Sunday 8 July 2018

FIXING CONTINUITY GLITCHES: QUICK FIXES 7.1 - TIME LORD STUFF - PART 1

I was sensing an imbalance in the Universe and realized it had been some time since I had done a FIXING CONTINUITY GLITCHES essay. I realize it was because I had tackled the bulk of the major continuity problems that we've seen in the show (except UNIT dating - I'm still scared of that one!). Fortunately, there's always QUICK FIXES. I'll be busy with minor continuity problems til the end of time! 

I just did a complimentary QUICK FIX for my History of the Weeping Angels essay. But it didn't feel like enough. The imbalance still seems present. So here's another one. 

This latest installment has another theme to it. This time we're looking at some of the stuff that's gone on with Time Lords (or, more specifically, the Doctor's relationship with them) over the years that doesn't seem to make total sense. Hopefully, you'll enjoy the explanations I offer. If not, feel free to post your own theories in the comments. 


PART 1: EARLY DAYS....

One of the things that has fascinated me most about Doctor Who is the fact that it takes a good six years before we truly start learning any real concrete facts about his origins. I can't think of any other show that would be willing to keep its main character that mysterious for that long. It's really quite impressive.

One would think that, with all the time they had to dream up his background, that they would present something pretty solid when the reveal was finally made. This doesn't appear to be the case, however. From a few vague pieces of dialogue in Unearthly Child to that fateful trial at the end of the Second Doctor's Era, a few inconsistencies present themselves.

We'll try to fix them.



WHY DOESN'T THE DOCTOR REMEMBER CLARA FROM GALLIFREY?

This one is a bit of a cheat. It doesn't truly to take place within those first six seasons but, rather, occurs a good 50 years later. As a treat to fans, Moff decides to show the moment where the First Doctor is escaping his homeworld to go off on his adventures in Time and Space. He, very nearly, picks the "wrong" TARDIS. One of Clara's "splinters" directs him to the appropriate one. The one with the faulty navigation system and chamelion circuit that will eventually break down and freeze the ship in the shape of a Police Box. It's quite the scene. 

The problem that this wonderful moment creates is that it does mean he's met Clara, now. When he, at last, encounters her in The Snowmen shouldn't this trigger a memory of some sort? Especially since this is a very pivotal situation in his life. We're more likely to remember people during such significant periods where we make huge decisions. So why doesn't he recognize her?

At the very least, 800 years has elapsed in the Doctor's timeline since he fled Gallifrey and met the Clara Splinter on 18th Century Earth (possibly more if you factor in the theory that he's lying about his age - check out this entry for further clarification: http://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/03/fixing-continuity-glitches-doctors-age_9.html). While a Time Lord memory can hold way more than a human mind can, that's still just a bit too much time for anyone. Particularly since it was a very brief encounter. Sure, it was at a crucial time in his life, but it was still a very quick appearance while he was busy running off with Susan. She only left so much of an impression during such a hasty scenario.

It helps that Clara does seem to stay out of the Doctor's life until Asylum of the Daleks. She is always watching him through his various incarnations, but he never sees her. So there's a very strong chance that he will have forgotten her after all that time and it will feel like he's meeting her for the very first time when he sees her in The Snowmen.




EXILE OR THIEF?

Right in the first few minutes of the very first episode, a somewhat whopping inconsistency presents itself. We don't realize it til many years later, of course. But it's still there...

Deciding the Doctor shouldn't be completely and utterly mysterious, the production team involved with making An Unearthly Child give the Doctor the barest bones of an origin story. The Doctor explains to the schoolteachers who have just boarded his ship that he and Susan are exiles, cut off from their own people. But, someday, they will return...

A beautiful little speech that gives us just enough of an idea of where the Doctor came from that we're willing to wait six years til we get a fuller explanation. But when those six years pass and the Doctor, at last, explains the full extent of his past to Jamie and Zoe during his trial on Gallifrey - there's some serious confusion.

The Doctor provides his origins in a way that has been considered proper canon ever since. He stole a TARDIS and went off into the Universe to get involved with the lives of less advanced beings - a huge violation of Time Lord Law. This origin story is so concrete that it affects the Doctor in a serious way for the next three seasons. He is actually exiled to 20th Century Earth for disobeying his peoples' most important rule.

There is a world of difference between someone who has been kicked off his homeworld and someone who snuck off of it to become a criminal. So what's with this huge discrepancy? Is he an exile or is he a thief?

The answer, I feel, is one we've been hearing quite a bit lately: "The Doctor lies". Our grandfatherly First Incarnation does not wish to share the truth with Ian and Barbara. It could be as simple as the fact that he's embarrassed to be a thief and doesn't want to admit to it. Or it could be something far more complex. Perhaps he's not sure if the Time Lords are actually chasing him so he doesn't want his real past to circulate. Just in case his people catch up with Susan's teachers and question them. He does know there are other renegades out there so if Ian and Barbara offer up an incorrect origin story under interrogation then this may confuse his pursuers and make them think they're after the wrong person. Whatever the reason, the Doctor just decides he doesn't want to share real facts with these strangers. Whereas, in The War Games, he's built up a fair amount of trust with his two companions and decides to unveil his true past.



HOW DID THE MONK GET HIS DIMENSIONS BACK TO NORMAL?

A lot of people tend to under-rate the value The Time Meddler contributes to established continuity. Up until this story, we assume the Doctor is the only person in the universe with a TARDIS. It's even vaguely hinted at that he may have built the ship, himself. But when he clashes against the Monk, the horizons of the show expand. Turns out there's a whole civilization that uses TARDISes that we will learn more about in future stories. That's a pretty big step for the series and no one seems to really take stock of the fact that it's this particular adventure that first develops this idea.

Okay, that last paragraph doesn't really relate to what I'm going to talk about - it just needed to be stated (in defense of Fandom, they may miss the importance of The Time Meddler because they were distracted by the horrendously slow-moving plot). What I do want to address is the way the Monk does an 80s Master Trick long before we ever get to the 80s!

At the end of the tale, the Doctor removes the dimensional stablizer in the Monk's TARDIS. Causing its console room to shrink to a point where it is now impossible for anyone to enter it. And yet, when we see the Monk next time in The Dalek Masterplan, he is piloting a fully-functioning TARDIS again. He appears to give no proper account of how he repaired the ship. He might as well have just proclaimed: "I'm indestructable! The whole Universe knows that!"

So, let's come up with an explanation of our own:

We did see that the Monk has removed some modern technology from his TARDIS and was using it in the monastery. I suggest that there were other items floating around that we didn't see that were more than just record players and bazookas. There were just enough bits and bobs lying about that he could craft something similar to the "2-dis" that the Doctor makes in Flatline. He applies the device to his console room. It creates a zone of dimensional stability that makes it possible for him to enter his TARDIS and effect the necessary repairs. He's back in business and can clash with the Doctor again on Tigus and Ancient Egypt. Whereupon the Doctor does more serious damage to his TARDIS.

Does the new damage ever get fixed? Who knows?! And since we haven't seen the Monk since - I feel no need to try to render a solution!




I know that business with the Monk only relates so well to the main theme of this entry but I've just always wanted to address this particular continuity glitch and this seemed the best place for it! 

As you can see, this is only Part 1 of this particular series. We'll be looking at more Time Lord stuff shortly...





Want to see some other continuity glitches I've dealt with concerning Time Lords? Check these entries out:

What's Going On With Gallifrey These Days - Part 1
http://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/07/fixing-continuity-glitches-whats-going.html

What's Going On With Gallifrey These Days - Part 2
http://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/07/fixing-continuity-glitches-whats-going_24.html











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