Doctor Who, 4.08 & 4.09

[fourteenlines]

I managed to catch up on Doctor Who on Monday, and in a way I'm glad that I watched 4.08, "Silence in the Library," all the way through to 4.12, "The Stolen Earth." I think it helped me keep some stuff fresh in mind for the giant WTF of the season. *g*

Comments

[elflore]

Ahhh, I see your thinking now. I don't think it's a Time Lord thing with the name--many Time Lords toss their full names about quite easily. The Doctor and The Master (not to mention The Rani, the Meddling Monk, the War Chief, and the dubiously canonical Minister of Chance), with their distinctive titles, are the exception rather than the rule.

I figured the 'specific circumstances' under which the Doctor would reveal his name as being either a) the throes of passion or b) a life-bonding ceremony of some flavor.

The more mysterious question is WHY is it so important to the Doctor to keep his Gallifreyan name secret, and why do the Time Lords respect that even when they're putting him on trial for crimes against apathy? I don't expect we'll ever get a real answer on that--it's one of the mysteries that's been around so long, it would seem kind of wrong for someone to go and reveal it now.

Some of the novels and audio dramas do play with some hints, though--I remember one suggesting that the young first Doctor might have rejected his heritage and his family in the name of 'revolutionary ideals.'