As predicted, I couldn't quite rest for the remainder of June. I needed to get just a bit more blogging done. I still had one more idea kicking around about the current topic I was covering. I figured I should explore it.
JUST HOW NASTY ARE THOSE DARNED RENEGADE TIME LORDS?!
After a fairly comprehensive classification of every single Renegade Time Lord we've ever seen on the show (with the exception of Salyavin - whose exclusion I explained in the Comments of the last entry), I thought there might be one more way to analyse them that could prove interesting. I'd had this ranking system in mind since I first conceived the essay but wasn't sure if I would have the time to get into it. But, since I seemed to break speed records composing the first two parts of the essay, I thought I would indulge in Part Three.
This third installment, however, doesn't really qualify as an ANALYTICAL essay. We must shift gears a bit if we're going to be pedantic about these things (and, God knows, I'm always pedantic about these things!). So, from this point onward, this shall be a REVIEW OVERVIEW essay.
What I, basically, want to do is take all those Renegae Time Lords that we analysed during the first two parts and put them through a grading system. We are going to arrange them from most malevolent to least.
PARAMETERS OF MALEVOLENCY
As is the case with REVIEW OVERVIEW essays, we need to set just a few essential guidelines for the curve these Renegades will be graded on. More specifically, we're going to lay down a bit of a definition, too.
When we examine how malevolent a Renegade Time Lord is, we will be looking at their potential to cause harm. We will base this assessment on their track record: How much harm have they caused already? This will give us a clear idea of just how far they are willing to go in order to hurt other living beings around them.
Naturally enough, the highest level of harm is murder. But there are all kinds of other physical and psychological torture these Renegades have inflicted on others that will also be called into account. Attempts to even just oppress lesser cultures without really damaging them in any concrete way will have some bearing in this.
Nonetheless, a Renegade Time Lord with a high death count to their name will, quite obviously, be considered more malevolent. Time Lords that have caused little or no harm to anyone will be lower on the spectrum.
Some might also argue that intention should have a role to play in this scale. But any number of these characters were full of good intentions and still did some pretty horrible things. It's not uncommon for the most ruthless of tyrants to believe that they are trying to accomplish a greater good. So a moral code of any sort will not factor into this much. We will be basing things on actions rather than words.
Indeed, the Road to Evil is often paved with good intentions (or words to that effect).
LET THE GRADING BEGIN
This list will still be ever-so-slightly influenced by the format of an ANALYTICAL essay. The Renegade Time Lords will still be broken down into categories as we rank them.
Evil for the Sheer Sake of it
This is truly the most black-hearted type of Renegade. There aren't a lot of them like this - and that's probably a good thing. Time Lords of this nature are probably some of the most dangerous beings in the Universe.
There are any number of Renegades that hatch sinister plans to elevate their status or gain power. If they have to hurt or even kill a few people along the way in order to achieve those goals, they're up for it. But such gestures only occur within the context of executing their plots. They might even be fairly sadistic and enjoy hurting others, but still only do if it assists in the advancing of their agenda.
This first type of Renegade goes one step further. Yes, they will also have plans to take over the Galaxy or some other such thing, but they're not afraid to harm people just for the sheer fun of it. They revel in the pain of others and will take any opportunity they can to inflict it. Sometimes it will even be to the detriment of their agenda. They will bring a plot they are scheming to a screeching halt just to take a moment to hurt someone. Or, as one of them was once described, they would "delay an execution just to pull the wings off a fly."
Which leads us quite neatly to our first candidate on this list. The Master is, without a doubt, the most malevolent Renegade of them all. In his earlier incarnations, he's a bit more composed. The Delgado Master, for instance, does tend to stick to his plans and only kill when there's a reason for it. But as he regenerates or steals bodies in order to extend his lifespan, he descends deeper and deeper into madness. In so doing, his cruelty grows more and more out of control. Even in his first full story, the Ainley Master is slaughtering people with his tissue compressor with little rhyme or reason. We can almost see why he takes out some Logopolitans in the later episodes of the tale, but the police officer and Tegan's aunt were killed purely out of pleasure. There was no real need for him to do that.
As we get into New Who, the needless slaughter increases even more. Particularly with the two most recent incarnations. Missy makes a point of killing several UNIT agents just to prove to Clara that she's still evil. The Dhawan Master threatens the entire crowd at the invention exhibition in the 1800s with his tissue compressor. Even though they are complying with his instructions, he still decides to kill someone. Just for fun. There are countless other examples of this sort of behavior from these two incarnations. Yes, Missy does start redeeming herself during Series 10, but she kills with wild abandon during her two other seasons.
There really is no one worse than the Master. The quintessence of evil.
There are two other Renegades that fit into this category. Both of them, however, don't fall into destructive behavior half as much as the Master does. For the most part, they stick to their plans. Only losing control on rare occasions.
Most of the time, Omega seeks to merely return to our Universe. He executes very specific steps to accomplish this in both of his stories. However, there comes a point where his scheme falls into ruin. In The Three Doctors, he learns that he no longer possesses a body and, thus, cannot leave the Singularity Point. In Arc of Infinity, the transfer he has made from anti-matter to matter will not stabilise.
Rather than meekly accept defeat, he chooses needless destruction, instead. In Arc, he begins to will his own destruction. Knowing that it will cause an enormous explosion that can damage a small part of the cosmos. In Three Doctors, he seems prepared to destroy the whole Universe of matter because he cannot return to it.
Quite often, Omega just manages to hold in his temper. But when things don't go his way, a much more violent nature comes from him. He rages out of control and will try to cause as much destruction as he can. There's no constructive reason for why he will try to harm so many. It's simply a manifestation of his anger.
Our last wantonly destructive Time Lord can almost be a bit of a grey area. But I still think he belongs here.
During most of The Brain of Morbius, the titular character is working to a very specific plan and restrains himself accordingly. As we learn his backstory, we don't seem to see any real hints of reckless cruelty, either. But something seems to "snap" in Morbius when Solon tries to make him more portable by placing him in the brain globe. In a fit pique, he escapes into the night and ruthlessly kills a member of the Sisterhood of Karn. Which is a legitimately counter-productive gesture. It incenses his opponents when he is supposed to be hiding from them. But he can't resist acting on his hatred of them.
Solon does explain, at one point, that the Time Lord's mind is operating on the basest of levels because he hasn't fully hooked him up, yet. So some might claim that this is Morbius acting out of character. That, if the surgery had been properly completed, he might not have attacked the Sister. But you can just as easily say that Morbius' condition at the time was letting his true self out. That, like the Master or Omega, he just needs to occasionally kill without any clear motive.
Galactic Conquerors
These are Renegades that are still pretty damned ruthless but work to a stricter agenda. They will kill. They'll even enjoy killing. But, ultimately, they only tend to do it when it seems necessary. Their sadism is justified in their own minds. They don't just revel in carnage like our first category does.
This type of criminal Time Lord is also harboring dreams of dictatorship. Not just over a specific group of people in one place, they want to conquer the Galaxy. Or even the Universe. This makes them quite the danger, of course. Which is why they come in second on this list. They are almost as malevolent as the first category. In fact, both the Master and Morbius have similar aspirations to these Renegades. They too, dream of taking over the cosmos. The only real difference between these two categories is that this group shows just a bit more self-restraint.
Although he is only in one story (one very long story!), the War Chief is a clear demonstration of just how powerful and deadly a Time Lord can be. We had seen a few Renegades before him. They were more concerned with simply travelling through Time and Space or, at best, causing minor mischief. The War Chief was the first to show what a Time Lord can accomplish if he really sets his mind to something. His masterplan with the War Lords almost reaches fruition, too. If not for the timely intervention of the Doctor, he would have surely conquered the Galaxy with the army he was building. This is the potential of the Galactic Conqueror. They can corrupt the Universe on a massive scale.
The Rani also slides quite nicely into this category. Admittedly, in Mark of the Rani, her ambitions seem a bit more small time. She is just trying to maintain control over the people of Miasimia Goria. But Time and the Rani sees her attempting to create a Time Manipulator: a phenomenon that will give her control over the Order of Creation. Ultimately, she will be able to bend the Universe to her will. She definitely steps up her game in her second tale. Which, in turn, causes her to suit the description of a Galactic Conqueror. She seems a bit less malevolent than the War Chief only because the scope of her plans in her first adventure are a bit narrower. It is a close match between these two, however, Her schemes in Time and the Rani seem to have a broader reach than the War Chief's did. But, since it took her a bit of time to reach that level of ambition, we'll let the War Chief take the lead on this one.
The Social Climbers
It's right around here that I think all those Time Lords that stayed on Gallifrey but still got up to all sorts of terrible things to advance their political careers belong. As a rule, these weren't Renegades that were trying to take over the galaxy. But they were trying to control one of the most powerful races in existence. Which would, essentially, grant them the ability to do all sorts of other nasty things to the Universe if they desired. In the case of, at least, one of the Renegades on this list, they attempted exactly that.
Determining where each of these Renegades fits on the scale is a bit tricky. There are a few of these characters who behave like the Master and kill for no clear reason. They should rank closer to the top. But other Time Lords showed greater ambition in their social climbing. They could, technically, be considered more malevolent as their greater position of power would enable them to cause more damage. And then, finally, there's some Renegades that have just scored a higher death count than others - even if they didn't achieve as much status or kill needlessly. They would constitute as quite malevolent, too.
After considerable reflection, this is the ranking I came up with:
At the very top would be Rassilon. He is not just Lord President during End of Time and Hell Bent, he's also one of the Founders of Time Lord culture. You don't get much more powerful than that on Gallifrey. He also tends to kill just out of sheer rage. Look what he did to that poor Time Lady who simply voiced an opinion he didn't agree with. And then, finally, we see him using his powers to actually re-structure Time and Space so that all other species in the Universe would die out and Time Lords would become creatures of pure consciousness. That's some malicious stuff that is, pretty much, on par with what we saw Renegades on the first two tiers doing.
Like Rassilon, the corrupt High Council during Trial of a Time Lord were also high ranking officials. And they have some considerable blood on their hands, too. Therefore, they place only a little lower than the Fallen Time Lord Hero. We don't quite know how densely populated the Earth was when they moved it across space and re-named it Ravalox. But, potentially, they could have ended countless lives through the fireball such a gesture created. That makes them pretty horrible people. On top of that, they did quite a few terrible things to try to take out the Doctor when he learnt the truth about Ravalox.
Speaking of the Sixth Doctor's bogus trial, we have the Valeyard next. While he only achieves the position of Keeper of the Matrix, his ultimate plans during Trial of a Time Lord seem more like an act of senseless destruction than a means of advancing an agenda. To kill off The Supreme Council of Law would spread tremendous chaos but it wouldn't really serve the Valeyard in any kind of major constructive way. So he does seem more like a Renegade from our first category. He's just being evil for the sheer sake of it. He doesn't rank in that top position, however, because he chooses to stay local rather than go out into the galaxy and cause trouble. So his potential for harm is much lower.
Borusa would be next on this list. He achieves Lord Presidency and wants to hold the position for all eternity. Which gives him a huge potential to abuse his power and create endless mayhem. He's also got a bit of death count going on. Not just with what he did to frame the Castellan, but he's responsible for some loss of life when he re-activated the Death Zone.
Goth doesn't quite make it to Lord President. But he does cause quite a few deaths as he tries to climb his way to the top. The very fact that he allowed the Master back on Gallifrey and worked secretly with him makes him responsible for a lot of the violence that occurs during Deadly Assassin.
Up next would be Hedin. He seeks to put Omega at the top of Time Lord hierarchy but would probably come in as a close second-in-command. He's also responsible for one or two deaths that happen in Arc of Infintiy.
Then, finally, we have Kelner. He acted in a somewhat corrupt manner during Invasion of Time and probably became Lord President after its events. But he didn't seem to have to kill anyone to do this. Potentially, he could have done some considerable harm in such a position of power. But no damage from his reign seems to have occurred. So he finishes up at the bottom of this list.
The Mischief Makers
At this point, we are just-about done with genuinely evil Time Lords. We are now dealing with Renegades who don't have the purest of motives but also don't really cause all that much trouble in the greater scheme of things. They're still, mainly, out for themselves. But their villainy, for the most part, is so ineffectual that we really can't claim they're all that malevolent at all.
The Monk is the first that fits into this category. Sure, he likes to pervert the course of history. But, compared to someone like the War Chief or even Chancellor Goth, he's not so bad a fellow. Yes, he does briefly ally himself with the Daleks during his second story, but he is acting under duress. If your life was on the line, you'd probably strike a bargain with them too. The fact that he's such a bumbler also makes him seem all-the-more harmless. We really can't consider him all that wretched of a character. He's even a bit likeable.
Another Mischief Maker would be Drax. Clearly, he gets up to a bit of no good with his "wheeling and dealing". But, overall, he's an okay guy. He even seems to adhere to a certain code of honor with what sort of jobs he will take. If it wasn't for the fact that he was initially ready to betray the Doctor to the Shadow, we wouldn't consider him a baddie at all. As it stands, he barely qualifies as one since he does come over to the Doctor's side pretty quickly.
The Sheboogans also fit quite decently into this slot. They don't seem to actually hurt anyone as they run around the Citadel committing acts of vandalism and suchlike, but they are a gang of troublemakers. In general, they just get up to some mischief. But they belong at the very bottom of this section since they really don't get up to much of it. In comparison to the other two candidates, at least.
"The Partyers"
And now we really are done with the bad guys. We are moving into the domain of Time Lords who really are trying to be decent We start with Renegades who are out for a bit of fun by flitting about in a TARDIS and seeing the Universe. Occasionally, they might make bad judgement calls and hurt people. But, overall, they're just looking for some good times and to do the right thing when they see an injustice.
The Doctor hits the top of this particular section. One would think that he would be at the very bottom of everything. That he is the most benevolent of all the Renegades. But, the truth of the matter is, he's made some bad choices over the years. Not counting Daleks and Cybermen (and if we did, that would probably make him, pretty much, one of the most malevolent Time Lords of all) he even has some real blood on his hands. In some cases, he was in a kill-or-be-killed situation. Which, again, I won't fault him for. But there are times - particularly in the New Series - where he has either allowed someone to die or just flat-out murdered them. The Sycorax Leader or Solomon are just a few of his victims who come immediately to mind. So, yes, the Doctor is someone who is searching for adventure and trying to do the right thing. But he has his darker side. And I'm not just talking about the Valeyard!
While we know little about him, we'll guess that the Corsair fits in next. The way the Doctor talks about him, he was quite the raucous fellow. So he probably stepped on a few toes as he had his fun. But we don't hear any hard evidence of him validly hurting anyone. So we'll say he's less malevolent than the Doctor but still not quite as nice as the third Time Lord that fits into this category.
Of the "Partyers", Romana is probably the nicest of the bunch. She likes travelling the Universe and enjoying herself. She's even willing to right wrongs when she sees them. But she seems to always fix problems in the most peaceful of manners. She doesn't really harm a whole lot of other people as she does her thing. She hurt a few Nimon - but that's about all I can really think of!
The Well-and-Truly Harmless
At last, we get to the really nice guys. While the Master delays executions to pull the wings off insects, these Time Lords would be reluctant to hurt a fly! These are the most benevolent of them all.
The Shobogans, for the most part, seek a peaceful life in the Wastelands of Gallifrey. They thrive in the most primitive of conditions and don't want to harm anything more than the occasional animal to provide them with food or furs. They are prepared to take arms for the defense of the Citadel when it gets invaded - but that's really as hostile as they get. And, at least, it's for a good cause.
Azmael is probably just marginally more peaceful than the Shobogans. We never see him actually take up a weapon like they do - but he is willing to abduct young twins. Which is a bit underhanded. His intentions are, more-or-less decent, though. He's stealing Romulus and Remus for the good of Jocunda. While he was a ruler of that particular planet for quite some time, he was a very kind one. Always trying to have the best interests of the Jocundans, at heart.
Finally, we have the kindest of all the kind Renegades. The Mentor never seems to lift a finger against anyone. Even though he seems to possess greater mental powers than any Time Lord we've ever seen. Still, when the humans possessed by the Spiders of Metebelis Three break into his room, he lets them attack and kill him. More than likely, he could have simply wished those Spiders out of existence. But that is not his way.
There is, perhaps, no Renegade more benevolent than the Mentor. Quite deservedly, he comes in at the very bottom of this list.
And, there we go. All the Renegades ranked in order of how malevolent they seem. Again, I think I've gotten everyone! I looked through everyone I listed in the first two parts and made sure I fit them in somewhere in this one.
Speaking of those first two parts, here are links to them if you didn't read them and want to:
Part One:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2021/06/analytical-nefarious-ways-of-renegade.html
Part Two:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2021/06/analytical-nefarious-ways-of-renegade_13.html
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