pyle@ut-ngp.UUCP (Keith Pyle) (02/20/84)
In response to John Zeigler's questions: Romana was a Time Lord who joined the Doctor in serial # 98, "The Ribos Operation." (Romana was the nickname given her by the Doctor; her real name was something like Romanadavratalunda [sp? as I don't have my Dr. Who reference handy].) This was the first of six serials in the sixteenth season concerning the quest for the Key to Time. Romana regenerated at the beginning of the seventeenth season and took the appearance of Princess Astra, who appeared in the last of the serials concerning the Key to Time. She remained with the Doctor through serial # 113, "Warrior's Gate." In it, she left the Doctor to remain in E-space to aid its inhabitants. An aside: Mary Tamm was the original Romana and I believe she left the show shortly after becoming pregnant. Lala Ward had appeared as Princess Astra and was chosen to become the new Romana. Ms. Ward later married Tom Baker although they are now divorced. K9 originally joined the Doctor in serial # 93, "The Invisible Enemy." He was created by an Earth scientist who asked the Doctor to transport K9 to Earth. Naturally, the Doctor didn't make it to Earth and K9 remained with him. In # 97, "Invasion of Time," Leela stayed on Gallifrey to be with Andred (I think), one of the Time Lord's guards. K9 refused to go with the Doctor and chose to stay and watch over "the Mistress." At the end of episode 6, the Doctor pushed a carton marked K9 MII into the Tardis control room. This K9 accompanied the Doctor until "Warrior's Gate" when he entered E-space with Romana. (K9's circuits were scrambled in null space and only by entering E-space could he be restored.) Caveat: Some of this is from memory and may not be 100% accurate but it is close to the Doctor's "official" history.