POINTS OF DEBATE is a newer topic that I introduced last year. It's fun to explore certain areas of the show that have been left ambiguous and postulate on what they might actually mean. So far, there's been only a few entries on the matter. It's time to change that. I'm going to try to make August the month where we debate a few more points.
THE EYE OF HARMONY: IN THE BEGINNING....
So we're sitting somewhere in the mid-to-late 70s and The Deadly Assassin, the all-time coolest Doctor Who story, ever, gets transmitted (it's true! This really is my favorite story. Read the review: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-of-lists-top-ten-who-stories-1.html). One of the things that makes this such an enjoyable yarn is all the important continuity that it finally establishes. Continuity that is, often, maintained throughout the rest of the show's life. Time Lords, for instance, are still wearing those crazy collars and funny hats. The Matrix is still the repository of all Time Lord knowledge. And so on...
But there is one crucial fact about Time Lord culture that has become a bit fuzzy. As Deadly Assassin draws towards its conclusion, we learn that Gallifrey has a very unique power source. It seems that, way back in the Ancient Times, Rassilon took a Black Hole (possibly the one Omega created with his stellar manipulator) and rigged it up so that his people could draw energy from it. Apparently, the Black Hole now rests on Gallifrey, itself, and can be accessed through use of certain artifacts that the Lord President is in possession of. The Master, who was at the end of his first regeneration cycle, attempted to use this power source to save himself from death. Such a gesture would have destroyed the entire planet of the Time Lords. Fortunately, the Doctor was around to stop him.
This unique power source was given a very high-handed title: the Eye of Harmony. For the rest of the Classic Series, the facts established about its nature in Deadly Assassin are respected. It isn't talked about much (it only gets name-checked one more time in The Five Doctors) but we know it's always there, keeping the lights on for all of Gallifrey. It's a firm piece of established continuity. As solid as Time Lord apparel or the Wisdom of the Matrix.
Or is it?
THE EYE OF HARMONY - THE McGANN YEARS...
After Seven long years of depression and sadness, Doctor Who returns ever-so-briefly to our screens. The production team bringing the show back honor all sorts of things regarding the show's past. They even go to the trouble of bringing back Sylvester McCoy for a bit so that he can have a proper regeneration into Paul McGann.
There's jelly babies and 900-year old diaries (that, technically, had only been a 500 year old diary before - but, we get it: the Doctor needs a longer diary) and even the sonic screwdriver is back. It's even pretty awesome that the Doctor now keeps gold dust for any Cybermen trouble.
But there is one piece of continuity that starts to get a little convoluted. Like Deadly Assassin, the story's climax revolves, once more, around the Eye of Harmony. Which would lead one to believe that the Doctor and the Master must head back to Gallifrey. Cause that's where the Eye of Harmony is, right?
But it's not. It's now aboard the Doctor's TARDIS. The Master is still in a state of regeneration crisis and is tapping the Eye of Harmony again to fix the problem. This time, he's using the Eye's power to steal all of the Doctor's remaining lives. Fortunately the Doctor is able to stop him and re-seal the Eye. Just like he did in Assassin.
But what's happened, here? Why is the power source of the Time Lords now sitting in the cloister room of the TARDIS? How did this occur?
We're never given a proper answer. Which means, of course, that we can formulate a debate.
THE ACTUAL DEBATE
There are several theories that can be used to solve this discrepancy. All of them receive some evidence in certain stories to back them up. But none of that evidence can be considered conclusive. Which is why this still remains a, sort of, unsolved grey area.
Let's look at the strongest theories:
1. Just A Link
This is the most popular theory that fans prefer to believe in.We did not actually see the Eye of Harmony in the TARDIS during the 96 Telemovie. But, rather, a physical link that the TARDIS has to the Eye. Apparently, all TARDISes draw from the power source on Gallifrey to function. Within every TARDIS interior is a portal of sorts that leads directly to the Eye. The portal is meant to stay closed. This seals the link between TARDIS and Eye of Harmony and gives the time craft a constant flow of energy to draw from. But the portal can be opened so that the energy from the Eye can be applied to other tasks. It is, however, a very dangerous thing to do and can cause damage to localized time and space near a TARDIS if you're not careful. Naturally enough, the Master did not care what harm he might cause. He just opened the portal and tried to steal the Doctor's regenerations.
The basic idea is that instead of saying: "This is a link to the Eye of Harmony on Gallifrey" the Doctor and the Master use a bit of shorthand to make things less contrived. They just call it the Eye of Harmony. Since that's what you, technically, find on the other end of the link.
2. Every TARDIS Has An Eye of Harmony
This one is slightly harder to swallow - but there are some corners of fandom that support this theory. The Doctor and the Master call the strange contraption in the center of the cloister room the Eye of Harmony because it is, essentially, the same thing that exists on Gallifrey. As every TARDIS is built, a Black Hole is, somehow, taken from the Universe and placed inside the time vessel to be used as a power source. It seems a bit like overkill, really. Does a TARDIS really need the same level of energy that is used to power an entire world? There also seems to be quite a few TARDISes in existence. Can the Time Lords really find that many Black Holes out there to use as generators for TARDISes? As absurd as this may seem, there is some interesting evidence to support this.
3. The Doctor Stole the Eye
This is more of a pet theory that I haven't heard a whole lot of other fans discuss. But I must admit, I like the idea of it. We saw the Doctor in possession of two powerful artifacts from Galifrey during Season 25. It seems he's really good at stealing important stuff from his home planet. Could he have also stolen its power source? Was there, perhaps, an unseen adventure that took place where the Doctor saw it as necessary to take the Eye of Harmony away from the Time Lords?
My guess is that a link still exists between the Eye and Gallifrey, but it works in the exact reverse of the link described in the first theory. The Doctor has rigged the Eye to power his TARDIS, but he is also sending energy from the Eye back to his homeworld at the same time. This is why the Time Lords aren't chasing him down to get the Eye back. The planet still has its power source, it's just no longer located on Gallifrey. The Doctor has it, now.
My guess is that some sort of evil renegade among the Time Lords was going to use it for a nefarious deed of some sort. Or perhaps an alien invader tried to steal it away. Whatever it was, the Doctor decided the Eye would be safer if he kept it in his own hands. So he took it away from Gallifrey but still sends them the energy they need to maintain their lifestyle.
THE EYE OF HARMONY IN THE NEW SERIES - BOOMTOWN
Technically, the Eye of Harmony received no mention until seven seasons after the series was revived in 2005. But, even in those first six seasons, certain allusions have been made to it. Several of which support different theories that we just discussed. The strongest example, in fact, takes place right in the very first season.
The way the Doctor re-fuels the TARDIS in Boomtown does, sort of, re-enforce the premise that TARDISes have a link to the Eye of Harmony that powers them. That pit-stop in Cardiff is the first time in the history of the show that we see the Doctor need to "gas up" his vehicle. Could this be because the TARDIS relied on a different source of energy up until recently?
At this point in his personal history, the Doctor believes that he has destroyed Gallifrey. He doesn't realize, yet, that it's just been sealed in a stasis cube. Either way, if the TARDIS had a link to the Eye of Harmony to power it, that connection would now be broken. He would need to find an alternative fuel source. He discovers a way to harness time rifts to keep his ship going and makes the occasional visit to places like Cardiff to power it back up.
While the Doctor offers no explanation to the nature of: "I didn't have to do this all the time. I used to be able to just leech off the Eye of Harmony." as he re-fuels in Boomtown, we can still draw certain inferences from the gesture. This need to suddenly get petrol for the TARDIS does give some degree of evidence that the Eye of Harmony we saw in the Cloister Room was more of just a link than the actual artifact. Now that the link is broken, he has to find other ways to keep his vehicle going.
THE EYE OF HARMONY IN THE NEW SERIES - JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE TARDIS
Finally, we reach the mid-way point of Series Seven and the Eye of Harmony receives a name-check in the tale: Journey to the Center of the TARDIS. If you're watching close enough, you see it first on a read-out of one of the screens on the TARDIS console. A short while later, the Doctor very hastily explains what the Eye of Harmony is to Clara and two of the VanBaalen brothers as they run past it in the center of the TARDIS. Seeing the Eye again in the TARDIS strongly re-enforces ideas put forward in Theories 2 and 3.
The Eye of Harmony we see in Journey to the Center of the TARDIS might be a Black Hole that was taken from time and space to specifically power the TARDIS. It receives the same name as the power source on Gallifrey because it works on the same basic principles. But it is not the same Eye of Harmony that we saw in Deadly Assassin. It is a special Eye of Harmony made specifically for a TARDIS.
Alternatively, this could be the same Black Hole that was powering Gallifrey in Assassin. The Doctor stole it some time before the events of the 96 Telemovie and is now using it to power his TARDIS.
With that nice scary scene in Journey to the Center of the TARDIS, we seem to be capable of eliminating Theory 1, altogether. Or is that truly the case? There are some discrepancies to address...
DISCREPANCIES IN JOURNEY
There are, at least, three things that make the Eye of Harmony in Journey to the Center of the TARDIS different from the other times we've seen it:
1. Aesthetics
At no point in its previous appearances has the Eye of Harmony looked like a big nasty sun raging away. Yes, it has taken a different shape each time we've seen it. But this form is extremely different from how it's looked before. Which would insinuate that this is a very different Eye of Harmony, altogether.
2. Effects
The Eye of Harmony can be a dangerous thing to be around. In Assassin, you needed a special Sash to protect yourself from its harmful effects. In 96 Telemovie, it did some pretty crazy stuff to time and space. But we've never seen it have this weird burning effect like it does in Journey.
3. Origins
The explanation the Doctor offers to Clara and the VanBaalen brothers of what the Eye of Harmony actually is seems somewhat different from the one we get as Spandrell and the Doctor are enjoying a drink in the Central Register. With Spandrell, it seems to be explained as a Black Hole held in stasis. With Clara and the bros, it's a star in the process of a becoming a Black Hole that's held in stasis.
These are all pretty big differences. Which may lead one to believe that this is an Eye of Harmony that the Doctor engineered himself sometime after the events of Boomtown. Tired of making pit-stops to refuel, the Doctor went out and found a star on the verge of death and sealed it within his TARDIS.
This means Theory 1 might still have some credence. The Eye of Harmony we see in 96 Telemovie is still just a link to the one on Gallifrey. After the Time Wars end, that link is broken. For a time, the Doctor depends upon Rift Energy to keep his TARDIS alive. Eventually, however, he creates his own version of the Eye and uses it as a power source.
Does this mean Theories 2 and 3 no longer hold any water? Of course not! We can still get them to make sense quite easily.
DISCREPANCIES TO THE DISCREPANCIES
While the Eye of Harmony in Journey to the Center of the TARDIS may seem different from when we've seen it previously, this doesn't mean it is not the same artifact. Such discrepancies can be easily explained away.
1. Aesthetics
Yes, it looks very different in Journey. But, as I've already mentioned, it's changed appearances every time we've seen it. This would suggest, to me, that its outside environment influences its aesthetics. The Eye of Harmony is such an advanced piece of technology that it might be sensitive to these sort of things and would take on new shapes in new situations.
If we are going with Theory 3 - then, when it was resting for all those years on Gallifrey, it took on the form of a sort of gem-shaped column. When the Doctor stole it and placed it in his TARDIS, it took on a half-spherical form. Eventually, the TARDIS receives some serious damage during the Time Wars which caused the Eye of Harmony to change in appearance, again.
If we are simply going with Theory 2 - then the shape the Eye has on Gallifrey has no bearing. It's not the same Eye of Harmony. However, it would still have similar qualities to the power source we see on the planet of the Time Lords. Which means that, again, damage from the Time Wars would cause it to change shape.
2 and 3. Origins and Effects
If we continue with this idea that the Eye is shaped by its environment, than the discrepancies in its origins and effects can line up quite easily, too.
In Theory 2, we see the Eye of Harmony in the Doctor's TARDIS before and after the Time Wars. My guess would be that the Eye took some serious damage during a battle and actually stopped working for a bit. For a while, the Doctor depends on Rift energy but eventually gets the Eye repaired. However, he has to "roll it back" a bit. Instead of it being a Black Hole, it is now a star on the verge of becoming a Black Hole. Such a change in its nature causes it to have very different effects on anyone who comes near it, too. Now, if you're too close to the Eye for too long, it burns you alive.
With Theory 3, those damages from the Time War would be even more extreme. After all, the Eye was still powering Gallifrey at the same time that it was charging the Doctor's TARDIS. With All Things Time Lord seemingly destroyed, there would be all kinds of excess energy with nowhere to go. Perhaps the Doctor had to, flat-out, shut the Eye of Harmony down for a bit until he could find a better way to control it. So, for a time, he's dependent on Rift energy. But, just like in Theory 2, he changes the nature of the Eye to get it working again. So, once more, it can easily be the same Eye we've seen in Assassin and Telemovie.
ULTIMATE CONCLUSION
The title I've just composed for this particular subsection is highly inaccurate. I say: "Ultimate Conclusion" but there is none. All three theories that I've been kicking around hold equal merit. All three of them could explain why the Eye of Harmony seems so different every time we've seen it in the show. There is still nothing that has been stated in dialogue that gets any theory to be more accurate.
Someday there may be another story that takes place deep in the bowels of the TARDIS where we come across the Eye again. When this happens, the Doctor might say something to the nature of: "Of course, this isn't the true Eye of Harmony - that's actually on Gallifrey. Every TARDIS had a link to it. But, because of the Time Wars, I had to come up with my own special version of it." Or he might just say: "This is an Eye of Harmony. There are, in fact, many. Every TARDIS has one and then there's one that powers Gallifrey, too." Or he might even say: "Just like the TARDIS, I also stole the Eye of Harmony from Gallifrey. For a while, I got into collecting powerful Gallifreyan artifacts. You should have seen what the Hand of Omega could do!" Any statements of this nature could really clear this issue up.
More than likely, though, we'll never get any kind of clarification. The many-changing appearances, origins and effects of the Eye of Harmony will forever remain a mystery....
There we go: First POINT OF DEBATE that we will tackle this month. That crazy 96 Telemovie will have bearing in another debate that is to follow....
As I have mentioned before, POINTS OF DEBATE and FIXING CONTINUITY GLITCHES are quite similar to each other. This particular essay shows that even better than the others. This is a legitimate continuity issue that does need solving. But, truth be told, there is still not enough conclusive evidence to come up with a solid explanation. Which is why I've chosen to put it under the category that I have. It's all just too ambiguous, still. Better to let it just rest in a haze of multiple theories than to commit myself to a single one.
Do I have a theory that I prefer over the others? Yes. I do like the idea that, at some point after Survival, the Seventh Doctor had some wild adventure where he felt the need to take the Eye of Harmony from Gallifrey for safe possession. He has been holding it ever since.
I just like the image that it conjures....
Other POINTS OF DEBATE:
Something About Missy:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2018/08/points-of-debate-was-missy-truly.html
Something About Goronwy:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2019/01/point-of-debate-was-goronwy-from-delta.html
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