regeneration

In-universe information

Doctor Who is a long-running British science-fiction television series that began in 1963. It stars its protagonist, the Doctor, an alien who travels through time and space in a ship known as the TARDIS, as well as their travelling companions. When necessary (usually due to impending death or severe injury) the Doctor is able to undergo a process known as "regeneration", completely changing the Doctor's appearance and personality while maintaining their memories. This renewal process allows the Doctor (and other Time Lords) to live extremely long lives that span millennia.

Throughout their travels, the Doctor often comes into conflict with various alien species and antagonists.

Characteristics

The Time Lords live on a planet known as Gallifrey, a yellow-orange planet. A large city called the Capitol resides on the planet, where a large number of Time Lords live. All Time Lords are part of the species known as Gallifreyans, but not every Gallifreyan is a Time Lord, though many involved with the show have interchangeably referenced the Time Lords being either a race or a species. Time Lord society is largely present within the Capitol, also called the Citadel, with the land outside of the city being a desolate wasteland. The Capitol contains the Academy, where young Gallifreyans are raised as Time Lords. Those who drop out of Time Lord society live outside of the Capitol, and are dubbed "outsiders", while those who become Time Lords tend to be from "ruling houses", which are implied to be at the top Gallifreyan society. Gallifrey is protected by an impenetrable barrier, which prevents most forms of attack. The term "Time Lord" tends to refer to a male Time Lord, while "Time Lady" is used to refer to a female Time Lord; despite this, the term Time Lord has also often been used as an overarching term to refer to both sexes of Time Lord. Time Lords and human beings look alike, but differ in that they have several physiological differences, with Time Lords having two hearts. Time Lords, usually upon severe injury or impending death, have the ability to "regenerate", during which they are healed from their mortal injuries but have their physical appearances and personalities changed in the process (though their memories remain intact). Time Lords are normally capable of regenerating twelve times, making for a total of thirteen lives in one Time Lord's life. However, this limit has been circumvented in numerous instances, such as with the Doctor and also with their arch-enemy The Master, both of whom have lived well beyond their standard twelve regenerations. Another process that exists, introduced in 2023 episode "The Giggle", is known as bi-generation, in which the Time Lord splits into two distinct bodies when regenerating (the current incarnation remains while a new body also emerges), though both are the same Time Lord. Time Lords also have some level of psychic powers, as well as the power of hypnosis and a "respiratory bypass system" which allows them to avoid being strangled. Time Lords are also capable of disguising themselves as humans using a device called a Chameleon Arch.

The Time Lords were originally members of a species known as the Shobogans who were genetically altered with the DNA of a being known as the Timeless Child, a being that later would become the Doctor. This granted Time Lords the ability to regenerate. Later, a Time Lord named Rassilon would work with another Time Lord named Omega to create the first time travel spaceship, harnessing the power of a star going supernova to fuel the device. Though it succeeded, Omega disappeared during the incident and was presumed dead, though he actually survived and passed into an inescapable anti-matter realm. Rassilon harnessed the nucleus of the resulting black hole to provide the energy that powers time travel, resulting in Rassilon receiving praise for Omega's work. Rassilon became a defining figure within Time Lord society, becoming their "Lord High President". The Time Lords subsequently became an influential race in the universe, becoming important figures during a period known as "The Dark Times", waging war with a species known as the Great Vampires. After a later interaction with a species known as the Minyans resulted in highly negative consequences, the Time Lords adopted a policy of non-interference with alien species, meaning the Time Lords would no longer directly interact in the affairs the universe and could only observe it from afar. Though most Time Lords follow this vow of non-intervention, those who leave the planet for one reason or another to act on their own accord in the universe are dubbed "renegades" and include recurring characters such as the Doctor, the Master, and the Rani. In the past, however, they also established a faction known as the Division to interfere with history when needed, though the Division split off to become separate from the Time Lords entirely, often outsourcing their work to other alien species, such as the Weeping Angels and Lupari.

Appearances

The First Doctor steals a TARDIS, one of the time-travel ships the Time Lords use, and flees Gallifrey with his granddaughter Susan Foreman sometime prior to the events of the series. Subsequently, the Doctor, during his travels, encounters and thwarts many conflicts throughout history. Eventually, in the 1969 serial The War Games, during an incident in which a group known as the War Lords capture humans from throughout time and space, the Second Doctor is forced to contact the Time Lords to resolve the situation. The Time Lords deal with the War Lords, but subsequently put the Doctor on trial for his interference throughout time and space. After showing them how he has stopped evils during his travels, the Time Lords decide to force him to regenerate and exile him to Earth, where the Doctor has spent a significant amount of time during his travels.

The Third Doctor is used as an agent by the Time Lords during his exile in the 1971 serial Colony in Space and the 1972 serials The Mutants and The Curse of Peladon, in which he is sent off-world to resolve conflicts on the Time Lords' behalf. The Doctor also comes into conflict with another renegade Time Lord, the Master, who repeatedly has his schemes thwarted by the Doctor, and would repeatedly feature as a recurring antagonist. The Time Lords eventually contact the first three incarnations of the Doctor during 1972 serial The Three Doctors in order to defeat Omega, who has returned to the universe and is attempting to get revenge on the Time Lords for seemingly abandoning him. After Omega is seemingly destroyed, the Time Lords revoke the Third Doctor's exile, allowing him to travel freely again. He is later sent on a mission by the Time Lords during the events of the 1975 serial Genesis of the Daleks, where they request the Doctor to go back in time to the Daleks' creation in an attempt to prevent it.

The Fourth Doctor eventually returns to Gallifrey during the events of the 1976 serial The Deadly Assassin, during which he stops a plan by the Master to destroy Gallifrey in order to gain more regenerations. The Doctor again returns to Gallifrey during the 1978 serial The Invasion of Time, where the Doctor stops a dual Vardan and Sontaran invasion of Gallifrey, and later travels with a Time Lady named Romana, who was sent by the Time Lords on behalf of the White Guardian to help him in his quest to find the Key to Time. The Time Lords again appear in the 1983 serial Arc of Infinity, during which the Fifth Doctor helps stop another attempt by Omega to return from his anti-matter universe. The 1983 anniversary special The Five Doctors sees Borusa (the Doctor's old mentor, now Lord President of Gallifrey) capture several incarnations of the Doctor, as well as many of their companions and old enemies, from throughout time and space, using them to break into Rassilon's tomb so Borusa can obtain the secret to immortality. The Time Lords send the Master to help the Doctor in stopping the scheme, promising him a new set of regenerations if he co-operates. However, the Master ends up betraying the Time Lords but is eventually knocked unconscious. Borusa arrives in the tomb after the Doctors find their way in but is turned to stone by a disembodied apparition of Rassilon. Rassilon returns everyone captured by Borusa back to their proper times.

In spin-off media

Many pieces of spin-off media focus on Gallifrey, particularly in terms of the Doctor's origins on the planet. However, many of these accounts are contradictory and do not align with events portrayed in other media: For example, accounts of the Doctor's true name that they used on Gallifrey are never consistent and often are different between different forms of media. Many of these contradictory elements were explained in canon by various means, but most notably by the introduction of the Time War, which explained narrative inconsistencies by stating that the War's effects caused the events of different pieces of media to be "cancelled out". Several elements of the Time Lords' history are present across spin-off media, but are not always present in the main show. One major element was the concept of looms, which are devices used by the Time Lords to reproduce after being rendered infertile. These have been used in multiple forms of media, such as comics and novels. Another is the character of Irving Braxiatel, the Doctor's brother, who acts as a recurring character across multiple spin-off series, including in media focusing on the character of Bernice Summerfield. Other concepts that originate in spin-off media, such as the domed citadel of the Time Lords that debuted in comic strips, would later be adapted and made canon to the television series.

The spin-off media crossover event Time Lord Victorious depicts the Tenth Doctor going back in time to the Dark Times and defeating Death, which has negative consequences for the universe. The crossover event depicts Time Lords during the Dark Times, with the Daleks and many incarnations of the Doctor becoming involved in the conflict. One comic, for example, depicts a conflict between Gallifreyans, before they became Time Lords, fighting in the war against the Great Vampires, and depicts Rassilon as a field commander before they came to power. Time Lord Victorious was depicted across multiple pieces of spin-off media, including novels, audio dramas, comic strips, and real-world immersive events.

The 1997 Virgin New Adventures novel Lungbarrow depicted an execution of a planned storyline for the Classic series before its cancellation; the novel revealed the Doctor to secretly be a mythical figure in Time Lord society known as the Other. This conflicted with other novels published by BBC Books at the time, which followed the idea of the Doctor being half human. Another concept introduced in Lungbarrow was that of the Pythia, a being who, in the past of the Time Lords, rendered the Time Lords infertile, resulting in them utilising looms for reproduction.

Creation and development

Classic series

Early on in the series, the Doctor was identified as a human being; however, their home planet, which from the start of the series is explicitly established as not being Earth, was not named. Regeneration, out of universe, was introduced to replace First Doctor actor William Hartnell, who was falling into poor health. The Doctor's process of regeneration was also not initially specified, with the process being described as "renewal" and its origins unclear, not being clearly elaborated until the 1970s. Details of the Doctor's home were never specified, even when encountering another character implied to be of the same species, the Meddling Monk. Additionally, the character of the Toymaker, a god-like being who appeared in 1966's The Celestial Toymaker, was intended during the script-writing process to be a member of the Doctor's people before the Time Lords were conceived of, though this is not stated on-screen and the Toymaker's origins are left ambiguous.

The Time Lords were created for the 1969 serial The War Games, with the initial idea being brought up by producer Derrick Sherwin, who suggested the Doctor meet his own people. The idea of the Doctor belonging to another species was only vaguely brought up in the series' early days, with Sherwin stating that the inclusion of the Time Lords in this episode would either serve as a good end point if the series was cancelled, or allow the series to progress into a new format if it kept going. Elaborating on this genesis in a 2014 interview in Doctor Who Magazine, Sherwin said of The War Games, "It was a case of what shall we do, how can we end this? Let's go back to the beginning and say [the Doctor] was a Time Lord, a renegade Time Lord, a pain in the arse for the other Time Lords who stole his TARDIS and buggered off around the universe. So if he's going to be called to book let's bring in the Time Lords." In The War Games DVD commentary, Sherwin mentioned that he recalled hearing about the Time Lords at the beginning of the series, but as no one else remembered this, it "might have come out of [his] dreams". In a 2016 interview with The Essential Doctor Who magazine, Dicks mentioned how when Sherwin and he were discussing The War Games one day, Sherwin said, "He belongs to this mysterious race called the Time Lords, doesn't he?" with "everything" ultimately coming from that discussion. In an audio commentary recorded for the 2009 DVD release of The War Games, the serial's co-writer Terrance Dicks stated he believed Sherwin had created the Time Lords, though Sherwin did not remember himself. A recurring Time Lord enemy, the Master, would be introduced to the series in 1971's Terror of the Autons, serving as a foil and recurring enemy to the Doctor, characterised as the Professor Moriarty to the Doctor's Sherlock Holmes. Dicks, as well as producer Barry Letts, disliked the Doctor's exile to Earth at the hands of the Time Lords, and so used them as a plot device to get the Doctor in adventures off the planet.

Revived series

When the show was revived in 2005 following its cancellation in 1989, then-showrunner Russell T Davies decided to kill the Time Lords in a large conflict known as the Time War, which removed both them and the Daleks as established forces in the universe. Davies found the Time Lords boring, and even with rewrites to make them more human, he felt that their execution would have de-valued the narrative impact of the Time War. Davies also wished to make the Time Lords more mythological figures, wanting to distance them from being "figures of continuity". Davies envisioned the War as being a conflict so horrible that the dead were brought back to life constantly, allowing him to bring back figures like Rassilon who were previously thought dead. The Doctor would experience survivor guilt as a result of surviving the war, and the war would greatly affect the series' universe going forward. For the Time Lords' eventual return in "The End of Time" (2009-2010), Davies decided to characterise them as being corrupt figures who had evolved into monsters during the course of the war, justifying why the Doctor would have to stop their return and why he had to end the war by destroying both sides.

The return of the Time Lords in "The Day of the Doctor" (2013) was done by then-showrunner Steven Moffat, who wanted to write a special episode for the show's fiftieth anniversary that was narratively important to the Doctor's character. Wanting it to focus on a pivotal day in the Doctor's life, Moffat chose to write about the Time War, Gallifrey, and the Time Lords, and their impact on the Doctor's character, with the Doctor's saving of the Time Lords allowing the character to move on from their guilt from the war. This would eventually result in a plot thread in which the Doctor began to seek out Gallifrey following the events of this episode. Moffat eventually had the Doctor return to Gallifrey in "Hell Bent" (2015), a story which showed the Doctor at their lowest point. The story would depict not only the return of Rassilon and a character called the General, who had previously appeared in "The Day of the Doctor", but also saw an expansion on elements of the Time Lord lore, such as with the introduction of a location known as the Cloisters, a place below the Capitol that was considered dangerous by other Time Lords.

Reception and analysis

Reception

The initial decision to not make the Time Lords god-like beings in The Deadly Assassin was controversial among fans of the series at the time, as they did not like the changes made to the Time Lords' established nature. The serial would retroactively be considered one of the show's best, however. The book Who Is The Doctor 2: The Unofficial Guide to Doctor Who — The Modern Series stated that despite the Time Lords' mythic status within the show, the consistent returns to Gallifrey featured mundane presentation, which the book stated provided Time Lord stories with "diminishing returns". Literary critic John Kenneth Muir stated in the book A Critical History of Doctor Who on Television that by the end of the series, the Time Lords had become the show's biggest villains, more evil than other antagonists due to the hypocrisy of their actions. He stated that while the Time Lords wouldn't be revisited again in the Classic series following the revelation of their villainy, he believed there wasn't much room left for their characters to progress, stating "Where can you go after exposing the super race as bunch of lying, conspiratorial hypocrites?".

Writing for Radio Times, Olivia Garrett positively highlighted the decision to kill the Time Lords for the series' revival, as it allowed for the Doctor to be expanded as a character. Adi Tantimedh, writing for Bleeding Cool, similarly stated that the Time Lords' demise allowed for the Doctor to develop into a "mythic" figure on their own, while also allowing for new viewers to jump onto the show without needing to be familiar with the Time Lords' lore. Who Is The Doctor 2: The Unofficial Guide to Doctor Who — The Modern Series stated that the decision allowed the Time Lords to never disappoint audiences when they returned due to their lack of heavy involvement in the series' narrative, and that their in-universe disappearance allowed for the Doctor to gain additional emotional sympathy from the audience. Steven Cooper, writing for Slant Magazine, praised the decision to retcon the Doctor's decision to destroy the Time Lords be to also save the universe from them, as it provided greater narrative weight to the Doctor's actions. Lewis Knight, writing for Radio Times, believed the Time Lords should be brought back permanently, as the Time Lords' continued presence in the universe allowed for a greater exploration of the dynamic between them and the Doctor, as well as of Time Lord culture as a whole.

Analysis

The book Once Upon a Time Lord: The Myths and Stories of Doctor Who discussed how the depiction of the Time Lords in Doctor Who media emphasised how Romantic ideas of traditional society could be warped and distorted, as despite the Time Lords maintaining a vow of non-intervention, they are shown to be a cruel and despotic race not dissimilar from the warmongering Daleks in their actions. The book Academia and Higher Learning in Popular Culture stated that the Time Lords have a close association between the academy and their teachings of non-interference; these allusions are shown to illustrate how the Time Lords view themselves as being intellectually superior to other races, and how they look down on those below them. The paper Doctor Who and Race: Reflections on the Change of Britain's Status in the International System stated that the destruction of the Time Lords allowed for the Doctor to be symbolic of how class warfare evolved over time, as the Doctor no longer represented an "upper-class Englishman" during the show's revival as they had during the Classic era, with the rest of the Time Lords they opposed being characterised as destructive and power hungry individuals. Similarly, the Fifth Doctor's clashes with Gallifreyan society in the Classic series were considered symbolic of class struggles at the time of those episodes' airings.

The book Design for Doctor Who: Vision and Revision in Science Fiction Television analysed the usage of the Time Lords' ceremonial robes and collars in their iconography; it stated that while the costumes had proven to be cumbersome and not be taken as seriously by modern day audiences, they still continued to be retained due to their importance in the visual identity of the Time Lords, which the book stated helped unify the classic and revived series through this shared element. The paper "Gallifrey Falls No More: Doctor Who's Ontology of Time" analysed the Time Lords' role in maintaining time in the Doctor Who universe, as well as their relation to eternalism. Comparing their role as "gods" of time in the series to how eternalism treats all of time equally, the paper stated that the ability for the universe to be changed without the Time Lords' presence showed how all points in time were already set in stone, and thus the show's depiction of time fell within an eternalist perspective. A paper by the Scientific American analysed how the Time Lords' two hearts could work in real life.