Eve of New Year was a way of emphasising that Marion is the future mother of a healthy boy who will grow up to be young Chrístõ Cuimhne de Lœngbærrow of the Theta Sigma stories, who in turn is destined to become known as The Doctor in later years. Of course, it has been established that Marion will die when Chrístõ is only a small boy. Even if she didn’t, as a Human, she would not be around to see her son transcend at the age of one hundred and eighty. So this is the only way it could happen.

The pool of foretelling isn’t based on anything anywhere else in fiction. It was an idea that came to me as I considered the idea of Marion seeing a vision of the future. I wanted to show the future for her friends, too. So Calliope sees her wedding night and is satisfied that she and Jarod are going to have no worries in the bedroom. Hesthor Lundar sees her husband, Bolar, promoted to a new position in the diplomatic corps and a posting offworld. This allowed for future stories in which Marion visits her friend on a brand new planet, adding Minas Luimnea to Ventura and Haollstrom as places she may return to with good reason. Finally, Isolatta finds out that she is going to give birth to a healthy child and reveals that she is pregnant.

Marion, though, sees much further. She sees her son going through his transcension and becoming a Time Lord. I’ve described the ceremony before in the New Lords of Time when Davie and Chris Campbell, The Doctor’s great grandsons, became Time Lords. But that happened on Earth, after the destruction of Gallifrey. I also described the solo transcension of Penne Dúre, mentored by Chrístõ, in the Theta Sigma stories. But that took place on Adano Menor, Penne’s home planet. This is how it was done in the old days, on Gallifrey. Significant, of course, are three other people who transcended that day. Two of the youngsters will be Chrístõ’s enemies, Epsilon and Rani. The other is Romana, who he cares for deeply but never has a romance with. Romana, is, of course, Hesthor and Bolar’s daughter. HER daughter, will be the Romana The Doctor meets much later.

Theta Sigma fans will realise, of course, that one other young person ISN’T there in the vision. Calloipe and Jarod will be the parents of Savang Haddandrox, who doesn’t transcend with her peers.