For a much briefer summary, which however is much freer with spoilers for the stories here, see Previously.
date |
screen canon |
regular fanfiction |
King Arthur in Time and Space "fanfiction" |
King Arthur in Time and Space (etc.) screen canon |
source legends |
| from 1938 | Superman comics, THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN radio and tv shows: Superman, rocketed as a baby to Earth from the doomed planet Krypton, has fantastic powers which he uses to battle evil. Disguising himself with a pair of glasses in his secret identity, Clark Kent son of Jonathan and Martha Kent (his foster parents), he is a newspaper reporter for the Metropolis Daily Planet, where managing editor Perry White teams him up with investigative reporter Lois Lane and boy photographer Jimmy Olsen. Among his nemeses is the criminal genius Lex Luthor; among his allies is the team of heroes known as the Justice League of America of which he is a founding member. Over the years he appears in multiple incarnations in comics and in print- and screen- tie-ins. | In Last Son of Krypton the Doctor's friendship with Superman, encompassing many alternate universe versions of the Kryptonian hero, begins when he becomes godfather to Kal-El on Krypton, in the days before the Doctor's first departure from his home planet in the TARDIS. | In Son of Olympus (in progress) Merlin's friendship with Hercules, encompassing many alternate universe versions of the Olympian hero, begins when he becomes godfather to Hercules on Olympus, in the days before Merlin's first departure from his home planet in the CAVE. | Hercules comics, THE ADVENTURES OF HERCULES radio and tv shows: Hercules, rocketed as a baby to the planet Greece from the planet Olympus, has fantastic powers which he uses to battle evil, disguising himself with a lionskin. In his secret identity, Alcides son of Alcmene (his Greek mother) and Amphitryon (her husband), he is a newspaper reporter for the Thebes Daily Constellation, where managing editor Eurystheus teams him up with investigative reporter Deianira and boy photographer Iolaus. Among his nemeses is the centaur Nessus; among his allies is the team of heroes known as the Argonauts of which he is a founding member. Over the years he appears in multiple incarnations in comics and in print- and screen- tie-ins. | Hercules is the son of the Olympian god Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. He is originally named Alcides, meaning "descendant of [Amphitryon's father's name]". He wears the skin of the Nemean lion, one of his first conquests. Eurystheus is the king for whom Hercules performs his Ten Labors in penance for killing his first wife Maegara and their children in a madness visited on him by Hera, Zeus' wife. Deianira is his second wife and Iolaus is a cousin or a servant or both. Hercules is one of the Argonauts. Nessus the centaur tricks Deianira into killing Hercules. |
| 1963 | DOCTOR WHO debuts. The Doctor and his granddaughter Susan hijack two schoolteachers from 1963 planet Earth. The villains of the second story, the Daleks, become an overnight sensation. | In cartoons Throughout his travels in the TARDIS the Doctor commonly encounters the heroes and heroines of other screen adventure series. |
In
cartoons Throughout his travels in the CAVE Merlin commonly encounters the heroes of other screen adventure series. |
MERLIN debuts. Merlin and his apprentice Ygraine hijack two schoolteachers from Classical era planet Greece. The villains of the second story, the Dragons, become an overnight sensation. | Arthur's mother Ygraine is Merlin's apprentice in no sources. |
| 1964 | First STAR TREK pilot. Captain Christopher Pike commands the starship Enterprise. (Doesn't sell, but a second pilot is ordered.) | KING ARTHUR IN TIME AND SPACE pilot. Arthur's father Uther commands the starcruiser Excalibur. (Doesn't sell, but a pilot with Arthur actually in it is ordered.) | Merlin is Uther's wizard before he's Arthur's. | ||
| Prime Contact The Doctor's time machine the TARDIS lands on the Enterprise for the first time, during Pike's first contact mission with the Klingons. |
Prime Contact Merlin's time machine the CAVE lands on the Excalibur for the first time, during Uther's first contact mission with the Saxons. |
The historical Arthur (if any) made his name by successfully turning back the influx of Saxons into Britain for a generation in the fifth century, though the French romances of the following turn of the millennium rather lost sight of that. | |||
| 1965 | DOCTOR WHO: Susan leaves the TARDIS on twenty-second century Earth to stay with a Dalek resistance fighter. The Doctor acquires a different young female traveling companion in the next story. Though turnover is sometimes annual, he almost always has one during the balance of his screen history. | MERLIN: Ygraine leaves the CAVE on the fifth-century A.D.
planet Cornwall to marry its duke Gorlois, who was Uther's engineer in the
KAITAS pilot. The KAITAS screen canon never goes on to name Ygraine as Arthur's mother. |
Ygraine was married to Gorlois when Uther fell in love with her. Uther and Gorlois went to war; Gorlois was killed in battle while Uther, disguised by Merlin as Gorlois, conceived Arthur on Ygraine. | ||
| Small Soldiers The Doctor is present on the Enterprise when James T. Kirk assumes command. |
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| DOCTOR WHO: The schoolteachers leave the TARDIS for their home spacetime in a time machine borrowed from some defeated Daleks. | MERLIN: The schoolteachers leave the CAVE for their home spacetime in a time machine borrowed from some defeated Dragons. Merlin's new apprentice is Ygraine's and Gorlois' daughter Morgan, picked up at widowed Ygraine's wedding to Uther. | Morgan was Merlin's apprentice in the sources. | |||
| Small Soldiers (unwritten) Uther dies on the Excalibur. Arthur, fostered secretly all these years with Uther's vassal Ector, is discovered to be his heir. |
Arthur is fostered rather than raised by Uther and Ygraine because he is born too soon for propriety, or because it's Merlin's plan, or both. | ||||
| Toy Story Arthur first meets Guenevere, Lancelot and Morgan all on the same day. He and Morgan have a one-day affair. |
Arthur conceives his bastard son Mordred in unwitting incest
with either his half-sister Morgause or his half-sister Morgan. Afterwards he
learns who his mother really is. Sometimes Guenevere comes to Camelot before Lancelot. Sometimes Lancelot comes first, and when the royal marriage is arranged Lancelot is sent to bring Guenevere to Camelot, and at first she mistakes him for Arthur. |
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| 1966 | STAR TREK debuts. Captain James T. Kirk commands the starship Enterprise with his science officer the Vulcan Mr. Spock and his chief surgeon Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy. In the episode The Naked Time Nurse Christine Chapel confesses her unrequited love to Mr. Spock. | KING ARTHUR IN TIME AND SPACE debuts. Arthur Pendragon, High King of all British space, commands the starship Excalibur. His queen Guenevere is his chief surgeon and his first knight Sir Lancelot is his science officer. In the episode The Naked Time Guenevere and Lancelot confess their love to each other. | Whether the affair between Guenevere and Lancelot lasts their whole lives or is a later development varies in the sources. |