Gallifrey Returns!

I have blocked submissions to the site for two reasons: 1) I’ve neglected this place and just can’t seem to get back into it; and 2) some yo-yo spammer decided to use my place as a drop-off for their videos, none of which had anything to do with the site’s submission guidelines. You misuse something, you don’t get to use it any more.

Thanks for the submits, everyone! Fucking Tumblr is having a fucking little problem, though. So I can’t do much more than write “thanks!” to all my followers.

GALLIFREY IS NOT DESTROYED. IT’S JUST SLEEPING. IT’S PINING FOR THE FJORDS!

A big change to the Whoniverse perpetrated by the creators of Nu Who is, obviously, the obliteration of the rest of the Time Lord race and presumably the planet of Gallifrey — though the 10th Doctor’s description of it burning could simply be the surface burnt off; actual whole planets are not easy to destroy, no matter what George Lucas says. I suppose, though, that in the context of said Whoniverse, if there was ever a weapon that could obliterate a whole planet so that even the Master couldn’t find it, then the Time Lords were the people who could make it.

Anyway, all that aside, I have a problem with the conception of 1) the Time War, 2) the destruction of Gallifrey not after all being so much the fault of the Daleks as the Time Lords themselves, who apparently went so badly off their heads that they had to be put down like rabid dogs.

My problems with the Time War are brief: I don’t understand it. This is probably due to my low scientific intellect — math is haaaard, and I don’t understand skiencefikshun talk about time streams and time loops and “higher races” being able to perceive what was going on while “lower races” just went about their lives and all that stuff. For example, did it happen in the past (besides the Doctor’s own past, that is), the future, or some “outside time” place. In which case, if it’s outside time, is it still going on? (Because how can things “outside time” stop or start.) Do you see what I mean? Well neither do I. And that’s the problem I have.

Moving along to what is more important to me: this conception of the Time Lords as (finally I guess, because they didn’t start out that way) evil villainous beings of evil who were so evil they had to be killed a second time! Heck they were so evil we had to sacrifice Susan (that woman Claire Bloom played was not the Doctor’s mother, that was Susan, several decades or centuries older and just looking that way because she needed to regenerate), so evil that the Master had to help kill them. It just… frustrates me.

By the way, why couldn’t the Doctor just have grabbed Susan (not his mom) and dragged her out of the way just before the Master’s laser beam hands sent the whole crew back to Gallifrey’s galaxy, or time loop, or time cave, or whatever? Ten, despite having fallen several feet through a glass roof onto a marble tiled floor, seemed pretty limber.

Anyway, Steven Moffat, currently in charge of Nu Who, thinks that Russell T. Davies’ character rape conception of the Time Lords as evil etc. is just fine and dandy. “Brilliant” is what I think he said. Now keep in mind this is Moffat we’re talking about and he has a way of… not saying everything. But let’s just go with that. The writers have decided to basically not only isolate the Doctor but do it in the most traumatic way possible. That’s one thing. Another thing is… what is so brilliant about taking a complex conception of a race of beings who were, in their own minds at least, super-intellectual, super-civilized, and one of the oldest civilizations “in the universe” and simplifying them into a group of “oh they’re just evil!” My thing is this: the original conception of the Time Lords as being sometimes superior, sometimes just tool old and decadent, often manipulative for all sorts of reasons good and bad and beyond good and bad, sometimes helpful, sometimes helpless (and thus needing the Doctor’s help), sometimes ossified and unable to see the solution right in front of them because they were too set in their ways, sometimes outright jerkasses — was much more interesting then turning them into a bunch of evil freaks who were a-okay with destroying “time itself” so they could “ascend” — though where they were supposed to be ascending to without any time or place existing any more no one seems to have cared to speculate on. In short, I find the reduction of Time Lords to psycho villains too simplistic.

It also removed an entire set of plot possibilities from the show. I am not so sure that that wasn’t the intention of the writers — for all his geek credentials, Davies didn’t seem very interested in the wonders of exploring alien space — most of his shows took place in the human universe, which he conveniently extended to the very heat death of the universe, and way too many of his shows took place in the same few square blocks of 21st century London. I had hopes for Moffat, but his show seems to have turned into a Rory-Amy-Doctor-River soap opera, which is interesting, I guess, unless you were looking for an episode of Doctor Who.

Perhaps this is due to the constant calls for more stuff about the Doctor’s personal life coming from a certain segment of fandom. Forty-eight years ago when the show first aired, people hadn’t been nurtured forever on 24/7 television drama. They were, it seems, more okay with a character being of mysterious origin, and not needing him to be a cute guy they can “identify with” (I hate that phrase, by the way — it’s so condescending, implying that I can’t feel sympathy towards the plight of anyone who doesn’t look or act like me). I don’t know what the problem is. But if there’s a way to approach the actual Life Of The Doctor, I do think that disappearing his whole race, refusing to talk about it, and saddling him with the companionship of humans and only humans (and only humans from 21st century Earth) isn’t the way to go about it.

This is all a long roundabout way of saying I wish they’d retcon away the Time War somehow. It’s just awkward. The Doctor is an alien, not a human, and getting rid of his people to somehow make him “more human” just makes it look like you don’t like science fiction and really want to write a show about 21st century Earth. Don’t get me wrong — the new show is still vastly entertaining — but I want my sense of wonder back. I just don’t get it from the new shiny show like I did from the old gimcrack low-budget joke with the cardboard sets and bad special effects.

aikainkauna:

ushas42:

fiveroundsrapid:

tardiscrash:

Come on guys. It doesn’t even make any sense.

(via THT)

Yeah, I just… 

don’t get that. At all. Seriously. 

For real.

Seriously. Hartnell’s got such an interesting face because he’s one of those guys who looked very old very young. And that’s incredibly Doctorish in itself, isn’t it? Plus, with those features, he’s got plenty enough material even for the fanartists who insist on drawing everyone as Generic Bishounen Manga Dudes(TM).

Yah rly. Actually I always thought that David Tennant would look more like the young Master (Koschei (sp?)) especially with a beard. He has eyes something like Delgado’s.

I really need to pay more attention to this site. The person who left the previous message (see the previous post) must have given up on me! Life on Earth can get involved, that’s all I’m going to say.

Anyway, if anyone out there has story ideas, art, fanfic, etc. feel free to post them. I will get them up even if it takes me a little while.

As a complete noob Doctor Who fan (I’ve been meaning to watch it for some time and only just got around to starting Season 1 about three weeks ago) I have my own reasons for hoping that the writers come up with a way to bring Gallifrey and the Time Lords back….mostly because I haven’t gotten to see anything to do with it yet! I know I could go back and watch the older episodes that involve the planet (and I intend to!) but, let’s face it, we all really want to see what modern special effects could do for a place we’ve heard so many fantastic things about! Plus, who wouldn’t want to see Matt Smith in some of those ceremonial robes? :oP

Gallifrey needs to be brought back, not only to provide fresh plot ideas, but also to give the many fans who have been introduced to Doctor Who through the new series a glimpse into that aspect of the Whoniverse! :o) I truly think it will happen too. Maybe not in the next season or two, but eventually.

I can see it now…the Doctor is in some terrible spot, with no way out, about to be killed (the kind of “killed” you don’t regenerate from) and just when it all seems lost…are those TARDIS noises in the background? The camera pans out to show a hundred or so differnet TARDISes materializing with a Time Lord (or Lady!) stepping out of each one, sonic screwdriver at the ready. It would be FANTASTIC. :oD

Thanks to the Doctor Who Directory for some promotion. Now to think of things to put here… And I am also taking submissions, so if you have any creative urges, feel free to share!

Jeez, I’ve been neglecting this site. Sorry, been busy. It’s okay, Gallifrey’s a big planet, she understands.

Slowly Gallifrey Returns is getting followers! Welcome! And if the fancy takes, you, feel free to submit and entry!