ANALYTICAL: THE NEFARIOUS WAYS OF RENEGADE TIME LORDS - PART ONE

I felt it was about time to write a nice series of ANALYTICAL essays. I am always conscious of how much opinion I inject into this blog and do my best to counter-balance it with entries that are more objective in the way they look at the show. When I create something in this particular category, I really am staying away from my own personal biases as much as possible and trying to make honest observations about certain subjects Doctor Who has covered. 

THOSE DARNED RENEGADES!   

Considering the Time Lords are meant to have created one of the most advanced and idyllic civilisations in the Universe, there sure are a lot of them that reject their most basic laws. The criminal element within their society does seem to be a sizeable issue. So much so, that it is possible to compile a considerable profile on the various forms of illegal activity that goes on, there. 

The term "Renegade" is the most popular title applied to Time Lords that break the laws of their own people. The infractions they commit range in both severity and even malevolence. But a fairly wide blanket term is used to describe them. So, before we analyze this less-reputable element of their society, we should probably try to give a fairly clear definition of them: 

Definition: 

A Renegade Time Lord is a Time Lord that has chosen to seriously violate the laws or procedures of their people in a way that makes their behavior no longer acceptable to their peers. Like the citizen of any society, there are times when a Time Lord may "fudge the rules" a little bit (ie: Borusa creating a false story about how Goth died in The Deadly Assassin). But a Renegade goes against the ways of their people so much that a serious punishment must be inflicted upon them should they ever be apprehended. 

Most Renegades violate the First Law of the Time Lords. Which is, of course, the Rule of Non-Intervention. Time Lords are meant to merely observe the ways of lesser species and never try to influence or interfere with them (except in extreme cases where the CIA has sanctioned the need to interact with a certain event and insure that the desired outcome occurs). 

But breaking the First Law is not the only way a Renegade can receive their title. A Time Lord, in general, is meant to live a quiet life and follow a very strict code of conduct. There are any number of infractions that they can commit within the very framework of their own society that can earn them the severest of penalties. They don't, necessarily, have to leave their homeworld and interact with non-Gallifreyans in order to be penalised. They can get into plenty of trouble right at home. 

That's a fairly all-encompassing definition of a Renegade Time Lord that should include most of the different types that we will look at. With such a definition in place, we can now get into specifics and start breaking them down into different categories.

Before we begin, however, we need to make one more important note: Occasionally, a Renegade will be mentioned with an asterisk (*) beside their name. This indicates that they fall into a very special category that I will simply refer to as "A Grey Area". Essentially, they don't totally adhere to the definition I just provided but still come pretty close. Later on in the entry, we will have an actual Grey Area category that will discuss in greater detail what causes them to differ from that main definition. 

CATEGORY ONE: THOSE THAT REMAIN ON GALLIFREY

As I mentioned, going out into the cosmos and actually interfering with other species is not the only way to become a Renegade. There are plenty of Time Lords causing serious problems right in their home territory. This particular category of Renegade Time Lord breaks down into two specific groups: 

The "Rejectors"

This is, specifically, a Time Lord that has renounced their lifestyle and chooses to operate outside of the strictures of the Time Lord Code but still remains on Gallifrey. As I first mentioned during a History of Gallifrey essay (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/02/chronologies-and-timelines-history-of.html - the discussion happens during the second section of the essay), there is a certain level of confusion about this particular type of criminal. 

The very clear illustration that is given of this kind of Renegade are the Shobogans. We see a whole gang of them in The Invasion of Time. These are Time Lords that, for whatever reason, have come to disagree with how their society is run. They have chosen to leave the Citadel and live by the most primitive of means in the Wastelands beyond. They are, for the most part, hunter/gatherers. They also tend to exist in tribes most of the time. So we meet several of them at once during Invasion of Time. While we see quite a few of them (as many extras as the BBC could produce for that day of shooting!), only a few of their names are given. These would include Nesbin, Presta, Ablif and Jasko. 

More than likely, the Doctor's Mentor (sometimes known as K'anpo Ripoche or Cho-Je) was probably classified as a Shobogan, too, when he lived as a hermit on Gallifrey. He was a rare instance of a Shobogan that did not join a tribe. 

Quite possibly, there is a subset to this culture who are referred to as Sheboogans* (Oh look! A Grey Area already!). Like the Shobogans, they no longer subscribe to the politics of their people. But they chose to remain within the Citadel. More than likely, they hide in disused areas of the city. They seem to be somewhat disruptive. Participating in acts of vandalism and other types of hooliganism. 

The Social Climbers

There are Renegades that have remained on Gallifrey but break its laws in a very different way. The "Rejectors" (totally a word) we just discussed make a conscious choice to become rebels and/or outsiders. They just don't want anything to do with being a "Proper Time Lord", anymore. The Social Climbers, however, continue to operate within the parameters of Time Lord culture but twist various protocols in order to advance their careers. Outwardly, they still maintain the pomp and circumstance of their position. But something very dark is going on beneath the surface. 

The first Renegade of this nature would be Chancellor Goth in The Deadly Assassin. Upon discovering that he would not be named the next Lord President, he secretly allied himself with the Master and hatched a plot to assassinate the current President and frame the Doctor for it. Of all the Social Climbers, he was probably the most ruthless. To say he merely "twisted protocols" like I did in my last paragraph is a vicious understatement. He was truly a murderous villain. 

Castellan Kelner* from The Invasion of Time would be our next example of a Social Climber. He takes full of advantage of the situations created by both the Vardans and the Sontarans as they attempt to overrun Gallifrey. 

Councillor Hedin in Arc of Infinity would be a Social Climber who almost seems altruistic in his goals. He speaks highly of honoring Omega for the sacrifice he made for the Time Lords and wishes to give him the powers of the Lord President. But I think it's safe to say that, had his plans worked and he had not been killed, he would have been given some sort of reward for his efforts (Omega does make a promise of this nature to him, at one point). So I wouldn't even consider him a Grey Area. He's definitely a Social Climber. 

While we never actually meet them, we can also assume that most or all of the High Council during Trial of a Time Lord were Renegades at heart(s). They were willing to attempt to turn the Doctor into a criminal and have him executed so that he wouldn't reveal the Ravalox Scandal. This was a huge perversion of Gallifreyan Law just so they could maintain their position of power. The fact that they were willing to create a strange, twisted creature like the Valeyard and strike a deal with him takes their villainy to even greater heights.  We may have never seen these guys, but they seem as nasty as Goth, himself. 

Just like the Rejectors (still totally a word), we run into another subset. I like to refer to them as: Sleeper Social Climbers. These were Time Lords we encountered a few times before they genuinely became corrupt and chose to pervert justice to suit their own needs. For a while, they were good guys. They only turned to evil in a later adventure. 

The best example of this type of Renegade would be Borusa. A Time Lord we saw on three different occasions before he went bad. During those first three instances, he was climbing through the ranks of Time Lord politics without having to do anything underhanded. He did seem somewhat cold and dispassionate in both The Deadly Assassin and Arc of Infinity. But it was quite easy to warm to him during Invasion of Time (another great example of how regeneration does trigger changes in personality as well as appearance). But, by The Five Doctors, he has become drunk with power. He chooses to play the Game of Rassilon in order to become Lord President Eternal. Of all the Social Climbers, his Fall from Grace is perhaps the most tragic. We really feel the Doctor's sadness when he proclaims: "What's happened to you Borusa?!" We experience these sort of emotions because he was a Sleeper Social Climber. We spent quite some time getting to know him and liking him a bit before he finally went Renegade. 

It's in The Five Doctors that we first meet the other Sleeper. While there are various rumors and legends that support the idea that Rassilon had a darker side to him, he really does seem quite pleasant during the brief time that he appears at the end of the 20th Anniversary Special. It's only when we see him again in The End of Time that we definitely sense that he's become corrupt. However, he seems to have more-or-less the full backing of his people as he tries to initiate his plans to save Gallifrey from the Time Wars. So it's difficult to label him a Renegade, at this point. In truth, he's not really breaking any of the laws of his people. Almost all of them are backing up his decision. It's only when we get to Hell Bent that he is rejected by the Time Lords and punished for what appear to be war crimes (he is probably also being reprimanded for attempting to execute a war hero). It's safe to say that, at this point, the rest of the High Council that ruled with him are also classified as Renegades. It is stated that the Doctor is having them kicked off Gallifrey, too. This is a great example, however, of how being a Renegade is a genuine legal status. Rassilon is accepted by the Time Lords until someone comes along and adjusts the Law accordingly. It is highly ironic, however, that one of the Greatest Founders of Time Lord Culture eventually becomes a criminal within its system of government. 

One could also dispute that Goth from Deadly Assassin might be considered a Sleeper. Bernard Horsefall also plays one of the Time Lords on the Tribunal that sentenced the Doctor to exile during The War Games. So that may have been the first time we met Goth. While a bit harsh, he still seemed like a decent enough individual. It's not til Assassin that he becomes a rogue. But it's entirely possible that the Time Lord in War Games is not actually Goth. Lookalikes have been known to happen amongst Gallifreyans (ie: Maxil and the Sixth Doctor). 

*Grey Areas

* Sheboogans - As discussed in my History of Gallifrey essay, it's entirely possible that there is no real difference between these two classes of Renegades. While the pronunciation is radically different from the spelling, these two cultures might be one and the same. Some Shobogans live outside the city, others within. No distinction is actually made between them in the way they are labelled. Time Lords just say the word Shobogan with a really weird accent! 

At first, we only heard Spandrell give mention of them. Since then, the Twelfth Doctor has also pronounced their name in the same way as the Castellan did. In both instances that their title is spoken, they are referenced in ways that indicate they are city dwellers. So this could be a special classification of its own that is spelt similarly to "Shobogans" but is still distinct from them. Shobogans leave the Citadel, Sheboogans stick around. 

The Master does help with this argument during The Timeless Children. He mentions that the indigenous population of Ancient Gallifrey were called Shobogans. He pronounces it the way it's spelt. He also seems to insinuate that they didn't dwell in cities (they take on a new identity when the Citadel is finally built). This does seems to help with the idea that Shobogans and Sheboogans are not one and the same. But we still can't say, for sure, that these ancient Shobogans have the same name as the modern-day Renegades who abandon civilisation to dwell in the Wastelands.     

The biggest problem is that the outsiders in Invasion of Time are named only in print - their label is never spoken in that story. If someone had said their name and it was pronounced the way it was spelt, we would have more concrete evidence that these really are two separate groups.

At this point, however, the argument that they are different cultures with individual names is still up in the air. 

* Castellan Kelner - While he is a devilish rogue, Kelner doesn't quite fit the description of a Social Climber Renegade Time Lord. A Social Climber is consciously manipulating rules and customs to create a desired result. This doesn't really seem to be the case with Kelner. Opportunities just seem to be handed to him as the Vardans and Sontarans seize control of Gallifrey. He takes advantage of these situations but he didn't create them, himself - as other Social Climbers do. Admittedly, when these tyrants are in control, he does start changing the law to suit him. But he is just benefiting from this twist of events rather than plotting his rise to power all on his own. This does, sort of, disqualify him as a "true" social climber. Had the Vardans or Sontarans never landed in the Citadel, Kelner would have just kept on being the Castellan and would never have advanced in status the way he did. 

It's not only difficult to label Kelner as a Social Climber, but even calling him Renegade, in general, is a stretch. As my definition states, a Renegade commits crimes that get them punished should they be apprehended. The Castellan is definitely behaving in a manner that is unbecoming of a Time Lord during Invasion of Time. But, ultimately, when his plans fall into ruin, he receives no penalty for what he's done. In fact, it's insinuated in Season 16 that he may have become Lord President for a time. 

Kelner is, essentially, a "baddie" who remains on Gallifrey and engineers situations to advance himself. So he does suit the description in some ways. But he doesn't fit the mold perfectly. 

Well, that encapsulates all the different types of Renegade Time Lords that remain on Gallifrey (or, at least, we seem to have hit most of them!). This seems a good place to stop, for now. 

Part Two will cover the Second Major Category of Renegade Time Lord. It should go on a bit longer than this entry as there are considerably more Time Lords that suit this description.