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{{Infobox Individual
{{Infobox Individual
|aka              =  
|aka              =  
|image            = Tasha Lem.jpg
|image            = Tasha Lem looking left.jpg
|species          = Humanoid
|species          = Humanoid
|species2          = Dalek puppet
|species2          = Dalek puppet
|affiliation      = Papal Mainframe
|affiliation      = Papal Mainframe
|origin            =  
|origin            =  
|first             =  
|first mention    = A Good Man Goes to War (TV story)
|only              = The Time of the Doctor (TV story)
|first            = The Time of the Doctor (TV story)
|appearances      =  
|appearances      = {{Il|[[GAME]]: ''[[Legacy (video game)|Legacy]]''|[[PROSE]]: {{cs|Whotopia: The Ultimate Guide to the Whoniverse (reference book)}}}}
|actor            = Orla Brady
|actor            = Orla Brady
|clip              = Doctor Who The Time of the Doctor - Preview Clip Three - BBC One Christmas 2013
|clip              = Doctor Who The Time of the Doctor - Preview Clip Three - BBC One Christmas 2013
|bts              = Orla Brady on Tasha Lem and The Time of the Doctor - Doctor Who Christmas Special 2013 - BBC One
|bts              = Orla Brady on Tasha Lem and The Time of the Doctor - Doctor Who Christmas Special 2013 - BBC One
}}'''{{PAGENAME}}''' was the Mother Superious of the [[Papal Mainframe]] and a friend of [[the Doctor]]. She was on familiar enough terms with the Doctor to compliment him on his current form, and for the Doctor to later kiss her. She apparently did not age, as she was "against" it. She also possessed the ability to pilot the TARDIS, telling [[Clara Oswald]] that "flying the TARDIS was always easy...it was flying the Doctor I never quite mastered."
}}
'''{{PAGENAME}}''' was the final [[Mother Superious]] of the [[Papal Mainframe]], having led the organisation at the time of the [[Siege of Trenzalore]]. She was an old friend of [[the Doctor]]'s and was "against" ageing.


Shortly before the [[Siege of Trenzalore]], she summoned the [[Eleventh Doctor]] and [[Clara Oswald]] aboard the [[Papal Mainframe]]. After explaining about [[The Question|the signal]] from the planet surface, she teleported the Doctor and Clara to the planet's surface, ordering them to return to her in "one hour".  
== Biography ==
Tasha and the Doctor had a close relationship in their past, Tasha becoming comfortable enough with acknowledging his different bodies. She learnt to fly [[The Doctor's TARDIS|his TARDIS]] but would later note to [[Clara Oswald]] that she had "never quite mastered" flying the Doctor.


When the Doctor later discovered that [[Gallifrey]] and the [[Time Lord]]s were attempting to return through the scar tissue left by the [[Cracks in Time]], Tasha contacted the Doctor via a massive holographic projection of her face and warned him not to summon the Time Lords back, or else the Time War would begin anew. The Doctor refused to abandon Trenzalore's people.  In response, Tasha informed [[the Church]] that their new faith would be "[[Silence]]". She declared that the Doctor must never speak his name and that "silence will fall."
When [[The Question|a mysterious transmission]] began emanating from the planet [[Trenzalore]], [[the Church]] responded to it, erecting a [[force field]] around the planet to protect the [[Level 2 planet|Level 2]] [[human]] [[colony]] from the various species who had followed.


Three hundred years later, the Daleks – having failed to breach Trenzalore's defences on their own – attacked the Papal Mainframe and slaughtered everyone inside, including Tasha. The knowledge of the Doctor was extracted from her corpse and used to restore the Daleks' [[Asylum of the Daleks (TV story)|lost memories]] of him. The Daleks also apparently revived, tortured, and killed her several times in a failed attempt to learn how to fully breach Trenzalore's defences. Eventually, she was converted into a [[Dalek puppet]]. The Daleks used her to draw the Doctor and Clara into a trap onboard the Papal Mainframe, under the guise of wanting to speak with him.
When the [[Eleventh Doctor]] arrived, Tasha summoned him and Clara aboard the [[Papal Mainframe]]. After a discussion with the Doctor about the transmission, she [[Teleportation|teleported]] him and Clara down to the planet to discover the source of the message. The two soon discovered that the message was from the [[Time Lord]]s, lost in [[Gallifrey's pocket universe|a pocket universe]] since the end of the [[Last Great Time War]], seeking to return to [[N-Space]] via a [[time field]]. Contacting the Doctor, Tasha refused to allow him to help his people, noting that the marauding [[fleet]] would destroy Trenzalore to stop the threat of the Time Lords. When the Doctor announced his intent to defend both the planet and his people, Tasha declared that the Church would now dedicate itself to ensuring that the Doctor would never speak [[Aliases of the Doctor|his true name]], decreeing "[[The Silence|silence]] will fall."


During the feigned conference, she explained to the Doctor how the [[Kovarian Chapter]] of the [[Church of Silence]] were responsible for the [[Series 6 (Doctor Who)|attempts on his life]], even mentioning [[River Song]]. Upon revealing that she was actually killed in the Dalek attack three days prior, her Dalek conditioning activated and she transformed into a Dalek Puppet, just as three Daleks entered the room. The Doctor threatened to speak his name, bringing back the Time Lords and with them the Time War itself. In response, Tasha took Clara hostage, and the Daleks threatened to have Clara killed if the Doctor didn't "die in silence".
Over the next three centuries, the [[Kovarian Chapter]] broke away and travelled back along the Doctor's timeline to try and prevent him from ever reaching Trenzalore. Though Tasha did not take part in these schemes, she knew that they had [[Destiny trap|ultimately caused]] the crack that the Time Lords were calling through and ensured that the Doctor would live long enough to reach Trenzalore.


The Doctor told Tasha to kill Clara, claiming he didn't care. Clara did not see this as a betrayal, however, as she understood the Daleks planned on killing her anyway, and instead remained by the Doctor's side. The Doctor praised Clara's bravery and berated Tasha for her cowardice. These insults restored Tasha's personality and (after slapping the Doctor) she proceeded to destroy the three Daleks with her Dalek-implanted weaponry. She then told the Doctor and Clara to flee, warning them that she couldn't resist the Dalek programming forever. The Doctor – refusing to abandon the people of Christmas – urged her to continue fighting the Dalek conditioning. She took his advice, and after the Doctor and Clara escaped back to Christmas, Tasha proceeded to rally the remaining Church and Silent forces on Trenzalore to fight alongside the Doctor.
Eventually the [[New Dalek Paradigm]] grew tired of the holding action and assaulted the Papal Mainframe, killing everyone and turning them into [[Dalek puppet]]s. From Tasha's memories, the Dalek [[pathweb]] reconstructed its knowledge of the Doctor. The Daleks revived and tortured Tasha "several times" in an attempt to learn how to break the force field but she refused to reveal the information.


When the Doctor was dying of old age, Tasha piloted [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] to retrieve Clara so that she could be with him. She ran into battle on [[Trenzalore]] to assist her soldiers. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'')
Instead, the Daleks used Tasha as a lure in a trap, bringing the Doctor back to the Mainframe where Tasha revealed her converted nature and took Clara as a hostage. Before the Daleks could exterminate them, the Doctor praised Clara's fearlessness when faced with them, denouncing Tasha as spineless and unreliable. The anger allowed Tasha to overcome the Dalek programming, regaining her [[free will]] and exterminating the [[Dalek drone]]s. Before the programming could take over once again, Tasha teleported the Doctor and Clara back to the TARDIS, encouraging the Doctor to fly away now that he had his ship back, though insisting that she done everything for galactic peace, not the Doctor.
 
After a further five centuries of warfare against the New Dalek Paradigm, the Doctor, having used all twelve of his [[regeneration]]s, was dying of old age. Feeling that the Doctor should not die alone, Tasha used the TARDIS to collect Clara Oswald so his companion could be with him in his last moments. Directing Clara to the Doctor, Tasha went off to join her forces in the final push against the Daleks. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'')
 
Tasha Lem herself died during the Siege. As a sign of respect, she was buried with a [[TARDIS key]]. A fleet of morimentum ships were sent to collect a thousand tonnes of ice each. Over the next thirty years, her tomb was carved out in the ice, and after her burial it was defended by a battalion of [[Sacristans]], assassin androids. She was the last Mother Superious.
 
Sometime after her burial, [[Same (Canaries)|Sibling Same]] and [[Different (Canaries)|Sibling Different]] stole the TARDIS key from her grave, and took it to London in the year [[1895]], where they ensured it fell into the hands of the [[Paternoster Gang]]. The Siblings hoped they would contact the Doctor. However, [[Vastra]] instead handed the key back to the Sacristan android that had been sent back to retrieve the key. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[A Perfect Christmas (short story)|A Perfect Christmas]]'')


== Behind the scenes ==
== Behind the scenes ==
* According to [[Steven Moffat]] in [[DWM 473]], Tasha may have at one time been married to Madame Kovarian.<ref>http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/who-mysteries-what-happened-to-the-kovarian-chapter-62940.htm</ref>
* In 2017, [[Steven Moffat]] said that he had been frustrated with Tasha's main scene because of how flirtatious her interactions with the Doctor seemed. "What I was looking for was, it was like the Doctor meeting his first girlfriend, you know, and she's now the pope and he's now Doctor Who, so all that's out the window. So they have a certain knowledge of each other, but it's from a long time ago, and they're at ease. I think it went a bit too [[River Song]], because everyone loved River so they sort of made her into another River."<ref>https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/toby-hadoke-s-who-s-round-232-steven-moffat-2017-1808</ref>
* According to Moffat in [[DWM 473]], Tasha may have at one time been married to [[Madame Kovarian]].<ref>http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/who-mysteries-what-happened-to-the-kovarian-chapter-62940.htm</ref>
* According to Orla Brady, Tasha is mostly human but has some alien ancestry as well.<ref>http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who/28576/orla-brady-on-the-time-of-the-doctor</ref>
* According to Orla Brady, Tasha is mostly human but has some alien ancestry as well.<ref>http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who/28576/orla-brady-on-the-time-of-the-doctor</ref>
* Orla Brady appeared in character as Tasha in a video wishing ''Doctor Who'' fans a "killer Christmas".
* Orla Brady appeared in character as Tasha in a video wishing ''Doctor Who'' fans a "killer Christmas".
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{{Dwlx}}
{{Dwlx}}


=== Footnotes ===
== Footnotes ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
{{NameSort}}
{{NameSort}}
{{Companions of the Eleventh Doctor}}


[[Category:Religious leaders]]
[[Category:Religious leaders]]
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[[Category:Dalek puppets]]
[[Category:Dalek puppets]]
[[Category:Individuals who have been inside the Doctor's TARDIS]]
[[Category:Individuals who have been inside the Doctor's TARDIS]]
[[Category:Eleventh Doctor companions]]
[[Category:Members of the Silence]]
[[Category:Members of the Silence]]
[[Category:Combatants in the Siege of Trenzalore]]
[[Category:TARDIS pilots]]
[[Category:Members of the Church of the Papal Mainframe]]


[[es:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[es:Tasha Lem]]
[[fr:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[fr:Tasha Lem]]
[[Category:Individuals who have kissed the Doctor]]

Latest revision as of 09:05, 18 May 2024

Tasha Lem was the final Mother Superious of the Papal Mainframe, having led the organisation at the time of the Siege of Trenzalore. She was an old friend of the Doctor's and was "against" ageing.

Biography[[edit] | [edit source]]

Tasha and the Doctor had a close relationship in their past, Tasha becoming comfortable enough with acknowledging his different bodies. She learnt to fly his TARDIS but would later note to Clara Oswald that she had "never quite mastered" flying the Doctor.

When a mysterious transmission began emanating from the planet Trenzalore, the Church responded to it, erecting a force field around the planet to protect the Level 2 human colony from the various species who had followed.

When the Eleventh Doctor arrived, Tasha summoned him and Clara aboard the Papal Mainframe. After a discussion with the Doctor about the transmission, she teleported him and Clara down to the planet to discover the source of the message. The two soon discovered that the message was from the Time Lords, lost in a pocket universe since the end of the Last Great Time War, seeking to return to N-Space via a time field. Contacting the Doctor, Tasha refused to allow him to help his people, noting that the marauding fleet would destroy Trenzalore to stop the threat of the Time Lords. When the Doctor announced his intent to defend both the planet and his people, Tasha declared that the Church would now dedicate itself to ensuring that the Doctor would never speak his true name, decreeing "silence will fall."

Over the next three centuries, the Kovarian Chapter broke away and travelled back along the Doctor's timeline to try and prevent him from ever reaching Trenzalore. Though Tasha did not take part in these schemes, she knew that they had ultimately caused the crack that the Time Lords were calling through and ensured that the Doctor would live long enough to reach Trenzalore.

Eventually the New Dalek Paradigm grew tired of the holding action and assaulted the Papal Mainframe, killing everyone and turning them into Dalek puppets. From Tasha's memories, the Dalek pathweb reconstructed its knowledge of the Doctor. The Daleks revived and tortured Tasha "several times" in an attempt to learn how to break the force field but she refused to reveal the information.

Instead, the Daleks used Tasha as a lure in a trap, bringing the Doctor back to the Mainframe where Tasha revealed her converted nature and took Clara as a hostage. Before the Daleks could exterminate them, the Doctor praised Clara's fearlessness when faced with them, denouncing Tasha as spineless and unreliable. The anger allowed Tasha to overcome the Dalek programming, regaining her free will and exterminating the Dalek drones. Before the programming could take over once again, Tasha teleported the Doctor and Clara back to the TARDIS, encouraging the Doctor to fly away now that he had his ship back, though insisting that she done everything for galactic peace, not the Doctor.

After a further five centuries of warfare against the New Dalek Paradigm, the Doctor, having used all twelve of his regenerations, was dying of old age. Feeling that the Doctor should not die alone, Tasha used the TARDIS to collect Clara Oswald so his companion could be with him in his last moments. Directing Clara to the Doctor, Tasha went off to join her forces in the final push against the Daleks. (TV: The Time of the Doctor)

Tasha Lem herself died during the Siege. As a sign of respect, she was buried with a TARDIS key. A fleet of morimentum ships were sent to collect a thousand tonnes of ice each. Over the next thirty years, her tomb was carved out in the ice, and after her burial it was defended by a battalion of Sacristans, assassin androids. She was the last Mother Superious.

Sometime after her burial, Sibling Same and Sibling Different stole the TARDIS key from her grave, and took it to London in the year 1895, where they ensured it fell into the hands of the Paternoster Gang. The Siblings hoped they would contact the Doctor. However, Vastra instead handed the key back to the Sacristan android that had been sent back to retrieve the key. (PROSE: A Perfect Christmas)

Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • In 2017, Steven Moffat said that he had been frustrated with Tasha's main scene because of how flirtatious her interactions with the Doctor seemed. "What I was looking for was, it was like the Doctor meeting his first girlfriend, you know, and she's now the pope and he's now Doctor Who, so all that's out the window. So they have a certain knowledge of each other, but it's from a long time ago, and they're at ease. I think it went a bit too River Song, because everyone loved River so they sort of made her into another River."[1]
  • According to Moffat in DWM 473, Tasha may have at one time been married to Madame Kovarian.[2]
  • According to Orla Brady, Tasha is mostly human but has some alien ancestry as well.[3]
  • Orla Brady appeared in character as Tasha in a video wishing Doctor Who fans a "killer Christmas".
  • Tasha is both a playable character and an enemy in the Doctor Who: Legacy mobile game.

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]