POINTS OF DEBATE: WHO IS THE TIMELESS CHILD?

Once more, I've decided to divert from my intended entries and deal with something that is currently going on in the series. For the last few weeks, we've been speculating to no great end about who the "Ruth Doctor" might be. But now, as the season finale approaches, we're wondering more and more who that Timeless Child is. I thought we should explore some of those theories here. 



Complain all you want about Chibnall, he's getting fans to genuinely talk about what's actually going on in the show more than any Showrunner has in a while. His teasing out of various mysteries and foreshadowing ominous developments has worked beautifully this season. Yes, some steadfast haters will keep saying the show has descended into absolute drivel, but is anyone really paying much attention to them anymore?!

The Timeless Child is really starting to take prominence in its two-season arc. Within a few episodes, it does look like the full mystery of who or what the Timeless Child is will finally be revealed. We probably won't get too many more teases during the weeks it takes us to get to that answer (more than likely, we won't get any at all), so it's pretty safe to properly explore the theories that are out there. 




THE ACTUAL CLUES

Before we really dive into the theories, we should examine the clues that we've been given. Since there haven't been a whole lot, it won't take very long.

The first time the Timeless Child is mentioned is in Ghost Monument. The killer rags (officially known as the Remnants - but, let's be honest, you wouldn't know what I was talking about if I used their real name) are circling around the Doctor near the end of the story, getting ready to throttle her. Somehow, the rag monsters can look into the Doctor's past and are able to see the Timeless Child. The Doctor doesn't know what they're talking about. The rags note that she has hidden the knowledge from herself.

Then we get the Master in Spyfall - Part Two, He confirms that knowledge of the Timeless Child is something the Time Lords have blotted from their memories. He goes on to explain that established Time Lord history is all a lie. He further adds that whatever happened with the Timeless Child was so horrible that it inspired him to destroy the Time Lords when he found out the truth about the whole incident.

The last Big Clue is a visual one. The Doctor finally gets a better look at the Timeless Child during the nightmare Zellin induced in her while he had his finger in her ear. She sees a young dark-skinned child standing before a futuristic-looking building in bright florid robes.


NOT THE DOCTOR

Many seem to be under the impression that the Doctor is, somehow, the Timeless Child. To me, this seems too obvious. But - since this is a POINTS OF DEBATE essay - I will get into those theories, nonetheless. But I will look into ideas about the Timeless Child not being the Doctor first as I do think this is more likely to be the case.

There is a theory running that Can You Hear Me? purposely re-introduced us to the idea that there are immortal god-like beings inhabiting the Doctor Who Universe for a reason. In just a few more episodes, we're going to discover that the Timeless Child - like Zellin and Ralkaya- is of a similar nature. A near-omnipotent entity who can live forever. She can be paralysed, imprisoned and even tormented - but she cannot be killed.

As the Master mentioned, something horrible went down with the Timeless Child. If she is one of these god-like immortals, then I see three viable options:

1) Something bad was done to the Timeless Child to achieve time travel:  Time Lord history speaks of how Rassilon and Omega secured the necessary power sources to make time travel achievable. But could it be that the those exploits were actually a failure? Or that, quite possibly, the engineers just decided to go with a shortcut? They still created propaganda saying that their experiments were a success. But, in truth, they chose a much darker path to reach the mastery of Time.

In our first scenario, they did something horrible to the Timeless Child to gain time travel. Perhaps, that mysterious Eye of Harmony actually has the Timeless Child trapped within it and they are constantly leeching energy off of her to sustain Gallifrey and all its technology. Or something of that nature. Basically, something nasty got done to that poor Timeless Child so that the Time Lords could achieve their greatness. It was deemed a necessary sacrifice.

2) Something bad was done to the Timeless Child to prevent a disaster: Similar to the first theory but not quite the same. Could it be that Rassilon and Omega's time travel experiments raged out of control and were about to destroy Gallifrey? The only way to stop this horrible fate was to, somehow, use the powers of the Timeless Child in some inhumane way that traps her for all eternity?

Equally so, it may not be time travel experiments that create this impending doom. It may have been something else. Or the threat might have been against the whole Universe and not just the Time Lords. Perhaps, the entire Causal Nexus was unraveling and sacrificing the Timeless Child was the only way to mend the problem.

In this scenario, the Time Lords are a little bit more sympathetic. To be cruel to the Timeless Child just so they can get time travel seems really ruthless. To use her to prevent a catastrophe is, at least, a bit more justifiable. Still pretty horrible - but you can almost rationalize the choice.

3) The Timeless Child struck an evil bargain: While a title like "The Timeless Child" makes her sound quite innocent, could it be the exact opposite? Might the Timeless Child be as malevolent as most of the immortal beings we've seen inhabiting the Universe (so far, only the White Guardian seems like a half-decent guy - everyone else is pretty rotten)?

In this scenario, Rassilon and Omega are, once more, struggling away to perfect time travel but can't get it to work. Along comes the Timeless Child who can give them all the temporal mechanics knowledge they need - they just have to make a deal with the Devil. They must do something horrible that will please the Timeless Child. If they do, she will grant them the powers they seek.



One of these three stories seems to be the most likely background we will get on the Timeless Child if she is not the Doctor. As usual, since we are only postulating, it may be possible that Chibnall comes up with something else entirely. The Timeless Child might still be an immortal god-like being of some sort - but she will not suffer any of the fates that I've just described.

Now on to what I feel is a less likely set of theories: 



THE TIMELESS CHILD IS THE DOCTOR

It seems to me that everyone who subscribes to the idea that the Doctor is the Timeless Child is convinced that the Ruth Doctor somehow ties in with this whole situation, too. It could be entirely possible that the Ruth Doctor is a tease for a later season (in the same way that the Timeless Child was first teased a season earlier). That we won't see her at all in the season finale, this year. But she will pop up again next season and have her origins explained. Jodie Whitaker has said she's on for one more season, for sure. Could it be that her replacement has already been cast and that an explanation will be given as to why the Ruth Doctor has no memory of being Thirteen?

At this stage, we have no idea how anything will play out. So, when dealing with "the Doctor is the Timeless Child" concept, I will always try to involve Ruth in the explanation. This seems to me what the fans want to see. So I guess I'll give you what you want! 

There are only two ideas in this instance that I feel are all that workable:

1) Ruth is the Timeless Child: This idea is now really starting to catch on since we've gotten a better look at the Timeless Child and she appears to be black. Many are now convinced that, because they are of the same race, the Timeless Child must be a younger version of the Ruth Doctor. But how does this actually work?

We will still use some of the concepts I already presented. But I will add a twist or two. Once more, Rassilon and Omega are having a tough time with things. Either they can't get time travel to work properly or a disaster is about to happen. Either way, the solution is to genetically-engineer a special Gallifreyan who will then have something terrible done to them to eliminate the problem. They will have to make some sort of horrific sacrifice that will either advance Gallifrey or even completely save it from disaster (or, again, this might be a threat to the whole Universe). 

This special Gallifreyan is, initially, given the title of the Doctor because she will heal Gallifrey's great problem. She is still allowed time to mature into an adult before her sacrifice must be made. Now the Time Lords are somewhat advanced by this stage. They, at least, have TARDISes (they're not that hard to build - the Daleks could make them even before they entered the Time Wars). As the Doctor gets closer and closer to her Day of Sacrifice (where she will lose her title as the Doctor and become the Timeless Child), she gets cold feet. She and another Time Lord she has fallen in love with run away in a TARDIS and hide on Earth. Eventually, she will be re-captured and forced to fulfill her destiny.

But, somehow, the Timeless Child is able to re-manifest herself as a Time Lord in the far-flung future. Once more, he gives himself the title of the Doctor. This time, he is able to live out a proper life as a Time Lord but still has something "special" about him because of who he once was. This would account for why Ruth Doctor and Thirteen don't recognize each other. Perhaps they both stole the exact same TARDIS but in different points in Gallifreyan history. Which may be why the TARDIS likes a Police Box exterior. She was first jammed in that form during the time of the Ruth Doctor. She re-assumed the shape as quick as she could when the Doctor stole her a second time. 

This origin story borrows slightly from an idea Classic Who first tried to do in its last few seasons. During that period, they were trying to establish that there was a sort of Holy Trinity on Ancient Gallifrey: Rassilon, Omega and the Other. Back then, everyone was convinced that the Doctor was the Other. While the answer was never given on television, it was revealed through a novel that the Other was a being who also re-manifested himself in the future as the Doctor. In this case, he did it through the use of a Gallifreyan Loom. The Loom theory is probably not workable in this instance since it has been pretty firmly established that Time Lords do not use Looms to reproduce, after all. But it could be that Chibnall really liked this whole concept and decided to do his own version of it. The Ruth Doctor will find some way to return in the future. It just probably won't be through Looms.

2) Thirteen becomes the Timeless Child: There is big talk that Chibnall is going to do a gigantic re-boot of the show. This theory works into that idea quite nicely.

Once more, Rassilon and Omega are having Big Problems (can't get time travel to fully work - need to avert a catastrophe). The Big Fix is merely that a Gallifreyan must sacrifice themselves in some way. Doesn't need to be anyone special - just someone. Rather than asking for volunteers, the two engineers just create a Gallifreyan in a gene-tank. They have purposely modified the clone to be compliant when the time comes to sacrifice herself.

Somehow, the Thirteenth Doctor makes it back to Ancient Gallifrey in time to see all this happen. That vision she is having of the Timeless Child is a full-on premonition. When the Timeless Child walks into the futuristic-looking building, her sacrifice will begin. Thirteen will be standing there, watching it all take place. The Doctor can't allow this to happen. So, since the process just requires a Gallifreyan to step in, she takes the place of the child.

This causes a bit of a re-set to the timelines. Because this is now a reality with a different Timeless Child than the one that was intended, it causes Doctors Hartnell to Whitaker to be an aborted timeline. We begin, again, with a new version of the Doctor and even a different version of Gallifrey (one that seems more militant). The Ruth Doctor is, essentially, the First Doctor. But in a new timeline. Perhaps, either by accident or intention, the Ruth Doctor crosses over into our reality when she goes to hide from her own people for a bit. Again, this gets quite a few interesting discrepancies to line up. This is why Ruth Doctor is in an older version of the TARDIS console room. The entire story is beginning anew.

Yes, Jodie Whitaker said she would be staying on for a third season. Could she have lied on purpose so we don't see this coming? Will Series 13 be a whole new version of Doctor Who for us to explore with a completely re-booted Doctor?

Anything's possible. Chibs might just be that bold....




And those are all the theories regarding the Timeless Child that seem genuinely feasible to me. They rely mostly on things we have learnt about her rather than diving into super-fannish theories like: "The Ruth Doctor is a secret incarnation from Season 6b" (no offense intended towards people who do believe this - it just doesn't seem that likely to me). As always, I admit that all of these postulations might be entirely wrong. Or, perhaps, half-right. In just a few short weeks, we'll have a clearer idea. 

Can barely wait...   


Want to know my theories on the Ruth Doctor? Here they are: 
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/01/points-of-debate-who-is-ruth-doctor.html