Classic Who Meta: the Time War

[kilodalton]

Comments

[10littlebullets]

It's a funny thing about Eight and the Time War--usually when the Doctor is faced with a cold-blooded act of violence that would stop a much larger catastrophe in its tracks, he balks and refuses. Particularly relevant are Four hesitating to blow up the infant Daleks in Genesis and Eight point-blank refusing to shoot a companion in the BFA audios, even though she's begging him to do it because otherwise she'll become a portal for a power that would destroy the universe. I've often wondered what the hell could drive Eight, who admitted that he was making a selfish and cowardly decision but couldn't bring himself to do otherwise, to end the Time War with a much greater atrocity for the sake of the universe's continued existence

[meremoon]

The thing about that choice he made with Charley - refusing to shoot her even if it's to save the universe - is that he's not consistent. There's a moment in 'Zagreus' where he makes the exact opposite choice. Charley is about to be swept out of the TARDIS, probably to her death, and the Doctor refuses to intervene to save her, because it would mean unleashing the Zagreus energy inside him upon the universe.

[10littlebullets]

I think there's a difference, though, between actively doing something nasty to prevent a greater evil from occurring and sitting back and letting something happen. Action vs. inaction.

regeneration not accurate

[redcirce]

I've often wondered what the hell could drive Eight, who admitted that he was making a selfish and cowardly decision but couldn't bring himself to do otherwise, to end the Time War

Honestly? I'm guessing Romana had a lot to do with it. I can't see him making that decision without a lot of pushing from her.

Re: regeneration not accurate

[10littlebullets]

Hmm. I always assumed it was the horrors of the war, but I could definitely see a scenario where Romana helped set it all up.

[fallen_scholar]

. I've often wondered what the hell could drive Eight, who admitted that he was making a selfish and cowardly decision but couldn't bring himself to do otherwise, to end the Time War with a much greater atrocity for the sake of the universe's continued existence.

I think that's the point. Basically, yes: it was that bad. The situation got so completely out of control that the Doctor, the man of infinite compassion, was willing to pull the rug out on the whole affair. As Ten chews through that litany of evils in tEoT, it's GenesisotD in reverse. The ripple effect of the Time War is so overwhelmingly negative that the Doctor feels compelled to make the choice he does. It's just that bad.

[10littlebullets]

Agreed. I do feel the morbid urge to speculate on what, exactly, could be that bad, which is why I have a pile of high-octane-nightmare-fuel Time War headcanons filed away in the back of my mind.

[donna_c_punk]

I don't know if it was show canon or something I read on the Internet, but it said the Time War wasn't fought like a conventional war. The Time Lords and Daleks had regular battles up and down the timeline, yeah. But they also did pre-emptive strikes and attempted to cut off supply lines, in their ways. Like if a planet the Daleks were operating on or a culture the Time Lords were using to help them was interfering more than it should, they'd go to a point earlier in the timeline and prevent it from ever existing. I remember the "ghosts" in that Nine episode saying the Time Lords destroyed their planet and I'm thinking that may've been the reason. The Nestene Consciousness did, too, IIRC. That's why lower species weren't even aware it was affecting them. Again, dunno if that was show canon or something I saw elsewhere.