuwirth
- List of major cast members from popular TV series, Cheers

“Jim had been looking into moving into other projects beside the Muppets and Sesame Street for a long while before approaching other companies about it. We'd made some movies regarding the ideas but Jim really wanted to show what he could do with puppets and, by extension, practical effects. The decision had eventually come to sell the rights to the Muppets, then using the money to work on further projects while still being able to do what he loved with the Muppets still. I do wonder what would have happened if the negotiations with Disney had panned out, but Studio Eleven managed to generally give him what he wanted right off the bat.”
- Extract from an interview with Frank Oz, 2001

“From the very start, going back to Rock And Rule, we had one goal, be different from Disney, be better than Disney. When we were hitting our stride in the late 80's, we looked towards doing as much as we could, always eager to take on new projects to stand out. It was through this that we discovered about the ambitions of Jim Henson and what they meant in terms of potential for us. He had entered into negotiations with Disney at the time regarding selling the properties of the Muppets franchise and a few other things. After talking it over with several MGM executives, we threw our hat into the ring. We wanted to see what we could do, not only with the Muppets, but the ideas that Henson and the people around him could offer.”
- Extract from an interview with Clive Smith, 2001

DEAL WITH MGM SEES RIGHTS TO MUPPETS SOLD FOR $35,000,000
- Headline from the Financial Times, 4/9/1989

“I was delighted when the deal came through in late '89. MGM didn't give us as much as Disney was offering, but the freedom to still work with the Muppets under the MGM umbrella, and design our own projects as part of the Workshop was a great move for us. When MGM made the offer after Disney seemed hesitant, I spoke with everyone else and we made the decision to move forward with it. It gave the Workshop a lot more freedom to choose our projects and we've been able to work alongside Nelvana in a variety of projects over the years. Starting off with The Moomins was a great challenge for us, one that we all enjoyed.”
- Extract from an interview with Jim Henson, 1999

The Moomins (1991-1993) – TV series created for children as part of Nelvana's attempt to break out of animation. The first television project working alongside Jim Henson's Workshop, the show was a live action feature with puppets designed and built by the Workshop. Based off the novels by Tove Jannson, The Moomins series was popular, despite its short length, fans praising it for keeping to the spirit of the stories they were adapted from and the high quality of the puppets involved. Despite strong ratings, the series was cancelled after Nelvana deemed the show too expensive to continue. The show is also notable for being Natalie Portman's screen debut in the role of Little My.
- Extract from An Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 2003

“It was my first day on set, my costume had been fitted and I was just standing around as they set up the cameras. I'll admit, I was nervous, I was only ten at the time and had grown up with the Muppets so I suppose you could say I was a little starstruck. I think Jim must have seen my fidgeting about because he came over towards the Moomin puppet I was standing next to and he started talking to it “First day of filming today, you nervous?” He asked and Moomin nodded along “Oh, don't you worry.” Jim went on in that gentle way he always has “I'm always a little scared myself before filming, but it always turns out great. Besides, you've got Natalie here to help you out. She'll make sure you're fine.””

“Right after that, someone shouted out for Jim and came rushing over, there was a problem with the Sniff puppet that needed fixing and I realised that he probably had a 1000 things to do at that second, but chose to help me get over my nerves. He smiled at me and asked me to take care of Moomin for him and all I could do was smile and nod back, that little bit more confident. That day, it seemed like every shot was perfect and we filmed it in hardly any time at all. It was my first big role, and, thanks to people like Jim working on the set, it's always been one of my favourites.”
- Extract from an interview with Natalie Portman, 2003

“The growth in Sci-Fi shows in the late 80's was something of a second golden age for fans. Star Trek: The Next Generation had proven to be something of a flop, but Voyager coming about really rectified that. In the meantime, Doctor Who was proving to be a big hit, Ghostbusters was quickly popularising Urban Sci-Fi as a sub genre and Fantasy was also getting a boost with the Ultima movies. Quantum Leap was one such show that took advantage of this.”
- Quote from GenoCyndi, member of Alternate History Forum, 2014

“Lasting from 1989 to 1994, Quantum Leap was helped by the great popularity Sci-Fi was going through at the time. It got off to a strong start with NBC wanting their own original show to take up the mantle of Sci-Fi success and gave it a strong push with focus from advertising. It got great ratings that it maintained throughout its run and one of the most beloved endings in any show at the time. What wasn't to love?”
- Quote from QLeaper, member of the Freakin' Awesome Network Forums, 2011

“So, after Beckett returns home, does he go back to Leaping again in that final scene, or what?”
- Question many had about the ambiguous ending of Quantum Leap

 

[DAv]

Part Twenty-Six: Silence Shall Fall:

[Scene: Mek and Teera are standing beside the door to the TARDIS, packed and ready to go to their new life on a planet known as Ramis. The Doctor is there to give them a farewell, shaking both by the hand.]

MEK:
Well, looks as if this is goodbye Doctor. It's been... an experience.

DOCTOR:
A pleasant one I hope.

MEK:
No comment.

TEERA:
An interesting one at least. [Shoulders her bag]

DOCTOR:
Just remember, you're on your own from now on. I hope you do your best in your new lives.

MEK:
Well, helping out people to rebuild their society wasn't exactly what I had in mind as a kid but...

TEERA:
Let's just say we're looking forward to the challenge.

DOCTOR:
Now that, I can understand. Good luck to the both of you.

MEK:
You too Doctor.

TEERA:
We hope you find what you're looking for.

DOCTOR:
Hopefully, it'll be something like what you two have.​

[With one final smile and goodbye, Mek and Teera leave the TARDIS for the last time, the Doctor watching them on the viewscreen, walking over a field to a nearby village to begin their new lives. Eventually, he switches it off and turns on the TARDIS itself, the familiar sounds starting up.]

DOCTOR:
Now then... Where to?​

- Final scene Start Anew, the first serial of the twenty-sixth series of Doctor Who, 1991

PJ Hammond taking control of Doctor Who in time for the twenty-sixth series was the key factor in Sean Bean deciding to stay on with the show. Creatively, the tenure of Mark Campbell as head of the show had seen it return to the format of previous years. Unconnected adventures with the Doctor and his companions were the common feature of the series in the 1988-1990 period, as opposed to the story arcs of the Sixth Doctor. Once PJ Hammond took control of the show for the twenty-sixth series though, the creative direction changed as storyline factors dropped after the departure of Alan Moore from the writing team returned. Bean, having been on the fence over whether or not to stay on, agreed to after a series of conversations on where the show was to lead to in the run up to its thirtieth anniversary.
- Extract from Doctor Who: The Backstage Story, 2008

He Shall Fall:
The Doctor touches down on a planet that has drawn the TARDIS towards it. Arriving on the planet, he finds the inhabitants preparing for a war and being encouraged in this by a man who calls himself 'The Doctor'. Whatever questions arise from this are put to one side as the invasion comes to the planet in the form of things that swell in the shadows. The facility that they're in comes under attack with many in it dying and the survivors retreating to a hidden room where a project was being pushed forward to help create a time machine was kept. 'The Doctor' shows his true colours at this point by trying to take the machine for himself, leaving the rest behind. This backfires horribly though as the machine malfunctions and kills 'The Doctor', leaving only a handful of survivors left as the creatures break into the room. Having managed to rig up a machine to repel them, the Doctor uses it and leads the remaining scientist to the TARDIS in time to escape. As they leave, the TARDIS receives a message from those who had attacked the facility. Declaring that all who use time travel are enemies of the Silence, the message singles out the Doctor as being the last of the Time Lords and, as such, one who must be killed, at all costs.
- Synopsis of Silence Shall Fall, the second serial of the twenty-sixth series of Doctor Who, 1991

“I've always been known as one of the constant background actors in Doctor Who, it's become a career in and of itself. I've seen at least one fansite that's listed my roles in the series over the years. I think actually playing someone pretending to be the Doctor was a highlight. Silence Shall Fall was a lot of fun, and not just because I was in the limelight for a change!”
- Extract from an interview with Colin Baker, 2007

“All scores being equal to their series, Silence Shall Fall gets an eight out of ten. The addition of Colin Baker as a bombastic parody of earlier Doctors gives the serial a much needed dose of comedy amid some well shot tense scenes. The reintroduction of the Silence as enemies was a much needed boost to the series creatively and gave the audience a hint of what was to come over the next three years. Professor Alphys, as played by Alphonsia Emmanue, as the newest companion to the Doctor served well to break from the previous few years, offering a stark contrast to Mek and Teera with her character's scientific and flirty demeanour.”

“Silence Shall Fall established a number of things. We finally got a glimpse into the true after affects of the Great Time War with Colin Baker's fake Doctor. There were those who remembered it, some to exploit the reputation of those who had fought in it for their own gains, and those who looked to destroy the remnants of both sides in the conflict. The Silence were revealed and would be a constant threat for the next three seasons. Their return would take the show in a new direction creatively. One that would take the limelight until the thirtieth anniversary.”
- Extract from Silence Shall Fall, a review by SFDebris, 2015

Profile:
Formed in the aftermath of the Great Time War, the Silence are a group dedicated to the destruction of any technology that could be used to travel through time. The only time travel technology they want to exist would be under their complete control, the scars etched across the Universe from the Great Time War convincing them to go to the greatest of extremes. An organisation made up of differing races and species, the Silence is small, elite and ultimately deadly. They served as the Seventh Doctor's most consistent foes throughout his tenure and most dedicated. As last of the Time Lords, the Silence is dedicated to destroy the Doctor and everything around him, to stop another Time War from happening again. The organisation is fanatical and will stop at nothing to destroy all time travellers, the Doctor being their top priority.
- Extract from the enemy page of the Doctor Who 1991 book annual, 1991

[Scene: The TARDIS is in the dark as the Doctor sits at the console in the middle of the room. He is staring off into the distance, thinking of what has transpired in the day with the revelation of the Silence. Behind him, Professor Alphys steps through a doorway.]

ALPHYS:
You couldn't sleep either?

DOCTOR:
… No. My mind was on other things.

ALPHYS:
You mean the other Doctor? A relation of yours, was he?

DOCTOR:
No, a fraud. Funny, when I think about it. I only got called the Doctor because of someone breaking into this place and they wound up twisting their ankle. Basic medical knowledge was something I actually managed to retain my memories. They started calling me Doctor and it stuck. Looks like I couldn't escape from myself.

ALPHYS:
I've found that life has odd ways of reminding you of the past. How much do you remember after today?

DOCTOR:
Only what the Silence really told me. That I'm the Doctor and that I'm the last of the Time Lords. Although they've clued me in on something else at least.

ALPHYS:
What's that?

DOCTOR:
There's a Planet out there called Earth. One that I've apparently defended from these... 'Daleks' time and time again. It's about time I paid it a visit...​

- Final scene from Silence Shall Fall, the second serial of the twenty-sixth series of Doctor Who, 1991

 

[DAv]

Part Twenty-Seven: Memories Are Made of This:




The Return Home:

The Doctor and Professor Alphys touch down on Earth after a bumpy ride, something having interfered with the touchdown to the planet. Before the duo can potentially find the cause, they're suddenly attacked the instant they leave the TARDIS, the Silence having tracked them down and began to try and kill them. When it seems that the duo are trapped, they're rescued by UNIT, who attack the Silence with weaponry far in advance than should be seen on Earth. With the Silence forced into retreat, the Doctor and Alphys are taken to the new Brigadier, who is somewhat sceptical over whether or not the blonde man before him is the Doctor. Despite that though, he does agree to help, revealing that the effects of the Time War were felt on Earth, UNIT being hard pressed to contain the technology from time and space that littered the planet. The Doctor manages to convince the Brigadier and himself of the truth when he uncovers an old series of photographs of his previous regenerations, the memories finally flooding back to him properly. Just in time as well as the Silence start to attack the UNIT base, leading the Doctor to hastily draw up a plan to repel them. Using some of the weaponry that UNIT has gathered, he and Alphys instead convert them into a shield that repels the Silence's time travelling technology, forcing them into a retreat away from Earth, for now. With his memories intact, the Doctor wishes to find a way to get Gallifrey back into the Universe. But, as the new Brigadier points out, it's only tempoary and the Silence will return, forcing the Doctor to protect Earth by leaving, getting the Silence to chase after him.

• Synopsis of The Return Home, the third serial of the twenty-sixth serial of Doctor Who, 1991

“It was around the twenty-sixth series that we decided on giving the Silence a 'face' as such. It was something of a hassle to consider constantly casting someone different in each episode so we created the Captain to counter this. He was originally designed to give a more sympathetic side to the Silence and their aims while still able to retain control of matters. Of course, we had the twist in mind from the start and the eventual reveal did prove to be a lot of fun.”

• Extract from an interview with PJ Hammond, 2000

• Miles Anderson (The Captain) and Alphonsia Emmanuel (Doctor Alphys) in between scenes while working on the twenty-sixth series of Doctor Who

Profile:

The Captain was the man who organised the search for the Doctor led by the Silence. Genial and welcoming, the Captain actually spoke with the Doctor on several occasions, trying to convince him to hand himself over to the Silence for the sake of the time stream and its stability. His failure in this regard never seemed to lower his mood and he was constantly cheerful throughout his appearances. This would slip in time as his actions would lead to deaths in his pursuit of the Doctor and he would come across as a great deal more sinister. The reveal of who he actually was was also received well by fans as his real identity being...

• Extract from the Captain's profile on the Doctor Who Wiki, 2011

“Working on Doctor Who at that time was a blast. The BBC was giving the show its full confidence on what to do creatively and the budget had been given a boost so they could allow some better effects. They even had some more American actors coming over. Adam especially proved to be popular throughout his run in the crew. It was just a really good time and we were all getting excited for the run up to the thirtieth anniversary. A shame they didn't let me stick around for that on screen, but they were nice enough to invite me to the party at least!”

• Extract from an interview with Miles Anderson, 1999

[Scene: The Doctor rushes through a door, having managed to dodge the followers of the Silence into a small room, only to see the Captain standing there, smiling warmly.]

CAPTAIN:

You'll never make any friends if you're going to run from everyone you know.




DOCTOR:

Those are the kinds of friends I'll be happy to skip over, if it's all the same to you.




CAPTAIN:

Oh, come now Doctor. You should realise by now that you can't escape from the Silence. Every time period, every region in space, the Silence are there.​

DOCTOR:

Interesting that...




CAPTAIN:

Well, yes. Such abilities are...




DOCTOR:

Not that. It's always 'The Silence' with you, never 'we' or 'us'. Tell me Captain, do the higher ups know just how much of their resources you've wasted on hunting me down?​

[The Captain pauses, almost looking angered by this, but quickly collects himself. He raises a remote and presses a button on it.]

CAPTAIN:

No waste now Doctor, I've summoned them to this spot. You'll be taken in by the Silence and then the secrets of time travel will be kept in safe hands.




DOCTOR:

Yes, mine.​

[Reaching to a panel beside the door, the Doctor pressed some buttons in a certain order. The room suddenly went dark and the Captain calls out for reinforcements. When the lights flicker back on, the members of the Silence are at the door, but the Doctor has vanished. The Captain glares at the Silence, showing some of the cold anger from earlier.]

• Extract from a scene from the To The Ends of The Earth, the second serial of the twenty-seventh series of Doctor Who, 1992

“I was still writing and doing comedy when I got the offer to go to Britain. At the time, there were a few American actors who had gone over there for a few months, did some work and then came back. Since SNL had turned down my application to write for them and I didn't have anything major going on, I thought, why not? With all the self-censorship going on in the US at the time, going to the UK was tempting to a few people. So I went. It lasted for a little bit longer than a few months, but I ain't complaining.”

• Extract from an interview with Adam Sandler, 2008

Profile:

A businessman from the 30th century, Marcus Joxon was intrigued by the potential of a time travelling machine. Looking to invest into it, Joxon gained the attention of the Silence and the research facility he was in was attacked. The Doctor and Doctor Alphys interfered with Joxon being forced to flee along with them once the Silence call down an orbital bombardment onto the facility. Finding it too dangerous to return home, Joxon became one of the Doctor's companion, albeit among his most reluctant.




Joxon's character was meant to be parodying many of the business obsessed yuppie types in the period, but had deeper shades than that. With a dry, sarcastic wit, Joxon also helped bring in some humour to the series, constantly having a battle of wits and words with the Doctor that kept him occupied. He was also prone to snapping once the situation got out of hand, famously pushing an Ice Warrior down an elevator shaft after it had threatened a child. He would stay on from the Seventh Doctor up until the Eighth, eventually leaving in the middle of the twenty-ninth series.

• Extract from The Heart of The TARDIS, a Doctor Who wiki, 2010

[Scene: The TARDIS has touched down on a planet away from the Silence for some relaxation. Stepping out to look at the scenic area, Doctor Alphys steps forward to enjoy it while Joxon looks disapprovingly. The Doctor stands beside him, looking far more at ease.]

DOCTOR:

How's this then? Nice, fresh air. Sun on your face. Idyllic really.




JOXON:

Uh-huh.




DOCTOR:

Oh come on, what's wrong now?




JOXON:

This place seems like such a waste. I mean, you've got untapped resources here. Look, perfect land to develop a tourist industry on these lakes. There's probably a bunch of fish in here ripe for a small business to take care of. And I could set up a logging industry here within days.




DOCTOR:

Do you ever stop?




JOXON:

… Do you?​

[The Doctor goes to say something, but eventually shrugs, conceding the point.]

• Extract from a scene from Cold Vengeance, the first serial of the twenty-eighth series of Doctor Who, 1992

“Rumours? Ah yes, we all heard them eventually. As most things, there was a grain of truth but completely overblown. There were no arguments or anything like that, but Sean and Adam didn't have a relationship that extended beyond the professional. They weren't hostile but Sean was someone who liked to keep things simple and Adam's sense of humour probably just didn't appeal to him. Things were never tense, it was just how things were.”

• Extract from an interview with Miles Anderson, 2013

“We had a bit of a juggling act in the twenty-eighth series. Continuing the story of the Silence had to be mixed with our plans for the thirtieth anniversary of the show. We were building up to something big and that was our hopes for the twenty-ninth series, to lead to something big. It's where The Seven Doctors started and, for that, we needed to build up to a big reveal at the end of series twenty-eight. Considering the reaction to it, I think we did a fairly good job.”

• Extract from an interview with PJ Hammond, 2000

The Master Stroke:

Having gotten more proactive in his fight with the Silence, the Doctor and his companions touch down in Paris of 1919 where the Silence were planning to disrupt the timestream in a bid to make the TARDIS malfunction. The Doctor leads the way in chasing down the Captain while the leadership of the Silence finally make themselves known as they hunt down the TARDIS, disguised as a group of diplomats at the peace conference. The Captain finally reveals his true colours however, having led the leadership of the Silence into the Paris catacombs to capture the TARDIS, only to kill them all once they have helped him uncover it. A chaotic scuffle ensues as the Doctor and his companions, along with some French soldiers, try to protect the TARDIS, but are overwhelmed and captured by the Captain and some old enemies with only Doctor Alphys escaping. Flanked by his followers, the Silurians, the Captain looks to take control of the Silence completely as the TARDIS is captured. Touching it however causes its security systems to kick in, forcing the Captain to reveal his true identity to his captives.

• Synopsis of The Master Stroke, the final serial of the twenty-eighth series of Doctor Who, 1992

[Scene: Surrounded by armed Silurians, the Doctor, Joxon and the soldiers watch as the Captain is sent to the floor after touching the TARDIS, his body starting to glow in an alien fashion.]

DOCTOR:

I knew it. I bloody knew it.




JOXON:

What? What is it? Is he on fire?




DOCTOR:

No. He's regenerating. It seems the TARDIS remembers what happened the last time we met. It helps I installed some security just in case he ever returned.​

[The glowing fades as the Captain stands up, having changed now, revealing his true colours.]

DOCTOR:

Who else could have been the mastermind behind all this?




???:

Oh come now Doctor, why so formal. Just address me as you always have. I'm just the Master.​

• Final scene of The Master Stroke, the last serial of the twenty-eighth series of Doctor Who, 1992

• Rowan Atkinson, in costume as the fourth actor to play the Master, 1992

The Year of The Doctors

- The name given to the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who

 

[DAv]

Part Twenty-Eight: Moments In The Woods:




“That was the problem that The Little Mermaid faced. It came right out after Into The Woods. It's like Disney never quite realised why no one released a disaster movie after Airplane!”

• Quote from Claxon, member of Alternate History Forms, 2013
  

“Into The Woods is the first original production by Nelvana under its Studio Eleven banner and it is the right way to make an impact. Based off Stephen Sondheim's hit musical on Broadway, Into The Woods takes the fairy tales we all know so well and applies real consequences to them. Director Don Bluth has given the film a dark and foreboding feeling throughout that helps bring the characters and story to life. This is very different from the classical Disney fairy tale which has become something of a new tradition for Studio Elven itself.”

• Extract from a review of Into The Woods from the Chicago Tribune, October, 1989
  

Into The Woods:

Released: October 20th, 1989

Studio: Studio Eleven

Budget: 35 Million US Dollars

Box Office: 168.4 Million US Dollars

• Run down of Into The Wood's information and performance
  

The Little Mermaid:

Released: November 17th, 1989

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Budget: 40 Million US Dollars

Box Office: 166.1 Million US Dollars

• Run down of The Little Mermaid's information and performance
  

“For the first time, we'd beaten Disney on our own terms. A movie we'd created and produced had gone up against them and we'd come out on top. Not just money wise, but also on a cultural basis. Sondheim's subverting the typical fairy tales as he did really was a great way to show how times had moved on from the standard Princess story. It wasn't a case of telling a story like that anymore, things had to be different. We really owe Sondheim a lot for his work as Into The Woods really helped secure our name as an independent studio away from what we were doing with Ghibli. The success also allowed us more freedom from the studios in pursuing other avenues for our films. It was a huge boost to the studio in general.”

• Extract from an Interview with Clive Smith, 1998
  

“I honestly think The Little Mermaid is one of Disney's strongest movies, it just had really bad luck following Into The Woods. Despite what people say, Ariel wasn't your stereotypical Disney Princess, she was pro-active and actually pursued her goals. But, people got the impression from Nelvana's press releases that what Disney was doing was cliched and just out of date. Even then, people forget about movies like The Great Mouse Detective and Oliver And Company which came out before The Little Mermaid showed that Disney could easily do something different from that formula. But, thanks to stuff like Grave of The Fireflies really redefining what an animated movie could be, Nelvana could dictate the narrative on what things were like, at least until the second Evangelion movie came out.”

• Quote from QLeaper, member of the Freakin' Awesome Network, 2015
  

With the ending of the 'Big Three' in the late 80's and early 90's, Nelvana was looking for more animated output to help fill in the gap. In 1989, Nelvana approached Marvel Comics in regards to their X-Men franchise. With a team of extraordinary beings still facing relatable problems being the lynchpin of the comic, it was felt that it would help develop on the strengths of their previous animated shows. After some negotiations, Nelvana was given the license to make the show with the creative process leading to a debut in the Summer of 1991.

• Extract from A History of Nelvana, 2006
  

“I'd finished working on Duck Tales for Disney when I heard about Nelvana asking for writers for their X-Men cartoon. By that time, I'd gotten a reputation for some solid output and they were interested in what I had to offer. I read some of the comics to get a feel for the characters and helped start writing the pilot episode. Working for Nelvana was a great experience and I really enjoyed myself over the years. We did a lot of great stuff with the M.A.U.”

• Extract from an interview with Paul Dini, 2009
  

Roster:

Cyclops

Jean Grey

Storm

Wolverine

Nightcrawler

Jubilee

Beast

Psylocke

Professor Xavier

• Main characters of Nelvana's X-Men series
  

“The team we chose for the X-Men was based off the teams that had come before for the most part. Chris Claremont's stories were a big influence and we included a lot of the team members from that period. We brought in Psylocke as a way to bring in another female character and with a very different outlook from the others. We tried to give as many different characters with their own beliefs as the sheer variety is one of the group's biggest strengths. Jubilee was brought in as the newcomer character, letting the audience be introduced to the world that way. Paul was a great asset to the team from the start, able to bring out the individual quirks of the characters. When you have such a diverse cast of characters, it honestly makes writing the episodes a lot of fun.”

• Extract from an interview with Tom Ruegger, 2000
  

The division of Studio Eleven and Nelvana continued its success throughout the early 90's. Although there were some concerns after the ending of the 'Big Three' that Nelvana would struggle to find shows to carry on the high quality precedent set by those programmes. The X-Men did a lot to put these fears to rest as it started out on a strong note and soon became one of the highest rated animated shows on television. Following the success of Into The Woods, Studio Eleven also continued its dubbing of Studio Ghibli movies with Kiki's Delivery Service getting a summer 1990 release to commercial and critical success despite attempted boycotts from campaigns led by Jimmy Swaggart and other evangelists. The continued success allowed for the increased creative freedom for Studio Eleven, resulting in 1992's Evangelion movie and its 1995 sequel.

• Extract from A History of Western Animation, 2014
  

“Is there no end?! Is there no end to this indecency?! These blasphemous images, designed to do nothing more than corrupt our Christian society and our children are being broadcast nation wide! A movie where a young girl surrenders herself to Satanic forces to become a witch will be released soon! Turn away from this, show your disgust by refusing to see it. Make them realise that the Christian faith will not be oppressed!”

• Extract from a sermon by Jimmy Swaggart, 1990
  

“Needless to say, we were all happy when we saw what Craig Charles did to that guy.”

• Quote from an anonymous source in Nelvana
  

“It was a tough choice that could have gone either way at the end of it. I had been working with Nelvana for some years when the Warner Brothers offer came in and I spoke to numerous people in the company about it. But, I decided to go with it since the Justice League was going to be a show where I was going to be in charge. It was a huge opportunity I couldn't afford to miss out on. When it was time to leave Nelvana, they threw me a going away party and it was a great parting. I even received four little statues of the Usagi Yojimbo characters as a parting gift and they've always been near me ever since that point in my career.”

• Extract from an interview with J. Michael Straczynski, 2015
  

Superman

Wonder Woman

Green Lantern

Batman

Black Canary

Zatanna

The Flash

• Line up of the Justice League for Warner Brother's Justice League cartoon, 1991
  

Justice League

Green Lantern

Superman

Wonder Woman

Batman

The JSA

• Line up of the 'DCCU' animated shows that would last throughout the 90's and early 00's
  

The X-Men

Spider-Man

Captain America

The Avengers

• Line up of the Marvel animated shows tin the 1990's
  

Studio Elven's continued rivalry with Disney saw it take greater risks as it looked to keep an edge on the competition. MGM executives allowed them to look further into expanding themselves in a creative fashion. The Japanese influence was felt in the creation of the Evangelion movies and later acquisition of Artmic's creative properties. Disney would eventually respond, going back to fantasy but with a greater emphasis on better storytelling, leading to its adaptation of the Lord of The Ring novels in response. This would lead to the highest point of the rivalry in the late 90's where many believed the companies reached their creative heights with films from both companies receiving Best Picture nominations.

• Extract from The Mouse & The Bear: The Two Giants of Western Animation, 2012
  

“Disney want us to do what?”

• André Olbrich in a conversation with Hansi Kursch, 1992
  

 

[DAv]

Part Twenty-Nine: Championship Edition:

The effect of the Splatterhouse scandal was felt through the home gaming industry in America. The strict rules put in place by the ERSB meant that any violence in video games had to be curbed greatly. Violence against humans almost always led to a T for Teen rating, regardless of the context. As the home gaming market became homogenised in the early 90's, it was the arcades that were able to flourish. Due to not being sold in gaming stores, the arcade machines were given a wider audience of players. Most businesses running arcades did at least separate arcades into 'young' and 'teen' sections although the monitoring of people who entered was lax throughout the country. If anything, the ERSB contributed to the popularity of arcades in the US up until the late 90's as it allowed exposure to games that would have been heavily censored on home consoles.

- Extract from Video Games & Violence: A History, 2007

“The success of Final Fight in America had brought our attention to their tastes and what it meant for us as a company. We wanted greater success for the American market and decided to do research into it to help increase our success. We took note of the controversy that came from violence and decided to try and aim for a more fantastic approach in the hopes to appeal to them and work within the confines of its censorship. Aesthetically at least, World Warrior would have been a very different game had we not had to deal with that aspect.”
- Extract from an interview with Noritaka Funamizu, 2006

Hoshi (Ryu): (1)
The wandering warrior who dispenses justice. Having lived with his master, Goutetsu, all his life, Hoshi learned the values of discipline, honour and helping those in need. Leaving his home behind, he devotes his entire life to helping those in need. He has no home, no family and no friends, but his name brings hope to the downtrodden and oppressed.

In combat, Hoshi moves quickly while still remaining patient for his enemies to make a mistake. He is deliberate and a well balanced fighter. When opportunity comes, he will attack his foes with the legendary Dragon Strike.

Special Moves – Fireball, Tornado Kick, Dragon Strike

Matthew (Ken):
One of many who explore the World in the hope of fame and fortune, Matthew travels widely in a bid to get rich. He has picked up many fighting skills along the way and competes with anyone who answers his challenge. Vain and cocky, he sees himself as a rival to Hoshi and seeks out the hero to challenge him to battle

In a fight, Matthew will show off and brag to his opponents about how outmatched they are. Despite his flashy moves, he is a great fighter and will take out his foes with a Flash Bang attack.

Special Moves – Flash Bang, Swift Kick, Rising Ocean

Hongxi Fang (Chun Li):
Born to a noble family, Fang stood out from others of her class with her training in martial arts. Her hopes for a peaceful future were dashed however, when Vega's New Order killed her family for opposing them. Now, she travels the world looking for clues to their whereabouts and to bring them down. Nothing will stop her.

When in battle, Fang will use her speed and agility to great effect. She will seek out the weak points in her opponents and use her deadly kicks to strike at them. Her Lightning Kicks can take down any opponent with a flurry of blows.

Special Moves – Spinning Cycle Kick, Cannon Ball, Lightning Kicks

Gunson (Guile):
A member of the religious Brotherhood of Light, Gunson is a stoic warrior. He travels the world, serving his holy order with dedication. The Brotherhood has opposed Vega's New Order since its creation, resulting in a battle that saw Gunson's brother die. Swearing revenge, Gunson left the order in order to kill Vega.

When he fights, Gunson shows surprising flexibility in battle, catching his opponents off guard. He can leap high into the air with his Crescent Kick and take down opponents in the air or on the ground.

Special Moves – Crescent Kick, Faith Blade

Zenji (Honda):
A man who always strives for perfection in everything he does, Zenji has crafted the art of Kabuki to perfection, using its style and trickery to become world famous. His travels alerted him to the threat posed by Vega's New Order and he now uses them to fight against the organisation so he can protect his homeland.

In battle, Zenji relies on his speed and skills in illusion to help him overcome his foes. He moves in and out quickly to get the advantage, his Hidden Arts ability means that he goes invisible for a few seconds, long enough to strike hard.

Special Moves – Thousand Palm Strike, Kabuki Headbutt, Hidden Arts

Ivan (Zangief):
A legendary hero to his people, Ivan hails from the Deep North, having been trained to fight by facing Wendigoes and other monsters. He has since gone south, eager to show the might of his nation and people by taking on whatever challenges he can. And what greater challenge is there, than to take down the New Order?

When Ivan fights, he uses his great strength to grab onto his opponents and smash them into the ground. Although not the quickest of fighters, Ivan uses his power to strike or slam his opponents into the dirt with great effect.

Special Moves – Spinning Lariat, Flying Power Slam, Cyclone Driver

Presto (Blanka):
As a baby, Presto was shipwrecked on the shores of the dangerous, jungle covered Southern Continent. He was raised by the animals, taking on many of their abilities as he learned simply to survive. Eventually, he was enslaved by Vega's New Order to fight for his new master's amusement, even as the wild man longs for his freedom.

With no formal training, Prestor relies on his savagery and instincts in a fight. He latches onto opponents to bit at them with sharpened teeth or uses powers taught to him by electric eels as he shocks his opponents, his style catching many off guard.

Special Moves – Duck and Roll, Electric Shock, Rolling Thunder

Sari (Dhalsim):
A mystic woman blessed by the Gods, Sari serves as a spiritual and mental healer to anyone she meets on her travels. Despite her devotion to pacifism, Sari can no longer standby as she has seen what Vega's New Order is doing to the world and its people. Forsaking her vows, Sari now looks to bring an end to the evil.

With mystic abilities from the Gods themselves, Sari has control of fire, able to blow it out from her mouth to engulf her foes. She can also stretch her limbs far beyond any other human, able to catch opponents off guard even with her teleportation powers.

Special Moves – Holy Flame, Spiral Dive, Blessed Teleportation

Bison (Balrog):
A travelling mercenary, Bison has made his name for his brutality and savage beat downs of opponents. Known for his fists and speed, Bison was soon approached by the New Order, becoming one of the Three Generals over its armies. Hungry for power and riches, he does the bidding of the New Order, for now.

Relying on his fists to fight, Bison attacks with them alone and can strike hard and fast. He uses his great strength to knock opponents down for the count before they can react, his power overwhelming all but the strongest fighters.

Special Moves – Dash Straight, Rampaging Headbutt, Dash Uppercut

Balrog (Vega):
A former nobleman from the Old World, Balrog was born in splendid luxury, while also being a man longing to fight. He found himself bored until given a chance to battle by Vega's New Order, his cruelty and viciousness became obvious, killing Gunson's brother in battle with glee. Now one of the Three Generals, Balrog inspires fear in many.

Using his agility in a fight, Balrog can leap from walls and cling onto the cage in his home to give him an advantage. With his handsome face protected by a mask and gloves with sharp claws on the tips of his fingers, Balrog shows no mercy.

Special Moves – Rolling Crystal Strike, Sky High Claw, Flying Slash Attack

Rama (Sagat):
A former king in his own homeland, Rama was a tyrant, forcing his people to work for his glory. His evil reign was brought to an end when a rebellion cast him from his throne and Hoshi defeated him in single combat. Forced into exile, Rama joined the New Order, becoming one of the Three Generals as he swore revenge.

Rama fights using his great strength and size. His reach is almost unmatched by other fighters and he can be relentless in his assault. With his great strength, reach and techniques such as the Tiger Uppercut, Rama is a formidable opponent.

Special Moves – Tiger Strike, Tiger Uppercut, Tiger Knee

Vega (Bison):
No one knows where Vega comes from, only that chaos and destruction follow with him. He seeks to take over the world and have all of its people bow to him using his army and terrible powers. He wants complete conquest and nothing will stand in his way, with the Three Generals leading his forces, a new Emperor threatens to rise.

When he chooses to fight, Vega shows no mercy. He uses the abilities granted by his dark, mystical powers to strike at his foes when his physical body isn't able to handle the task alone. He delights in pain and always seeks to cause as much of it as he can.

Special Moves – Spirit Crusher, Double Knee Strike, Skull Driver
- Extract from the character selection of the Sega Mercury World Warrior manual

Fighters from all over a fantastic world gather to test their strength against each other! Pick one of the warriors to travel and become the best! Who will be crowned the World Warrior? It's all up to you!
- Extract from the manuals of World Warrior released on the Super Nintendo, Atari MX and Apple SYSTEM, no other reference to any kind of story was made

CONGRATULATIONS
YOU ARE WORLD WARRIOR
- Ending screen of one player mode for the Super Nintendo version of World Warrior

“We didn't stand a chance when it came to localisation. The Splatterhouse murders were still fresh in everyone's minds and there was a huge outcry over the Wolfenstein game right before we were due to release. So, the censorship came into it. We hacked it to pieces in some respects, really just tore out anything that could have been controversial. Thankfully, it wasn't anything that affected core gameplay, but the game paled compared to the arcade version in some ways.”

“Really, everyone was feeling the heat from the increased scrutiny back then. The greater pressure on us to self-censor was constantly present. It didn't help that you also had the White House using us a whipping boy whenever they wanted us to be bi-partisan. Hilary's 'wholesome games' campaign really put us in a bad position for even the slightest amount of controversial content. We managed to skate by with a Teen rating, even with all the censorship we put through for World Warrior. To be fair, it did allow some of the game designers to get really creative with their output.”
- Extract from an interview with Jeff Walker, 2008

“This game, if we can call it that, defines all the corruptive influences in video games. Portraying violence in a positive manner, glorification of animal cruelty and frequent use of Nazi imagery. We must come together to make sure that these images are not exposed to our children. I call upon the gaming industry to do what they promised and put a stop to these threats to the innocence of our children.”
- Extract from a Hilary Clinton speech, June 1992

“So we're not allowed to hate the fucking Nazis anymore?!”
- Response John Romero had to the aforementioned speech

The reaction against violence in video games had led to the stagnation of genres in the medium throughout the early 90's. Platform, puzzle and sports games were seen as the safest and most profitable games to make due to their family friendly nature. The brief attempt by id Software to reintroduce shooters, even on the less widespread PC platform led to widespread backlash that led to the company recalling a large portion of the units that had been shipped to the few retailers that would take it. With some creators frustrated over this, exploration turned to genres that had largely resided on the PC, the RPG and Adventure game. But, with combat being a concept that could be a public relations nightmare, other game mechanics were experimented with and even created. It was under these circumstances the the Quake series began.
- Extract from Video Games & Violence: A History, 2007

Quake – Role Playing Game developed for the PC, SNES, Apple System, Atari MX and others by Interplay Entertainment. Released in November of 1992, the game was a smash success due to its game mechanics, haunting atmosphere, experimental storytelling for the consoles and low age rating that made it easy to sell. It was the start of the Quake series, one of Interplay Entertainment's longest and most successful properties as it helped propel the popularity of non-violent RPG's before the easing of ESRB.
- Extract from Wikipedia's introduction the Quake series, 2009

“With a dark atmosphere throughout the game, Quake takes the player through the ruins of an artificial city in the aftermath of an earthquake. There, they have to survive and rescue the survivors they see, unravelling the conspiracy that is hidden away in the ruined streets. With great freedom of movement and mechanics focused on survival, the player has to help those around them in order to progress. This helps introduce the game's varied cast of characters who prove to be one of the highlights of the experience. A well crafted game that showcases the best of the roleplaying genre.”
- Extract from a review of Quake in Nintendo Power, November 1992

“There was no on-screen violence, that was the key. Along with constant references to the 'evacuation', Quake had no on screen violence and managed to get away with an E10+ rating. Although they had the constant threat of danger, it was always kept vague enough to avoid it going into Teen territory. With Quake's success, other RPG's could follow on with the idea of trying different things, away from fighting, in order to succeed. For a while, it seemed that only Ultima was able to tackle any kind of mature issues in games and that's because Lucas Arts backed them to the hilt.”
- Quote from HoshiFan, member of the Freakin' Awesome Network forum, 2015

Quake
Quake II
Quake: Typhoon
Quake: San Francisco
- Entries into the Quake franchise during the 90's

“1992 planted the seeds for two things, Sega's eventual bursting onto the US scene and the Brits taking over Atari.”

- Quote from CapVreenak, member of the Freakin' Awesome Network forum, 2014

1: As you can probably guess, the fighter has their OTL equivalent placed next to them.

 

[DAv]

Part Thirty: Hit It:

“It was a year after Ghostbusters had ended when the idea started to take form. John had finished his second stint in rehab and we were both eager to take on a project. Him, John Landis and I were spending the weekend over at my place when the suggestion came up for the Blues Brothers. It had been nearly ten years since we'd worked on the first movie and it had a lot of memories for us, good and bad. We got to talking and managed to quickly come up with a premise that would carry the story while we'd let the music do the rest.”
- Extract from an interview with Dan Aykroyd, 2008

“So, we getting everyone back together?”

“And a few new faces too.”

“New?”

“Well, Eric Clapton for a start.”
- Conversation between John Landis and John Belushi, 1988

“We wanted to go bigger, it's the nature of sequels. So, we went with the battle of the bands concept as part of the story. The studio also felt that this was going to be a success so they were OK with opening up the wallet a bit more. So, that meant we could bring in even more great musicians than the first movie. The Battle of the Bands itself was as much developed around the wish that we just wanted to get as many people into the movie as it was to make a story that worked.”
- Interview with John Landis, 2001

Blues Brothers Band:
'Joliet' Jake Blues
Elwood Blues
Steve 'The Colonel' Cropper
Donald 'Duck' Dunn
Murphy Dunne
Willie 'Too Big' Hall
Tom 'Bones' Malone
'Blue Lou' Marini
Matt 'Guitar' Murphy
'Mr. Fabulous' Alan Rubin

Louisiana Gator Boys:
B. B. King
Bo Diddedly
Koko Taylor
Jack DeJohnette
Charlie Musselwhite
Billy Preston
Joshua Redman

Delta Flyers:
Eric Clapton
John Lee Hooker
Dr. John
Jon Faddis
Paul Shaffer
Grover Washington Junior
Jimmie Vaughan
- List of the three bands featured in the finale of Blues Brothers II and their most notable members (1)

“At first, production went really well. Everyone was back together and with all these legends around during certain days of shooting, we had a really good time. But, as we started to wrap up, John's old habits began to come back. He was going more and more into drugs despite his time in rehab. It wasn't as bad as it had been, even back then, things were cleaner than they were in the 70's. But, drugs followed the money and after Ghostbusters, John had plenty of that. It got really bad in the last few weeks, John went missing for days at a time, coming back stoned off his ass. Dan was doing everything he could to reel him in and, for a while after the movie was made, it seemed like he had succeeded.”
- Extract from an interview with Matt 'Guitar' Murphy, 1997

After serving time for the events in the original Blues Brothers movie, Elwood Blues is released from prison, expecting to be picked up by his brother, Jake. After hours pass, it's eventually Curtis (Cab Calloway) who comes to collect Elwood, giving him some bad news about Jake. After being released a year prior, Jake had tried to stay on the straight and narrow, but had soon fallen into bad habits and was now in debt to the Mob by a considerable amount of money. Elwood is also warned by the Penguin (Kathleen Freeman) that Jake is close to despair and reveals that she still hopes that the brothers can make good of themselves.

Reuniting with his brother, Elwood is brushed off by a surly Jake, who blames him for sending them to jail in the first place due to his reckless driving stunts. Rejected by his own brother, Elwood turns to God to help him and goes to Reverend Cleophus James (James Brown) for advice. After seeing the Reverend and his choir perform Move On Up A Little Higher, Elwood talks to the preacher and is inspired to help Jake in anyway he can, being given the movie's arc words “To err is human, to forgive divine.”

Trying to find legitimate work himself, Elwood is given hints about a battle of the bands competition that would give enough money to pay off his brother's debt. He contacts Jake once again, able to convince his brother to let him help him, although Jake proves to remain reluctant about it, he eventually caves about an impassioned speech from Elwood about what the music has done for them and how it saved the orphanage. Making the point that it could still save Jake, the brothers reunite for the road ahead.

He decides on reuniting the Blues Brothers Band once more, going on a journey to recruit the members. They prove reluctant at first, only to be gathered together by Ray (Ray Charles) at his new music studio. There, he and Mrs. Murphy (Aretha Franklin) convince the band to join back together, both to help reclaim their former glory and, in the case of Mrs. Murphy, to stop her husband moping about the good old days. Following a rendition of Respect by Mrs. Murphy to her husband (Backed up by Ray), the band go on a road trip down to New Orleans for the Battle of the Bands hosted by Duke Dimanche (Stevie Wonder).

As the band travels down south, they're soon pursued by the Mob, looking for Jake as they believe he's skipping out on his debt. Elwood manages to shake them off after a chase through St. Louis, Missouri. Having managed to avoid their pursuers, the band stops at phone where Jake contacts their agents, Maury Slime (Steve Lawrence), to extort another concert from him so they can fund their trip. Slime gets them booked into a Hair Metal concert, failing to mention the actual genre.

When the group arrive, they find themselves with a very hostile audience until they start playing. A rendition of Going Back to Miami sways the audience and the group leave with a triumph for Blues music in general, as well from the cash box of the concert after the man running the event (G. W. Bailey) refused to pay them. As they go down to New Orleans, the band is still followed by the Mob, but Jake and Elwood reconnect while they travel, remembering the times they've had and what the music means to them. As the band continues, they're still pursued by the Mob and the police who look to bring them in for the theft of the concert money.

Arriving in New Orleans, the battle of the bands start up as the family and friends of the Blues Brothers have arrived, even the Penguin. The Louisiana Gator Boys open with How Blue Can You Get followed by the Delta Flyers singing Boogie Chillun. After a speech to the band about how this is what Blues means and why music is important, Jake and Elwood lead their group in a rendition of Soul Man. Although the Blues Brothers don't win, they nevertheless get a lot of appreciation from the crowd. An attempt by the Mob to get involved instead gets them all arrested as they're caught trying to kill Jake. The concert owner's attempt to get the Blues Brothers arrested also goes awry as Cal had helped uncover evidence that he had been embezzling funds from the concerts long before the Blues Brothers had come along and made it look as if he had been trying to frame them.

With the concert and the excitement finished, one last song is played as all bands go along with a rendition of New Orleans Over the credits, the Blues Brothers Band are shown to go onto more concerts and gigs, the final shot being Jake and Elwood relaxing by their car.
- Synopsis of Blues Brothers II, released in 1989

“Blues Brothers II tries its best to capture the old magic of the original movie and largely succeeds. A slower, more thoughtful pace helps flesh out both Jake and Elwood as they travel through America and appreciate the Blues genre of music. With so many musical legends on screen, it's hard not to get caught up with tapping your foot along to it. By no means is this a classic, but it's still an enjoyable film that will keep songs running through your head for some time afterwards.”
- Extract from a review of the Blues Brothers II from the Chicago Tribune, 1989

JOHN BELUSHI FOUND DEAD IN APARTMENT: SUSPECTED OVERDOSE
- Headline from the Chicago Tribune, August 1st, 1989 (2)

“John honestly seemed like he was turning a corner for a while. He had dipped again, was getting ready to go back into rehab, but then...”

“He was my greatest friend and like a brother to me. He was always so full of life. I've always missed him and life hasn't been the same without him. I cherish my memories and I know he'd be happy to know what a long term impact his work has had.
- Extract from an interview with Dan Aykroyd, 2016 (3)

(1): I realise that my knowledge of how to structure a band in almost non-existent so those listed are only the big names featured as such. If I'm missing any instrument, consider them filled in by others.
(2): I'm retconning some previous interviews that had Belushi living past this point. As far as this timeline is concerned, he passed away in 1989.
(3): Mostly taken from an interview from OTL.

 

[DAv]

Part Thirty-One: Rule Britannia:

“With us having Davey Boy as the champion, we had someone to build around. The wrestling scene in Britain at the time was really solidified around Joint Promotions. We had filled the gap left by the WWF after their programming was pulled and we were stronger than ever. We were helped in a big way as our contacts in Jim Crockett Promotions and All Japan Pro Wrestling allowed for a steady stream of international stars as well. We had the philosophy of being a British organisation with an international bend.”
- Extract from an interview with Brian Dixon, 2001

“Oh yeah, they had a philosophy alright, just take what Vince was doing and put a Union Jack around it! You had the big Babyface Champion, Davey Boy and every few months, they'd bring in some guy from Japan or the States, build him up so Davey Boy could knock him the fuck down. He held the championship for nearly five damn years, longer than Hogan or anyone else at that time! And he went over everybody! I mean, they brought in Luger, who got beat. Stan Hansen, who got beat, Toshiaki Kawada, who got beat. Do I need to go on? Now five years of this would have killed a lot of the territories dead. Hell, Vince knew better and shook things up here and there with Macho and so on.”

“But, Joint Promotions were smart, I'll grant them that. First two years, they went smoothly and did everything to build Davey Boy up. Then, through all that, they were making all these different cartoon characters on the undercard that people loved. They even got an actual Japanese guy to take up that Kendo Nagasaki gimmick. So, you had Davey Boy on top and all these characters running around keeping people's attention. It waned, as these things always do, but then the mid-90's pretty much sucked all round. Hell, least Joint Promotions handled it a lot better than most. Then, they managed to finish on a high point when Hogan did a stint, which, believe me, isn't something I say lightly.”
- Extract from an interview with Jim Cornette, 2014

“I had done the Great Muta gimmick with Jim Crockett Promotions only a year before getting an offer for Joint Promotions. They were looking for Japanese stars and, using their contacts with Jim Crocket Promotions, as it was called at the time, got in touch with me. They had used a Japanese themed masked wrestler in their company before and wondered if I wanted to fill in a similar role. I eventually agreed to it, but on the stipulation that things were to be changed to better reflect Japanese culture and strengths. It was the start of a legacy character in Britain and one I am pleased turned out so well.”
- Extract from an interview with Keiji Mutoh, 2013

Royal Albert Hall
Northgate Arena
De Montfort Hall
Manchester Apollo
Newport Centre
- List of common venues for Joint Promotions to have their events take place in throughout the 90's

Brawl in The Hall
Summer War
Christmas Clash
- The three major live, televised events of Joint Promotions that take place yearly. Brawl in The Hall takes place in April, Summer War in August and Christmas Clash in December

“When we started the tours around the UK, we worked on the smaller venues mostly, with the bigger arenas for our three major shows. People were being turned away at each show though, tickets were impossible to get a hold of on the day of an event during our heyday and we were getting national attention. Working with companies from America and Japan really helped people take an interest as it felt like there were so many different styles going on. It appealed to a lot of different people.”
- Extract from an interview with Brian Dixon, 2002

The establishment of Joint Promotions as the face of British wrestling was key to the sport's continued growth in the early 90's and consolidation beyond that point. It attracted wrestlers from the Japanese promotions and had a working deal with Jim Crockett Promotions that allowed for a constant exchange of wrestlers from one to the other. This helped keep the roster of wrestlers fresh and fans could easily find someone to support. The weekly show on the World of Sport was only an hour long and prevented many talents from becoming over exposed. The live shows proved to be the company's main source of income and where people came to see the wrestlers most often. In a way, it was similar to the business model of 1980's WWF where the house shows took precedence over the television shows. It was a model that would do very well within the confines of Britain more than the US.
- Extract from From The Ashes: The Rise of British Wrestling, 2012

“My experiences in the UK were kinda typical for a lot of guys who went over there. You didn't get the same kind of money you would have got in the States, but the travelling was much shorter, schedules were a bit lighter and you didn't have the same cultural divide you got in Japan. The majority of those who went over enjoyed it and you had a lot of repeat runs from some of them. I was among them and had a great time working for Joint Promotions when I was with JCP.”
- Extract from an interview with Scott Hall, 2008

DAVEY 'BOY' SMITH VS. STAN HANSEN
BRITISH HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
TIGER MASK VS. NAGASAKI
FIGHTING FINLAY & DREW MCDONALD (CELTIC CONNECTION) VS. STEVEN REGAL & DAVID TAYLOR)
BRITISH TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
JOHNNY SMITH VS. TATSUMI FUJINAMI
NORMAN SMILEY VS. ROBBIE BROOKSIDE VS. MASAHIRO CHONO VS. BAM BAM BIGELOW VS. CACTUS JACK VS. DIAMOND STUDD
SIX MAN BATTLE ROYALE FOR THE OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP​

- Run down for the card of Christmas Clash '91

“We all had our chances to shine, with everyone being given their freedom to go over their characters and how they'd work with audiences. It was something of a pleasant surprise when I found myself becoming the most hated man in Britain, showed that I was good at my job.”
- Extract from an interview with Steven Regal, 2013

“Now, even though we're among the lower orders, that does not mean that we can't show appreciation for your betters. Today marks a great day, a day of celebration as we take part in the anniversary of a great person. One whose actions have defined this party, made it stand out above all the others and made it great once more. Ladies and gentlemen, give your voice as we celebrate the birthday of Magaret Thatcher!”
- Extract from an in ring promo by Steven Regal that took place in Dover, Kent, 23rd October 1991

WRESTLING SHOW ALMOST CAUSES RIOT
- Headline from Sun newspaper, 24th October 1991

“It really was the high point of British wrestling at this point. You had wrestlers appearing on other shows for ITV, BBC and Channel Four, we were always recognised on the street and even had other big names lining up to be on our shows as ring announcers or similar roles. It was such a fun atmosphere to work with and everyone wanted to be a part of it and make it as good as they could. I think the highlights were always the Christmas Clash shows. It was always the final show before we went on our Christmas break and we were able to bring on special guests, some of who did comedy bits and it was an all round good show that everyone enjoyed. For a while, British wrestling enjoyed popularity it had never experienced before and I honestly wouldn't change those years for anything.”
- Extract from an interview with Max Crabtree, 2001

“By late 1992, business had started to wind down a bit. It was inevitable really, can only stay on top for so long. Davey Boy was talking about how he was eager to take a break from being Champion and all the pressures that came with it as well. We were starting to draw up a list of names that he could lose to when Pat told us about his contact with Hogan. With him having left the WWF on a sabbatical, he was interested in coming to Britain to have a few months in the company. Considering we were looking to bring in Vader and others, it seemed like it would be a good run for Davey Boy to end on things. A tag run with Davey Boy was what was initially agreed upon, but then plans changed.”
- Interview with Brian Dixon, 2002

SUMMER WAR
THE PRIDE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM DAVEY 'BOY' SMITH' VS. THE ALL AMERICAN HULK HOGAN​

- Main event of the Summer War wrestling event that took place at Wembley Stadium

 

[DAv]

Part Thirty-Two: Summer War:

“I'd stepped away from the WWF at the time and was taking a break from wrestling for a few months before I decided what to do next. I'd been talking with other people when Brian talked about his quick run in Britain he had with Jerry. I hadn't been there for a few years and thought it'd be a good option to explore. So I got on the phone with a few of the guys in Joint Promotions and started asking about what we could do together. There was a break between some filming I had been booked in for a few months so I thought I'd have a good time on a relaxed schedule. It became a lot bigger than that though.”

• Extract from an interview with Hulk Hogan, 2009

“It took a lot of bargaining and counter-bargaining as we knew how much Hogan was worth and he knew it as well. We had a simple idea in mind at the time, Hogan would come in, team with Davey Boy throughout the summer for a big run as a tag team. Of course, it didn't quite work out like that.”

• Extract from an interview with Brian Dixon, 1999

“Well, let me tell you something brother! I've come to take on the best here in the UK and I'm excited. You got Fit Finlay, the tough Irishman, there's Robbie Brookside, a guy who wrestles better than anyone I've ever seen before brother! Then there's the Champion, Davey Boy Smith. Now there's a guy who I'd love to get into the ring with and see who's the best, man!”

• Extract from a promo by Hulk Hogan on ITV's World of Sport, April, 1993

“The Hell's he playing at?”

• Reaction by Max Crabtree to the above promo

“Oh, you thought that it was an accident? Hogan knew exactly what he was doing with that 'see who's the best' line! Let me put it to you like this, what do you think's gonna earn you the most money? Tagging with the Champion, or fighting the Champion? Hogan knew exactly what he was doing with that little slip of the tongue. Son-of-a-bitch got himself a huge payday from it. I'll say Hogan is a lot of things, but dumb ain't one of them.”

• Extract from an interview with Jim Cornette, 2015

Although there was some backlash against Hogan's promo in the back, the thought of turning the program into a World Championship match between Hogan and Davey Boy quickly gained momentum. After testing the idea on house shows by making Hogan's character more heelish, it was given the OK as Hogan verbally attacked Davey Boy in a promo on an edition of World of Sport, claiming to be the superior Champion. Davey Boy responded in kind, saying that Hogan only ever dealt with a level of competition that was below that of Joint Promotions and he'd never taken on the Bulldog.

Hogan's willingness to turn heel, as well as his ease with actually losing to Davey Boy, in large part stemmed from the knowledge that none of this footage would get back to the US. This gave Hogan the confidence to experiment with his character and even agreed to a loss to the Champion. His Heel turn soon provided him with a way to test out new waters with the Hulk Hogan character, turning it into a success.

• Extract from 'From The Ashes: The Rise of British Wrestling', 2012

“For British fans, the Hogan heel turn came as a huge shock. We had always seen him as the big, over the top superhero and had expected him to team up with Bulldog and we know that was the original plan. But the segment when they had a joint interview that ended with Hogan attacking Bulldog really pushed the crowds into hating him. The whole 'American Heel' booking had grown rather old by that point, but Hogan going heel for it gave the thing a whole new level of intensity. Bulldog was our Champion and Hogan was now his greatest opponent, everyone wanted to see that match.”

• Quote from BDFan, member of the Freakin' Awesome Network, 2016

“Ever since I got here brother, people have been telling me that the real champion is the Bulldog! That he's the best, the strongest, the greatest of all time! Well that's crap, brother! I am the greatest to have ever stepped inside of a ring and these fans know the truth, they just don't want to admit it! Davey Boy, if you were half the Champion you claim to be, then you'd put that title up for grabs in a match with me! I'm throwing down the gauntlet brother, prove to me you're not just the small Champion of a small country. And when these twenty-four inch pythons strike, you're gonna know exactly what it feels like to be run over!”

• Extract from a Hulk Hogan promo, May 1993

“Hogan thinks that he's in a small country? I've faced down wrestlers from all over the US, and they're nothing on British talent! You come into the Bulldog's yard and attack me from behind and then say you're the greatest? You've got your title shot, Hogan! But you're going to have to take on the toughest opponent you've ever faced! The bite of the British Bulldog's taken down bigger men than you and tougher as well! The UK is home to the toughest around, Hogan and at Summer War, you're going to get the full fury of the British Bulldog!”

• Extract from a British Bulldog promo, May 1993

“We had booked Wembley Stadium for the event before, but we hadn't realised just how popular the match between Davey and Hogan would be. Tickets sold out within hours and that was with the more limited seating plan we'd drawn up. Demand was still high, even after that so we talked with the organisers and managed to get even more seating arranged, which sold out as well. We had our most successful event happen almost completely by accident.”

• Extract from an interview with Max Crabtree, 2005

“Bringing it all together took some doing. This was our biggest ever show. You couldn't have imagined something like it even five years ago. Having Hogan come in really made people interested and brought them on board for one last bout. It was when we started to look at the card as a whole that we tried to bring out the best for everyone. With our lads helped by others from the US and Japan, we looked to really make this a show to stand out.”

• Extract from an interview with Pat Roach, 2002

“Well, that was the plan at first. Me and Vader in the main event against Davey and Hulk. Then Hulk had that promo and started talking to management and that was all she wrote. There wasn't a delay to me winning the title, but just one less big payday for me. Guess that's what happens when you let the wrong inmate run the asylum.”

• Extract from an interview with Mick Foley, 2012

“I don't know what he's whinging about. He's still getting paid more than most the other lads.”

• Alleged quote by Brian Dixon after a conversation with Mick Foley, 1993

THE BRITISH BULLDOG DAVEY 'BOY' SMITH VS. HULK HOGAN
BRITISH HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

CACTUS JACK & VADER VS. ROBBIE BROOKSIDE & TIGER MASK

FIGHTING FINLAY & DREW MCDONALD (CELTIC CONNECTION)VS. RICK STEINER & SCOTT STEINER
BRITISH TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

JOHNNY SMITH VS. STEVEN REGAL
OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

NAGASAKI, MASAHIRO CHONO & HIRO SAITO VS. DAVE TAYLOR, DANNY BOY COLLINS & DOC DEAN

JOHNNY SAINT VS. SHAWN MICHAELS

JOHNNY KIDD VS. NORMAN SMILEY VS. FLYIN' BRIAN PILLMAN​

• The card for Summer War '93

“If he gives you any issues in the match, just remind the little shit that all the lads back here will see to him.”
- Quote from David Final to Johnny Saint in regards to Shawn Michaels' bad attitude backstage

 

[DAv]

Part Thirty-Three: Clash of Champions:

With the weather being clear and sunny for the show, Summer War '93 opened up with the 82,000 strong crowd clamouring for the show to start. Broadcast over ITV, the show aired on the 22nd August 1993 to an audience of millions in the UK. With commentary supplied by Shirley Crabtree, Jim Cornette and Andi Peters, the event was hyped up beyond belief as the first match started.

It being a triple threat between three different styles, the crowd had two faces to cheer for in the form of Norman Smiley and Brian Pillman. Johnny Kidd had the gimmick of an old timer who refused to move on to the current methods of wrestling and turned his ire towards fellow wrestlers and the crowds for going with the 'worst' style. Brian Pillman took offence to this and the cowardly Smiley was dragged in for being in the wrong place at the wrong time as the previous two clashed.

The match was set with all three men showing off their distinct styles to get the better of the other. Johnny Kidd managed to control the pace of the match at first, using his experience and cheap tactics to get the better of his opponents. This was reversed due to the unpredictability of Norman Smiley's own frantic style and Pillman using his high-flying techniques to great effect. With a crossbody from the top rope, Pillman managed to end the match by pinning Kidd and showing that the new styles of wrestling could match the old very well.

Following that came the second match where another veteran was fighting a younger wrestler, although for different reasons. Johnny Saint had maintained a steady, if unspectacular record during the early 90's and retained his popularity. For American wrestler Shawn Michaels though, Saint was a man who needed to be put out to pasture and let a younger man take his place. Never one to back down from a challenge, Saint had agreed to a match against Michaels to show that he could still stick around with the younger wrestlers.

Both men were determined to bring their top game to the bout, the flashier style of Michaels tempered by how much the crowd disliked him for disrespecting Saint. The cocky, young wrestler soon found his momentum consistently halted by Saint sending him to the mat with his mastery of various holds. An attempt by Michaels to finish his opponent off with a back suplex was reversed into an armlock that saw the former cling on, before the referee eventually called for the bell, giving Saint the victory via submission.

Up next was a six man tag match as Billy Robinson brought forth major talents from his time in Japan to challenge the British members of Joint Promotions. With some familiar faces and new, Robinson wanted to show how his chosen wrestlers were the best around, saying that the skills he had learned had all been put into his three chosen wrestlers and then put an open challenge to any three men from the roster to match his selected group. Dave Taylor, Danny Boy Collins and Doc Dean all rose to the challenge, taking on Nagasaki, Masahiro Chono and Hiro Saito in single matches before the six-man tag match at Summer War '93.

All six men looked to show that they were the more cohesive team as they clashed, the recently turned Dave Taylor the centre of some suspicion by his teammates. It was this suspicion that allowed the Japanese wrestlers to capitalise, Nagasaki leading the attempts to isolate the opposing team and wear them down. The victory for the Japanese team was clinched when Doc Dean hesitated in taking a tag from Dave Taylor, leading to Nagasaki sending Taylor off the ropes before hitting Dean with a Shining Wizard to pick up the victory.

The fourth bout came in the form of a match long in the making. Having secured his place as Openweight Champion a year prior, Steven Regal had held onto the belt by hook and by crook and had cheated himself out of many thin scrapes. Having had enough of this, Johnny Smith, the proclaimed 'gentleman' of Joint Promotions, decided to take down Regal once and for all as he challenged him to the belt. Regal, rankling at anyone besides himself being considered a 'gentleman', accepted the challenge.

Much to no one's surprise, the match started with Regal trying to get what cheap shots he could in, attacking before the bell had even rung. Smith wasn't one to take something like this lying down however and his tenacious nature showed as he fought back, using his superior strength to toss Regal around. The Champion refused to go down without a fight though, struggling to fight back before eventually slipping a hand into his tights and taking out his trusty knuckle dusters to launch a strong right against Smith. The challenger dodged it before slapping the dusters away and then sending Regal crashing down to the mat with a British Bomb. Amid the roaring of the crowd, Smith celebrated as he became the new Openweight Champion.

From one Championship bout, another followed as the Celtic Connection, Irish David Finlay and Scottish Drew McDonald, took on the American Steiner Brothers. The two-time tag champs had kept a strong hold on their belts and the Steiners had come to Joint Promotions after hearing about the level of competition. Eager for any team that was willing to step up to them, the Celtic Connection accepted the challenge in what promised to be a knock down brawl.

From the very outset, this turned out to be true. As a contrast to the earlier technical and fast matches, the match for the Tag Team Championships was an all out brawl between the two teams. No quarter was given or taken by either side as they looked to basically hammer the other down until they couldn't get back up. Both sides did this very well with hard hitting strikes and moves that echoed throughout the stadium. For all their effort though, the Steiners couldn't quite bring an end to it as instead, Rick went down thanks to the combined Double Powerslam that earned the Celtic Connection another successful title defence.

The penultimate match was next as the utterly viscous Cactus Jack was looking for revenge. Having lost to Robbie Brookside in a high profile match two months prior, Jack was on the look out for revenge, recruiting a 'friend' from the US to help him cut a swathe of destruction through Joint Promotions. Vader helped Cactus Jack dominate many local wrestlers before Brookside returned with the fan favourite Japanese wrestler, Tiger Mask as both men looked to put an end to Jack's violent rampages once and for all.

With Jack and Vader being larger and formidable opponents, even the talented Brookside and Mask were hard pressed to counter their sheer strength and power. They managed to keep things almost equal however, using their greater speed and athletic abilities to keep the opposing team off balance. Despite the heroic efforts though, Vader and Jack proved to be too much for both men, eventually managing to dominate both towards the end of the match as Vader sent them crashing down to the mat with a Vader Bomb and Jack himself planted their skulls to the ground with a Double Arm DDT. With the match won, it looked as if both men were unstoppable.

The final bout of the night saw the crowd becoming restless as they craned to get a good view of the ring, wanting to see the ultimate clash of champions. Hogan had spent months crowing about his accomplishments, of being the greatest Champion of all time and he would prove it by taking the British Heavyweight belt from Davey Boy. The Bulldog, while acknowledging that Hogan was perhaps his toughest opponent yet, refused to believe that the competition was better anywhere than in Joint Promotions and was eager to rise to the challenge.

As the two men met face to face in the ring, the crowd clamouring for it to get started, the tension broke as Davey Boy landed the first blow, the exchange of punches starting the titan struggle off. Both men used their great strength as much as they were able, Davey Boy holding Hogan up in his delayed standing suplex for close to thirty seconds before sending him crashing down to the mat. Hogan was no slouch either, managing to throw Davey Boy around the ring a few times and using impactful moves to keep him down. For a moment, it even seemed as if the challenger was going to win after a Big Boot set Bulldog up for Hogan's Leg Drop. At the very last second though, Bulldog rolled out of the way and got to his feet, scooping the dazed Hogan onto his shoulder before rushing forward and slamming him down to the mat with his Running Powerslam.

After the three count was made, Bulldog celebrated along with the roaring crowd, holding up the belt high as thousands of camera flashes all happened at once. One final piece came to be with Hogan facing Bulldog and holding out his hand to shake, admitting he'd been bested. Taking it, Bulldog shook hands with Hogan for a memorable match before Davey Boy was able to bask in the limelight before the cameras were turned off on British wrestling's most memorable event.

• Synopsis of Summer War '93

Summer War '93 represented the high point of British wrestling and acted as a swan song for its popularity. As the mid-90's progressed, Joint Promotions saw the decline in business that started in the middle of 1992 continue, the event only delaying the inevitable. With the British Bulldog losing the Championship belt to Cactus Jack two months after Summer War, many felt that it truly represented the end of an era that had begun in Albert Hall nearly four years previously. British wrestling has yet to truly reach the heights set during that period once again, but never reached the lows of American wrestling post-2000.

Summer War '93 represents the pinnacle of British wrestling to many and is a cornerstone of the sport in its native country. At the centre of it all is Davey Boy Smith, one of the most popular sportsman from the UK and the image of him celebrating in the aftermath of his victory over Hogan remains a treasured pop-culture image.

• Extract from 'From The Ashes: The Rise of British Wrestling', 2012

“Do you even have to ask?”

• Extract from an interview with Davey Boy Smith, when asked what the favourite moment of his career was, 2017

 

[DAv]

Part Thirty-Four: The Brave & The Bold:

“The kind of things that people wanted to do with Green Lantern would have been impossible only five years before. The Graphics Group had really pushed the envelope with computer based effects thanks to their work on Ghostbusters. Television was seeing a revolution thanks to the effort they had put in. After that, came the time for the wider scope of movies to be used and Warner Brothers was offering us a great chance to take things to their greatest level yet. To better pool our resources, Graphics Group finally merged with Industrial Light & Magic before taking on our first major role in the movies.”

• Extract from an interview with Edwin Catmull, 2017

“It was my experience with special effects which helped me get the role as director for Green Lantern. We'd used a lot of experimental stuff in The Last Starfighter and what happened with Ghostbusters really helped make computer graphics a concept that could be used to enhance a story. With the decision to make a sci-fi based superhero movie, computer graphics were seen as the best way to show off the alien world and special effects. It was also a major challenge to get to grips with.”

• Extract from an interview with Nick Castle, 2003
  

“With the rise in Sci-Fi properties of the 80's, a movie based off one of DC's comics from around that era within that genre seemed like a natural fit. The growth of computer graphics allowed use the freedom to really do something different with the character and setting as well. We could experiment with special effects to create the powers on screen. For the aliens themselves, Jim Henson proved a wizard in making some of them come to life.”

• Extract from an interview with Peter Guber, 2001

Hal Jordan – Kevin Costner
Doctor Polaris – Christopher Lambert
Carol Ferris – Kim Basinger
Guardian of the Universe – Voiced by James Earl Jones
Thomas Kalmaku – Wes Studi
Kilowog – Voiced by Dolph Lundgren
Katma Tui – Alyssa Milano

• Cast list for the 1989 Green Lantern movie
  

“It was a whole new kind of work when looking at acting, computer graphics were state of the art for the time and I'd never experienced anything like it. Having the blue screen all around me for some scenes took a lot of getting used to. There were two scenes where I was taking in this alien world and I was really standing in the middle of a room, gawking at nothing. When I finally saw the end results on the screen, it was like how people must have first reacted to the first movies being shown.”

• Extract from an interview with Kevin Costner, 2008
  

Green Lantern represented a fundamental shift in Hollywood's special effects. Although the vast majority were practical, such as the alien costumes and puppets provided for by Jim Henson's Workshop, the most attention grabbing effects were those of the computer generated kind displayed throughout the movie. The budget for the movie's special effects was, for the time, the highest in movie history and it shows as, even by later standards, the computer generated images stand up well.

The movie would later go on to become a smash success, fuelling further investment into computer graphics similar to those that were seen in Green Lantern. Industrial Light & Magic were pioneers in the field and continued to have a strong lead against the many other studios that tried to catch up with them throughout the 90's. The decade also saw the rise in special-effects heavy blockbusters by numerous studios with Warner Brothers helping push it forward with its use of superhero films over the decade.

• Extract from The Rise of Computer Graphics in Film, 2017
  

“Alright, by modern standards, some of those effects are pretty blatant and even an eyesore, but for 1989, they were utterly mind-blowing. The first scene on Oa was like nothing no one had ever seen. Try comparing Tron to this and you'll see why it amazed so many people back in the day. It falters in the scenes where the powers of the ring are coming into play, but other than that, the special effects are still pretty impressive for their time.”

• Quote from CivDev, member of Sufficient Velocity forums, 2019
  

After the success of Green Lantern, Warner Brothers greenlit another superhero movie, but wanted a much more moderate budget. Despite its critical and financial success, Green Lantern's huge budget meant that the studio had not seen the returns it had hoped for, despite the acclaim. Plans for a sequel to the movie were put on hold until the in-house computer graphics was able to bring the budget down to a more manageable level.

To this end, another DC sci-fi property was decided upon. Martian Manhunter, a character who had yet to be really exposed to mainstream audiences. He was chosen as the special effects budget could be cheaper, while allowing for the kind of action that was present on Green Lantern. Although a relative unknown in popular culture, the movie would help make him into one of DC's bigger names.

• Extract from From Page to Screen: Superheroes in Movies, 2011
  

“The hate mail? Yeah, I got some of that. About how Martian Manhunter couldn't be played by a black man because he was white. I mean, I thought he was green and could shape shift, but I guess some people thought they knew better.”

• Extract from an interview with Tony Todd, 1999
  

“It felt scaled down in terms of Green Lantern. Despite this though, the effects felt a great deal more crisp with the scenes showing Manhunter change shape holding up so well today. The final battle with him and TOR used practical effects as a cover for the computer graphics, but those are still stunning. Without the special effects, it was Tony Todd's performance that had to carry the movie and he did a great job of it, making J'onzz human enough to be relatable, but still giving him that ultimately alien quality. Must have been the voice.”

• Quote from Samwise, member of Freakin' Awesome Network, 2012

The DC Movie Universe continued to go from strength to strength throughout the early 90's. From the special-effects laden Green Lantern to the exploration of humanity present in Martian Manhunter, it seemed as if every movie was trying to be something a little bit different, which was matched by the more action laden Flash movie which was released in 1992. With a different director leading each new superhero film, each one was given its own spin, resulting in the comedy-laden Shazam which was released in 1994.The continued success of these movies would later culminate in 1998's Justice League movie, which brought the DC characters together for a huge crossover event.

With the success of the movies, so went the success of the comics as more and more readers turned into those issues which featured the heroes on the big screen. Hal Jordan would go onto become one of the most popular characters in DC at this time while others, notably Batman, would see their own fame wane somewhat. As a result, the Dark Knight slowly started to be repackaged, eventually leading to his own movie standing out further from the other DC films in 1999, devoid of the fantastic elements that had so marked the output from that universe at the time.

• Extract from A Brief History of DC Comics, 2009
  

“It was, at the time, the biggest leap in my career. The two previous DC movies had been huge successes so you can imagine how determined I was to land the role. At the time, I was a relative unknown, but I pushed myself for it, even taking up sprinting lessons to help make myself look better for the part. When I heard I got it, it was a huge deal for me and I've never looked back from it.”

• Extract from an interview with Brad Pitt, 2017
  

“Continuing on from Warner Brother's other hits, The Flash stars Brad Pitt in his first ever major role as the eponymous hero. Despite his lack of experience, Pitt puts in a dynamic performance as the scarlet-clad superhero. In an exciting, action-packed adventure, The Flash provides viewers with a fun ninety minute film that's sure to leave many satisfied.”

• Extract from a review The Flash from the Boston Globe, July 1989
  

“So, DC rather stumbled onto their movie universe almost entirely by accident. The success of the one off movies meant that more films kept on getting pushed forward. With the success of Sinestro's Revenge in 1993 and computer-graphics having caught up to the point Warner Brothers figured they could budget it in house, the Justice League movie was made as almost an afterthought. It's why only Wonder Woman was given a movie to bridge between the others and the Justice League. When the line up was announced with Superman and Black Canary not having their own films, you could tell that parts of the idea were rushed, just to take advantage of having a monopoly of superhero movies while Marvel still scrambled to get their own ideas out there.”

• Quote from BatLad, member of DC Fan Forums, 2007

“Of all the things you could have expected in a Captain Marvel movie, Nicolas Cage giving a monologue on the virtues of hot dogs wasn't one of them. Neither was the robot-punching face.”

• Comment found on the Meme Foundry website, 2011
  

“So the role was a challenging one to look at. I mean, Captain Marvel's basically an ancient guardian spirit, wrapped up with the spirit of a child. So you gotta have that balanced in your mind while performing him. Then you have to add in all his powers and it's a really interesting role to get into. Sometimes, three movies isn't enough to do everything I really want, you know?”

• Extract from an interview with Nicolas Cage, 2014

Billy Batson – Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Captain Marvel – Nicolas Cage
The Wizard Shazam – Christopher Lee
Tawky Tawny – Voiced by Patrick Stewart
Doctor Siavana – Dennis Hopper

• Cast list for 1994's Shazam! The Rise of Captain Marvel
  

DC's movies and cartoons of the 90's helped propel some of their most famous and obscure names into mainstream acceptance after the 1980's had seen only Super Friends which was as mocked as it was enjoyed. Superhero films had entered into the mainstream properly and it would be DC who would dominate the decade while Marvel's own movie attempts would be much slower in being developed.

• Extract from The Superhero in Movies, 2014

A slowed down version of Captain Marvel played by Nicolas Cage screaming and punching a giant fucking robot in the face set to Chariots of Fire is what the internet was made for.

• Youtube comment, 2012

 

[DAv]

Part Thirty-Five: The Seven Together:

“And so it finally begins.”
- Quote from the Master from Past & Present, the first serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who

Past & Present:
Held at gunpoint by the Master and his Silurian underlings, the Doctor and Alphys stand in shock at seeing the Master before them, the Doctor's hated arch nemesis having escaped from the rip in time and space to now use the Silence to finally put an end to their rivalry. With the leadership of the Silence dead, the Master is the only one left to take over the organisation and use its resources to kill one of the last remaining Time Lords. Before he can complete his goal though, shots ring out as Entente soldiers appear in the catacombs, having been led there by Joxon. The ensuing firefight between the soldiers and Silurians give the Doctor, Alphys and Joxon cover to make their way over to the TARDIS as the Master himself escapes, his sanity having taken a further beating and losing the Doctor once more. He enacts a plan that uses the time travelling technology of the Silence to collapse the time-stream, desperate to utterly destroy the Doctor once and for all. The remaining members of the Silence actually rebel against this, leading to a fight in which they all die, but stop the Master's plan to an extent. The past and present are slowly starting to merge, but the future is as of yet undecided. To fix this mess, the Doctor resolves on returning to Earth when he finds an unexpected source of help.
- Synopsis of 'Past & Present', the first serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who, aired in 1993

[The Doctor, Alphys and Joxon are in the TARDIS, being buffeted around in the time stream as it threatens to tear them apart. After much rushing about, the three manage to steer the TARDIS to a calm spot as they try to decide how to act.]

JOXON:
Where are we going?! Where are we going?!

DOCTOR:
Earth! It's not been effected by the time compression yet! We might have a chance to get time to plan a counter-attack!​

[The TARDIS suddenly violently shakes hard and the lights blink on and off as it's buffeted by the effects of the time compression. Lights blink on the TARDIS console as Alphys looks over to it.]

ALPHYS:
Someone's trying to contact us! It seems to be coming from a ship around Earth.

DOCTOR:
Put them up on screen, we'll see if there's anything we can do.​

[The screen crackles with static as no picture comes through clearly, although a voice can be heard over the noise.]

???:
Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?

DOCTOR:
We can. And don't worry. I'm the Doctor and I'm here to help.

???:
Well, isn't that a coincidence...​

[The static on the screen clears, revealing the First Doctor in full.]

FIRST:
I was about to say the very same thing.​

-Extract from a scene of Past & Present, the first serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who, aired in 1993

“We had to do it right, casting the roles for those who'd passed away. William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton were irreplaceable, of course, but I feel that Ian and Sylvester did magnificently in the roles. It truly was a special thing to attempt and everyone did well in coming together to help pull it off.”
- Extract from an interview with PJ Hammond, 2000

“I'd been contacted by the BBC to reprise my role in time for the 30th anniversary of the show. There were still some lingering bad feelings at first, rather foolish now, come to think of it. Still, I patched things up in time to start with the series and putting the costume back on brought back some memories. I was happy to help create some new ones as well.”
- Extract from an interview with Tom Baker, 2005

[After the initial chaos of the time compression, the first four Doctors have managed to get together in an old warehouse where the TARDIS are in the background. Waiting for the Seventh Doctor, the four are standing around a large table, the First looking less than impressed.]

FIRST:
Well, this is an unlikely bunch. I thought the clown was bad enough and the dandy was worse, but now I learn that I'll turn into a vagabond!

FOURTH:
I thought I gave myself a rather interesting style lacking in my predecessors.

SECOND:
A tramp's hardly what you call a style.

FOURTH:
Would you care to speak up? I can't hear you from down there.

SECOND:
Now see here...

THIRD:
Enough! We have enough problems right now without bickering!

FIRST:
Ah, one with sense! He's right, once my other incarnations turn up, then we can decide on a plan. On the bright side, I know that it can only improve from this point onwards!​

[The sound of a TARDIS is heard and one of them appears besides the others, the Fifth Doctor poking his head through the door, giving them a wide smile.]

FIFTH:
Well hey there fellas! Looks like we've got a real reunion going on here!​

[The First Doctor looks upon this appearance with mortification, stunned into silence. The Third Doctor gives the Fourth a very strong glare.]

FOURTH:
Not my fault I turned out like that.​

- Extract from a scene of Past & Present, the first serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who, aired in 1993

“I did hesitate for a while before agreeing to go back to the show. I hadn't left on the best of terms and some of the memories weren't the best I had. But, after talking with the BBC enough, and bringing it up to fans, I saw that this was an important thing to do. I didn't want to leave my time on the show on such a sour note after all. Everyone was great to work with on the set and when it was all done, I think we managed to accomplish a great deal.”
- Extract from interview with John Denver, 1993

[The seven Doctors are gathered around the console of the Seventh Doctor's TARDIS, having come in to assess the situation.]

SECOND:
Time compression? My, that's new.

FIFTH:
And who did you say had the tech for this? The Silence? We've gotta be able to talk them down from what they're doing.

SEVENTH:
It's not the Silence anymore.
FIFTH:
Then who? If we sit them down, we can talk them out of destroying the entire Universe! I mean, how crazy-

SEVENTH:
It's the Master.​

[There's a pause as everyone considers this, the atmosphere becoming more intense and the Fifth Doctor's expression becoming more steely.]

FIFTH:
Well then... let's make a plan.​

- Extract from a scene of Past & Present, the first serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who, aired in 1993

“By this time, Jeremy's health was starting to fail him. Despite the difficulties he had though, he was determined to see the serial through to the end. We did everything we could to keep him comfortable and make sure it went as well as it could. He never complained once, despite his problems. He always seemed completely at ease with those around him and helped act as a sort of glue to get everyone together. It was an absolute delight to work with him.”
- Extract from an interview with Sylvester McCoy, 2009

“Apparently, the idea behind part of the casting of the First Doctor was the teacher keeping all these bickering schoolboys in line. Apparently, I reminded several people of such a teacher from their own schooldays. I am pleased with getting the part, although not so much with the comparison.”
- Extract from an interview with Ian Richardson, 1999

“So, you've brought all of you against me then, Doctor? That'll just make things all the sweeter then. When I finally crush you, you'll realise how futile it was to stand against me.”
- Quote from the Master from Past & Present, the first serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who

 

[DAv]

Part Thirty-Six: Struggling Together:

Time Compression:
With the Seven Doctors having met up, they decide to then split into groups of three, with Joxon and Alphys joining two of the teams respectively. The plan is that the Doctors need to reach three different locations in order to work against the Time Compression effecting the Universe. One team is to stay on Earth, holding off the effects for as long as possible and any agents the Master sends. The second team is to go to the point in time where the time compression originates from in order to stop it, the sheer danger involved being noted due to the instability of time and reality around the source making it a hazardous journey, even for the TARDIS. The third team is to act as the diversion for the others, grabbing the Master's attention by directly striking at his base and making sure he won't interfere with the other teams. With the plan agreed to, the groups break off after wishing each other good luck, the danger evident.

For the team to remain on Earth, the Second Doctor, Sixth and Joxton are chosen, the latter serving as a peace-maker and target for the barbs of the other two. The First Doctor, Fourth Doctor and Alphys go to the source of the time compression itself, the scientist showing her knowledge on how to deal with the crisis due to her earlier work on time travel. The final team of the Third Doctor, Fifth Doctor and Seventh Doctor go to confront the Master, the three of them being a group he has a particular grudge against. Throughout these actions, several scenes are shown of the time compression over the Earth, where the Brigadier, now retired, realises what's going on and is called in by UNIT to help with the issue. The ensuing episodes detail all the plans coming together with the Doctors scrabbling to save the Universe from destruction.
- Synopsis of Time Compression, the second serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who, aired in 1993

“When I was working on Doctor Who, we got to the anniversary and we got the feeling of this being the last for a lot of us. Sean was on the way out once it was over and I wanted to get back to the US since things had lightened up enough for me to go back to my comedy full time. What stuck with me during filming though was Jeremy. He was really going through a rough time with his health and all that, but he never got down about it. We had to work the story around the fact that he couldn't do a lot, but he still remained so upbeat and it was a lot of fun to bounce off him in a lot of ways.”
- Extract from an interview with Adam Sandler, 2002

[Scene: Inside the warehouse that the Doctors are using to stave off the time compression. As the warehouse they're in comes under assault from the forces under the Master's assault, using the power from their TARDIS' to make a forcefield, although it's becoming strained.]

SECOND:
Well, we're in a bit of a pickle, I'd say.

SIXTH:
You would.

SECOND:
Well, if you've got a bright idea on how to fend them off, I'm all ears!

JOXON:
Wait a minute, I got an idea! They're managing to weaken the forcefield with lasers, right? So what we gotta do is put up a tachyon field inside the forcefield. With the surge in energy, their laser blasts will reverse their polarity, beaming back directly to their weapons! We can wipe out the entire force by forcing a power surge that will cause the laser-guns to explode right in their hands.

SIXTH:
[A brief pause] Joxon, what you have just said is quite possibly the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. At no point during that verbal outburst were you anywhere near a coherent or rational suggestion. I feel our chances of survival have gone down just for listening to it. Sit down, be quiet and let us do the work. (1)

JOXON:
… OK, a simple 'no' would have been just fine...​

- Extract from Time Compression, the second serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who, aired in 1993

The juggling act that had to be performed for the various actors meant that there were some initial tensions behind the scenes, although the managed to be smoothed over in time for filming. Both Jeremy Brett and Jon Pertwee were unable to match the physical demands that they had managed during their time in the role and were matched up with younger cast members who could help support them in this. The effect was to create a balance of talent that helped the twenty-ninth series reach the heights it did. The blend of different actors showing their different interpretations of the role on such a scale was unprecedented in the history of the franchise and wouldn't be able to be redone afterwards.
- Extract from Doctor Who: The Backstage Story, 2008

“When the biggest criticism of the anniversary is that we didn't get even more scenes of all the Doctors together, I suppose that means they did a pretty good job of it.”
- Quote from CyberDan, member of the Doctor Who Fan Forums, 2008

“Dramatic acting hadn't really been my forte for a good chunk of my career. I was more at home with comedy. A series I was working on called Blackadder been cancelled served as a good a chance as any to branch out as the BBC and other places had gone a bit cold on the type of humour I was hoping to achieve. I was on the West End for a while and managed some dramatic roles, as well as my own live performances, before turning my attention back to television. It was looking into the role of the Master that allowed me to get back into things properly. I was even able to suggest a few of my own lines, giving the character something of sinister edge.”
- Extract from an interview with Rowan Atkinson, 2013

[Scene: The Third, Fifth and Seventh Doctors have made their way into the building the Master is using as his headquarters. Having managed to slip past the security, they're prepared to break into the very heart of the complex, only to get a nasty surprise once they burst through the door.]

THIRD:
Empty!

FIFTH:
No! He's here! He should be here!​

[A monitor at the front of the room lights up suddenly, showing the Master looking over the trio.]

MASTER:
Ah Doctors, so glad you could all drop in. I'm afraid you just missed me though, I'm already on my way to stop the others from disrupting the time compression.

SEVENTH:
Why are you doing this?! Even you know what this'll mean! You'll destroy the entire Universe!

MASTER:
And have the power to remake it as I see fit, Doctor. Imagine, a new creation at my hands, the stars shaped by my hands and galaxies crafted by my genius. Now, what could you call such an event?

FIFTH:
Hell.​

[The Master pauses to glare at the Fifth Doctor.]

MASTER:
Your petty resentment is showing, Doctor. But no matter, I plan to remake Gallifrey as well, turning it into the jewel in my crown. And when I do, I'll be sure to give Romana some special attention.​

[The Fifth and Seventh Doctor seethe at this, the former slamming his hands down on the console.]

MASTER:
I've made arrangements so that my men will put an end to you. Goodbye Doctors. And good riddance.​

[The monitor switches off as voices are heard coming from the corridor outside, the guards set to kill the Doctors should they be found and they have the group cornered.]

- Extract from Time Compression, the second serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who, aired in 1993

The success of the thirtieth anniversary of Doctor Who was felt during its broadcast, both in the UK and America. While the stakes were as high as they could be in the series, the emphasis still remained on the characters themselves, on the interaction with the Doctors. The Master as a villain worked for a variety of reasons, with the Daleks and Cybermen unavailable, he remained the most dangerous threat and had a personal connection with several of the Doctor's incarnations. He served as a great enemy and the performance by Rowan Atkinson got acclaim for the balance of danger and wit present throughout.
- Extract from The First Forty Years in The TARDIS: Doctor Who, 1963 – 2003, 2004

[Scene: The TARDIS where the First Doctor, Fourth Doctor and Alphys are glancing at the screen where the origin of the time compression is, a writhing abomination set against the backdrop of the Universe.]

FOURTH:
Almost quite pretty, really.​

[The First Doctor shoots him a glare.]

FIRST:
This is neither the time, nor the place! Come, we have work to do and precious little time to see to it. Alphys?

ALPHYS:
Yes, Doctor?

FIRST:
On my command, press the sequence on the console as we discussed. As for... you.

FOURTH:
Yes?

FIRST:
Follow my instructions exactly and nothing more.

FOURTH:
You're putting a very odd interpretation on self-loathing, you know.

FIRST:
On my command!​

[Before they can act however, a blast rocks the TARDIS and the three of them are almost thrown off their feet. A shot outside sees several ships of numerous alien designs protecting the time compression. The camera then turns to the Master as he watches the scene from a hidden chamber, obviously enjoying this.]

MASTER:
And the last shall fall. My will be done.​

- Extract from Time Compression, the second serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who, aired in 1993

1: Yes, this is a reference to exactly what you think it is.

 

[DAv]

Part Thirty-Seven: The Magnificent Seven:

“Would I change anything? No, not a thing.”
- Extract from an interview with Jeremy Brett, 1995

The Seven Stand:
As it seems that the Master is on the verge of victory, the Third, Fifth and Seventh Doctors are able to make their escape, using the Sonic Screwdriver of the Third to short out the electrical equipment in the facility and cause a fire, giving them enough time to escape. The First and Fourth Doctors, along with Alphys, are pushed back from their target, fleeing in time to escape destruction. Both groups return to Earth to rethink a plan just as the Brigadier and UNIT arrive to drive off the attackers against the Second and Sixth Doctors and Joxon. The Doctors all reunite and have to decide on a course of action.
- Synopsis of The Seven Stand, the third serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who, aired in 1993

[Scene: A corridor where the Brigadier and UNIT are making their way through, stepping over the bodies of the alien beings who were previously attacking the Doctors. The group pause outside a door.]

BRIGADIER:
So, this is what they were after. Let's see what they were looking for.

SOLDIER:
I'm sorry, sir, but I can't let you through.

BRIGADIER:
What on Earth are you talking about?

SOLDIER:
This is a UNIT matter, sir. You're a civilian now. We're grateful to you for your expertise, but whatever's behind that door, we have to see to it.

BRIGADIER:
Now look here, I have seen greater horrors than anything you've come close to seeing today. I might not be as young as I was, but I am fully prepared for anything that might follow. I've spent my life defending this planet and with the uniform, or without it, nothing will stop me from doing my duty. I'm going to go through that door and face whatever threat is inside and I do not need your permission to do so. Nothing in that room will be able to shock me.

SOLDIER:
Very well, sir. On my command!​

[The soldiers get into position beside the door before the signal is given and one of them kicks it in, the group heading into the room, weapons drawn. The Brigadier head in after them, only to see that all seven Doctors now face him, ignoring the soldiers pointing weapons at them.]

DOCTORS:
Ah, Brigadier!

BRIGADIER:
… I was wrong.​

- Extract from The Seven Stand, the third serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who, aired in 1993

The thirtieth anniversary of Doctor Who continued to have strong ratings that grew towards the climax of the series. Backstage, things proceeded smoothly as well. Both health concerns and fears over egos clashing were overstated in the end, not including some minor problems. The cast would work together well, with John Denver being noted for warming up after realising how much things had changed since he had last been on the show. The good feelings would last throughout the filming of the series, culminating in an after production wrap-up party that saw the cast being given commemorative models of the TARDIS to mark the occasion.
- Extract from Doctor Who: The Backstage Story, 2008

“It felt like something of a redemption for John Denver's role as the Doctor. There were a few light-hearted jabs at him from the other Doctors, but you did get a general sense that they all respected him as one of their own and the barbs were pretty much the same towards all the other Doctors from their other incarnations. The scene at the end of the series when the Doctors all say farewell to each other showed how the perception on the Fifth Doctor had eventually changed.”
- Quote from DoctorsTwelve, member of AlternateHistory.com, 2013

[Scene: The Doctors, Joxon, Alphys, the Brigadier and various UNIT soldiers are standing in the room, trying to come up with a solution.]

THIRD:
We must come up with something! Every second here is a second where that madman comes closer to rewriting the Universe!

FOURTH:
We are aware of that, it's actually doing something about it that's proving to be tricky.

FIRST:
He's thought of everything. Before long, the effects of the time compression will be almost irreversible.

BRIGADIER:
Is there nothing we can do? There must be a way we can attack him!

SEVENTH:
He's squirrelled away right at the time compression itself, he's impossible to reach.

JOXON:
So is that it, is everything over?​

[ A hush descends upon the room as no one says anything, only to be broken by the Fifth Doctor.]

FIFTH:
Unless... we can't get at the source, right?

FOURTH:
Not now, it's spread too far.

FIFTH:
Then we'll have to go around it itself, use all our TARDIS' at different points to reverse it.

SECOND:
What? The sheer amount of power needed would break our engines to smithereens!

ALPHYS:
You're saying it can't be done?

SECOND:
I'm afraid not. I'd be happy to give it a knock, but even if we had the power, it would take centuries alone to make the calculations in order to carry out such a scheme. And I'm said to say that centuries are something we're rather short on right now.

SIXTH:
That's not quite true though, is it? In fact, we have several centuries to work with, if we start at the beginning
.​

[There's a pause before everyone realises what he means.]

FIRST:
If I enter the calculations into my TARDIS now...

THIRD:
We can get the results back from him to feed it into our TARDIS' as well! If it goes right, we just might have the data needed to pull it off!

FOURTH:
Several hundred years of calculations done in an afternoon, not something they ever taught at Gallifrey.

SEVENTH:
We're still going to have to do this around the time compression itself, but if we're lucky, we can do it. All of us.

BRIGADIER:
Are you sure about this Doctor... Doctors? If you're going right into this time compression thing, isn't it more like a suicide mission?

FIRST:
Absolutely not!

SECOND:
Nothing like that!

THIRD:
There's a slight chance.

FOURTH:
Could happen.

FIFTH:
Kinda likely.

SIXTH:
A strong possibility.

SEVENTH:
Almost certainly.

BRIGADIER:
… I didn't know when I was well off.​

- Extract from The Seven Stand, the third serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who, aired in 1993

With the plan decided upon, the Doctors head off with the Brigadier joining the Third Doctor and Joxon and Alphys going with the Seventh. Making their way towards the time compression, the Master watched, utterly confident that he can still emerge victorious and unaware of the true scale of what he faces.
- Synopsis of The Seven Stand, the third serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who, aired in 1993

[Scene: The Doctors' plan is coming into action as the TARDIS' fly around the time compression, spreading out. The scene cuts from them to the Master as he watches. The focus turns to the communication screen in the Seventh Doctor's TARDIS as it lights up to show the Master.]

MASTER:
Is this the plan for you now then, Doctor? All seven of you going out in a hopeless blaze of glory?

SEVENTH:
Not hopeless, it's never hopeless. Now!​

[Joxon and Alphys twist dials on the console, sending a signal to the other TARDIS' as they sail through space, spreading out against the zone of the time compressions. Yellow lines start to appear between them, covering a wide area between the TARDIS'.]

FIRST:
Calculations are being input, ready to go.

SECOND:
Put them through, let's hurry it up!

THIRD:
I'll see to my end, you just see to yours!

FOURTH:
Of course, I'm doing my part.

FIFTH:
We've got you now.

SIXTH:
Focus on the weak spots!

SEVENTH:
Let's do this.​

[The area between the TARDIS' begins to grow and the lines thicken, spreading over the area and covering it. As it cuts back to the Master, he begins to show signs of nervousness.]

MASTER:
Clever, Doctor, clever. But you can't hope to contain the time compression now! Not with just the seven of you!

???:
How about twelve?​

[A shot is shown of space where a further five TARDIS' are shooting towards the time compression, linking up with the others as they spread the influence over the time compression zone. The Master's base shudders and starts to send sparks flying as the effects are felt.]

MASTER:
No! This can't happen! You can't do this!

SEVENTH:
Did you forget something? I'm the Doctor. I can do anything.​

[The twelve TARDIS' spread across the time compression zone, the yellow light encompassing more and more of it. The camera shifts between the Seven Doctors and the Master's chamber as the music builds up, the time compression being reversed and all the power directed against the nexus point of it. With a final explosion, the Master's chamber blows up with a scream heard over it and the time compression warps before fading away, leaving empty space in its absence]

- Extract from The Seven Stand, the third serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who, aired in 1993

“The time I had on Doctor Who was something that was a little hard to believe at times. I'd basically started out my career when I got the role for the Doctor. I enjoyed my time on it, but it came to the point when I wanted to move on to other things. After the thirtieth anniversary, I started looking into other roles to take on once I moved on from my time as the Doctor. It was a great point in my life and something I'll carry with me throughout my career.”
- Extract from an interview with Sean Bean, 2012

[Scene: The Doctors have said their farewells with only the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh remaining. They are on a country road with Joxon and Alphys having gone inside the Seventh's TARDIS.]

FIFTH:
Guess I better be hitting the road now myself.

SEVENTH:
Aye, I know you've got places to go. With the time stream getting back into things, best not wait.
SIXTH:
It was good to see you again.

FIFTH:
You too, fellas. Although this did remind me of how much the odd duck I am.

SIXTH:
Aren't we all? No Doctor is the same, something which I'm thankful for. We all have our particular strengths, things which make us stand out. You're the same as the rest of us in that. Some changes are needed to keep things fresh after all.

FIFTH:
I guess you're right. See you guys around, sooner or later.​

[The Fifth Doctor waves goodbye to them before heading into his TARDIS which then vanished.]

SIXTH:
I should be off as well, vital appointments, I'm sure you understand.

SEVENTH:
I do. And just... take care, alright?

SIXTH:
I will. Dark days are ahead, no doubt, but I know that we have hope. I'll go on in my own way and you in yours, hm?

SEVENTH:
Best way about it. You know, it was good to see myself in all the different ways. Reminded me of a lot of things, the ones I knew and the ones I've lost. Just how far I've come.

SIXTH:
There's more to come, no doubt. No matter what happens, whatever form we take in the future, there'll always be a Doctor to do what needs to be done. I'm happy to know that my succession is in such good hands.

SEVENTH:
And that my predecessors provided a path for me to follow.

SIXTH:
Don't be afraid to stray from it from time to time though. Until next time, Doctor.​

[The Sixth Doctor nods farewell and then heads into his TARDIS, Which vanishes. The Sixth Doctor watches him go and then looks up to the sky with a smile.]

DOCTOR:
Time to be on our way then.​

[The Seventh Doctor then goes into his TARDIS and the last of them vanish, leaving an empty roadside. The whirring sound is heard however and another TARDIS appears with the doors opening and someone looking around.]

EIGHTH:
[Tuts in annoyance] Late again.​

- Final scene from The Seven Stand, the third serial of the twenty-ninth series of Doctor Who, aired in 1993

 

[DAv]

Part Thirty-Eight: Sega Does What The Rest Don't:

“By the time of the mid-90's, things had grown really stale on the gaming market. You had great games out there and the consoles developed by Nintendo, Apple and Atari had been mainstays in homes around the world for some years. But the self-censorship at the time was really bogging down creativity as the gaming companies involved with the American market were too worried about putting a toe out of line and alienating audiences. Things would have changed at some point, but it wasn't until Sega finally made a move that things started to push forward.”
- Quote from Wwarrior, member of Sufficient Velocity forums, 2018

Sega Mega Drive – The fourth generation console developed by Sega, the Mega Drive would see its most notable success throughout Europe, Australia and Japan. It failed to make much of an impact in North America however, which was already seeing a bitter competition between Nintendo and Apple for dominance over the console market. The Mega Drive was notable for its focus on arcade ports, trying to emulate the look and feel of of those games. Its success would see Sega go onto pursue a console for the fifth generation, the Sega Mercury.
- Extract from The Video Game Encyclopedia, 2009

When it came to searching for markets, the arcade was still a big scene across Japan and North America. The latter had numerous consoles on the market, but they were held back by censorship limiting the games sold to them. Arcades, on the other hand, managed to skirt by as a lot of the focus for the censors was on the home market. A sort of divide of perception existed between consoles and arcades, the latter having a sort of mature quality that appealed to even younger demographics. This was something that Sega and Sony were able to latch onto.
- Extract from The Downfall of the Arcade in America, 2013

“1994 represents a crucial year in gaming when all these different companies were looking to put out the fifth console generation. No prisoners would be taken and out of the five competitors, four would survive, one would fade away within two other console generations and one would reign supreme until the last year of the millennium.”
-Extract from The Console Wars: A European Perspective, a video posted by Kim Justice, 2017

The defining rivalry in North America during the fourth console generation was undoubtedly Apple and Nintendo. The Apple had stumbled onto success with its GAME console and had been followed up by the SYSTEM. Nintendo's NES and SNES had been the ones to stand on top as its numerous franchises such as Mario and Zelda giving it a greater appeal among some audiences compared to Apple's less attention-grabbing output. Completing the trio of console companies was Atari relying on updates to the MSX2 in order to stay in the game and was overshadowed greatly by the other two once Microsoft pulled out of the console market to focus on home computers.

The North American market was quite different to the others across the world, however. Apple and Atari had little to no market share in Japan, which was in turn dominated by Nintendo and, to a lesser extent, Sega. The situation was similar in Europe, although there were many home computers which had some form of popularity in their home nations and could be seen as competitors to the consoles. Sega also had a much larger share of the market on the continent, but was still second to Nintendo.

With Nintendo's sheer dominance across the video gaming world, many within the company were confident that this would continue into the next generation, despite the collapse of the relationship between it and Sony that led to Nintendo deciding to stick with cartridge-based games. This proved to be a mistake as companies such as Square, preferring the cheaper costs of CD, ended their exclusivity deals with Nintendo. Square would go onto sign a deal with Sony and look to use the CD based technology to its full extent.

This wouldn't be the first opening a company would have against Nintendo as Sega would use one major factor in the North American market to its advantage. Censorship of home console games in comparison to the arcades. Sega had always aimed to bring the arcade experience into the home and saw an opportunity to do this in a way that would garner them vast amounts of publicity. Speaking with Sega of America, Sega of Japan agreed to a plan of porting all arcade games to the Mercury completely uncensored and starting an advertising campaign that would help the console appeal to a more adult demographic.

The outrage that this caused was both immense and completely intentional. Stoking the fires of controversy was Sega's intention throughout this and found it would use this to highlight its own difference from what had come before. The advertising slogan 'Join The Revolution' was created and used to great effect. The move also helped cover the Mercury's difficulty in handling 3D graphics, with more 2D games being released that were uncensored, it helped hide those initial weaknesses.

By late 1994, the setting for the fifth generation console war was in place. Each company brought its own selling point to the table. Nintendo was having its beloved franchises enter the 3D age with all the care and quality that entailed. Apple was promising a technological innovation with its HOME console and a rapid increase in the number of games by first and third party companies. Sony was focusing on a more mature crowd with the Playstation entering the 3D era with a host of games that would push the technology to its greatest extent. Sega promised a system that would go uncensored, finally bringing the complete arcade experience home with some arcade classics. Finally, there was Atari whose Panther console was simply a last attempt to stay in the console market by promising advancements and games that they couldn't deliver on launch.

The first casualty of the Fifth Generation War was certain before it even began.
- Extract from The Console Wars: 1985-2008, 2019

“So Atari shipped this out almost a year before the Mercury came out, boasting of its 64 bits capabilities, but that didn't save it from being a giant piece of shit! For all their talk about 64 bits, Atari failed to think about how to develop games for it, meaning that there were huge gaps of nothing coming out for people who bought the damn thing! Developers couldn't make games, so no one bought it so developers didn't make games! What were they thinking?!”
- Extract from Atari Jaguar (Part One), a video posted by the Angry Video Game Nerd, 2010

The failure of the Jaguar, coupled with the Jaguar CD becoming renowned for its technical issues rendering it unable to work in many cases, meant that Atari was forced to bow out of the console market. The losses involved meant that the company that had once defined the home console market for an entire generation would now close its doors, its assets sold to Richard Branson's Virgin corporation as it looked to break into the handheld market. It was an end to Atari as an independent company as it would be reshaped into becoming something new as a new competitor tried to enter the handheld video game market.
- Extract from The Console Wars: 1985-2008, 2019

“When getting the job of CEO of Sega America, I realised the challenges before us. 1993 saw the Saturn coming up on the horizon and our research showed that many customers and companies were chaffing under the strict censorship imposed by console manufacturers. We needed to break out and do something new, which is when we hit upon the idea for the more mature games and greater freedom for developers. I had my doubts about the Mercury as a console, so I thought this approach was best to help cover up its drawbacks. It would lead Sega to more than tripling its share of the market in North America and make it a leading force for gaming.”
- Extract from an interview with Tom Kalsinke, 2018

“So Sega's offering us complete carte blanche?”
“That's what they've said.”
“Get John and American in a room together. I think they'll like to hammer something out.”
- Conversation between Kevin Cloud and Tom Hall, 1993

 

[DAv]

Part Thirty-Nine: Line Up:

“Variety was something that Sega was aiming for in their initial launch of the Mercury. There was a lot of hype for all the uncensored arcade titles, but they needed something else, especially for Japan and Europe where censorship hadn't been as much of an issue. So Sega had a bunch of studios across three continents to work on different games for it. They were limited somewhat by the more 2D orientated hardware on the Mercury, but there were studios who had mastered the style by now and even the initial games were regarded as classics.”
- Quote from HoshiFan, member of the Freakin' Awesome Network forum, 2018

World Warrior
Virtua Fighter
Daytona USA
Splatterhouse Collection
World Warrior: Zero Year
Night Slashers
- List of arcade ports that were part of the Mercury's American launch titles

Not content with arcade ports alone, original games were looked at with Sega looking in and out of its own development team to help push forward new IP's they could use. From this effort, Sega would create some of its better IP's meant to take advantage of the Mercury's hardware allowing for superb 2D graphics. Both fighting games and platformers would be given a boost from this as Sega created two new properties designed for the American market that would capture the attention of gamers and further help the Mercury stand apart from its competitors.
- Extract from Gaming In The 90's, 2016

“One of my favourite obscure titles is Professor Dream for the Mega Drive. Was a fun platformer with a fast style of gameplay you wouldn't expect from the box art. Weirdly enough, it also became the foundation for the later Dash series as a lot of the mechanics you saw in Professor Dream served as the basis for the later series.”
- Quote from BlastMan, member of Freakin' Awesome Network forums, 2009

Dash The Rabbit – Platformer released for the Sega Mercury that gained acclaim from critics and audiences. Its fast gameplay and level design stood out for praise in particular as it emphasised the speed and graphical capabilities of the system. Although it used some 3D elements, its primary 2D gameplay proved to be widely popular and proved that the format had a future within gaming.
Extract from An Encyclopedia of Video Games, 2001

“The design for Dash came after several meetings. We wanted an animal that many people liked and could make for a good mascot. Sega had tried a few other projects to try and compete with Mario, but weren't able to match the character's popularity. The Mercury allowed us to try new things with both the gameplay and level design that wasn't possible with earlier hardware. The time transition aspect, showing levels in the past, present or future, was a key part of what we wanted to accomplish.”
- Extract from an interview with Yuji Naka, 2007

South Island is under attack! Doctor Kintobor has managed to seize the time stones and is using them to create an empire that rules over the past, present and future! Only Dash the Rabbit can stand in the mad doctor's way and restore peace to the island. He has to travel through time to bring an end to Kintobor's attempts to conquer the world by collecting the time stones and stomping all opposition along the way.
- Story summation from the Dash The Rabbit manual

“2D was something that a lot of people thought was on the way out. The Playstation was bringing so much in terms of 3D capabilities and games that everyone was hopping on that bandwagon. The Mercury managed to slow this down a lot though. Games like Dash and Eternal Champions showed that 2D still had a future. The Mercury still had 3D games, but the success of its launch made people question just what they thought the future was going to be.”
- Quote from WolfIII, member of Freakin' Awesome Network forums, 2019

“The Mercury's gamble over using controversy to sell units came at just the right time. By 1995, gamers and developers had gotten sick of the limitations placed creatively on games. A large underground had formed on the PC platform, but it was hard to break into the mainstream. The gaming crowd had grown up slightly and the marketing of the Mercury and Playstation towards an older crowd did a lot to help with bringing a new audience in. With the memories of the Splatterhouse murders having faded and Jimmy Swaggart crashing as publicly as he did, things were ready to change.”
- Quote from DownKing, member of Freakin' Awesome Network forums, 2019

Eternal Champions – Fighting game developed and published by Sega of America. A launch title for the Mercury, Eternal Champions became notorious for its violence and depictions of death in its gameplay, earning a mature rating from the ERSB. It enjoyed strong sales and strong critical praise at the time of its release. Although deeply controversial, it would create a series that would serve as a flagship IP for Sega for several years.
- Extract from An Encyclopedia of Video Games, 2001

“The creative freedom we were given was something we hadn't been allowed in some time. Sega hadn't really gotten a big a share of the market during the Mega Drive period and there was a sense that we weren't in a position to rock the boat. So the development of the Mercury gave us a bigger chance to show what we could do. Eternal Champions showed what we wanted to do with that freedom, tell a more mature story and take the graphical abilities of the Mercury to its limits. The gore wasn't really the main seller of the game, but it showed how much we wanted to take things to their limits.”
- Extract from an interview with Michael Latham, 2008

Eternal Champions
Eternal Champions: Challenge From The Dark Side
Eternal Champions: The Next Chapter
- The three main titles of the Eternal Champions series released on the Mercury 1994-2000

Mina Liddell – The main character of Nightmare City, a first person shooter that was a launch title for the Sega Mercury. Cool-headed, sarcastic and mildly flirtatious with those close to her, Liddell serves as an agent for the Round Table, an organisation within the British government created to fight against monsters, demons and other beings that threaten humanity. Liddell is able to use various guns along her missions and many became inspirations for similar weapons in the first-person shooter genre.
- Extract from Video Game Character Wiki, 2013

“American isn't a guy that you'd have an argument with. He's a little too laid back for that, but we butted heads a lot over the game with what we wanted it to be like, narratively. Shooters weren't something we had been able to try on a wide scale ever since we got shot down for Wolfenstein a few years previously. I was thinking something like aliens, marines in space and a look more towards action. American was thinking more of a darker atmosphere on Earth and some puzzle focus. The development of that game was perhaps the most stressful time I've had in a team, but the end result was worth it.”
- Extract from an interview with John Romero, 2011

Nightmare City is a great concept bringing horror and action together as players explore a London infested with demons looking to slaughter humanity. With its wide variety of weapons and constant action, players will enjoy the exciting gameplay as they got through the city and fight the legions of Hell. This is a title that comes highly recommended.
- Extract from the review of Nightmare City in GamesMaster magazine, 1995

Japan – Nineteen million units
America – Twenty million units
Europe – Fifteen million units
- Number of Sega Mercury consoles sold by the end of 1999