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{{Infobox Individual
{{Infobox Individual
|image = Hecuba.jpg
|image       = Hecuba.jpg
|alias = Queen of Time
|alias       = The Queen of Time
|species = Great Old One
|species     =
|origin =  
|origin     =  
|only = The Queen of Time (audio story)
|brother    = The Toymaker
|voice actor=Caroline Faber
|only       = The Queen of Time (audio story)
|voice actor = Caroline Faber
}}
}}
'''Hecuba''' (also known as the '''Queen of Time''') was a powerful being who ensnared sentient beings in games related to time manipulation, with their freedom as the stakes. She was the sister of the [[Celestial Toymaker]].
'''Hecuba''', also known as '''the Queen of Time''', was the sister of [[the Toymaker]]. Like her brother, she was fond of playing deadly games with less powerful beings with their freedom at stake, but while he was fond of games with toys, her games and traps were related to [[time]] and [[clock]]s. Her [[pocket universe]] was stabilised with the [[Grand Chronometer]], a giant timepiece capable of manipulating time and even of trapping [[the Doctor's TARDIS]].


== Abilities ==
While not mentioned directly in relation to Hecuba, her brother and [[Maestro|his child]] were later identified by the [[Fifteenth Doctor]] as members of [[the Pantheon]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Devil's Chord (TV story)}})
The powers of Hecuba were similar to those of her brother, but while he was fond of games with toys, her games and traps were related to [[time]] and [[clock]]s. Her [[pocket universe]] was stabilised with her "Grand Chronometer" a giant timepiece capable of manipulating time and trapping [[the TARDIS]] in Time and Space. She was very beautiful, wearing the form of a glamorous actress of an earlier age in a luxurious ballgown.  There is some indication that she could cast a [[glamour]] over her male opponents like a [[siren]]: the [[Second Doctor]] admitted she was beautiful even when she frightened him and [[Jamie McCrimmon|Jamie]] was uncharacteristically complimentary to her beauty even though he knew she turned living people into clocks and she had stopped the Doctor's heart (Jamie was normally utterly protective of the Doctor and ready to attack anything that tried to harm him). Supporting this is Hecuba's antagonism to [[Zoe Heriot|Zoe]], whom she treated with impatience and disdain.  The majority of her tests required Zoe to use all of her wits.  At the same time, she was amused at Jamie and overlooked his intelligence, which gave him enough leeway to solve two of her games.
 
Her manner was flirtatious and coy, but she only cared about the amusement in her victims' fear and pain.  She was vain, but the Doctor was sparing with his compliments, knowing she would never have enough.  Hecuba was sadistic and enjoyed making the Doctor uncomfortable by encroaching in his space, teasing him, and forcing him to dance with her. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Queen of Time (audio story)|The Queen of Time]]'')


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Hecuba captured the [[Second Doctor]], [[Zoe Heriot]] and [[Jamie McCrimmon]], and made them play her games for her entertainment. Zoe and Jamie endured a series of tests (battles) with their lives at stake as she toyed with the Doctor over an elaborate and corrupted banquet of spoiling food. Her style of taunting the Doctor was much as the [[Celestial Toymaker]] forced [[Steven Taylor|Steven]] and [[Dodo]] to play his games as he played personally with the [[First Doctor]].
All other visitors to Hecuba's domain before [[the Doctor]]'s party had failed or refused to play her games. Hecuba turned them into clocks to keep for her eternal entertainment. Eventually, she captured the [[Second Doctor]], [[Zoe Heriot]], and [[Jamie McCrimmon]], and made them play her games for her entertainment: Zoe and Jamie endured a series of "tests" with their lives at stake as she toyed with the Doctor over an elaborate and corrupted banquet of spoiling food. Each course was actually a hidden trap and the Doctor had to find some way of avoiding the meal but not show his disgust at the food itself. Hecuba had no problems with eating the disgusting fare, and ate with disturbing relish.
 
Hecuba claimed to have "always admired" the Doctor's intelligence, and implied she had been told of him by another person, "You're one of a kind," and she didn't understand why the Doctor cared about his [[companion]]s (just as the [[Celestial Toymaker]] didn't understand how the [[First Doctor]] could care about [[Steven Taylor|Steven]] and [[Dodo]]).  One of her tests was to stop the Doctor's metabolism.  Zoe had to find which of the thousands of clocks was bound to the Doctor's life in order to free him. They later learnt Hecuba's ultimate plan was to turn the Doctor into a [[grandfather clock|Grandfather Clock]].


The Doctor eventually escaped Hecuba's domain, trapping her in a [[time loop]] with her monstrous henchmen [[Snap (The Queen of Time)|Snap]] and [[Dragon (The Queen of Time)|Dragon]] and [[Marie Antoinette]] for the rest of time. She swore revenge on the Doctor as her universe dissolved about her. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Queen of Time (audio story)|The Queen of Time]]'')
The first course was ancient, putrescent [[oyster]]s, originally obtained from [[Aphrodite]]. The Doctor deflected his portion of the banquet by saying, "Ladies first," and she countered by observing he was every bit as charming as she was "led to expect". When the Doctor claimed to not know her identity, she stopped his hearts and ordered Jamie and Zoe to find the one clock in her collection of thousands attached to his life: if they did not, the Doctor would die in five minutes. Hecuba then announced, "I am Hecuba, Queen of Time. Let the games commence!" and laughed hysterically. As his companions fought for his life, Hecuba mock-mourned the helpless Doctor, admitting that the Universe would be dull without him, and how sad she would be when he died.


== Personality ==
To Hecuba's displeasure, Zoe riddled out that if the Doctor's heart had stopped, so had his clockwork. She therefore found his clock and won the round.
Hecuba was bored, calculating, and cruel and found pleasure in "playing" with her victims. Her "favourite part" of the games was watching the Doctor's companions break down in defeat and she loved watching her phantom armies kill each other, though the graphic violence was real enough to sicken the Doctor.  Her mood swings changed without warning, turning from snarlingly vicious to laughing at a second's notice.  When [[Zoe Heriot|Zoe]] first saw her, she couldn't tell if she were laughing or crying. The Doctor never dared drop his guard, knowing the slightest slip could be fatal, but he managed to prize small bits of information out of her by "playing" his own game of pretending to be completely ignorant and flustered.


All other visitors to Hecuba's domain had failed or refused to play her games. Hecuba turned them into clocks to keep for her eternal entertainment.  She showed them her past clock-victims, clearly expecting him to be unnerved by the revelations.  While she loved games, she preferred to win, and that meant cheat at every opportunity — much as her own brother the [[Celestial Toymaker]] did, only she was even more dishonest: she thought it was amusing to give Jamie false clues in the game to save the Doctor's life. Her style of cheating was different from his; she "stacked the deck" at every opportunity, giving Jamie and Zoe tasks that she believed would be out of their ability to solve. When they weren't amusing enough to her she grew angry at their lack of entertainment.
The second course was celebratory [[cocktail]]s — a very foul brew: [[Time Bomb (drink)|Time Bomb]].


Hecuba expected the Doctor to amuse her, calling him a "worthy adversary," but she never calculated for his success. Any time the Doctor did something she did not expect, she reacted poorly. When he offered to "lay his cards on the table," she appeared particularly amused, for her brother, the [[Celestial Toymaker|Toymaker]], loved to play cards.
The Doctor eventually escaped Hecuba's domain, trapping her in a [[time loop]] with her monstrous henchmen, [[Snap (The Queen of Time)|Snap]] and [[Dragon (The Queen of Time)|Dragon]], and [[Marie Antoinette]] for the rest of time. She swore revenge on the Doctor as her universe dissolved about her. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Queen of Time (audio story)|The Queen of Time]]'')


Hecuba was vain. She looked like a "glamour" actress, appearing in a silver ball gown, bobbed blonde curls and blood-red nails and lipstick like a movie actress. She sought compliments.  She was amused at Jamie's adoration and quick to be jealous of anything Zoe said or did.  Because the Doctor failed to respond in predictable ways to her attempts at conversation, she wound up paying more attention to him in turn. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Queen of Time (audio story)|The Queen of Time]]'')
== Personality ==
 
Hecuba's manner was flirtatious and coy, but she only cared about the amusement in her victims' fear and pain. She was vain, but the Doctor was sparing with his compliments, knowing she would never have enough. Hecuba was sadistic and enjoyed making the Doctor uncomfortable by encroaching in his space, teasing him, and forcing him to dance with her. However, she also claimed to have "always admired" the Doctor's intelligence. She didn't understand why the Doctor cared about his [[companion]]s.
=== Hecuba's banquet ===
The centre of Hecuba's game was a banquet.  Each course was actually a hidden trap and the Doctor had to find some way of avoiding the meal but not show his disgust at the food itself.  Hecuba had no problems with eating the disgusting fare, and ate with disturbing relish.
 
The first course was foul smelling [[oyster]]s, in putrefaction. They were allegedly attached to [[Aphrodite]], [[God]]dess of Love. The Doctor deflected his portion of the banquet by saying, "Ladies First," and she countered by observing he was every bit as charming as she was "led to expect".  When the Doctor claimed to not know her identity, she stopped his heart and ordered Jamie and Zoe to find the one clock in her collection of thousands attached to his life: if they did not, the Doctor would die in five minutes. Hecuba then announced, "I am Hecuba, Queen of Time.  Let the games commence!" and laughed hysterically. As his companions fought for his life, Hecuba mock-mourned the helpless Doctor, admitting that the Universe would be dull without him, and how sad she would be when he died.
 
To Hecuba's displeasure, Zoe riddled out if the Doctor's heart had stopped, so had his clockwork. She thus found his clock and won the round.


The second course was celebratory [[cocktail]]s.
Bored and sadistic, the Queen of Time's "favourite part" of the games was watching the Doctor's companions break down in defeat and she loved watching her phantom armies kill each other, though the graphic violence was real enough to sicken the Doctor. Her mood swings changed without warning, turning from snarlingly vicious to laughing at a second's notice. When [[Zoe Heriot|Zoe]] first saw her, she couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying.  


Hecuba was not pleased Zoe had won, but when the Doctor woke up and recoiled from the oysters, she was genuinely pleased. She didn't want the game to end and preferred to deal with him as her adversary.  She served cocktails of a very foul brew: [[Time Bomb (drink)|Time Bomb]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Queen of Time (audio story)|The Queen of Time]]'')  
Like her brother, she was perfectly willing to cheat at her own games to ensure she would gain the upper hand, for example by giving the players misleading clues. Hecuba expected the Doctor to amuse her, calling him a "worthy adversary," but she never calculated for his success. Any time the Doctor did something she did not expect, she reacted poorly. However, because the Doctor failed to respond in predictable ways to her attempts at conversation, she wound up paying more attention to him in turn. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Queen of Time (audio story)|The Queen of Time]]'')


== Behind the Scenes ==
== Appearance ==
Because Hecuba is part of the Toymaker's family, she is definitely one of the [[Elder God]]s, though whether or not she is a [[Guardians of Time|Guardian]] is unclear. Additionally, ''[[Divided Loyalties]]'' makes reference to Time Lord records which mention "a being or beings know as the Toymakers." If there are indeed more than one, and if she is family, Hecuba could be a Toymaker.
Hecuba was considered very beautiful by [[Jamie McCrimmon]] and the [[Second Doctor]], resembling "a glamorous actress of an earlier age" and wearing a luxurious ballgown. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Queen of Time (audio story)|The Queen of Time]]'')


{{TitleSort}}
{{Dark Times Species}}
[[Category:Great Old Ones]]
{{NameSort}}
[[Category:Individuals caught in a time loop]]
[[Category:Individuals caught in a time loop]]
[[Category:The Toymaker's family]]

Latest revision as of 00:42, 27 May 2024

Hecuba, also known as the Queen of Time, was the sister of the Toymaker. Like her brother, she was fond of playing deadly games with less powerful beings with their freedom at stake, but while he was fond of games with toys, her games and traps were related to time and clocks. Her pocket universe was stabilised with the Grand Chronometer, a giant timepiece capable of manipulating time and even of trapping the Doctor's TARDIS.

While not mentioned directly in relation to Hecuba, her brother and his child were later identified by the Fifteenth Doctor as members of the Pantheon. (TV: The Devil's Chord [+]Loading...["The Devil's Chord (TV story)"])

Biography[[edit] | [edit source]]

All other visitors to Hecuba's domain before the Doctor's party had failed or refused to play her games. Hecuba turned them into clocks to keep for her eternal entertainment. Eventually, she captured the Second Doctor, Zoe Heriot, and Jamie McCrimmon, and made them play her games for her entertainment: Zoe and Jamie endured a series of "tests" with their lives at stake as she toyed with the Doctor over an elaborate and corrupted banquet of spoiling food. Each course was actually a hidden trap and the Doctor had to find some way of avoiding the meal but not show his disgust at the food itself. Hecuba had no problems with eating the disgusting fare, and ate with disturbing relish.

The first course was ancient, putrescent oysters, originally obtained from Aphrodite. The Doctor deflected his portion of the banquet by saying, "Ladies first," and she countered by observing he was every bit as charming as she was "led to expect". When the Doctor claimed to not know her identity, she stopped his hearts and ordered Jamie and Zoe to find the one clock in her collection of thousands attached to his life: if they did not, the Doctor would die in five minutes. Hecuba then announced, "I am Hecuba, Queen of Time. Let the games commence!" and laughed hysterically. As his companions fought for his life, Hecuba mock-mourned the helpless Doctor, admitting that the Universe would be dull without him, and how sad she would be when he died.

To Hecuba's displeasure, Zoe riddled out that if the Doctor's heart had stopped, so had his clockwork. She therefore found his clock and won the round.

The second course was celebratory cocktails — a very foul brew: Time Bomb.

The Doctor eventually escaped Hecuba's domain, trapping her in a time loop with her monstrous henchmen, Snap and Dragon, and Marie Antoinette for the rest of time. She swore revenge on the Doctor as her universe dissolved about her. (AUDIO: The Queen of Time)

Personality[[edit] | [edit source]]

Hecuba's manner was flirtatious and coy, but she only cared about the amusement in her victims' fear and pain. She was vain, but the Doctor was sparing with his compliments, knowing she would never have enough. Hecuba was sadistic and enjoyed making the Doctor uncomfortable by encroaching in his space, teasing him, and forcing him to dance with her. However, she also claimed to have "always admired" the Doctor's intelligence. She didn't understand why the Doctor cared about his companions.

Bored and sadistic, the Queen of Time's "favourite part" of the games was watching the Doctor's companions break down in defeat and she loved watching her phantom armies kill each other, though the graphic violence was real enough to sicken the Doctor. Her mood swings changed without warning, turning from snarlingly vicious to laughing at a second's notice. When Zoe first saw her, she couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying.

Like her brother, she was perfectly willing to cheat at her own games to ensure she would gain the upper hand, for example by giving the players misleading clues. Hecuba expected the Doctor to amuse her, calling him a "worthy adversary," but she never calculated for his success. Any time the Doctor did something she did not expect, she reacted poorly. However, because the Doctor failed to respond in predictable ways to her attempts at conversation, she wound up paying more attention to him in turn. (AUDIO: The Queen of Time)

Appearance[[edit] | [edit source]]

Hecuba was considered very beautiful by Jamie McCrimmon and the Second Doctor, resembling "a glamorous actress of an earlier age" and wearing a luxurious ballgown. (AUDIO: The Queen of Time)

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