Gallifrey Series 3 and the Road to Time War
So, I’ve just finished listening to Gallifrey: Series 3 from Big Finish. Panacea left me stunned and it helped crystalize something that has been in the back of my head since Imperiatrix.
I think Gallifrey serves as a fitting prequel to the Time War and New Who. The writers probably never intended it that way, but it fits remarkably well into its nebulous niche in extended universe continuity after the TV movie and just before the Time War. When I listen to it now, I can’t help but think there is a bigger story taking place in the background behind the actual plot, and it is the story of Gallifrey’s inevitable slide down the slippery slope towards war.
Let’s look at some of the big trends:
The Expanding Powers of the Lord President
When Romana revealed the location of the Great Key and claimed the title and powers of the Imperiatrix for herself, she set a dangerous precedent. She may have changed the nature of the President’s office forever. I know it was all a ruse and she never intended to keep those powers or to use them, but I think she opened a door that can never be fully shut again. She abolished the High Council and placed them under house arrest. She appointed her own Imperial Guard. We saw what a dangerous can of worms she had opened when Pandora immediately claimed all that power for herself. My point is this: if Romana could do all that, what is to stop future presidents from doing something similar? Do you really think that someone ambitious like Matthias would hesitate to claim more power and authority for the President’s office? Would Rassilon? I think we can expect future presidents to expand the scope and authority of their office, eventually leading up to Lord President Rassilon in The End of Time, who seems like an unchallenged dictator.
Free Time and the Will of the People
The Free Time virus has run rampant on Gallifrey. K-9 estimated that 95% of all Gallifreyans will soon be infected. The original strain of the virus turns Time Lords into brainwashed zombies loyal to the Free Time terrorist movement when they regenerate. However, Pandora proved that the virus could be modified and reprogrammed to have other effects. She made a technological variant based on her own consciousness and DNA that could rewrite a Time Lord’s mind and turn them into an extension of the Pandora entity obedient to her. If the virus could be reprogrammed once, could it be altered again? Could an ambitious and unscrupulous future president use it to influence the minds and opinions of the voting public and make them more favorable towards a controversial public policy? Like a new War, for example?
The Gallifreyan Ego and the Alienation of the Aliens
The Time Lords are a prideful people. They pride themselves on their intellect, their longevity, their history and their invulnerability. By the end of the civil war, the Time Lords have been brought to one of the lowest points in their history. They have lost the Academy (representing Education), the Artron Forum (representing Debate), the Matrix (representing Wisdom), and the Transduction Barriers (representing Invulnerability). They are impoverished and diseased. They are considering breaking the laws of time by selling their weapons technology just to raise money so they can rebuild their homes. Regeneration has become a curse that turns you into a zombie. They’ve seen a lot of people die, and Death, something they are usually able to avoid for ages and ages, suddenly seems very close and very real.
The Time Lords are an arrogant people. They can only bear so much humiliation. Eventually, they are going to want to lash out and strike back. Imagine if Rassilon showed up tomorrow and offered a return to the good old days, the glory days. Rassilon’s name is synonymous with ancient history and ancient power. His name is used as both a blessing and a curse. The Time Lords would jump at the chance to return to the days when they were powerful and unchallenged. They have already alienated, antagonized, and provoked most of their former allies. Going to war with the rest of the universe suddenly doesn’t seem like much of a leap.
The Militarization of the Chancellery Guard
When I first saw the Chancellery Guard back in classic Doctor Who episodes like The Invasion of Time, I always got the impression that their duties were mostly ceremonial. They remind me of the Swiss Guard at the Vatican or the Queen’s Guard at Buckingham Palace. They have slightly impractical uniforms and slightly ridiculous hats. They are certainly well trained and well drilled, but they are primarily for show and are rarely called upon to do any actual fighting. Their reputation as a defense force isn’t helped by the fact that the Doctor bamboozles them and walks around doing exactly what he wants, despite their efforts. By the end or Series 3, though, the Guard is a completely different beast. They’ve been through a civil war and an alien invasion and a zombie uprising. They’ve been fighting for five episodes straight without a break. They’ve been exposed to terrorist bombings and fire fights in the streets. A lot of people have died and the Guardsmen have borne the brunt of the casualties. Those who have survived have been hardened into an effective military fighting force. They have experience with urban combat and guerilla warfare and terrorist tactics. I think the Guard under Acting Castellan Annos in Panacea is a very different (and more dangerous) organization than the Guard was way back under Captain Andred in The Invasion of Time.
Mephistopheles and the Rise of Arkadia
In the Gallifrey audios, Mr. Mephistopheles Arkadian is a con-man and black market weapons dealer. In New Who, the Doctor has occasionally referenced a terrible event during the Time War called The Fall of Arcadia. I can’t help but think that the two are connected. Throughout the last episode of Gallifrey Series 3, Arkadian is engaged in a complex scheme to get his hands on a stash of high-tech time weapons left to the Time Lords by Pandora. He even mentions that he knows some “metal gentlemen” who are keen to buy them.
I think Arkadian is the Judas Iscariot who sells the Time Lord’s closely-guarded, cutting-edge time weapons technology to the Daleks and allows them to compete with the Time Lords on an equal footing. Here’s what I think happens: By hook or by crook, Arkadian gets his hands on some top-of-the-range time technology. He travels back in time and alters his own history so that suddenly his home, Arcadia, goes from being a forgotten backwater to being a major player amongst the temporal powers. For a time, Mephistopheles and Arcadia become fantastically wealthy and powerful by selling weapons to both sides in various conflicts. Then, one day, he finally slips up and sells the wrong tech to the wrong buyer. Now in possession of unparalleled time weapons, the Daleks, who are always ruthless and always thorough, decide to completely wipe out the supplier of their weapons, so that this mistake can never be reversed. The Dalek fleet descends upon Arcadia. In a characteristically double-dealing move, Arkadian throws himself upon the mercy of the Time Lords and begs them to aid in the defense of his world. The Time Lords are infuriated by what he’s done, but they are even more terrified by the idea of a temporally empowered Dalek Empire free to roam the universe unchecked, so they have no choice but to rush to the defense of Arcadia. Davros and the Doctor and the Dalek Emporer and the Master and two massive time fleets all converge on Arcadia at once and there they witness a conflagration that teaches them what kind of horror the words “Time War” really mean.
Suddenly, the path leading Gallifrey towards the Time War makes a terrible sort of sense.
I think Gallifrey serves as a fitting prequel to the Time War and New Who. The writers probably never intended it that way, but it fits remarkably well into its nebulous niche in extended universe continuity after the TV movie and just before the Time War. When I listen to it now, I can’t help but think there is a bigger story taking place in the background behind the actual plot, and it is the story of Gallifrey’s inevitable slide down the slippery slope towards war.
Let’s look at some of the big trends:
The Expanding Powers of the Lord President
When Romana revealed the location of the Great Key and claimed the title and powers of the Imperiatrix for herself, she set a dangerous precedent. She may have changed the nature of the President’s office forever. I know it was all a ruse and she never intended to keep those powers or to use them, but I think she opened a door that can never be fully shut again. She abolished the High Council and placed them under house arrest. She appointed her own Imperial Guard. We saw what a dangerous can of worms she had opened when Pandora immediately claimed all that power for herself. My point is this: if Romana could do all that, what is to stop future presidents from doing something similar? Do you really think that someone ambitious like Matthias would hesitate to claim more power and authority for the President’s office? Would Rassilon? I think we can expect future presidents to expand the scope and authority of their office, eventually leading up to Lord President Rassilon in The End of Time, who seems like an unchallenged dictator.
Free Time and the Will of the People
The Free Time virus has run rampant on Gallifrey. K-9 estimated that 95% of all Gallifreyans will soon be infected. The original strain of the virus turns Time Lords into brainwashed zombies loyal to the Free Time terrorist movement when they regenerate. However, Pandora proved that the virus could be modified and reprogrammed to have other effects. She made a technological variant based on her own consciousness and DNA that could rewrite a Time Lord’s mind and turn them into an extension of the Pandora entity obedient to her. If the virus could be reprogrammed once, could it be altered again? Could an ambitious and unscrupulous future president use it to influence the minds and opinions of the voting public and make them more favorable towards a controversial public policy? Like a new War, for example?
The Gallifreyan Ego and the Alienation of the Aliens
The Time Lords are a prideful people. They pride themselves on their intellect, their longevity, their history and their invulnerability. By the end of the civil war, the Time Lords have been brought to one of the lowest points in their history. They have lost the Academy (representing Education), the Artron Forum (representing Debate), the Matrix (representing Wisdom), and the Transduction Barriers (representing Invulnerability). They are impoverished and diseased. They are considering breaking the laws of time by selling their weapons technology just to raise money so they can rebuild their homes. Regeneration has become a curse that turns you into a zombie. They’ve seen a lot of people die, and Death, something they are usually able to avoid for ages and ages, suddenly seems very close and very real.
The Time Lords are an arrogant people. They can only bear so much humiliation. Eventually, they are going to want to lash out and strike back. Imagine if Rassilon showed up tomorrow and offered a return to the good old days, the glory days. Rassilon’s name is synonymous with ancient history and ancient power. His name is used as both a blessing and a curse. The Time Lords would jump at the chance to return to the days when they were powerful and unchallenged. They have already alienated, antagonized, and provoked most of their former allies. Going to war with the rest of the universe suddenly doesn’t seem like much of a leap.
The Militarization of the Chancellery Guard
When I first saw the Chancellery Guard back in classic Doctor Who episodes like The Invasion of Time, I always got the impression that their duties were mostly ceremonial. They remind me of the Swiss Guard at the Vatican or the Queen’s Guard at Buckingham Palace. They have slightly impractical uniforms and slightly ridiculous hats. They are certainly well trained and well drilled, but they are primarily for show and are rarely called upon to do any actual fighting. Their reputation as a defense force isn’t helped by the fact that the Doctor bamboozles them and walks around doing exactly what he wants, despite their efforts. By the end or Series 3, though, the Guard is a completely different beast. They’ve been through a civil war and an alien invasion and a zombie uprising. They’ve been fighting for five episodes straight without a break. They’ve been exposed to terrorist bombings and fire fights in the streets. A lot of people have died and the Guardsmen have borne the brunt of the casualties. Those who have survived have been hardened into an effective military fighting force. They have experience with urban combat and guerilla warfare and terrorist tactics. I think the Guard under Acting Castellan Annos in Panacea is a very different (and more dangerous) organization than the Guard was way back under Captain Andred in The Invasion of Time.
Mephistopheles and the Rise of Arkadia
In the Gallifrey audios, Mr. Mephistopheles Arkadian is a con-man and black market weapons dealer. In New Who, the Doctor has occasionally referenced a terrible event during the Time War called The Fall of Arcadia. I can’t help but think that the two are connected. Throughout the last episode of Gallifrey Series 3, Arkadian is engaged in a complex scheme to get his hands on a stash of high-tech time weapons left to the Time Lords by Pandora. He even mentions that he knows some “metal gentlemen” who are keen to buy them.
I think Arkadian is the Judas Iscariot who sells the Time Lord’s closely-guarded, cutting-edge time weapons technology to the Daleks and allows them to compete with the Time Lords on an equal footing. Here’s what I think happens: By hook or by crook, Arkadian gets his hands on some top-of-the-range time technology. He travels back in time and alters his own history so that suddenly his home, Arcadia, goes from being a forgotten backwater to being a major player amongst the temporal powers. For a time, Mephistopheles and Arcadia become fantastically wealthy and powerful by selling weapons to both sides in various conflicts. Then, one day, he finally slips up and sells the wrong tech to the wrong buyer. Now in possession of unparalleled time weapons, the Daleks, who are always ruthless and always thorough, decide to completely wipe out the supplier of their weapons, so that this mistake can never be reversed. The Dalek fleet descends upon Arcadia. In a characteristically double-dealing move, Arkadian throws himself upon the mercy of the Time Lords and begs them to aid in the defense of his world. The Time Lords are infuriated by what he’s done, but they are even more terrified by the idea of a temporally empowered Dalek Empire free to roam the universe unchecked, so they have no choice but to rush to the defense of Arcadia. Davros and the Doctor and the Dalek Emporer and the Master and two massive time fleets all converge on Arcadia at once and there they witness a conflagration that teaches them what kind of horror the words “Time War” really mean.
Suddenly, the path leading Gallifrey towards the Time War makes a terrible sort of sense.