WHO MYSTERY: Whatever happened to Ace?

I'm nicking an idea from one of my Doctor Who Sites, and exploring several of the mysteries of the Series. This entry will discuss what happened to the Seventh Doctor's Companion, Ace.

Ace was introduced in the Serial Dragonfire, the final serial of Season 24, replacing Bonnie Langford's Mel. Unlike Mel, Ace's response to a situation wasn't to scream, but to throw a tin of Nitro-9 at it. She was plucky, couragous and above all, loyal, even during their encounter with Fenric. The Seventh Doctor was lucky to have her. 

In the season finale 'Survival', after defeating the Master, she and the Doctor walked off into the Sunset for new adventures. But what happened next? Who knows? All we do now is that in 1996, when the Seventh Doctor returned in the Television movie, he was alone.

and sporting a new look

Ace's fate was left a mystery, since very soon after landing the TARDIS in a back alley in San Francisco, the Doctor was shot. He might've survived these wounds had he not been taken to a nearby Hospital and 'treated' by local heart surgeon Grace Halloway. Despite what many people may believe, it was this and not the gun shots that killed him. 

Differing Fates

Ace's fate has been addressed in numerous non-canon sources. According to the series' original plan, had a season 27 occurred, Ace would've left the Doctor and enrolled in the Academy of Gallifrey to become a Time Lord herself. In the New Virigin Adventures Series, she left the Doctor and became a sort of mini-Doctor herself, protecting a particular section of History.

Also sporting a new look!

And finally, within the pages of the official Doctor magazine, Ace died in an explosion she set to kill something called a Lorbi

Also sporting a new look! 

Ultimately, however, she appears to have survived this fate, and been returned to Earth at some point. In an episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures, Sarah revealed the fate of several Companions. While not specifically named as such, 'Dorothy something' had raised billions with her charity "A Charitable Earth" (look at the initials). Apparently Russell T Davis had a plan to include Ace in a later episode, but sadly, Elisabeth Sladen's death put an end to those plans.

Conclusion

Ace's fate has been left in Limbo for the time being, left for each of us to make our own minds up. Personally, I choose to believe that she was returned to Earth, and is still giving lip to anyone who annoys her. 

So Say We All