Talk:The Question

What is the question, really?

The initial thought in the article is correct. The question must never be answered. But what is the question? It is hidden in plain sight, meaning that it is an obvious question. It is also a question that if answered would destroy the very fabric of time and space. It is therefore very dangerous. Only Time Lords can answer it because they can go to anywhere and to any time. The Doctor is the last of the the Time Lords. That is why "The Silence" wish to keep it a secret and will stop at anything to keep someone from answering the question, even if it means killing the Doctor. They consider themselves the good guys but they are extremists and as such also pose a danger to the universe.

What is the question that is hidden in plain sight? It is definitely not "What is the Doctor's name." It is an age old question, and the answer in the wrong hands could destroy the universe. That is why no one being, not even a Time Lord must ever reveal the answer to the question.

This is a brilliant strategy by the author to include such an intriguing cliffhanger. I would have also included it in one of my stories had I been able to do so. The question could apply to any story. What is the fundamental age old question that must not be answered?

"Spoilers!"

The Z Books ^{talk to me} 11:43, October 3, 2011 (UTC)The Z Books

I think that the "who" relates to who he is - why he is special, what he is really running from (Just the memory of the vortex? Even though he saw it as a child and then stayed in the academy for hundreds of years?), why he of all Time Lords won the Time War by killing everyone, etc. They always hint that there's a side of him that nobody knows - so that side would be the answer. AilaG ^{talk to me} 04:10, March 16, 2012 (UTC)

The question is very clearly literally "What is the Doctor's name?" The idea that the Doctor's name is something that could never be revealed is obvious, as suggested by the Tenth Doctor's reaction to learning that River knew his name. The lines of it being "the first question" and being "hidden in plain sight" are both fourth all jokes. "The First Question" suggesting that it was the first question asked in An Unearthly Child (not true, but whatever) and the later thing meaning that it's the title of the show, literally "hidden in plain sight." The question is definitively "Doctor Who?" OS25 (talk to me, baby.) 07:37, February 24, 2013 (UTC)

Actually, I've always assumed that it was "the first question," because he's a time traveller, and has, throughout his long life, visited almost every single period of history - hence, the first question ever asked was directed at this mysterious Doctor in the dawn of time. I agree with you about "hidden in plain sight" and the name of the show, though. --SOTO ☎ 07:49, February 24, 2013 (UTC)

Running from the Answer

According to Dorium, the Doctor had been running away from answering "Doctor Who?" his entire life (or lives, counting incarnations). However, it seems when his Eleventh life fizzles out, the Question will be asked and we will finaly learn what he is called. (173.167.179.77^{talk to me} 22:50, January 10, 2012 (UTC))

What he's called IS The Doctor, plus WHO he is might not be his name, it might be though, it might just be the dark past that he has been hinted from time to time to have. After all like William Shakesphere said, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. GrimmShadows ^{talk to me} 03:23, January 27, 2012 (UTC)

It's not necessarily his 11th life. The Doctor lies, Moffat more so. I think it might be the autumn of 2011. You can't even be sure he's the 11th, because AFAIK we can't be sure he didn't regenerate before Hartnell or between McGann and Eccleston (that's why I refer to them by actor name and not by number). Plus, you can say that Tennant sort of regenerated into himself in Journey's End, so Matt Smith is #12.

Is the answer his name? I don't think so. If it is, then his name must contain so much more. Any answer that's just a word, a sequence of letters, wouldn't be so critical to deserve that level of importance. Even a meaningful word like "Darklordofall" or "Fourthdimension" or "Barack Obama" as his name wouldn't be something so gravely important and dangerous.

Will his life fizzle out? You never know. Not with the DW gang. They use the same verb, fall, for him and for the Silence. Would they take his place? Would they all physically fall? Or maybe fall to their knees? As they say, when you assume you make an "ass" out of "u" and "Moffat".

I think we'll never know. I can't think of an answer satisfying enough for the question. Much like how I want River to live on but I know that if she does her story won't be so wonderfully tragic anymore, I want to know the Doctor's name but if I do his story won't be so enchantingly mysterious anymore.

Therefore, I think he will arrive at the fields of Trenzalore, which must be anagram for something though I haven't found any satisfying answers for that ("a soldier left frozen"?). And the question will be asked, no idea by whom, perhaps we haven't met them yet. I think it will be on the 50th anniversary. Who knows, maybe 7 incarnations will be there. And he will answer. BUT the prophecy does not indicate how audible the answer must be.

He will answer. In a whisper. Into River's ear. There's only one time he could tell her, and that's it.

And I'm overthinking it. AilaG ^{talk to me} 04:10, March 16, 2012 (UTC)

I'm inclined to think it is more literal—that it will be at the end of the 11th Doctor's run and that it will be his name (though, we might not hear his name, as it might simply be whispered to River). But, why might his name be important? One, it could implicate something along the lines of the Cartmel Masterplan, that the Doctor is far more important to Time Lord society than people realize (without actually following the specifics of Cartmel's plan). Alternatively, his name might be important for other reasons. He might have, for instance, used his name as the key to the time-lock ending the Last Great Time War, with it only opening if he spoke his own name. I suppose a third possibility is that the question lacked a comma, and should be "Doctor, who?", in which case we don't know the real question until we hear the longer question leading up to it. (I'm inclined against this, though, because the Doctor seemed to understand the implications of the question when he first heard it.) --96.22.51.89^{talk to me} 15:40, June 17, 2012 (UTC)

Hope I don't sound too stupid, but is the question actually "Doctor who?" or "Doctor, Who?"24.84.182.90Aok951 ☎ 01:33, September 9, 2012 (UTC)

I dont think you people get it, it isnt about who he is, but why he is? What does being The Doctor mean? And why must he be The Doctor? ralok ☎ 01:23, December 12, 2012 (UTC)

Merge?

Given that the "Doctor Who?" question is now something with in-universe significance, shouldn't The "Doctor Who?" running joke be merged into The Question? (I would remove the ones that aren't literally "Doctor who?", though). 94.75.90.48^{talk to me} 00:23, February 19, 2012 (UTC)

I'm inclined against, as the jokes (esp. the older ones) are usually not in reference to the Question. Cross links between the two articles make sense, though. --96.22.51.89^{talk to me} 15:41, June 17, 2012 (UTC)

I agree. "The Question" is something that exists in the Doctor Who universe, while The "Doctor Who?" running joke is something that exists in the real world. The Question is also a riff on the running joke, but that doesn't mean that they're the same thing. —Josiah Rowe ☎ 16:43, January 31, 2013 (UTC)

Except they are. Basically, any mention of the question "Doctor Who?" is any media in the DWU is an apperance of The Question. Every instance of the word "Doctor Who" in the program should be mentioned on this page. OS25 (talk to me, baby.) 17:08, January 31, 2013 (UTC)

Basically anything on that page should be on this page. So by definition they should be merged. That's basically all we need to rationalize a merge. OS25 (talk to me, baby.)

Really? You think that, for example, when Lady Cranleigh asks "Doctor who?" in Black Orchid, she's asking The Question That Must Never Be Answered? To me that suggests a far too literal reading of what "The Question" is. Yes, the question is "Doctor who?", but not every incidence of "Doctor who?" seems to me to point towards the religious beliefs of the Silence. —Josiah Rowe ☎ 23:32, January 31, 2013 (UTC)

No, but never the less the question of "Doctor Who?" is the Question. So anyone asking "Doctor Who?" is, in fact, although perhaps on accident, asking "The Question". So basically, Yes, the question is Doctor who?, and so every instance of Doctor who? is the Question. OS25 (talk to me, baby.) 00:12, February 1, 2013 (UTC)

Well, for what it's worth people didn't seem to think so the last time this came up. I think that context matters here: when "Doctor who?" is asked in the context of the religious beliefs of the Silence, it's "the Question", but when it's asked in other contexts it isn't, necessarily. Saying that every time "Doctor who?" is asked it's invoking the Question is a bit like saying that every time someone mentions an eagle they're talking about the comic book. —Josiah Rowe ☎ 03:08, February 1, 2013 (UTC)

I don't think these in-joke comments are relevant. We have to draw the line somewhere, and there's a clear distinction between the Series 6+ plot-arc and the jokes. They're not tied to the plot-arc at all. Anyone reading this page will be looking for information pertaining to that plot-arc, and don't need to be confused by irrelevant material.

In addition, The Question being "hidden in plain sight", and "the first question" actually alludes directly to the title of the series. If we're going to count the in-jokes as being a part of this, we'd also have to list every single Doctor Who episode that falls under the banner of "Doctor Who". It makes more sense to have this page specifically for the "The Question" that pertains to the Trenzelore arc only. 86.18.95.65^{talk to me} 05:32, February 1, 2013 (UTC)

Is the "Doctor Who running joke" The Question? I don't think so.

I'm inclined to agree with Josiah Rowe and 86.18, context is important here. We haven't been given any indication so far that the Question is a gigantic retcon of every "Doctor Who" joke in the series. It seems very specifically linked to the Silence Moff era arcs.

Additionally these two articles are doing different things as Josiah Rowe has pointed out and linked to the discussion we had the last time this came up. --Tangerineduel / talk 14:37, February 1, 2013 (UTC)

Inarguably, though, when Clara Oswin Oswald asked "Doctor Who?" in TV: The Snowmen it was a reference to the Question. The same for Barbara in COMIC: Hunters of the Burning Stone. We shouldn't differentiate when "Doctor Who?" is or isn't the question based on the eras. We should basically just have a big section on this page about every time "Doctor Who?" was ever asked, even if the pages aren't merged. OS25 (talk to me, baby.) 07:41, February 24, 2013 (UTC)

I think no on the merge, at least until we've seen Trenzalore. It's not admissible for evidence, but if you listen to Moffatt's commentary on the scenes with Dorium and the Doctor in The Wedding of River Song, he's laughing about giving us the wrong impression about something. Nearly every word of the verse statement has a double meaning. We should just link the pages and wait. ComicBookGoddess ☎ 15:36, March 14, 2013 (UTC)

I'm ruling a line under this discussion. The pages won't be merged. Links will remain to both articles. --Tangerineduel / talk 07:28, March 24, 2013 (UTC)

Tenth Doctor

I've been wondering about that line where the Tenth Doctor knew about "The Question and the Event". I think that it's clear from the scene in the Library that he knows the import of whatever secret it is that he's keeping (and that River also knows it, and she knows that it hurts the Doctor in some way to hear it), but when the Eleventh asks Dorium about it, he clearly needs to be clued in. Anybody got any elaboration to defend that (now removed) text from this entry? --ComicBookGoddess ☎ 03:03, March 30, 2013 (UTC)

Well, the reason I removed it was that it's not explicitly stated in-universe. Ten clearly knows the importance of his name, and he also knows that there was only one time he could have told River his name, but it is not specifically explained in-universe what the occasion was. It's certainly a logical inference, but one I don't think can be adequetly supported. --Bold Clone 03:23, March 30, 2013 (UTC)

Oh, no, I totally agree with your removal. I'd thought it myself last time I was here but didn't have time to re-watch the Library at that moment. I'm just wondering if there was something that I missed that somebody else didn't miss. :) --ComicBookGoddess ☎ 03:31, March 30, 2013 (UTC)

Carrionite

Do you think, the answer to The Question could be one of Carrionite's Words of Power? It says 'at the fall of the Eleventh...', for me it means shortly before 11th Doctor's regeneration, i.e. there will be a massive fight or battle, the Doctor will shout out his real name and all the Silence will die? And after that he'll regenerate into the 12th?--83.21.68.37^{talk to me} 16:56, April 1, 2013 (UTC)

Great question, but you really need to take it over to The Howling. --ComicBookGoddess ☎ 17:06, April 1, 2013 (UTC)

Silver Nemesis

In silver Nemesis, Lady Peinforte knew the anwser to "The Question" and said it as to do with Gallifrey in the time of Choas maybe it has been anwsered in another episode that i don't know of when the doctor talks of the Time of Choas. And something good to note is this story was on the 25th anniversary and this year is the 50th. Discuss.

The Question has never been answered - Peinforte's reference was going to tie in with what was called the Cartmel Masterplan before the classic series was abruptly canceled. That being said, this is a discussion that would probably belong over in The Howling, since it has to do with character theory and not about article content :) TARDIStraveler ☎ 18:39, April 9, 2013 (UTC)

Regardless of original intent of the writers, old plot lines could easily tie into the mystery. However, I haven't seen the story; I don't know exactly what she said. Anyone attempting to add something of the sort to this plot line should be extraordinarily careful to show, not tell. --ComicBookGoddess ☎ 03:24, April 10, 2013 (UTC)

I'm sure that somewhere (can't remember where I'm afraid), people have linked the Daleks discovery of the Doctor's mission to stop them from being created (Genesis of the Daleks) was what started the Great Time War. So storylines can be combined, as long as they're done carefully, and all make sense (and can be changed if new contradictory information is given in newer epsisodes.

Geek Mythology ☎ 10:01, April 10, 2013 (UTC)

Explosion of the TARDIS

I thought that the Silence first tried to kill the Doctor by exploding the TARDIS in The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang. Is this not true? 63.143.229.220^{talk to me} 11:20, May 8, 2013 (UTC)

Well, we don't really know. We have no specific narrative evidence to that effect, but it does seem a valid hypothesis. Even so, we can't put it in the article on that basis. --ComicBookGoddess ☎ 16:22, May 8, 2013 (UTC)

Added this because Moffat confirmed it at some point (I have forgotten when, I think in a Confidential) --Dimi :) ☎ 11:11, May 23, 2013 (UTC)

The question being The Silence's "organising principle"

"It was the organising principle for the religious movement known as the Silence"

Seriously? The Silence either were time travels or simply existed for MILLENNIA. We saw certain acts that they did to intervene with The Doctor's timeline, to kill him. But they existed for thousands and thousands of years where they had no interaction with The Doctor. I think it is quite a reach to claim that this question, while important, is their "organising principle". What is the basis for this statement? Badwolff ☎ 21:45, May 19, 2013 (UTC)

Huh? What's your basis for saying they had no interaction with the Doctor? The alternate name for the Silence is the "Academy of the Question", and the question has everything to do with the Doctor. Let's Kill Hitler and The Wedding of River Song are the sources for saying that the Question is their organising principle.
czechout<staff /> ☎ ✍  15:44: Sat 25 May 2013

I will never "win" an argument here. I'm just registering my disagreement. So, I'll just work other areas of the wiki. Badwolff ☎ 20:13, May 27, 2013 (UTC)

1.5 Fixing something Wikia broke

Yes it was kind of a cop-out, but ignoring that for a moment, what does it tell us about the meaning of The Question?

Assume for a moment that it was the Silence who engineered (somehow or other, which has never been well explained) the destruction of the TARDIS. It was obviously an extremely risky maneuver--it ended up destroying the universe in the abortative timeline where it succeeded--so if the Silence's motivation is self-defense against the consequences of the Doctor divulging the secret he alone knows, why not do something less dangerous?

I think "The Name of the Doctor" reveals that pretty explicitly. The Doctor's True Name was needed to open the TARDIS doors. When the Great Intelligence got the doors open and stepped into the Doctor's timestream, it subverted every moment of the Doctor's history. If you knew that this was a possibility, then risky endeavors like TARDIS-exploding start to make more sense.

In short: yes, the question is, "what is the Doctor's name?" But it's dangerous because of what can be accessed with that information, not because of the name itself.

66.65.165.171^{talk to me} 01:49, September 11, 2013 (UTC)

Please keep the following two points in mind:

First, discussion pages are for discussing the editing of an article. There is no speculation or theorizing on any part of the wiki except at Howling:The Howling. Please see Tardis:Discussion policy.

Second, the title of this post is misleading. This post has nothing to do with fixing something, but rather is just theory and speculation.

Thanks. Shambala108 ☎ 02:50, September 11, 2013 (UTC)