Historical Note, by Matthew Clarke (my fan fiction)

The opera was mentioned in Ben Aaronovitch's New Adventure novel, Transit.


Taken from "Whispers of the Doctor: Conspiracy Theories regarding a supposed Traveller in Time and Space," by Sydney Scully. Published by Vulcan University Press, 2210

'We mentioned in chapter four the bizarre UNIT Incident 17, where the Doctor and his UNIT allies were alleged to have faced demons and figures from Arthurian mythology. This story inspired the highly regarded opera "Il Dottere Va in Viaggio" by Marconi Paletti (such an incident is ONLY believable in an opera in our opinion). UNIT Incident 17 has a peculiar connection with Ganymede Correctional Facility, one of the largest penal institutions in the Solar System.

Ganymede Correctional Facility, located on the largest moon of Jupiter, was founded in 2170. It had previously been a vast and impregnable military fortress. During the Dalek invasion of the Solar System, Ganymede proved to be so well defended that it remained one of the Earth Military's last bastions, even as the other planets of the Solar System fell into Dalek hands. After the Daleks had been driven from Earth, it was discovered that thousands of men and women had collaborated with the Daleks. There being a lack of suitable prisons on Earth, the fortress was hastily converted into a vast prison complex. After 2187, Ganymede Correctional Facility became solely a women's prison. It has won several awards for the firm discipline and orderly regime that is exercised within its walls.

According to our Doctor-watchers, Morgaine, the evil sorceress behind UNIT Incident 17 has been imprisoned for over two hundred years since the late Twentieth century and is currently held in Ganymede Correctional Facility. According to this conspiracy theory, the Doctor arranged for Morgaine to be transferred from custody on Earth to the military garrison on Ganymede in order to keep her secure during the Dalek invasion. After the conversion of the garrison to a prison, she allegedly remained an inmate there. Not only is it alleged that the incredible Doctor wielded such influence over a course of governments for over two hundred years to ensure the continued imprisonment of this presumably unhappily long-lived individual, but he also provided helpful tactics to the Earth Military to ensure the security of Ganymede, not to mention suggesting using it as a prison for collaborators after the war. As with all Doctor-related conspiracy theories, this ascribes to him almost omnipotent power.

Despite the absurdity of this urban myth, a number of pieces of evidence have been cited by Doctor-watchers. Veterans of the Dalek War testify that an unknown female prisoner was held in solitary confinement in the military garrison on Ganymede. Naturally, this tells us little. Were there no spies or deserters captured during the war? A number of former inmates at the prison have testified that they knew the immortal enchantress. Readers may judge for themselves the reliability of convicted collaborators, fraudsters and smugglers.

Sceptics have frequently pointed out that if Morgaine did exist and had the powers ascribed to her by those who take UNIT Incident 17 seriously, it would surely be impossible to imprison such a person. Doctor-watchers claim that the Doctor used his occult knowledge to provide a means of imprisonment for the sorceress. It is claimed that the walls of Ganymede Correctional Facility are covered in mystical markings that generate a magic field to hold her and prevent the use of her powers. This claim is rather harder to refute. It has been confirmed through photographic evidence that Ganymede Correctional Facility does feature many unknown inscriptions on its walls. Oddly, these markings also match those found in a number of older prisons on Earth. Prison authorities insist that these markings are purely decorative in nature. We might be surprised that a strict prison regime like this would be so concerned about aesthetics, but in our judgment this gives no credence to this altogether implausible story.'