Doctor Who Lorebook
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A lorebook of the popular British sci-fi TV show Doctor Who
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- #1TARDIS
Keys: Outer plasmic shell, Time Lords, Exterior, Gallifrey, Console Room, TARDIS, Console, Roundels, Interior
TARDIS — sometimes styled Tardis and Tardis, and variably also called a TT capsule, timeship or TARDIS unit — was the primary space-time vehicle used by the Time Lords of Gallifrey allowing them to travel throughout the universe. Beyond their temporal capabilities, TARDISes were known for their dimensional transcendentalism (being bigger on the inside than on the outside) and their possession of a form of consciousness.
TARDISes were incredibly complex machines. The nature of their construction was such that they were said to be grown rather than constructed, from seeds the Time Lords originally stole from the Archons. This could be done either from a seed or a cutting. This was done at the Time Travel Capsule Growth Foundry on ancient Gallifrey; the "old workshops" where TARDISes could be born were located next to the Matrix within the caldera, and were in fact the reason why the latter was typically referred to as a "kind of womb"; this was because the non-linear processes by which the timeships were born could only take place in a null space where the normal Laws of Physics did not apply.
Because computers were unable to withstand the reality-changing stress, TARDISes required morphologically unstable living organic matter, or protoplasm, for their Block Transfer Computations. The outer plasmic shell, interior configuration, and a host of other details were derived from this function, as well as possibly a TARDIS' link with the Eye of Harmony.
Sentience:
Due to the level of complexity in their construction, TARDISes had a degree of sentience, and they could even take independent action. Some advanced TARDISes were fully sentient beings in their own right. Two near TARDISes could engage in a psychic conversation, audible by the bystanders. TARDISes could also communicate feelings non-verbally.
TARDISes often "mourned" the death of their pilots, from either shutting all functions by permanently powering off, to even committing suicide by flying into a sun or hurling themselves into the Time Vortex.
Flight:
TARDISes usually moved through time and space by "disappearing there and reappearing here," a process known as "materialisation". This was controlled by a component called the dematerialisation circuit. The circuit would only work if the specific model of TARDIS was designed to use the specific model of dematerialisation circuit, or it would not work. For example, a Type-40 TARDIS, designed to use a Mark 1 Dematerialisation Circuit, would not be able to dematerialise if a Mark 2 Dematerialisation Circuit were used instead.
If a TARDIS' relativity differentiator was missing or malfunctioning, then a TARDIS could only reappear in a different location in time, and not space.
TARDISes could also fly through space like conventional spacecraft, but doing so for prolonged periods could damage the ship.
During operation, a distinctive grinding and whirring sound was usually heard.
When a TARDIS materialised, it would sometimes result in a strong wind and small tremors, enough to shake wine glasses, in the area where it appeared (this was caused by Ionisation; Particles in the air being moved around, making space).
If a TARDIS materialised in a space occupied by another object, that object would usually appear inside the TARDIS. However, if an incomplete TARDIS on an object, said object would be atomised into the air.
Conversely, a TARDIS could dematerialise while leaving its occupants behind.
Types:
TARDISes were generally referred to using the nomenclature Type X or X-form. he earliest known model of TARDIS was the Type 1, which was poorly designed, dangerous to operate, and difficult to start. Some of them had minds of their own, with a history of escaping and roaming the Universe.
There were at least 160 different numbered variants of TARDISes.
Features & functions:
Dimensionally transcendental: One of the key features of a TARDIS was that the interior existed in a dimension different from the exterior. The main application of this concept was that many were bigger on the inside than the outside, though not all were, however. This feature required use of "dimensional dams", which would leak through upon the death of a TARDIS.
Chameleon circuit: One feature of TARDISes was their ability to blend into their surroundings once they landed. If working properly, a chameleon circuit could assess the surroundings of a time and place just before arrival and change the exterior to resemble something common to that landscape.
Regeneration: Much like their pilots the Time Lords, TARDISes had the ability to regenerate if badly damaged, emerging healed and with a somewhat different appearance (both outer and inner). While it regenerated, a TARDIS would emit an easily traceable, highly characteristic artron energy signal.
Security features:
Before a TARDIS was fully functional, it needed to be primed with the symbiotic nuclei of a Time Lord's cells to create a molecular stabilisation system to protect a TARDIS' occupants against destabilisation. Once it was properly primed, it could be used safely by any species.
If a TARDIS were to be used by anyone other than its owner and his familiars, it would assault their minds, which may lead to memory loss.
When the TARDIS needed more power to take off, a series of circuits known as Architectural Configuration enabled rooms to be jettisoned to provide this power. This feature was used to escape both a gravity bubble and Event One.
When the TARDIS was under attack from physical objects, the pilot could activate siege mode. This turned the exterior into a cube etched with Gallifreyan writing and sealed the entrance.
Computer Interfaces:
TARDIS Computer interfaces included:
-
An Index File provided text-based research into all manner of subjects relevant to TARDIS pilots and crew.
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A voice interface could be requested for a variety of purposes. The TARDIS was able to communicate with its occupants using a holographic avatar.
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A device compatible with 21st century Earth DVDs was capable of reading and executing automated piloting instructions for a TARDIS. It also could burn software to CD/DVD media for use on Earth computers.
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Psychic circuits kept a TARDIS linked to its crew when they left its interior, providing translation from alien languages and perhaps other features, so long as its attending Time Lord was in good health.
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- #2Control Room
Keys: Grey Control Room, Crystalline Control room, Incomplete Coral Control Room, Copper Control Room, Victorian Parlour Control Room, Roundel Control Room, Neon Control Room, White Control Room, Console, TARDIS, Control Room, Default Control Room, Roundels, Coral Control Room
A TARDIS control room, also referred to as a console room, was any place on a TARDIS that contained a functioning control console. This flight deck also functioned as a point of exit.
Control rooms were typically circular and featured relatively open floor plans, in which the control console was vaguely, but rarely precisely, in the middle of the room. Control rooms also usually contained walls with roundels, scanners for viewing the TARDIS exterior, and fairly sparse furnishings; no known TARDIS control room allowed for the operation of the console itself from a seated position.
A control room's look could be changed over time to suit one's tastes and personality. The process by which an operator could transform a control room was fairly simple, comparable to changing a "desktop theme". On some occasions, a TARDIS was shown to manage the change itself.
Once the control room was reconfigured, the TARDIS archived the old design "for neatness", effectively "curating" a museum of control rooms, both those in the pilot's personal past and future.
The Default Control Room Appearance:
The Control Room: By default, it was a bright white room, with roundels on the walls and a large computer bank taking up a major part of the "back" wall. These computer banks contained the fault locator and various systems relating to navigational control (though, when choosing to change the interior, the large computer wall could be removed, and their controls would be moved to the console). One wall consisted of white hexagons with roundels implemented on them.
Control Console: The Default TARDIS console was a hexagonal shape with different controls on each of the six panels. In the middle is the central column time rotor, which moves up and down when the TARDIS is in flight. Most of the TARDIS functions are controlled from the console, including setting destinations, opening the main doors and operating the view screen.
Doors: Usually, the front doors were bulky, featuring triangular points near the hinges. They also have three roundels on both. Even though they look like this in the Control Room, they appear to take the appearance of the doors on the outside.
The Grey Control Room Appearance:
The Control Room: The walls of this control room were a light shade of grey, and the roundels were significantly shallower, with a yellowish-beige design mimicking the ones found within the secondary console room. Corrugated grey columns were placed in various corners of the room, and the monitor was changed to a large, flat screen beneath an aperture that opened similarly to an eye, resting between the exit and the door leading further in.
Control Console: The console remained the same as the Default version, but with a ton of modifications. The Time Rotor also changed to look like it has three small columns with lights inside (which glowed red and pink when the TARDIS was in flight), but it still moves up and down when the TARDIS is in flight.
Doors: They look similar to the ones in the Default, but they have three triangular ends that fit perfectly with the wall. They also have three roundels on both. Even though they look like this in the Control Room, they appear to take the appearance of the doors on the outside.
The White Control Room Appearance:
The Control Room: A direct evolution from the Grey interior, maintaining the identical architectural layout, the light grey walls with their yellowish-beige roundels, the corrugated support columns, and the distinctive eye-like aperture housing the main monitor on the wall, but the overall palette feels brighter and the technology noticeably more advanced and complex.
Control Console: The core hexagonal shape is now buried under a more sophisticated array of controls, with multiple panels featuring small digital readout screens amidst a denser, more confusing array of buttons and switches; the most significant upgrade is the Time Rotor, which now features a complex, layered glass structure with a small, intense red beam of light at its core, both of which glow brilliantly during flight, though the entire assembly continues to use the traditional rising-and-falling mechanism.
The Doors: The doors remain unchanged from the Grey interior era, maintaining the same structure with dark grey roundels and the triangular indentation system that fits seamlessly into the wall when closed.
The Victorian Parlour Control Room Appearance:
The Control Room Appearance: A vast, dramatic departure from any previous design, resembling a grandiose Victorian library or scientific salon more than a machine, with warm, dark wood panelling the walls and forming the floor, bookshelves, and the base of the console platform; the familiar roundels are absent, replaced by ornate grilles and classical detailing, with a sense of baroque, anachronistic elegance illuminated by soft, ambient light from green glass lamps.
Control Console: A magnificent central unit built from polished wood and brass, with control panels set into its surface featuring pressure pads, brass instrumentation, and antique switches; the most striking feature is the Time Rotor, a long, glass column that glows with a haunting lilac-blue light during flight, within which two complex mechanisms (resembling glass pipes with a thin central cylinder) move towards each other; notably, the rotor column itself is static, while the upper mechanism descends and the lower mechanism ascends to meet in the middle, all crowned by a grey, machine-like structure that connects via metallic pillars to a 1930s-style television monitor.
The Doors: A set of large, imposing doors crafted from a dark, stone-like wood, devoid of any roundels or futuristic detailing, instead featuring heavy, period-appropriate iron hinges and fixtures.
The Incomplete Coral Interior:
The Control Room Appearance: A stark, utilitarian, and seemingly unfinished chamber, with cold grey metal walls sporadically adorned with simple white roundels that provide the room's primary illumination; the space is dominated by a central platform, accessed by a small ramp with two railings, suggesting a design in its earliest stages of regeneration, functional but devoid of any comfort or aesthetic refinement.
The Console: A more circular, organic-looking console than its predecessors, constructed from beige and white coral-like or organic structures that seem both grown and built; the six control panels are separated by the thick brown coral struts and have a smooth, organic texture that glows with the organic panels glowing a soft white light when the TARDIS is powered; it is notably crowned by four brown coral pillars that arc up to connect to a circular cylinder above the Time Rotor (looking almost identical to the one in the Victorian Parlour Interior, but it glows white when in flight and has only one mechanism inside (the bottom one) that moves up and down when the TARDIS is in flight).
The Doors: The interior doors perfectly mirror the current external appearance of the TARDIS' Exterior, lacking any interior roundels and instead appearing as a direct, realistic translation of the exterior doors into the interior space, reinforcing the raw, unrefined state of this console room.
- #3Exterior
Keys: Exterior, Outer plasmic shell, TARDIS
Outer Plasmic Shell (Exterior):
An outer plasmic shell, often simply called a plasmic shell, was a TARDIS' exterior.
In a perfectly functioning TARDIS, the chameleon circuit picked a plasmic shell suitable to the time and place in which the ship landed. A TARDIS's shells were stored in the shell room; if the room had no suitable shells, more were created and stored as well. The theory in the TARDIS Handbook was that the plasmic shell was driven by the chameleon circuit.
When a TARDIS died or was dying, its final plasmic shell might grow to enormous size due to leakage of its dimensionally transcendental interior.
The TARDIS' outer plasmic shell was made from the "hardest materials in existence", making it near impervious to harm.
When in Siege Mode, the exterior can take the shape if a cube etched with Gallifreyan writing.
- #4TARDIS Control Console
Keys: , TARDIS Control Console, Dematerialisation Lever, TARDIS Console, Console
A TARDIS control console or central control console — often simply known as "the console" or the TARDIS console — controlled most of the operations of the TARDIS that allowed for manoeuvrability through time and space. It was the namesake of the room of the TARDIS in which it was found — a room alternately known as the "control room" or "console room".
Functionality:
A TARDIS control console had a wide range of functions. Chiefly, it was the device used to control a TARDIS' flight. But it also contained a variety of other devices and buttons. It could be used to open the exterior doors, control the Chameleon Circuit for the Exterior, access the TARDIS information system and vocal archive, dispense condiments, make the TARDIS invisible, eject waste tanks located further within the TARDIS, send and receive distress signals, and provide power to devices outside the TARDIS and activate loudspeakers on the Exterior of the TARDIS. Some Consoles (like the the one in the Coral Interior) came equipped with a telephone and a coffee machine.
In addition, the console could even travel in space and time by itself, independently of the rest of the TARDIS, though it lacked the power generation and supply facilities to manage more than one or two jumps before needing to be recharged. If supplied with a considerable amount of power, the console is capable of slipping into parallel universes.
It's usual hexagonal shape and control layout was attributed to a TARDIS' specification of an intended six pilots (though one could practice to fly it single-handed).
Console Panels:
The TARDIS Control Console has six panels, each with its own buttons, switches and levers dedicated to it. The panel names are: The Communications Panel, the Diagnostic Panel, the Fabrication Panel, the Helm Panel, the Mechanical Panel and the Navigations Panel.
Communications Panel:
More accurately known as the Exterior Monitor Panel, it usually has the following controls:
Analogue Cross-time Telephone: Depending on the model of the Console, it has an analogue telephone attached, which can be used to call anyone's phone number or receive distress signals.
Analogue Radio Waves Transceiver: Receives radio waves.
Atmosphere Analyser: It detects the atmosphere, whether it is safe or not, and when it's done, it'll show its statistics on the TARDIS monitor.
Audio Unit: Receives soundwaves
Chameleon Circuit Controls: It is used to change the TARDIS' outer plasmic shell (also known as the TARDIS' Exterior).
Digital Communicator
Emergency Power Booster Interface
Enviroment Governer
External Scanner Control Keyboard: Controls the scanner's view.
Gallifrey Recall Indicator: Indicates whether if the TARDIS is being recalled to Gallifrey.
Gyro-Series and Dials
HADS: Short for the Hostile Action and Defence Systems; when active, it causes the TARDIS to automatically dematerialise away from a dangerous environment when it receives damage and materialises to somewhere safer.
Scanner Switch: It turns on the TARDIS' monitor.
TARDIS Log: It logs the TARDIS's statistics.
Telescoping Microphone: It picks up audio waves coming from the exterior's surroundings when active.
Translevel Communications Systems: When active, it translates languages one doesn't understand and turns them into the language you do understand (for instance, if you speak English, in Germany, and you don't understand the German language, it'll translate it in your head, making you hear them speak English, while they hear you speaking German).
Voice Integrator
Voice Recorder: When active, it'll record any audio from the TARDIS Control Room.
Access panel for the Visual Stabilisation Circuit
Diagnostics Panel:
More accurately known as the Internal Ship Systems Panel, it has Auxiliary Support Systems. This panel usually has:
Attitude Control
Audio Unit
Auxiliary Power Control
Auxiliary Support Systems
Booster Switches
Cooling Systems
Bunsen Burner: Depending on the model of the Console, it has a built-in Bunsen burner.
Fault Locator Readout: Depending on the model of the Console, there is a small screen that detects any faults. Also, depending on the model of the console, it'd be listed on the TARDIS monitor instead.
Gravity Control: Controls the TARDIS Interior's gravity.
Life Support Systems
Mic/Water dispenser
Organic Diagnostic
Power Status: Shows the status of the TARDIS' power.
Progress lights
Access to the Power outlet
Fabrication Panel:
More accurately known as the Information Systems Panel. It usually has:
Architectural Configuration
Audio Unit
Automatic Log
Computer Readout Screen
Databank Access
Dimension Scale Control
Dimension Scale Stabilizer
Environmental Controls
Fabrication Dispenser
Harmonic Generator
Heisenberg Focusing Device
Materialize / Dematerialize Fabrication
Materialization Indicator
Power Response Dials
Radiation Detector
Sump Flush
Time Altimeter
Twin Navigational Locks
Zig-Zag Plotter
Tracker
Access to Fluid Links
Access to Banshee Circuits
Helm Panel:
More accurately known as the Dematerialisation Systems Panel it has controls for the drive systems that function when the TARDIS is dematerialised. It also has advanced navigational controls that can be brought into play during exceptional circumstances. This panel usually has:
Audio Unit
Door Switch: Opens and closes the doors. It is useful when the interior doors don't have handles on them.
Drift Compensators
Eyepiece
Guidance Systems Computer
Helmic Regulator
Internal Lighting Control
Dematerialisation Lever: The lever that controls when the TARDIS is in flight. To dematerialise, the lever has to be pulled downwards, whereas to materialise, the lever has to he pulled forwards.
Steering Mechanism: Controls the directions when the TARDIS is in manual flight.
Time Rotor Handbrake: Before the Dematerialisation lever is engaged, the TARDIS can be put in Pause-Control mode. In this mode, the TARDIS will refrain from dematerialisation even after the switch is engaged. Dematerialisation will proceed automatically as soon as the Pause-Control is cancelled. The control can be cancelled by using the console to switch it off, or by inserting the TARDIS Key into the Locking Mechanism for 20 seconds.
Time Vortex control
Tremulator Switches
Mechanical Panel:
More accurately known as the Master Control Panel, it has overrides, reprogramming, and cross-connect controls for all of the (usually automatic) TARDIS systems. This panel usually has:
Audio Unit
Central Computer
Display Dials
Door Master Control
Engine Release Lever
Dimensional Gyroscopic Stabilizer
Locking Down Mechanism: Causes all the TARDIS controls on the console (except this one) to cease functioning.
Overrides for all systems
Oxygen Control
Parallel Control Board
Power Response Dials
Telepathic Circuits
Time Path Indicator
Time Sensor
Vortex Loop
Access to the Heart of the TARDIS: Only accessible when this panel is forced open with a crazy amount of force.
Navigation Panel:
This panel contains the coordinate input controls, basic navigation and steerage systems. This panel usually has:
Astrosextant Rectifier
Atom Accelerator
Audio Unit
Auto-Log Indicator
Course Acceptance Unit
Digital Time/Place Orientation Printout
Directional Pointer
Directional Unit
Fast Return Switch: Causes the coordinates to change to the last place the TARDIS landed.
Indicator Lights
Materialization Switches
Navigation Slide Controls: Also known as the Helmic Orientators, these slide controls (some consoles have a keyboard) and binary selectors are used by the operator for setting the Space-Time Coordinates. The coordinates must take into account the motion of objects relative to a TARDIS's current location, gravity's distortion of the Space-Time Vortex, and the exact time the operator wishes to travel to.
Safety Precaution Switch
Stasis Switch
Time and Space Forward/Back Control
Vortex Position Display
- #5TARDIS Monitor
- #6Time Rotor
Keys: Time Rotor, TARDIS
The time rotor, sometimes called the time column, central column, control column, main control column or time control core, was a component in the central column of a TARDIS' control console. While a TARDIS was in flight, the rotor rose and fell, stopping when the TARDIS reached a destination. It was associated with the well-known whooshing, grinding and wheezing noise produced by the Dematerialisation circuit when the TARDIS is in flight.
The time rotor was connected to the lower engines; hence as the TARDIS moved the rotor moved accordingly. As well as signifying the TARDIS' movement, the rotor was also known to stop working when something went wrong, e.g. the rotor stopped moving as the TARDIS engines stalled. This might be rectified by thumping the console.
If the glass protecting the time rotor was damaged, a poisonous gas would come out of it until the extractor fans were activated.
- #7Dematerialisation Circuit
Keys: Dematerialisation Circuit, TARDIS
A dematerialisation circuit, sometimes shortened to demat circuit, was an essential part of a TARDIS, which enabled it to dematerialise from normal space into the Time Vortex and materialise back from it.
- #8Dimensional transcendentalism
Keys: Dimensional Transcendentalism
Dimensional transcendentalism was the state wherein an object's interior was bigger than its exterior, an effect made possible by transdimensional engineering.
- #9Artron Energy
Keys: Artron Energy, Time Vortex
Artron energy was a form of ambient radiation that existed in the time vortex.
Artron energy was named after the Time Lord Artron, who was known as one of Rassilon's great engineers. He discovered artron energy, and experimented with wielding its power to restore and to heal. Some life forms were even made of artron energy.
Properties:
Visually, artron energy resembled a sort of blue electricity. Artron energy seemed to have an odour detectable by some species, such as the Groske.
It was measured in atto-Omegas.
Nearby artron energy could be drained through use of an artron inhibitor. This would also prevent Time Lords from regenerating.
Usage:
TARDISes were powered, in part, by artron energy, with raw artron energy flowing from the Eye of Harmony.
Artron energy was rich and refined in TARDISes, vital in the running of the ships; it could run low and when down to 10% it would mean even backup power was unavailable.
Materialisation caused a massive displacement of artron energy which would help the scanners.
Within the TARDIS' generator room was an Artron Energy Capacitor.
Sources:
Living creatures: Artron energy could be found in some organisms. Artron energy was at low levels in humans but could be present at elevated levels in others. Coupling the human mind to a source of high-voltage electricity could result in a massive release of artron energy.
Artron energy would be absorbed by travelling through time, such as by travellers in a TARDIS. Exposure to background radiation in time travel can alter and enhance someone's antibodies, making them better at fighting diseases. A Dalek on the verge of death could be restored to operational status by the slightest touch from a time traveller and the touch of a time traveller could be used to activate the Time Lord-constructed Genesis Ark, which served as a dimensionally transcendental prison ship containing millions of Daleks.
TARDISes: Even touching a TARDIS could cause the passage of artron energy. A regenerating TARDIS caused a specific signature of harmless artron radiation to seep into its surroundings.
Time Lords: Time Lord minds had a supply of artron energy, harmlessly siphoned off and fed into the birthing bays of the TARDISes.
A surge of artron energy could restore the synapses, curing amnesia.
Without artron energy, a Time Lord was unable to regenerate.
- #10Time Vortex
Keys: TARDIS, Time Vortex
The Time Vortex, also known as the Time and Space Vortex, the Space-Time Vortex, sometimes simply the Vortex, and occasionally the Bifrost or the Tourbillon, was the dimensional plane where time and space met, intersecting at an angle determined by non-Euclidean geometry. Other universes had their own Vortices.
Nature:
The medium through which the TARDIS travelled was described by one account as "infinite strands of Energy that criss-crossed all Space-Time".
It existed within the 5th dimension.
It existed outside of time and the universe itself, meaning time and the Vortex that being in the Vortex constituted being "outside" of time; travellers through the Vortex were "neither connected to nor separated from time".
When one was in the Vortex, they were both nowhere and everywhere.
According to some accounts, all time travellers passed through the Vortex, often using space-time machines including TARDISes and vortex manipulators to achieve "time-flight".
History:
According to one source, the Vortex was built by the Time Lords as a transdimensional spiral that connected all points in space and time to allow them to travel through time and space and to control it. By other accounts, it existed before the Gallifreyans had control over time.
The Vortex nevertheless did exist in Interstitial space, which surrounded and separated every space/time event.
Millions of years of exposure to the Time Vortex via the Untempered Schism was in part responsible for the Gallifreyans becoming Time Lords.
Inhabitants:
Though seemingly chaotic, the Vortex was in actuality an ordered environment. Native life in the time vortex included the Reapers, the Chronovores, Pantophagens, Vortisaurs, the Time Roaches, the Time Vortex leeches, the Vormatoda and its child, transcendental beings like the Great Old Ones, Eternals and the Guardians of Time.
Other stuff:
Just as interstitial time was an envelope of non-space, non-time underlying the "real" universe, the Vortex was composed of "no-time" and "no-space", described as "interdimensional non-space".
Travelling through the vortex without a capsule of some kind could prove harmful to humans and Gallifreyans alike.
- #11Regeneration
Keys: Regeneration, Regeneration Energy, Grace Period, Lindos
Regeneration, also known as renewal, was the biological process of "molecular readjustment", by which Time Lords (and others who have this ability) renewed themselves, causing a complete physical and often psychological change.
It commonly happens when they're close to death like severe illnesses, radiation poisoning, fatal injuries, old age etc, but could also be invoked by choice, voluntarily or not.
Conversely, regeneration could be prevented by choice, although choosing not to regenerate from fatal damage was an act of suicide. However, they could delay the change in appearance by entering their Grace Period (which is essentially holding it in), though doing this for long periods of time isn't a good idea, because it could be fatal if held long enough (the time it could be held depends on what caused it). Precise damage to the person's body could also cause a delay in the regeneration from starting. It is possible for them to die if they are prevented from regenerating, like another fatal blow to their body.
The workings of regeneration:
Time Lords (and those who have this ability) release massive amounts of a hormone called lindos in moments of extreme trauma, and it is this hormone which triggers regeneration. When one has newly regenerated, they could be identified by elevated levels of lindos in their system.
It is said that those with the ability to regenerate have "packets" of regeneration energy in their body, one for each life. These packets could be physically removed from a person's body, essentially robbing them of their regenerations.
During regeneration, a Time Lord experienced a surge of pure regenerative energy, as their entire system was rewritten and moulded into a new shape, with their very biodata being rewritten in the fabric of space-time.
Process of regeneration:
During regeneration, a person's body could shine with milky white light, a swirl of rainbow colours, or no colours, a crackle with electricity, appear to be engulfed in flames, or most commonly, discharge golden energy, which could vary in speed and intensity from being brief and contained to explosive and capable, in extreme circumstances, of causing damage to the nearby area. In other cases, there was no apparent energy discharge at all, just a fade away to the next incarnation.
Physical and mental change:
During regeneration, there were the genetic equivalents of "bit errors" in the DNA of the regenerating cells. The Time Lord (and those with this ability) would change in appearance, height, mass or apparent age (for instance, the person could regenerate to look older, even when they regenerated from an incarnation that looked younger, which can also happen the other way round). The personality would also change; even the cells and chemistry of the brain regenerated, although their blood type would remain the same in all their lives. Allergies and dominant limbs could also change between regenerations. The basic personality traits remain unchanged throughout all their lives, but the balance of said traits could be affected by regeneration.
While most regenerations caused the person to take on an entirely new appearance, it seemed that in very rare circumstances, they could regenerate into previous appearances.
Generally, most newly regenerated Time Lords appeared physically younger than their preceding incarnations; however, this was not alway the case.
Despite the apparent changes in physical age, observers could identify younger incarnations of the person by looking into their eyes.
Regeneration could also change a person's biological sex and skin colour.
It is possible to regenerate into forms that aren't humanoid (for example, you could regenerate from looking human to looking like an anthropomorphic bird).
After-effects:
Regeneration mixed up the synapses in the brain, sometimes resulting in negative after-effects. During the first few hours of the regeneration, a person could suffer from confusion, erratic behaviour, extended periods of unconsciousness, impaired motor control, muscle spasms that could happen at random, energy deficiency (which usually leads to an increased appetite), or temporary memory loss.
Upon regenerating, someone could not know what kind of person they'd become until they've experienced things not long afterwards.
Even after the physical transformation, changes could occur, such as temporarily enhanced strength, the hair barely noticeably changing in length and excessive tiredness.
However, this was not a certainty, as it seemed that sleep would help someone recover from post-regenerative delirium.
Forced regenerations could also result in Time Lords losing some of their skills or memories in various incarnations. Some could be as minor as not being able to make something they could before, to as much as mentally regressing to their previous incarnations.
Sometimes, the person is able to regenerate with little or no overt complications.
After a while, the person's body would settle down, though they could regrow lost limbs within the first fifteen hours of the regeneration due to residual energy.
Limitations:
A person could die permanently if killed "again" at the right time during the regenerative process.
Artron energy was crucial to the regenerative process, meaning somdone could be unable to regenerate if they did not have any artron energy in their body. The regenerative process could also be destroyed by acid or by exposures to substances, such as anaesthetics made for anothers species but toxic to theirs.
Certain energy weapons could also prevent the regenerative process.
Certain injuries only had a chance of causing regeneration if left untreated, and some injuries were so serious that they could not be treated by regeneration.
According to some accounts, the regenerative process could only kick in when the body was still alive to some extent; as a result, final deaths could occur too quickly for the body to regenerate.
Regenerative cycle:
By default, the person with the ability to regenerate usually had a limited cycle of twelve regenerations, consisting of thirteen incarnations, after which they would suffer a permanent death, except insofar as their minds, uploaded to the Matrix, lived on as Matrix Lords.
The Time Lords of the High Council could also grant one a new regeneration cycle if they've expended their original one.
Aside from being granted a new cycle, there were other ways to gain regenerations. Having used up all of his natural regenerations.
Despite not being able to regenerate any further, a person in their final incarnation retained a small amount of regeneration energy, just enough to mend broken bones once.
Control over regeneration:
Generally, the regenerative process triggered itself when a Time Lord (or those with this ability) was too badly injured to survive; however, in some cases, they've exercised control over the process. When badly injured without actually sustaining regeneration-inducing injuries, the regenerative platelets in someone's blood could activate to accelerate their ability to heal, allowing them to recover from serious injuries more quickly than a human would.
The degree of control that someone had over their new appearance was unclear. It could be from their final thoughts before regeneration, learning how to control their appearance during the change or others. When it came to changing sexes during regeneration, however, a Time Lord had no say in the matter, unless the regeneration was triggered willingly.
Usually, the appearance the person takes on after regeneration is, by default, at random.
While skilled Time Lords could choose their new form with a voluntarily induced regeneration, the process could go horribly wrong and leave the Time Lord in a severely misshapen body. This problem could be exacerbated by the Time Lord immediately starting another regeneration instead of obtaining medical assistance, amplifying the defects in the regeneration. The end result of these abortive regenerations was inevitably a mutated monstrosity that could only be put out of its misery by complete disintegration.
In cases where someone could not choose their new appearance, it appeared that their bodies still had some degree of natural "control" over the forms they would take upon regenerating.
The Sisterhood of Karn had elixirs that could trigger and control regeneration in a Time Lord who was dying and unable to regenerate normally or, in extreme cases, already dead. These elixirs could determine traits to be held by the new incarnation, such as appearance, sex, apparent age, and personality.
With effort, someone could resist regeneration, effectively committing suicide.
There was a period of time that he called "a state of grace" (or simply, the Grace Period) when a dying Time Lord could resist regeneration for a period of time without consequence and was restored to full strength. During this period of time, the Time Lord had to choose whether or not they would ultimately regenerate or else they would grow weaker as time passed by. At this period's end, the Time Lord would either regenerate or die permanently.
Avoiding the change:
A person could avoid the change of appearance and personality caused by regeneration by focusing the regenerative energies into a "bio-matching receptacle" (for instance, their severed hand), siphoning the excess energy into said part so they get to heal themself, but not enough energy to change their appearance. However, this could cost them a full regeneration, so this isn't common.
- #12Regeneration Energy
Keys: Regeneration, Regeneration Energy
Regeneration energy, also known as regenerative energy or Time Lord energy, was the energy produced as a product of regeneration.
A Time Lord typically had enough natural energy to regenerate twelve times which gave them their thirteen lives, although the High Council could provide an individual with another cycle of energy should they desire.
Appearance:
Regeneration energy was typically golden in appearance, but it could occasionally be a bright ray of colours instead. It could also take the form of electricity. The energy could also be golden and blue in colour at the same time.
It occasionally trickled from the hand as a sign of imminent regeneration, varying from barely noticeable to clearly visible. It also flowed from other parts of the body, typically the face, head and neck or sometimes the feet. Sometimes, it could not yield any noticeable display of regeneration energy, merely transitioning from one body to the next or to a cocooned state between.
Regeneration energy, as it engulfed the regenerating individual, would sometimes emit a high-pitched trill.
Power:
The energy itself was quite powerful, typically encouraging those nearby to back away, and could cause significant amounts of damage if volatile enough. It could also be used as a self-defence weapon.]
Pain:
The energy also sometimes brought the Time Lord regenerating extreme pain (though whether this is due to the energy itself, the ailment which initiated the regeneration, or limited full-body regenerations is unclear).
Residual energy:
After regeneration, the energy is in excess for roughly fifteen hours, giving the person the ability to restore lost limbs if it has been chopped off within that time. It can also give them the ability to fall from great heights and not receive any injuries or concussion from the landing, or heal any wounds gained within that fifteen-hour limit. It can also be harmlessly expelled in small amounts from the mouth and sometimes the hands for a while after regeneration.
The energy was capable of creating an entirely new individual based on the Time Lord who produced it.
The energy could also be conjured for use without the need to regenerate, though doing so was considered inadvisable because it could have repercussions on future regenerations.
Other uses:
Essence of a Time Lord: When a Time Lord used a Chameleon Arch to turn themselves into another species while sealing away their memories and their Time Lord sense of self in a biodata module, the essence of the Time Lord within the module would take the form of the golden regeneration energy. It would be observed to stream back into the Chameleon Arch user when the biodata module was eventually opened, through the eyes or the entire face.
As a food source: The alien race known as the Ravenous evolved to feed on regeneration energy, due to its similarity to the Kolstani's native food source, artron energy. (AUDIO: Day of the Master) This made them the predator of the Time Lords.
Medical: Regeneration Energy was offered on Gallifrey to Time Lords who were suffering illnesses or who had been hurt. They would be taken to the regeneration bay at the the Capitol where they would be treated to stimpaks containing the Regeneration Energy to help them recover.
- #13Gallifrey
Keys: Gallifrey, Time Lords
Gallifrey, the orange planet located in the constellation of Kasterborous, is well known as the homeworld of the Time Lords, one of the oldest and most mighty races in the Universe.
Location:
Gallifrey was located in the constellation of Kasterborous at galactic coordinates 10-0-11-0-0/0-2 from Galactic Zero Centre. It is often stated that Gallifrey is between 30,000 to 250 million light-years away from Earth.
Alongside its physical location, the Homeworld also occupied a unique place in the structure of history, an exclusive time stream from which history could be observed. While some accounts indicate this anomalous status always existed, influencing ancient Gallifreyan connections to time, and was merely hastened by the Eye of Harmony, another indicated it was created during the anchoring of the thread, when the planet was removed from the Spiral Politic and re-engineered into a biodata-enabled receiver and processor of information, becoming the central node of history.
Astronomical data:
Worldline: Gallifrey itself was protected by a complex temporal defence, its worldline twisted and warped through all eleven dimensions to hide it from Enemy attack.
Size: Gallifrey was several times larger than Earth; however, according to another account, Gallifrey is roughly the same size as Earth.
Star System: Gallifrey was in a binary star system. The second star seemed to rise in the East in the morning, making the mountains glow, and both set in the South. The main star was large and golden red. On one account, it was believed that Gallifrey had not been part of a binary system, but had been retroactively engineered into one by He-of-Many-Epithets as a precaution during the 'War against the vampires': the interaction of the orbital patterns of the two suns created a shifting "interference pattern" in the daylight which meant that even vampires resistant to ordinary sunlight could not walk on the Homeworld without burning. Because of these "mad orbital mechanics", the planet had "an unconventional day-night terminator."
In one reality, Gallifrey and Earth shared the same gravity, the same distance from the same type of sun and with it the same length of day and year, a fact which fascinated the Time Lords.
It was located in one of Earth's twelve Zodiac signs.
The system contained five other planets, among them Karn, Reave, and Polarfrey, as well as an asteroid named Kasterborous the Fibster.
Gallifrey had at least two large moons and a ring system, similar to Saturn in Earth's solar system. One of the moons was the copper-coloured Pazithi Gallifreya, which shone so brightly it could be seen during the day.
Landscape:
From orbit, the planet's surface appeared mostly barren, with only a few visible buildings. Its landscape was rust-coloured, with brown lakes and grey clouds. Following the Last Great Time War, it was still rust and brown coloured but had a more volcanically active appearance.
The trees on Gallifrey had silver leaves.
Gallifrey boasted snow-capped slopes of red grass, with the silver trees reflecting in the morning sunlight, making it look like the forests were on fire.
There were also green forests, golden fields, and red deserts, but overall, it was a much drier world than Earth.
According to one account, Gallifrey's climate is said to be "like the Serengeti all year round".
There was also a river called Lethe.
The wastelands around the Capitol were referred to as "outer Gallifrey" by the Time Lords.
Most of the mountainous southern hemisphere had a fierce and wintry landscape.
The sky during the day resembled that of Earth's blue sky. As such, the shift from night to day (and vice versa) appeared to be half orange and half blue.
Known geographical features:
The Citadel of the Time Lords was located on the continent of Wild Endeavour.
The Drylands were on Gallifrey, typically the area where, according to Rassilon, "nobody who mattered" lived.
The Death Zone was an area used as a battleground in which Time Lords would watch other species fight to the death. Although these battles were stopped by Rassilon, the Death Zone remained and later became home to the Tomb of Rassilon.
Arcadia was Gallifrey's second city.
There was also a mountainous region known as South Gallifrey, which was outside the territory of the Great Houses.
Mount Cadon was also known as Mount Lung and Mount Plutarch.
The Citadel of the Time Lords was located in the mountains of Solace and Solitude.
Other mountains on Gallifrey included Mount Peridition and the Mountain of Serenity.
There were at least two known rivers and more than two lakes: the Cadonflood River, the Lethe River, the Lakes of Iridescence, Lake Calasper, and Lake Abydos. Less than half of Gallifrey's surface was covered with water.
Some crystals were found only on Gallifrey, including White-Point Star diamonds and Kyfred Gems.
Relationship with the Time Lords:
A Time Lord had a deep, almost metaphysical bond with their planet; as one account put it, "to any Time Lord, Gallifrey [was] a part of [their] very being". Renegade Time Lords who left the planet still tended to hold a distant hope or intent of someday returning to their homeworld; it was thought that "permanent exile was death of the soul", and a death sentence would be more merciful on a Time Lord criminal than permanent exile from Gallifrey.
- #14The Capitol
Keys: The Citadel, Time Lords, Capitol, Time Lord, Gallifrey, The Capitol, The Citadel of the Time Lords
Capitol was the home of the Time Lords on Gallifrey and the capital city of the planet. It was also known as the Citadel of the Time Lords or simply the Citadel.
Geography:
The Capitol stood in the mountains of Solace and Solitude on the continent of Wild Endeavour. It was built over a great caldera within which time had special properties, a kind of "null-zone" at the centre of the meta-structure of history. It was enclosed by the glass Capitol Dome resting on a large, vertical beam, with a wheel-like structure securing it while it overlooked other complexes on a lower level.
At least two shanty towns existed just outside of the Capitol's dome, named Low Town and MidTown, which were inhabited by Gallifrey's poor and the Outsiders. Low Town led directly into the "Outlands" or drylands, while MidTown was on a mountainside overlooking the Capitol.
Under the Capitol, there were structures or settlements called New Towns, inhabited by Gallifreyan "commoners." (PROSE: Verdigris) An undercity existed beneath the Capitol.
Locations:
The Panopticon was the main room of the Capitol, where the Eye of Harmony was secretly kept far below.
The High Council met in the Capitol. There was a transmat system that linked to the Council's room to the Death Zone.
The Tower of Canonicity and Likelihood lorded over the northern part of the Capitol.
The Vaults were located underneath the Capitol. The Vaults contained the ruins of the original Capitol, a graveyard for TARDISes, which housed the Matrix and Cloister Bells. Surrounding the Vaults were ducts and service ways dating from the Old Time.
There was a repair shot in the Capitol in the Capitol; among the items there were TARDISes.
Layout:
Sector 1's main tower housed the Panopticon, a vast hexagonal chamber in which great events of state were held. Elsewhere in the tower was the Capitol Museum, where the symbols of presidential office were on display, along with examples of every kind of robe of state, from the President and the Gold Usher to the Chapter Cardinals.
Sector 2 was the political heart of the Capitol, housing an enormous assembly room for meetings of the full High Council, a conference room for the Inner Council and other small gatherings, and the President's office.
Sector 3 was entirely dedicated to the Chancellor and the Chancellery Guard.
Sector 4 contained the Castellan's office, the courtrooms, and the Security Compound, which itself comprised detention rooms, interrogation cells, and several execution rooms, most of which were officially disused.
Sector 5 comprised hundreds of libraries, records rooms and archive stores.
Sector 6, which housed the various Chapters of the Time Lord Academy and the main force-field control area for the transduction barrier that shielded Gallifrey, was the largest structure in the Capitol after the Panopticon.
Sector 7 was dominated by the Communications Tower, from which Space Traffic Control and Temporal Control monitored and logged every passing vessel in Gallifrey's vicinity. It was also rumoured to be the site of Gallifrey High Command's War Room, together with an extraction chamber — although the existence of such chambers was officially denied.
Finally, Sector 8 was home to the Time Travel Capsule landing bays and an array of repair shops. Below the repair shops was an area known as the TARDIS Graveyards, where TARDISes that reached the end of their lifespans were despatched.
Somewhere in the citadel, a set of chambers were allocated to the Celestial Intervention Agency, but no one outside the Agency knew exactly where those chambers were.
Deep beneath the Panopticon were the Panopticon Vaults, where the Eye of Harmony was kept. Deeper still were the Cloisters, the physical location of the Matrix, guarded by the Cloister Wraiths. Finally, buried near the very core of Gallifrey were the Time Vaults, where all the forbidden weapons of the Omega Arsenal were locked away.
Deep beneath the Panopticon were the Panopticon Vaults, where the Eye of Harmony was kept. Deeper still were the Cloisters, the physical location of the Matrix, guarded by the Cloister Wraiths. Finally, buried near the very core of Gallifrey were the Time Vaults, where all the forbidden weapons of the Omega Arsenal were locked away.
The Old Harbour was an old city within the Capitol dome. It contained the ancient Oldharbour Clock, which loudly tolled the time and could be heard throughout the eastern part of the Citadel and even through the Citadel wall.
- #15Time Lords
Keys: Regeneration, the Matrix, Time Lords, Time Lord, Gallifrey, The High Council, TARDIS
The Time Lords, also known by many other names, were inhabitants of the planet Gallifrey, most famous for the creation and attempted monopolisation of time travel technology. They created and upheld the Laws of Time after establishing the Web of Time to keep the universe "rational".
Time Lords were sensitive to timelines, being able to see "all that is, all that was, all that ever could be," but also "what must not [be]". They had an instinctive urge to stay away from events that would always happen. They were seen as immortal, or nearly so, partially due to their ability to regenerate. They had a great place in the mythologies and cultures of other civilisations, being outright called "the Gods" by several species.
The ancient Time Lords were known to take part in battles and conflicts, often helping to hunt species known to be dangerous. One of the last of these was a war against the Great Vampires, which was so long and bloody that they turned against violence in general. For at least part of their history, the Time Lords adhered to a strict policy of non-interference. Despite their attempts to keep up an appearance of being uninterested in the affairs of others, they still sent discreet missions where other Time Lords would act on their behalf.
Life Cycle:
Gallifreyans began life as ova similar to Earth mammals. Time Lords could also be born from individual Family Looms, machines that operated on genetic banks that would weave random patterns until forming a new person. According to some accounts, the commonness of Looms rendered traditional family units redundant for Time Lords.
Female Time Lords were also referred to as Time Ladies.
Biological sex and gender could change from one regeneration to another.
Young Gallifreyans were known as Time Tots, loomlings, or simply, children. Some Time Tots were loomed. In many cases, their life cycle seemed to include a phase similar to human childhood. Like human children, Gallifreyan children slept in cribs. Children were entertained with nursery rhymes and stories such as Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday. There were specialised books for Gallifreyan children, including Every Gallifreyan Child's Pop-Up Book of Nasty Creatures From Other Dimensions. Many Time Lords were once physically children and at least some lived in homes with others of their own gender before going off to join the Academy or the army. Many Time Lords were loomed as full grown adults.
Time Lords considered themselves to be children until they were about at least 200 years old, although 200-year-old Time Lords were considered "boys" and referred to as Junior Time Lords. They could live for hundreds of years before regenerating. Time Lords could live for around ten thousand years before regenerating.
Time Lords, once they had reached old age, were allowed to leave Gallifrey and retire on another planet, though this was very rarely done.
Time Lords had some control over their own deaths; some would elect a specific "Death-Day," which would allow them time to read their will to their family in their ancestral home, to die after a time of contemplation and acceptance, and then to have their mind transferred to the Matrix.
When a Time Lord eventually died with their regenerations exhausted, they could release one last burst of regeneration energy, which would see their last body vanish, leaving only the clothing they had been wearing. Sometimes, the deceased Time Lord's body could just turn into an embodiment of their time stream; however, one had to will this to happen prior to death, and if a Time Lord's death did leave behind a body, it was considered necessary to destroy their corpse soon afterwards. This was because, by harvesting the body, one could gain the ability to regenerate and cheat death.
Once they had died, a Time Lord's mind and experiences were usually uploaded to the Matrix on Gallifrey. Though usually confined to this virtual world, some of the deceased Time Lords would again walk the material plane in the form of the mechanical Cloister Wraiths, and although Time Lords were connected to the Matrix throughout their lives, the Time Lords also had a rite called Soul Catching, which was done to dying Time Lords before they were assimilated into the Matrix. This allowed them to assimilate their memories before they died.
Culture:
It has been stated that half of the Time Lords were "crazy or corrupt," while the other half were "duller than you could possibly imagine", but there are those who are kind and peaceful out there.
It has also been stated that Time Lords were a rather conservative bunch and did not like change, with the minds of deceased Time Lords in the Matrix — the Matrix Lords — somehow even more conservative and dismissive.
During the Last Great Time War, Gallifrey experienced a major cultural change with a focus on war. Their change was so great that they were just as bloodthirsty as the Daleks in battle. Amid the final siege of Gallifrey, the High Council of the Time Lords even approved the Ultimate Sanction, which would have seen the rest of creation destroyed.
Art:
Time Lords appreciated music, as indicated by such artefacts as the Harp of Rassilon. They also appreciated art, although painting on Gallifrey was done by computer. Time Lord art, known as stasis cubes, were unique in that they were in 3D, as they acted as snapshots of a single moment in time. This meant that they could be used as rudimentary time travel, by freezing a person inside a painting and then letting them out at the required point in time.
Education:
One of the major institutions of the Time Lords was the Time Lord Academy. It was split up into Chapters, each identified by its distinctive colours. The subjects at the academy ranged from the study of cosmic science to Veteran and Vintage Vehicles to Gallifreyan flutterwings.
Children began instruction at the Time Lord Academy, at the age of 8, in a special ceremony. The Gallifreyans would be forced to look into the Untempered Schism, which showed the entirety of the Time Vortex and the power that the Time Lords had. The Gallifreyans subjected to its terrifying effects would react differently: "Some would be inspired, some would run away, and some would go mad." They would then spend "centuries" studying at the Academy.
Time Lords took a variety of classes at the Time Lord Academy of which one was recreational mathematics, which included the study of Happy prime numbers.
For reasons unknown to Time Lords, a mammoth that fell on and killed a Cro-Magnon became a fixed point. Videos of the event were played for young Time Lords "as a sort of learning experience."
Sometimes, young Time Lords used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery, which emitted low levels of roentgen radiation that wasn't dangerous to them.
Food and sustenance:
Gallifreyan physiology provided for a diet similar to the human one, including fruit and flesh, but the Time Lords had long lost the habit of feeding on raw or complex food (Freeze-dried pills were employed instead). Fruit and meat would be eaten on formal occasions, such as holidays, Name Days of Family and Death Days. Such food included fish, Trumpberries, Magenta Fruits and Pig Rats. A Time Lord's tastes - similar to their appearance and mannerisms - were greatly influenced by their regeneration, altering which food and drink they preferred and even which ones they could no longer tolerate. With an enhanced sense of one's internal state and advanced knowledge of chemistry, a Time Lord could - via smell and taste - identify chemical substances and even what chemicals were needed in the body to alter a physical condition.
Dress:
At events like the resignation of a Lord President, Time Lords who attended wore long robes in bright colours. The different colours signified the Chapter that each Time Lord belonged to: Prydonians wore robes of scarlet and orange; Arcalians wore green; Patrexes wore heliotrope; Scendeles robes changed from light pink to a darker shade of red; Dromeians wore grey, black and silver; and Ceruleans wore subdued blue colours. In addition, most high-ranking Time Lords donned a decorative headdress and crest, complete with a scarlet cap. A Time Lord historian speculated that, while the elaborate robes had originally been meant for grand occasions, Rassilon's obfuscated legacy had caused their meaning to be lost and they had become everyday dress.
During the time when the Time Lords acted as the interventionist Gods of Minyos, early in their history, they wore golden robes with fine crystalline, organic-looking ornaments, most strikingly on their headdressess.
In the Time War, Gallifreyan residents of the Capitol and Arcadia, including children and the military, wore red clothes. This was mimicked in the scarlet dress of military and government officers.
Of those Time Lords seen repeatedly visiting other worlds, they tended to adopt the local dress of their preferred destination.
Romance:
Due to the fact that a Time Lord could unwillingly swap genders with regeneration, the Time Lords were less concerned about gender roles, despite still calling themselves Lords. Missy once explained that Time Lords were not like animals which were obsessed with sex and mating.
Politics:
The Sixth Doctor once lambasted his people for their corruption. In his speech, he declared that their "ten million years of absolute power" made Time Lord society into one that was "decadent, degenerate and rotten to the core".
Domain:
The Time Lords ruled from the planet Gallifrey, where they would watch the workings of the universe. Though they once had a mighty empire during the Dark Times, the empire collapsed after the fall of the Pythia.
Time Lords were originally flexible about manipulating the outcome of certain moments in history. However, they eventually came to fear the consequences of their meddling, noticing how dangerously a change to time could backfire. It became clear that the race had been too reckless when the Time Lords helped the Minyans evolve faster, but found the results disastrous; this led to their non-interference policy.
The Time Lords were said to have control over much of the structure of the universe. They had set up the Web of Time and controlled the entire Spiral Politic, up until the edge of their noosphere at the frontier in time. They fixed paradoxes and allowed travel between parallel universes. After the near-extinction of the Time Lords during the Last Great Time War, these processes were in flux.
Government:
The Time Lords were led by the High Council. The Council consisted of the Lord or Lady President, the Lord or Lady Chancellor (or High Chancellor), the Castellan and Lords Cardinal. Collectively, the Lord President and his or her closest associates from the ruling Houses were called "the Presidency".
The "three most superior Time Lords" held the title of First Time Lord, Second Time Lord and Third Time Lord, with these three most powerful members of the High Council being known as "the Inner Council". The Lord President was the most powerful member of the Council and had near absolute authority, and used a link to the Matrix, a vast computer network containing the knowledge and experiences of all past generations of Time Lords, to set Time Lord policy and remain alert to potential threats from lesser civilisations. The Lord or Lady Chancellor was next in power and handled many of the government functions. The Castellan controlled the Chancellery Guard and therefore the safety of Gallifrey.
The rest of the High Council was made up of the Lords Cardinal, which represented the various Gallifreyan Chapters. There was at least one Cardinal Prime.
During the Last Great Time War, the Visionary was also a member of the council. She acted as a prophet, recording the future, but only with vague predictions written on paper.
During the War in Heaven, the War Council seemingly replaced the High Council, debating plans for House Military advances under the supervision of the War King.
In the Last Great Time War, the War Council, also known as Gallifrey High Command, were a separate entity from the High Council.
During the War in Heaven, Gallifreyan civil servants were all equipped with a psychic tripwire to prevent them from revealing confidential information. Should any of this information be revealed, the tripwire was triggered, leading to the civil servant suffering a psychic seizure, leading to eventual death.
Justice:
The protection of the Time Lords was carried out by the Chancellery Guard. They protected the Capitol, investigated crimes and captured criminals. More secretive or questionable matters were handled by the Celestial Intervention Agency, which was created to be a covert arm of the High Council to safeguard the Time Lords' interests. Much of what they did went against the official non-interference policy, leading them to use agents such as the Doctor, an unofficial practitioner of the unofficial Gallifreyan policy, whose connection to Gallifrey's rulers could be reasonably doubted.
There were two forms of illegal intervention, both punishable by vaporisation. A Class One was affecting the material properties of a planet, such as axial rotation. A Class Two was when a Time Lord claimed themselves to be a god on a planet.
There were a number of punishments known to be issued by the Time Lords, such as:
-
Forced regeneration (for severe crimes, like breaking the non-interference policy).
-
Exile (which would leave them with a non-functioning TARDIS if they have one).
-
Removal of any remaining regenerations.
-
Vaporisation (a form of execution).
-
Dematerialisation (another for of execution, which is basically being wiped from existence entirely).
-
Stand in place and cover their eyes like "the Weeping Angels of old".
Leisure:
Young Time Tots were known to keep rovies as pets. Stories of the Shakri were told to the young ones to keep them fearful of doing anything that might get their species eliminated. They were also told fairy tales involving a mythical race known as the Toclafane.
Academy students sometimes played a dangerous game called "Eighth Man Bound". The multidimensional game of Perigosto, played with a ball and a specialised Perigosto stick, was also a favourite, as was a complicated board game called Sepulchasm.
During a darker, more barbarous time in the planet's past, Time Lords enjoyed watching time-displaced individuals fight to the death in a dedicated area called the Death Zone, but that practice had been entirely abandoned.
Science and technology:
The Time Lords were superlatively advanced in many fields of science, including mathematics, biology. chemistry and physics to such an extent that, when at Poseidon, Director Jessop regarded any species that had a grasp on science, like a Time Lord, to be on par with the gods.
Even the Daleks, the rival race of the Time Lords, respected their foes' scientific genius, eager to exploit the genius of a Time Lord, and acknowledging that Time Lord technology could perform feats beyond Dalek science. The Time Lords themselves however noted that some aspects of Dalek technology, such as the New Dalek Empire's magnetron, were superior to their Time Lord counterparts.
Transport:
The most characteristic technology used by the Time Lords was their time travel technology of the TARDISes. The TARDIS was derived from the early Gallifreyan technology of the Time Scaphe. The most characteristic technology used by the Time Lords was their time travel technology of the TARDISes. The TARDIS was derived from the early Gallifreyan technology of the Time Scaphe. The TARDISes were one of the few types of technology that was updated, from the obsolete Type 40 to the more advanced Type 57, along with the Type 70 and the humanoid Type 103.
Battle TARDISes and War TARDISes also existed.
The Celestial Intervention Agency used time stations, large high-powered TARDISes, as mobile bases of command. A Class 7C station was used during the investigation of anti-time.
During the Eternal War, the Time Lords developed the bowship to use against the Great Vampires. They were later used in the Last Great Time War, including at the Fall of Arcadia.
The Celestial Intervention Agency operated a space station, Space Station Zenobia. The station was capable of being relocated and of creating time corridors and was equipped with a Seventh Door to the Matrix.
One of the newer technologies developed were the Time Rings. These Time Rings were small devices attached around the wrist, allowing a person to travel through time without being in a time machine. They could also be made as small as finger rings that could be touched together to enable time travel.
The Time Lords also possessed a form of portal technology that could be used for rapid troop deployment.
Stellar manipulation:
The Time Lords had the capability to control and use the power of stars. It is even said that Time Lords "invented" Black Holes. When he threatened Ra and the Ship of a Billion Years with the 59th Time Fleet, the War King said that solar engineering was one of the Great Houses' first great achievements. Faction Paradox's propaganda alleged that it was Gallifreyan experiments with black holes that had first unleashed the Great Vampires.
Using the Hand of Omega (which is a stellar manipulator in the shape of an old and long chest that could lift itself), the Time Lords could speed up the development of stars. One such star had been exploded but its development into a black hole had been frozen, trapped in a permanent state of decay and was kept either under the Panopticon as the Eye of Harmony to power the civilisation of the Time Lords, or in TARDISes to use as their power source.
Weaponry and defences:
In ancient times, the Time Lords created powerful weapons and defences such as the De-mat Gun, which could erase its target from history, and Validium, a living metal considered the ultimate defence. The disciples of Omega spent four generations installing the transduction barriers around Gallifrey, which kept the planet slightly out of phase with the rest of the universe and contained four barriers designed to stop outsiders.
The "last work of the ancients of Gallifrey" was the Moment, known as the "galaxy eater", a superweapon so advanced its operating system became sentient, developing a conscience. The Moment was stored in the Omega Arsenal amongst many other forbidden weapons, such as the Tear of Isha, anima device, and the Orphaned Hour.
Despite being one of the most powerful species in the universe, the Time Lords had little in the way of defences, and their conventional warfare technology was lagging behind many other civilisations. Few Time Lords, even Chancellery Guards, had any real combat experience. This may be due in part to the transduction barrier, which was almost completely impenetrable by outside forces, or their general policy of non-interference.
The most common sidearm used by Time Lords were stasers, which were carried by the Chancellery Guards and Time Lord soldiers during the Last Great Time War. Stasers fired a type of directed energy, which was relatively harmless to inorganic matter but caused massive tissue disruption to living creatures. They also had a stun setting.
Another sidearm used by the Time Lords was the Lord President's personal security sidearm. This gun had no stun setting and a single shot from it would immediately force a regeneration in any Time Lord shot with it.
Miscellaneous technology:
Some other Time Lord technology included the Matrix, the Genesis Ark and the Chameleon Arch.
The Time Lords developed a chemical that could turn vertebrate blood into acid, but it was eventually banned.
Rassilon also invented Gallifrey's genetic looms, the devices used to birth new Gallifreyans after the Pythia's curse.
Non-Gallifreyan Time Lords:
There are many records of Time Lords who were either completely or partially not Gallifreyan.
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- #16Gallifreyans
Keys: Gallifreyan, Gallifrey, Time Lords, Time Lord
The Gallifreyans, also known as the Homeworlders, were the original humanoid species native to the planet Gallifrey. Already a proud spacefaring civilisation with pretensions to godhood, who sometimes called themselves the Space Lords of Gallifrey, they were granted the power of time travel and regeneration thanks to Rassilon and Omega's creation of the Eye of Harmony, and became the Time Lords.
The majority of Time Lords were genetically Gallifreyans, since they arose from the species; they considered themselves to be the elite of Gallifreyan society, as only a select few bloodlines had been granted the privilege of becoming Time Lords when Rassilon originally unveiled the Eye. Accounts were, however, divided on whether there remained any non-Time-Lord Gallifreyans on the planet in later periods of its history.
External Appearance:
Gallifreyans were externally identical in appearance to humans (or races similar or different due to regeneration being able to make them appear non-human in certain cases), but had several biological differences internally. They had two hearts, two or three brain stems, and a respiratory bypass system. Compared to humans, they also boasted larger brains and lower body temperatures.
Resilience:
Gallifreyans were, on the whole, extremely tough and resilient. An average Gallifreyan was superior to a human at their peak.
Gallifreyans could survive some falls which would shatter the bones of humans (though, obviously, this had a limit).
If pushed from a height into a liquid, a Gallifreyan's body was capable of protecting them, sealing up the lungs to conserve air for a short period.
Gallifreyans could survive extreme cold, due to having a "souped-up metabolism"; they could even withstand exposure to a vacuum for a few minutes with the only consequence being blindness rather than death. They could also survive extreme heat. They could even survive the subzero temperatures and extremely low pressure of a vacuum for around six minutes, and survive electric shocks that would be fatal to humans.
Röntgen radiation affected Gallifreyans so minimally that Gallifreyan children were routinely given radioactive toys in the nursery. They could, at will, absorb very high doses of Röntgen radiation, transform it into a form harmless to humans, and expel it from their bodies. Radiation of other kinds could be fatal, but even then, a Gallifreyan could handle much higher doses than a normal human could, and could hold out much longer than even most terrestrial life-forms, although a unique form of radiation around the Lakertyan System was only fatal to Time Lords while being harmless to humans.
Gallifreyans needed less sleep than humans and could make do with as little as an hour.
A Gallifreyan who was severely injured without actually needing to regenerate to heal the damage would generally slip into a healing coma and devote all his or her energy to healing the injury. While in a coma, they would appear to be dead.
Gallifreyans also seem to have an increased resilience to higher frequencies of sound.
Gallifreyans could be disabled by a blow to the left shoulder, which possessed a vulnerable nerve cluster.
Gallifreyans were capable of resisting attempts to disintegrate their bodies. To wit, electricity utilised by the Wire entity, Sycorax death whips and electric bolts from Zygons, did not affect them, despite being shown capable of disintegrating other organisms. While Dalek gunsticks had the capability to disintegrate targets if fired at full blast, a Gallifreyan could briefly survive being hit with such a shot before being forced to regenerate (only if they have the ability to do so).
Based on the similarities between Mal'akh regenerative ability and that of Gallifreyans and Time Lords, Richard Francis Burton hypothesized that early Gallifreyans deliberately infected themselves with the Yssgaroth taint to give themselves a biological advantage.
Special abilities:
Time Lords occasionally displayed, or referred to, the ability to fly (though this has to be learnt.
Lifespan:
Even without regeneration, Gallifreyans had considerable lifespans. Within one regeneration, Gallifreyans could live for hundreds of years, yet look much younger than a human of equivalent age; however, physical stress could cause Gallifreyans to age.
Gallifreyan children grew at about the same rate as humans of the same age, though after this point, ageing would slow, with the Gallifreyan looking like a teenager for decades.
Senses:
Gallifreyans had all the senses possessed by humans, and to generally superior degrees. Gallifreyans also had extraordinary reflexes and precision timing, literally superhuman.
Gallifreyans showed great hand-eye coordination and dexterity with a wide variety of tools and weapons.
Gallifreyans (in "younger" bodies) were, consequently, very physically able and highly athletic.
Gallifreyan eyes were better at seeing in general, as well as in the dark, as they could gather and enhance available light.
They could notice an incredible amount of detail from distances of at least one hundred yards away, as well as people that were well beyond the human line of sight. Gallifreyans had incredibly precise control of their eyes.
They had ears that could hear pitches higher than those of humans.
Gallifreyans were capable of identification by taste. This included blood, wood type, gunpowder, plastic composition, the age of an object, the origin of an object or the atmospheric composition.
The Gallifreyan sense of smell was equal to their sense of taste. They could do a chemical analysis of the air using their sense of smell. On some occasions Time Lords were also able to judge what time period and location they were in by the smell of the air.
Gallifreyans were better at coping with sudden changes in position than humans and were harder to disorient.
As well as the senses shared with humans, Gallifreyans had further senses, with at least a sixth sense, although the Doctor tended to keep his sensory input limited to the human norm to make things more interesting and allow himself to be surprised. Gallifreyans had time- and spatial-related senses and physical attributes; they were able to resist fields of slow time, notice distortions and jumps in time, retain perception of local time flow, including a secondary "backwards" consciousness during jumps back in time that could overwrite the one prescribed by forward time, directly perceive the interstellar motions of cosmological bodies or their inhabitants — including sensing the "shape" of the world to the extent that they were aware when trapped in pocket dimensions — and perceive all possible timelines. Gallifreyans could sense the presence of others of their own species, with the sense being specific enough to allow identification of one another just by sight, regardless of potential recent regeneration. Due to their time sensitive nature, Gallifreyans could retain memories of negated or alternative timelines.
Internal anatomy:
A Gallifreyan's body temperature could be as low as 15 degrees Celsius, which is low enough to make their breath visible in cold weather.
The Time Lord brain was much larger and more complex than the human brain. The size differences effectively ruled out brain transplants from a Gallifreyan to a human. They had either one, two or three brainstems. Time Lords had a form of eidetic short-term memory, able to recall every insignificant detail of even the most fleeting moments in time. A Time Lord's brain brain could receive information from possible futures, possibly even without conscious apprehension, giving them the ability to see all of time, all that is, was, or ever could be.
Time Lords could also separate the hemispheres of their brain, allowing them to multitask easily. Records on some planets indicated isolated cerebral hemispheres as a characteristic of Time Lords. Time Lords had an additional brain lobe dedicated to mechanical and other bodily functions, freeing the other lobes for intellectual endeavours.
The autonomic functions could be artificially supplanted with a special device, allowing the Gallifreyan to think with their autonomic brain.
Time Lords displayed the ability of touch-enabled mental manipulation; this manifested itself in a number of different ways, including hypnosis, mind-reading, thought sharing, the ability to relieve dementia, putting others to sleep, influencing others' dreams, and memory erasure. They could also transfer knowledge quickly to another person by headbutting them.
Time Lords were telepathically linked to one another and could join the entire Time Lord intelligence as one. They could hold telepathic conversations over distances, but this was more difficult. They could converse with each over the astral plane, although this ability required intense concentration, and an interruption might have fatal consequences for the Time Lord. Their telepathy extended to less intelligent animals. Perhaps because of this, they had an innate ability to understand any language.
They were highly resistant against, if not immune to, other forms of mind control.
Gallifreyan skeletal structure was reported to have been identical to human skeletal structure, with one exception. In some accounts, the Gallifreyan rib cage had "extra ribs" or more specifically 26 ribs, two more than humans.
Gallifreyans naturally born before the time of Rassilon and Pythia had two hearts.
A Gallifreyan could survive with only one heart, should the other be punctured, destroyed or otherwise stopped, though they would be greatly weakened.
Regeneration would become impossible if both hearts were burnt out simultaneously, or with three bullets in each heart and two inside their three brain stems.
In order to use their two hearts, Gallifreyans had an advanced respiratory system. Instead of large lungs, they had a series of pulmonary tubes parallel to the lymphatic system. This made them positively buoyant, allowing them to swim with ease. They could survive longer without much oxygen, past the point where a human would be unconscious.
Like most aspects of Gallifreyan physiology, the respiratory system was largely under conscious control. Gallifreyans could, at will, enter a trance state which reduced the need for oxygen. Gallifreyans also had a respiratory bypass system, which allowed them to survive strangulation, avoid breathing poison gas, and stave off drowning.
Gallifreyans were immune to the effect of helium gas, which could make human voices sound high-pitched and squeaky.
The skin of a Gallifreyan had more subdural and subcutaneous layers than a human, adding considerably to its durability and damage resistance. Gallifreyan skin tended to reject foreign objects such as subcutaneous implants or tags relatively quickly.
The Gallifreyans had two livers. They also had several organs which had no analogue in humans.
Due to internal incompatibilities, Gallifreyans were not suitable for most forms of Cyber-conversion. The Cybermen of the Cyberiad, however, were capable of upgrading Gallifreyans, though the victims did retain their independence for longer than other species.
Gallifreyans also had DNA in a triple-helix formation.
Biochemistry:
On the whole, Gallifreyan biochemistry seemed quite similar to human biochemistry: they could eat anything humans could and could breathe on Earth.
Gallifreyan biochemistry, like many other aspects of Gallifreyan physiology, was subject to the conscious control of the individual. For example, a Gallifreyan was able to counteract the negative properties of psilocybin by modifying the chemicals into something harmless, though the techniques were not foolproof and drug overdoses were still possible.
Similarly, though Gallifreyans were susceptible to the intoxicating effects of alcohol, they could easily shrug off the effects when they needed to. As with humans, however, excessive consumption could produce a hangover.
Some human medicines seemed to work on Gallifreyans as well as humans. Anaesthetic gases of the type commonly administered before surgery, however, did not work well on Gallifreyans; a much greater quantity of anaesthetic could be administered, and even then, it might not work completely. Anaesthetics could, however, almost destroy the process of regeneration, although there is no clear evidence that the drug alone would cause the Time Lord to regenerate. Other sleep-inducing drugs might work on a Gallifreyan, but would take roughly twice as long as with humans, even if the Time Lord in question took double the dosage that the humans had.
Aspirin was toxic to Gallifreyans; a single dose could kill one. It was said to either fatally stop platelet aggregation, cause massive allergic, pulmonary and cerebral embolism, or interfere with the hormone receptor intermediaries. Death could be prevented by entering a deep coma which was outwardly indistinguishable from death, or by ingesting chocolate.
Gallifreyans were as susceptible as humans to the devastating effect of spectrox poisoning; spectrox toxaemia proceeded at roughly the same rate in both species, though a Gallifreyan, being tougher, would not succumb as quickly.
They could counteract cyanide poisoning, given a number of ingredients including ginger beer, something salty (but not salt), protein and a physical or mental shock, but only if done very soon after the cyanide is ingested.
Mustard gas would kill a Gallifreyan as much as a human, though Gallifreyans were far more susceptible to aid for mustard gas.
Time Lords did not need to brush their teeth like humans, because their bodies did not allow for the same type of tooth decay.
Time Lords did not need to brush their teeth like humans, because their bodies did not allow for the same type of tooth decay.
- #17Gallifreyan
Keys: Gallifreyan, Gallifrey, Time Lords
Gallifreyan was a Gallifreyan language used by the Time Lords. There were several forms of written Gallifreyan. By the time of the Doctor, the archaic Old High Gallifreyan language used in the days of Rassilon had changed considerably.
TARDISes' translation circuits translated neither Old High Gallifreyan nor modern Gallifreyan.
Old High Gallifreyan:
Old High Gallifreyan was the ancient language of the Time Lords. When spoken, they sounded musical to human ears.
The written form of Old High Gallifreyan resembled, to English-speaking human eyes, a mixture of Greek letters and mathematical symbols.
Old High Gallifreyan was forgotten by all but a few in the modern era.
Modern Gallifreyan:
While Old High Gallifreyan was the original language of the Time Lords, it had evolved into a different form in the modern day.
Circular Gallifreyan:
Gallifreyan could also be written using interlocking circles, hexagons and lines. A complex system of interlocking circles was used by the scanner screens in the Coral Control Room's monitors in a TARDIS. It is also inscribed on Biodata modules.
- #18Renegade Time Lord
Keys: Time Lords, Renegade Time Lord, Time Lord
The term renegade Time Lord was an epithet applied by Time Lords against their fellows who went against Time Lord law.
Many Renegades forsook their birth name and used titles, such as "the Doctor" and "the Master"; however, this practice was not exclusive to Time Lords working outside of the Gallifreyan orthodoxy, as evidenced by the Visionary and the General. It could also be forced onto a Time Lord as a punishment, instead of being their own choice — as happened to the Woman.
Nature:
Of the various reasons to call someone a renegade, none was more important than the simple act of physically departing Gallifrey. There was, in this definition of the word, no connotation of any particular morality, since the Doctor and the Master had generally opposing value systems.
To be labelled a renegade, it was enough to be a Time Lord not residing on Gallifrey, though in some cases, a Time Lord could be responsible for some action the rest of the species found abhorrent.
Indeed, the hard choices involved in actually leaving Gallifrey were, according to the Fifth Doctor, a key distinction between a renegade and a mere "political rebel" still resident on Gallifrey. To leave Gallifrey forever was almost unthinkable to a Time Lord, given the very deep link between a Time Lord and their home planet; orthodox Time Lords thought of leaving Gallifrey forever as a fate worse than death itself. Most Renegades harboured a secret hope of someday returning to Gallifrey.
However, since Gallifrey had laws against interfering in the natural course of events, and leaving Gallifrey on un-sanctioned voyages typically led to interference, at least some segments of the Time Lord policy thought of renegades as definitionally criminal.
- #19Gallifreyan Physiology
Keys: Gallifreyan, Gallifrey, Time Lord
Gallifreyans and Time Lords were outwardly indistinguishable from humans and many other humanoid species; however, there were a variety of biological differences in their physiology that set them apart. Their forms also possessed multi-dimensional aspects.
Externally, Gallifreyans were usually identical to humans. Hair and eye colour were of any colour found among humans. Teeth were indistinguishable from human teeth. However, if they have the the capability to regenerate, they could change into a form that doesn't look human.
- #20The Matrix
Keys: Gallifrey, Time Lord, The Matrix, Time Lords
The Matrix, officially called the Matrix of Time, or sometimes the APC Matrix Net, was a supercomputer, a micro-universe used by the High Council of the Time Lords as a storehouse of knowledge to predict future events, maintained by the Keeper of the Matrix.
As TARDISes possessed their own matrix, every Time Lord and TARDIS was connected to the central Matrix on Gallifrey where their experiences were constantly being uploaded.
Characteristics:
The Matrix contained a simulated reality environment, once described as a "micro-universe" which stored the personalities of Time Lords, now without physical bodies, and even the past or future incarnations of living Time Lords within the APC Net, which cross-checked the data within the Matrix.
As the largest possibility engine ever built, the Matrix could even store consciousness. This connection went both ways, allowing all recorded Time Lords on one occasion to be "reset" to a past data point through their biodata.
A Time Lord could also use the Matrix to project their image onto real spacetime, or at least within a TARDIS, in order to send a message.
When connected to the Matrix, the user was outside of real spacetime, "alone on the astral plane": it was a "null-zone" where the normal rules of the universe did not apply. Physically, the "womb"-like location was connected to the caldera, but built in such a way as to take up as little real space as possible.
The Matrix's physical form took the form of a "crypt" and a stone circuit board, and used Cloister Wraiths and "filed" Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angels attached to living "fibre optic cables" to guard the Cloisters as a "firewall". It could also ring the Cloister Bells in the event of an impending catastrophe.
It was the only place where new TARDISes could be constructed, or rather born; the "old workshops" containing TARDISes could easily be accessed from a secret passageway in the Cloisters.
Matrix data slices served as hard-drives that contained the virtual reality, which could also be projected around individuals, described by Coordinator Narvin as immersion in the five-dimensional episodic interface of a Panoptric network.
All Time Lords were connected to the Matrix on a basic level, and the Matrix stored the memories of dead Time Lords in a framework of electrochemical cells.
It was not only a record of the past, but could predict the future as well, by generating prophecies out of algorithms.
The amount of knowledge in the Matrix, though vast, was not complete, and could be tampered with, given access. The unauthorised extraction of a Time Lord's bio-data from the Matrix was an offence tantamount to treason.
A particularly skilled person could create images of events that never happened nor ever would.
Whenever anyone used the Matrix to acquire a specific piece of information, a safeguard would cause anything else the user accidentally stumbled across to be wiped from their minds.
If two or more incarnations of the same Time Lord accessed the Matrix simultaneously, they all gained equal access to all other incarnations' memories. Additionally, sections of the Matrix could be partitioned, trapping entities in sections cut off from the rest of the Matrix.
Following the Last Great Time War, the length of the Matrix's database was eclipsed by the Dalek pathweb, leading the Twelfth Doctor to identify a unknown face through the latter.
Environment:
To living beings, the Matrix could appear like conventional reality, a surreal dream, a dark void with lines of light, or first one, then the other. Physical laws were malleable to the will of the inhabitant.
Beings known as the Matrix Lords, including Rassilon himself, "lived" there and could direct actions in the universe.
- #21Chameleon Arch
Keys: Chameleon Arch, Time Lord
The Chameleon Arch was Gallifreyan technology which could modify the biology of an individual, essentially changing their species. Connected to a TARDIS' databank via a cable, the arch resembled a headset incorporating a biodata module usually resembling a fob watch. The module was placed on the front on the Time Lord's forehead. The watch stored the Time Lord's essence, and, when opened, would return it to the Time Lord.
The arch gave the Time Lord a new personality and memories, provided by a TARDIS. To ensure that the biodata module would not be noticed, it was incorporated with a perception filter.
Using the arch re-wrote a Time Lord's cellular biology and was therefore painful. It was capable of altering them both with or without modifying their outer appearance.
Function:
Some traits of the user's true Time Lord self still remained after the use of the Chameleon Arch.
Sometimes, words like "TARDIS" and "regeneration" and other words of Time Lord lore can stir up residual memories in someone's head, but they could write them down in a journal.
Destroying a Chameleon Arch while the user was not a Time Lord would render their Time Lord personality and biology irretrievable.
- #22Biodata Module
Keys: Chameleon Arch, Biodata Module, Time Lord
A biodata module was Gallifreyan technology which, when used in conjunction with a Chameleon Arch, could modify the biology of an individual, essentially changing that individual's species while a TARDIS could program the individual's memories to allow them to fit in better.
Gallifreyan symbols were commonly inscribed on a module's surface, which in race cases, caused it to be identified.
Functionality:
The module, often shaped like a fob watch or a similar object, was placed on the front on the Time Lord's forehead when wearing the Chameleon Arch and stored the Time Lord's essence. When opened, it would return it to the Time Lord.
The biodata module was incorporated with a perception filter to ensure that it would not be noticed.
Destroying the Chameleon Arch while the user was not a Time Lord would render their Time Lord personality and biology irretrievable.
Biodata modules resembling fob watches were activated by opening the lid.
- #23Heart of the TARDIS
Keys: Heart of the TARDIS, TARDIS
The Heart of the TARDIS — also known as the space-time element and the power source of the TARDIS — was a core element of TARDIS technology.
Characteristics:
It was the basic life and mind, the soul of the ship.
It was apparently located beneath the central console. According to one account, the purpose of the column in the centre of the console was to "hold [the Heart] down" and prevent the power from escaping.
A regular pulse, the heart worked to the keep occupants in the same time frame as their surroundings during materialisation; too slow and the TARDIS would be lost in the past, too fast and it would head into the future. If it suffered problems, such as a skipped beat, the TARDIS would materialise at a point in time to allow for repairs.
The Heart appeared to be bright energy which varied in colour from milky-white to orange. It was known to be dangerous if looked into.
The Heart was also said to contain the last traces of Huon particles in the universe.
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