Continuity Nod: The Doctor expects this to be the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. The Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire was the setting of "Mission To the Unknown" and "The Daleks' Master Plan" back in the Hartnell era.
I've checked the online transcripts of these stories (here and here), and the only established political situation I can see is that Mavic Chen is "Guardian of the Solar System", and the Solar System has "influences far outside its own sphere". Which suggests something more like a network of connections with other powers, rather than an Empire. (In the 1880s the UK didn't have "influences far outside its sphere"; its sphere was India, Canada and large parts of Africa). Certainly the exact phrase "Great and Bountiful Human Empire" doesn't occur anywhere.
I could be wrong, but this looks to me like some fans saw this story and started back-forming the points where the previous Great and Bountiful Human Empires must have been. (I presume the First was the 30th century Earth Empire from the Virgin New Adventures.) Which is great, but not actually a Continuity Nod.
Or as the Eighth Doctor put it "I love humans. Always seeing patterns in things that aren't there."
Could someone confirm where this came from?
I've checked the online transcripts of these stories (here
and here
), and the only established political situation I can see is that Mavic Chen is "Guardian of the Solar System", and the Solar System has "influences far outside its own sphere". Which suggests something more like a network of connections with other powers, rather than an Empire. (In the 1880s the UK didn't have "influences far outside its sphere"; its sphere was India, Canada and large parts of Africa). Certainly the exact phrase "Great and Bountiful Human Empire" doesn't occur anywhere.
I could be wrong, but this looks to me like some fans saw this story and started back-forming the points where the previous Great and Bountiful Human Empires must have been. (I presume the First was the 30th century Earth Empire from the Virgin New Adventures.) Which is great, but not actually a Continuity Nod.
Or as the Eighth Doctor put it "I love humans. Always seeing patterns in things that aren't there."
Edited by 86.138.212.171