Tegan Jovanka's Temporal Homing Device

Originally issued to companion Tegan Jovanka during her service aboard the TARDIS

4 appearances

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

4 moments

S20E11 · Mawdryn Undead Part 3

Catch that signal before time runs out

The homing device shifts from potential solution to immediate necessity when the Doctor seizes upon the Brigadier’s hint. Its mildewed casing and dead power indicator become irrelevant as urgency redefines its worth, turning a forgotten item into the fragile lifeline connecting the characters to temporal escape.

Before: Stored in a locked case within a cluttered hut, its dormant circuitry overlooked amid mundane military artifacts

After: Identified and its retrieval declared urgent, its physical state unchanged but its narrative significance amplified toward salvation

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S20E11 · Mawdryn Undead Part 3

Brigadier presents plan to fix homing device

The homing device is withdrawn from its tattered storage box, its wiry connections dazedly awakening to the current crisis. Recovered from the dim past, it serves as a fragile conduit between temporal urgencies—its flickering power indicator a metaphor for the Brigadier’s memory and the Doctor’s stability.

Before: Long dormant within a box of circuit boards, stored in the Brigadier’s quarters, its power depleted and connections frayed

After: Held in the Brigadier’s hands, partially reactivated by his urgent retrieval, examined closely by the Doctor

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S20E11 · Mawdryn Undead Part 3

Doctor and Turlough salvage Tardis plan

The Brigadier’s homing device is introduced as the critical tool enabling direct contact with the TARDIS aboard the alien ship. The Doctor seizes it as the functional core of a new plan, demonstrating its immediate relevance and reliability despite its worn condition, and carries it toward the capsule.

Before: Stored in the Brigadier’s quarters among remembrances and circuit boards, seemingly non-functional

After: Activated and in use for transmat targeting

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S20E11 · Mawdryn Undead Part 3

Transit amid moral pressure

The Doctor inserts the homing device into the transmat controls, activating the capsule’s systems and sending it hurtling toward the alien ship. The device’s deteriorated state fails to deter them, serving as a symbolic stand-in for the Doctor’s unstable regeneration.

Before: Aged handheld device with frayed wirings and a dead power indicator, stored in a box of spare parts

After: Active but deteriorating, now embedded in the transmat controls and functioning as a navigational beacon

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