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Doctor Who - Discussion Thread II

How flexible the limit is really depends on the reasons for it. If it's biological (some kind of regenerative Hayflick limit), some serious medical technology will be necessary to get around it. There are probably social aspects, too - I can see the negative impact of having Time Lords hanging around for millennia, accruing power and influence, and given the psychological problems likely brought about by such long lifespans with zig-zagging personalities, nutters like Rassilon would start cropping up with alarming frequency. After a couple of despots at some point in history, I'd imagine some rather strong taboos coming into place regarding this.

Then again, the Time Lords and their customs are gone, and regeneration-induced psychosis wouldn't slow the Doctor down much - he's not all there anyway :biggrin:

On a side note, didn't the Master get an 'extension' of sorts in the original series?

Reply 2581

SirMasterKey

18

Original post by Undulipodia

How flexible the limit is really depends on the reasons for it. If it's biological (some kind of regenerative Hayflick limit), some serious medical technology will be necessary to get around it. There are probably social aspects, too - I can see the negative impact of having Time Lords hanging around for millennia, accruing power and influence, and given the psychological problems likely brought about by such long lifespans with zig-zagging personalities, nutters like Rassilon would start cropping up with alarming frequency. After a couple of despots at some point in history, I'd imagine some rather strong taboos coming into place regarding this.

Then again, the Time Lords and their customs are gone, and regeneration-induced psychosis wouldn't slow the Doctor down much - he's not all there anyway :biggrin:

On a side note, didn't the Master get an 'extension' of sorts in the original series?

He's stolen and been reserected(sp?) and got a new set of lifes. Neither of which the Doctor would do.

Reply 2582

Undulipodia

Original post by SirMasterKey

He's stolen and been reserected(sp?) and got a new set of lifes. Neither of which the Doctor would do.

Even so, this shows that you can cheat the system. Besides, the Doctor "doesn't care that it's impossible" - if he wants to do something, chances are he will.

Reply 2583

maxcartwright

11

can someone please explain the docs and rivers relationship?
i just dont understand how he knows less and less about her everytime they meet if he's a time lord and can travel backwards/forwards/sideways

Reply 2584

SirMasterKey

18

Original post by Undulipodia

Even so, this shows that you can cheat the system. Besides, the Doctor "doesn't care that it's impossible" - if he wants to do something, chances are he will.

It would go completely against the Doctor's nature to go and cheat the 13 regeneration rule is all I'm saying. He occassionally fears his regeneration, al la DT, but to go and seek a way to cheat the system would make him like the Master.

Reply 2585

SirMasterKey

18

Original post by maxcartwright

can someone please explain the docs and rivers relationship?
i just dont understand how he knows less and less about her everytime they meet if he's a time lord and can travel backwards/forwards/sideways

He knows her more and more as he meets her whilst to River he is knowing her less and less.

Basically whilst one timeline is going

---------------------->

the other is going

<---------------------

It's basically like that, but at points it would appear they both know a lot about each other, i.e. Singing Towers, the place they meet before River Song goes off to meet DT in Forest of the Dead.

Reply 2586

Gemini92

Original post by maxcartwright

can someone please explain the docs and rivers relationship?
i just dont understand how he knows less and less about her everytime they meet if he's a time lord and can travel backwards/forwards/sideways

Noone really understands their relationship as it hasn't been properly explained yet. River is also a time traveller and since she and the Doctor don't travel through time together, they don't meet up in the same order.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 2587

humy369

9

Original post by maxcartwright

can someone please explain the docs and rivers relationship?
i just dont understand how he knows less and less about her everytime they meet if he's a time lord and can travel backwards/forwards/sideways

It's just timey wimey spacey wacey really :rolleyes:

Reply 2588

Undulipodia

Original post by SirMasterKey

It would go completely against the Doctor's nature to go and cheat the 13 regeneration rule is all I'm saying. He occassionally fears his regeneration, al la DT, but to go and seek a way to cheat the system would make him like the Master.

There may be plot reasons for him doing so, though - in the event of some catastrophe, if he's on his last life his compulsion to save everything he can would override his natural aversion to cheating the regeneration system. Although it would initially conflict with his nature, if it came down to doing it or letting a disaster take place, the core aspects of his character would pretty much demand that he gets another life to deal with it.

The DT situation was understandable (unwilling to functionally die), but he wasn't entirely sane at that point. The Doctor's first instinct is to run, yes, but he has shown self-sacrificing tendencies in the past - if regeneration saves people he cares about (which is most people), so be it.

The Master can of worms would unlikely be addressed in the event, but would doubtless be covered later with plenty of angst. A sensible companion would probably slap some sense into him regarding context and outcome, though.

Reply 2589

boba

Original post by SirMasterKey

It would go completely against the Doctor's nature to go and cheat the 13 regeneration rule is all I'm saying. He occassionally fears his regeneration, al la DT, but to go and seek a way to cheat the system would make him like the Master.

I don't think it would not if its just a timelord law. hes not exactly the model time lord hes stole a tardis, and hes been exiled.

Reply 2590

drbluebox

19

Original post by boba

maybe it was dying because noone had took to charge up in a long time so it was "starving"

Dying and being out of power are 2 different things.

When they went into the paraell world and Doc 10 charged that crystal thing the Tardis was fine after.

When the Tardis lost all power when captured by the Daleks it didnt die

When Rose absorbed its power it didnt die.

Yet in Turn Left it was said to be dying without the Doctor.

Reply 2591

Greg1989

Original post by boba

I don't think it would not if its just a timelord law. hes not exactly the model time lord hes stole a tardis, and hes been exiled.

not to mention the fact he killed all the other time lords :tongue:

Reply 2592

boba

Original post by drbluebox

Dying and being out of power are 2 different things.

When they went into the paraell world and Doc 10 charged that crystal thing the Tardis was fine after.

When the Tardis lost all power when captured by the Daleks it didnt die

When Rose absorbed its power it didnt die.

Yet in Turn Left it was said to be dying without the Doctor.

yes but it had no power for a short period of time all of those times unlike in turn left. it also lived before the doctor stole it whether the comment about it being a museum piece was literal or just about it being old and obsolete.

Reply 2593

boba

Original post by Greg1989

not to mention the fact he killed all the other time lords :tongue:

aha yes oh course! and that. I really don't think the doctor would have a problem going against the time lords rules on regeneration

Reply 2594

Lil2wkd

10

This is speculation only right? Not cold hard fact that techincally hasn't happened yet?

Reply 2595

drbluebox

19

Original post by boba

yes but it had no power for a short period of time all of those times unlike in turn left. it also lived before the doctor stole it whether the comment about it being a museum piece was literal or just about it being old and obsolete.

But when it was a museum piece it was on Gallifrey and back in classic who the Tardis ddnt need recharged at all.

The Tardis is generations older than the Doctor and I am sure I heard in one of Tom Bakers old episodes that he did steal it from a museum(its been a while since I saw TB's series)

Its only been since the TimeLords died that the Tardis has needed recharged by a rift(even in the movie when it was out of power he jump started it and didnt recharge it)

Reply 2596

Greg1989

Original post by drbluebox

But when it was a museum piece it was on Gallifrey and back in classic who the Tardis ddnt need recharged at all.

The Tardis is generations older than the Doctor and I am sure I heard in one of Tom Bakers old episodes that he did steal it from a museum(its been a while since I saw TB's series)

Its only been since the TimeLords died that the Tardis has needed recharged by a rift(even in the movie when it was out of power he jump started it and didnt recharge it)

the eye of harmony used on the tardis used to connect it directly to the while in space that all young time lords are made to look through and that powered all the tardis's....but when he destroyed galifrey bye bye power source

Reply 2597

boba

Original post by drbluebox

But when it was a museum piece it was on Gallifrey and back in classic who the Tardis ddnt need recharged at all.

The Tardis is generations older than the Doctor and I am sure I heard in one of Tom Bakers old episodes that he did steal it from a museum(its been a while since I saw TB's series)

Its only been since the TimeLords died that the Tardis has needed recharged by a rift(even in the movie when it was out of power he jump started it and didnt recharge it)

uh ok so the tardis still needed power to live..

Reply 2598

drbluebox

19

Original post by boba

uh ok so the tardis still needed power to live..

Well it didnt die when it was without a soul for a while in the latest ep and with zero power.

I would say that the actual electronical part of the Tardis needs power so the soul needs the presence of a Time Lord to stay alive.

Thats why the makeshift console in the latest ep didnt work without a soul even though it had power as it was dead.