Doctor Who: Space Babies Breakdown - 20 Easter Eggs & References! 

The Bishop can only move diagonally through space and time.

Let's pause for a moment to appreciate Ellie and the Who Culture, who have been grinding to get us these breakdown videos

Had to pause to write this. Bishop mentioned twice, simples. John Bishop as Dan and then John Bishop comes back as Evil Dan :)

There's always a 'Twist' at the end.

Weird thing with Susan Twist, when she shows up on the screen, the Doctor just happens to be distracted by the exploding pipe, you see him turn away just as she shows up. This is pretty similar to the Devil's Chord where he talks to the tea lady but never sees her. It feels like they're drawing each other in, meeting in closer encounters each time: Wild Blue Yonder: They're in the same geographical location but there's no way they could have seen each other. Church on Ruby Road: They're both in the same room at the pub but there's a really busy crowd and the doctor's sort of round the corner so not exactly likely he got a good look or even saw her. Space Babies: He Likely hears her, turns away but this recording of her is way closer and in his face than anything else so far. Devil's Chord: They literally talk to each other, though without looking at each other. The Clip from the Finale: They're full on chatting face to face.

I love that Sean got to work as one of the puppeteers for Doctor Who. I saw the unleashed and was like... "Is that Sean?" Glad I recognized him.

I've come up with a theory. Mrs Flood is part of the pantheon, and not just one of them. She is goddess of "Stories." She is likely older than even The Toymaker, the oldest of all of them. She created Ruby as a character in her story. This explains seeing Susan Twist, but ALSO explains fourth wall breaks and musical numbers, as what we watch as the show becomes increasingly becomes more meta. In some ways, she is outside the story, controlling it, entertaining herself.

I think that "let's visit them" is a hint that the Pantheon trapped the Doctor in a fictional reality, that Ruby is a fictional character created by them for their own amusement, and that the Doctor is going to turn the tables on them by making Ruby a legend so that she can stay real after he defeats them. After all, The Chuch on Ruby Road literally opens with the Doctor telling us a story starting with "Once Upon a Time", and all the 4th wall breaks, and the Sonic looking like a TV remote...

My initial prediction - Susan Twist is Susan Foreman regenerated and she is also Ruby's birth mother. The Doctor is traveling with his great granddaughter, but doesn't realise it yet. Susan is The One Who Waits. "One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine." This is RTD we're talking about, there are going to be some epic timey-wimey twists with story arcs that span multiple seasons and link back to the earliest episodes (a refreshing change from Chinball's dull, treat-the-audience-like-children, explain-a-moral-at-the-end-of-the-episode-like-Captain-Planet style of storytelling).

I still think 'Mavity' is more than a running joke but is part of the story arc. The doctor always says changing the past can have consequences, so changing the word Gravity to Mavity must surely have consequences too. My 1 doubt about it though is that Ruby doesn't ask what it means. Plus Mavity and Susan Twist first appear in the same episode. Coincedence?

I noticed that every time The Doctor said "babies" he would correct himself immediately and say "space babies" which I felt was a very Matt Smith thing to do.

The Doctor repeatedly changes his observations about babies to 'space babies' - the 12th Doctor told Clara off for putting 'space' in front of words (in Clara's case, it was 'space restaurant'), to which Clara retorts that the 12th Doctor is a pedant. Pedant is one of the Time Lord names the 15th Doctor mentions when listing Time Lord names.

Does anyone else have a feeling that the "Snow" that keeps appearing might instead be salt? When the doctor caught it in Ep 1, it looked a lot more like salt than snow

Since Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is currently running, I'd love to see Fifteen and Ruby meeting the crew of Captain Pike!

Something that some people have noticed in regards to the Dalek Invasion of Earth reference is that, when Ruby is picking the date they are going to, the Doctor does look breifly concerned when she is picking the number, until she adds 6, inferring that his mind went there as well as ours.

I wonder if Susan Twist's character is the one who waits? She is literally waiting to reveal herself...???

I was surprised by Ellie complaining about the first episode not having a cold open when Rose did the same thing, esp with this episode being RTD's greatest hits (tropes) speed run.

Mavic Chen was namedropped in the Giggle, RTD even commented on how ludicrous it was that he got Ncuti to namedrop such an old and niche character in the commentary. I highly doubt Mavic Chen is returning so doubt the Rani is for the time being.

Nevermind The Bishop, I want to see The Corsair!

i love your channel keep putting the effort in and have a great day

Without question these are essential post episode viewing. Thank you so much!

Susan Twist is actually a great name or the character in the actual show. The surname matches what we see her doing. Twisting into different entities.

Just wanted to add regarding the TARDIS scanning Ruby: Remember that the Fob-Watch, according to the Doctor himself in "Human Nature", would re-write the user's DNA to make them appear (in this case) human. He even presented as only having one heart when examined. So for the Ruby-is-a-Time-Lord Theorists out there, the TARDIS scan doesn't really mean anything in terms of debunking that idea.

So did everyone miss the fact the the doctor told Ruby his REAL NAME!?!? The very last line is “And my name was” and then it cuts off

The space babies pajamas are also Star Fleet colors. Caption chair from tos as well as color if her pajamas

Interesting point about Captain Poppy. Her chair is similar to Kirk’s as pointed out, but her costume is also yellow similar to Kirk’s uniform…

I mean I have a headcanon that the Federation in Star Trek is one of the great and bountiful human empires the Doctor keeps going on about especially in RTD1 so maybe its not out of the question.

So, I have a theory that I would love to get some feedback on and I'm actually honestly pretty surprised I haven't seen it anywhere else. We all remember the Toclafane that the Master used to try to destroy/rule/devastate the earth with in series 3, that actually turned out to be humans from the end of time sent back to kill their ancestors. The Doctor was surprised at the name the master chose, explaining that it was a mythical monster from Timelord culture, and that the Master had chosen it to wind him up. You can probably already see where I'm going with this, but what you may not remember is that the Doctor specifically compares them to the "Boogie Man". Well, now we have a real Boogie Man, as the little incident with the salt in Blue Yonder has caused all sorts of previous myths to become real. I think this was an intentional callback to that conversation. The real Toclafane are coming! Let me know what y'all think.

I also noticed in one of the shots of that planet that the space station was flying over, the lights on that planet kind of resembled gallifreyan writing

The snow inside the TARDIS after the scan, also reminded me a bit of the pollen/spores in the Dream Lord episode. (You know, the one where Rory has that mullet? 😂)

Possible deep cut easter egg: Susan Twist is playing Gina Scalzi in this ep. Is this possibly a reference to John Scalzi, author of lots of military sci-fi, including "Redshirts" which riffs on the well known Star Trek trope.

I did find the smashing up of the ceiling to be rather odd. I could have sworn that with intentional travel, as opposed to forceful shunting or rocky landings.. The TARDIS molds space around it such that it "fits" in any given space. If that is the case its either an oversight or Ruby's home is temporally and spatially locked, thus the property damage. Which, also brings with it all sorts of implications.

I'm hoping for Twist to be the architect of a bubble reality. That will explain the many fourth wall breaks (the bubble reality is under observation, it's not a Brechtian alienation device, it's talking to the watcher)

The Bishop has to be a reference to Aliens, there's plenty of similarities between this episode and the film, and the film has an android called Bishop

The Doctor probably didn't need to scan Ruby to confirm that she was human. When she steps on the butterfly at the start of the episode, the fact that changing something on Earth immediately changed her species makes it pretty clear that she's native to the planet. A better question might be whether there's something particular going on since Donna's return which is suddenly causing the Doctor's actions to change the future timeline in a way they usually don't. For example 'Father's Day' established that the Doctor can't change fixed points in time, which this episode reinforces, and yet we saw that the Maestro's actions changed the future in a way which would prevent Rose even being born.

The thing that bothered me about this episode was when the Doctor flew out and hit the airlock door. In that situation, the pull is from the air being sucked out into space, not mavity. He shouldn't have hit the door, but would have been pulled toward the opening by the air rushing out. Obviously, that would not have made for a good ending, nor would it have set up the dramatic save (which, again, was acted as though the Doctor was fighting mavity instead of rushing air), but it did ruin the tension of that scene for me.

maybe susan twist is like clara...? the way theres thousands of claras throughout time and theres the same with her. thats the only thing i can think of rn

Love voyager too. Bishop is a cleric so I wonder if it?si a hint of the monk in the time meddler.

I think we'll discover the doctor is in a TV show.

obviously the mavity schtick is still going on because the butterfly compensator switch was not on.... tsk tsk

I once read a german fanfiction which takes place in the Trekverse (Star Trek TOS) and in that ff the 10th doc slips in. That was part 1. Part 2 was vice versa: The Enterprise with J-L P. slips into the whoniverse. And the quote from the doctor to Ruby that they could visit the Trekverse made me think of this fanfiktion could come to live - sort of.^^

What if this whole 'season 1' rename is tied together, and we end up with a very meta ending where the Doctor realises he is in an in-universe fictional series, and recognises Susan Twist as the actress, rather than the character she's playing?

Not quite a Doctor Who reference but there's a mention of a Carla Colosanto (a classmate of Nathan's) in Queer as Folk written by a certain Mr R T Davies.

Monty python....The Bishop!

Surely bogeyman being kicked out of the airlock with Doctor holding on similar to Doomsday with all the Cybermen/daleks being sucked into the void with Doctor and Rose holding on and alternative universe Pete catching Rose before she meets the same fate?

every time a new companion is introduced in the RTD era, there's no cold open

What’s this gravity thing Ellie was talking about in this video? 😂😂

Surely a translation matrix is the thing that translates, the perception filter is just how it does it's job and gets the translation into your head.

I kinda wondered is the Bishop could perhaps be the Time Meddler from the 1st Doctor's run. I can't remember if the Time Meddler ever mentioned a name, but he was a Time Lord dressed as a monk and was living in a church/monastery, just like a bishop would.

I just assumed the “let’s go visit them” line was supposed to be taken as “let’s go visit the actors on set”

Susan Twist is the person that delivers Ruby at the church?

Found this really interesting and I loved the episode Space Babies! It was so much fun and the space babies were adorable! 😂 I'm really intrigued to see if the susan twist characters have any connection to the mystery surrounding ruby! Great video, thanks Ellie and Who Culture! 😊😊

Hey Ellie @5:42 From Transformers, Deaths Head as a character bumped into the 7th Dr who shrank him to human size in Doctor Who Magazine #135. He has been bumped around time a bit, but is effectively a Marvel (Disney) character (used by permission). Spiderman did appear in an early issue of Transformers comics and DH has done a few runs with Marvel by now meeting FF and Iron Man, so they all exist in Marvel 616 unless retconned. Anyway, not in the same Universe.. multiverse? IDW did print stories with Transformers and ST:TNG as you mentioned.... so maybe... Dr Who, Marvel, Transformers, My Little Pony, GI Joe M.A.S.K, Mars attacks etc are all together. DC and Marvel existed into the Amalgam Universe, so we can then pull all their characters and Dredd, then by extension Alien and Predator, and therefore Archie.... This could be a large rabbit hole.

here is a random theory. what if Ruby is actually the Doctors granddaughter? her mom could be Jenny from The Doctors Daughter.

Thank you for mentioning the crossover comic with the 11th doctor and Star Trek the next generation.

Is it just me or did the scan of ruby say her age was 10 years + 3 hours? Why has no one said anything on this? What does it mean?

Honestly just getting quite confused with all the mysteries going on at the same time, while a lot of them will likely tie together its confusing right now All of ruby’s origin The pantheon The one who waits The boss Susan Triad showing up Harbinger still being around The neighbour knowing about the TARDIS

OMG, love your T-shirt!

What if a twist is that Susan Twist is actually Susan?

Apologies if this has been commented already. But I have to wonder about putting two ideas together. 1) fairy stories coming to reality. 2) Star Trek being referred to as fact instead of fiction. Q: is this something that has also been changed due to the salt/superstition at the edge of the universe?

Wouldn’t the tardis matrix be responsible for the perception filter?

I’m sure big finish or a comic will explain that the perception filter is a component of the translation matrix.

12:40 I’m pretty sure she was the face of the ambulance in “Boom” too

To be fair to Star Trek, it is very obvious that the Borg is a clear reference to the Cybermen. The clue is in the title of the episode where the Borg made their debut. *Q Who* > *Doctor Who*

I hope they have the To Wong Foo reference as part of their Devil's Chord video. Not exactly DW, but it did make me very happy and surprised when Susan Twist's character said it.

ALSO, when the doctor does his scan of Ruby 15:41 it cuts away then comes back and the scan has skipped over her chest bit

There is a TARDIS in one of the Disneylands, Doctor Who is in the Disney-Verse at least.

You know, the Rani has some precedent for masquerading as one of the Doctor’s companions… I just wish I could remember which one, and what the actor who portrayed them was up to at the moment. Also, “Conquistador” was mispronounced by both the Doctor and Ellie: “con-KEEST-a-door”.

There could be a new Rani and they could go back in time to meet their past self. Call it The Two Ranis.

I saw the episode with the toymaker but missed out on the next one , so I this was my first full story with Ncuti Gawa and I was really apprehensive that the new doctor would be terrible. Aside from the odd accent ( is he trying to sound like Jodie Whittaker?) and his odd taste in knitwear, I did warm to him pretty quickly, phew I was afraid it’d be the eighties all over again and a succession of bad casting 😀. Ruby was (thankfully) pretty good too. The plot was nuts overall but I enjoyed the whole thing thoroughly and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

Much prefer this format to the 'ups and downs' which only serves to push subjective opinion. Breakdown, Easter eggs and context much better.

Apparently Big Finish can't use anymore the character of the Rani for copyright issues after Pip Baker's death. What about the BBC? Is it the same for them?

13:5 Oooh, now I wanna see a Doctor Who/Alien crossover!

I did recognize a few of those Easter eggs while watching it, but some I didn't know, mainly the star Trek ones as I'm not a Trekkie

Both of the Tashas are wearing a gold/yellow color outfit as well

I was disappointed that 15's list of name examples didn't include the Corsair (ep: The Doctor's Wife).

Could Susan Twist be connected to the Mavity situation as that's when we first see her?

So W'eve had the red and blue outfits from sergeant pepper. Just the pink and yellow to go! If we're talking old villains the mind Robber might make an appearance.

Monty Python's Flying Circus: 'It's the Bishop!'

I think Ellie is comparing apples to oranges here by holding these new episodes against season 3. By season 3 new WHO and the Tenth Doctor were well established. I compare them instead to the first two episodes of new Who, which had very similar levels of silliness and campiness. I think RTD starts these “reboots” in a similar pattern every time. For the 60th, he starts with Star Beast with the initially cute, then evil creature, but mostly a funny episode, then the intense one with Wild Blue Yonder, and finished it off with the Giggle, which had real world consequences for both the Doctor and the entire world, not to mention the many UNIT people that died. The same pattern can be expected here as soon as next week. And RTD has already said not everyone gets one of the finale alive so…don’t worry, Ellie, I think your “massacre” is coming😉

Hellow ! im a French whowian, and i'd like to inform that, at the begining of the episode the doctor says (in the french version) "La Rani, Le Moine ou le Conquistador" so "Bishop" has been translated into "the monk" (the meddling monk obviously), is it just a throwback that makes the lips moves correctly or just a spoil that th meddling monk will return ? the one who wait = the monk ? thanks for reading me, i love whoculture, love you ellie !

@whoculture I think I figured it out. Each episode is based on a television show theme. The doctor bi-generated because it was a "recast." The doctor has broken the fourth wall a lot this season. Ultimately, I think Susan Twist will be "The Director" doing cameos in her creation. The doctor made a point of explaining time lord titles, I think she's going to be a time lord. I think the best DRAMA of all will be when we discover that Ruby is the daughter of the unit director Kate Stewart and Jack Harkness. What makes Ruby special is that her father's time stream exposure mutation has rubbed off on her, I would like to see her have the ability to spot timestream abnormalities❤

I wonder if a Perception Field anything like an SEP Field?

How could I forget... don't get Chippy with Vera Duckworth!

what if the bishop will be two time lords or something else being two of like the film red notice

The Crossover comic book is excellent.

Did anyone else notice the scan shows an age of 10 years and 3 hours

Susan Twist is defo the one who waits

i gotta go back and watch now..i could have sworn she said 20156 ..the first 4 being a back to the future date.. whch would be cool

Love your shirt fun fact it was just my birthday. It was also just Jane’s captain Jejanewaybirthday May 20.

One of the babies was called Eric which was the name of his character in sex education

Not sure how visiting the Enterprise or Starfleet would work without being a huge plothole, once that has been established as a fictional work in the doctor who universe.

10:15 Wait...was that Séan? Was he part of the Space Babies production???

Actually? Aliens finished with the alien being blown out of the airlock by Ripley: in the same way, in other words, as the *original* Alien

How about 'stepping on a butterfly' and a similar conversation between Ten and Martha?

The doctor was also slapped by River's mum...

Brilliant insights, thank you, I am always amazed at your depth of knowledge, pulling the threads together that are sometimes so not obvious.

One of the babies is named Eric, like Ncuti’s character in Sex Education

I want a crossover between Doctor Who and Star Trek Strange New Worlds.

Ahem Ellie the name “Tasha” could’ve referenced Tasha Lem the high priestess of the papal mane frame