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The '''Laws of [[Time]]''', ([[TV]]: ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]'') also called the '''Protocols of the [[Great House]]s''', ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') regulated [[Time Lord]]s' use of their power to travel in time. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]'', et. al.)
The '''Laws of Time''' ([[TV]]: ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]'') or '''Time Laws''', ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Three Doctors (novelisation)|The Three Doctors]]'', [[COMIC]]: {{cs|The Incomplete Death's Head (comic story)}}) also called the '''Protocols of the [[Great House]]s''', ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') were the laws the [[Time Lord]]s observed and enforced regarding the use of the power over [[Time]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]'', et. al.)


These laws were hard-wired into the structure of the [[Spiral Politic]]. Since most were simply synonymous with the laws of [[physics]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') the ones usually mentioned were the ones with a [[moral]] basis. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Love and War (novel)|Love and War]]'', ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') Unlike most [[lesser species|species]], who believed the highest moral imperative was the preservation of life, the [[Great House]]s believed that preservation of [[history]] was a far bigger priority. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'')
These laws were hardwired into the structure of the [[Spiral Politic]]. As most were synonymous with the laws of [[physics]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'', ''[[A Brief History of Time Lords (novel)|A Brief History of Time Lords]]'') the ones usually mentioned were the ones with "a [[moral]] basis". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Love and War (novel)|Love and War]]'', ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') Unlike most [[lesser species|species]], who view preserving [[life]] as the highest moral imperative, the Great Houses considered the preservation of [[history]] of greater importance. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'')


== First Law of Time ==
Although at least [[Boy (Heaven Sent)|one]] late Time Lord historian speculated that the Laws of Time had predated [[Rassilon]], and that the legendary [[Founders of Gallifrey|Gallifreyan founder]] had deceptively described inherent truths of the universe as his own commands in order to increase his mystique, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[A Brief History of Time Lords (novel)|A Brief History of Time Lords]]'') many accounts agreed that Time and its laws did not exist in the [[Dark Times]] ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Enemy of My Enemy (audio story)|The Enemy of My Enemy]]'') that preceded the [[anchoring of the thread]], and, indeed, that the very purpose of the anchoring had been to bind the whole of the Spiral Politic to the edicts of the early Time Lords. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'', ''[[Christmas on a Rational Planet (novel)|Christmas on a Rational Planet]]'') In the [[Post-Time War universe|post-Time Lord era]], the laws of time became closer to "suggestions". ([[GAME]]: {{cs|A Christmas Carol (game)|page=113}})
The First Law of Time, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]'') also called Linearity, was the most important and widely-discussed of the Protocols. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') It forbade [[Gallifrey]]'s present from interacting with its own subjective past or future. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible (novel)|Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible]]'', ''[[Lungbarrow (novel)|Lungbarrow]]'', ''[[Alien Bodies (novel)|Alien Bodies]]'', ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'')


One consequence was that [[Time Lord]]s could not meet each other out of temporal sequence ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Goth Opera (novel)|Goth Opera]]'') or meet their former selves. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]'') That restriction could even apply to non-Time-Lords: the [[Fourth Doctor]] refused to return [[Eldrad]] to her native time because that would have been a "distortion of history" that "contravened the First Law of Time". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Hand of Fear (TV story)|The Hand of Fear]]'') The [[Ninth Doctor]] once told [[Rose Tyler]] that there "used to be" laws banning interference with one's own past. ([[TV]]: ''[[Father's Day (TV story)|Father's Day]]'') Likewise, the [[Fifth Doctor]] described [[the Brigadier]]'s encounter with his past self as being bad. ([[TV]]: ''[[Mawdryn Undead (TV story)|Mawdryn Undead]]'') The [[Eleventh Doctor]] said that a time traveller's own grave was the one place they could never go. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'')
[[Merlin (Dr. Who's Time Tales)|Merlin]], whose magic allowed him to send others backwards or forwards in time, knew that there were "laws that [could] not be broken, even by [[black magic]]" forbidding a man from leaving his original era entirely and living out his life in the past. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Dr. Who's Time Tales (DWM 34 comic story)|Dr. Who's Time Tales]]'')


Another consequence of the Protocols of Linearity was that if a [[Homeworlder]] were to leave [[the Homeworld]] for five years, though they could theoretically return moments after they left, upon their return they would inevitably find that five years had passed there as well. In effect, whenever an agent entered an area of time outside the Homeworld, their relative histories would be temporarily linked so that their "present"s would be indistinguishable, despite being aeons apart. This rule applied to other [[time-active]] powers as well, including [[Faction Paradox]] and [[the enemy]], which many speculated could be due to the Houses' inability to revoke the Protcols, an agreement between the parties, or mutual fear of the consequences of non-linearity. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'')
== First Law of Time ==
{{main|First Law of Time}}
The [[First Law of Time]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]'') also called Linearity, was the most important and widely-discussed of the Protocols. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') It forbade [[Gallifrey]]'s present from interacting with its own subjective past or future. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible (novel)|Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible]]'', ''[[Lungbarrow (novel)|Lungbarrow]]'', ''[[Alien Bodies (novel)|Alien Bodies]]'', ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') As the [[Seventh Doctor]] explained to [[Bernice Summerfield]], travel within Gallfirey's own [[time stream]] wasn't allowed for a number of "very good reasons". ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Flashback (comic story)|Flashback]]'')


The [[Seventh Doctor]] stated that interfering in Gallifrey's past time travel experiments was against the First Law; ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible (novel)|Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible]]'') by several accounts, [[the Other|he]] was present during those experiments. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (novelisation)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'', ''[[Lungbarrow (novel)|Lungbarrow]]'')
One consequence was that [[Time Lord]]s could not meet each other out of [[temporal sequence]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Goth Opera (novel)|Goth Opera]]'') or meet their former selves. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]'') That restriction could even apply to non-Time-Lords: the [[Fourth Doctor]] refused to return [[Eldrad]] to her native time because that would have been a "distortion of history" that "contravened the First Law of Time". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Hand of Fear (TV story)|The Hand of Fear]]'')


=== Violations ===
Another consequence was that if a Homeworlder were to leave the Homeworld for five years, though they could theoretically return moments after they left, upon their return they would inevitably find that five years had passed there as well. In effect, whenever an agent entered an area of time outside the Homeworld, their relative histories would be temporarily linked so that their "present"s would be indistinguishable, despite being aeons apart. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'')
This law could be bent without breaking: on several occasions, objects from [[the Homeworld]]'s past were "hooked" and dragged into the present. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') For instance, [[the Doctor]]'s incarnations were pulled together several times through Time Lord sanction ([[TV]]: ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]'', ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'', ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[World Game (novel)|World Game]]'') or by accident. ([[TV]]: ''[[Time Crash (TV story)|Time Crash]]'', ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'')


The [[Eighth Doctor]] chastised [[Sebastian Grayle]] for breaking the First Law of Time after Grayle told him they would meet in the future. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Seasons of Fear (audio story)|Seasons of Fear]]'') The Eighth Doctor's [[companion]] [[Charlotte Pollard]] similarly broke the First Law by later travelling with his [[sixth Doctor|sixth incarnation]], thus exposing the Doctor to his own future. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Brotherhood of the Daleks (audio story)|Brotherhood of the Daleks]]'')
This law could be bent without breaking. For instance, [[the Doctor]]'s incarnations were pulled together several times through Time Lord sanction ([[TV]]: ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]'', ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'', ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[World Game (novel)|World Game]]'') or by accident. ([[TV]]: ''[[Time Crash (TV story)|Time Crash]]'', ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'') The Time Lord [[Volnar]] noted that while technically impossible by the Laws of Time, meeting one's past selves thusly would have been somewhat less impossible with an advanced [[TARDIS]], though the fact that the Doctor could possibly do it with "an antiquated [[Type 40]]" boggled his mind. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Eight Doctors (novel)|The Eight Doctors]]'')


In the years before the [[War in Heaven]], the [[Great House]]s encountered their future counterparts several times. For instance, [[Thessalia]] interacted with War-era agents of Faction Paradox during a [[Violent Unknown Event]] on [[Zo la Domini]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') The [[Eighth Doctor]] encountered the War several times while it was in his future, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Alien Bodies (novel)|Alien Bodies]]'', ''[[Unnatural History (novel)|Unnatural History]]'', ''[[The Taking of Planet 5 (novel)|The Taking of Planet 5]]'') saying that he was "breaking one of the major Laws of Time... It could be the third." ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Alien Bodies (novel)|Alien Bodies]]'')
== Other laws of time ==
A Law of Time forbade the presence of objects from nonexistent [[timeline]]s in the current one. In deliberate violation of this, [[Justine (Alien Bodies)|Cousin Justine]] of the [[Faction Paradox]], a [[time-aware]] faction antithetical to Time Lord philosophy, possessed a [[mask]] from another timeline. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Alien Bodies (novel)|Alien Bodies]]'')


After [[Faction Paradox]] signed the [[Gregorian Compact]] with [[George II]] in [[1752]], agents of the Faction and the Great Houses alike found it difficult to penetrate Earth's causality for the next seventy years: observing this period would be too much like looking into their own future. However, Cousin [[Belial (The Book of the War)|Belial]] slipped through the [[time lock|lock]] on the late 1700s by being reborn in [[1782]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'')
The [[Seventh Doctor]] once joked that the first law of space-time travel was to "avoid [[void]]s". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Highest Science (novel)|The Highest Science]]'')


[[Robert Scarratt]] was known to test the limits of linearity by using [[timeship]]s to go [[AWOL]] for periods totaling at least a year of subjective time. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'')
The [[Tenth Doctor]] told [[Martha Jones]] that "crossing into established events is strictly forbidden, except for cheap tricks". ([[TV]]: ''[[Smith and Jones (TV story)|Smith and Jones]]'')


When the [[Remote]] left Faction Paradox, they became divorced from linearity. As a result, [[Compassion]] could be born during the War but go on to travel with [[the TARDIS|an old-fashioned timeship]] in the pre-War era. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Interference - Book Two (novel)|Interference]]'', ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'')
Lesser Protocols of the Great Houses included bans on breed-mixing with the [[lesser species]], but those were lifted to create [[regen-inf]] soldiery. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'')


During his [[Ninth Doctor|ninth]] and [[Tenth Doctor|tenth]] incarnations, the Doctor willingly caused tiny loops in his own timeline. ([[TV]]: ''[[Father's Day (TV story)|Father's Day]]'', ''[[Smith and Jones (TV story)|Smith and Jones]]'') In contrast, the [[Eleventh Doctor]] later told [[Carter (Let's Kill Hitler)|Carter]] that he'd "best not" cross his own timestream; ([[TV]]: ''[[The Wedding of River Song (TV story)|The Wedding of River Song]]'') [[the TARDIS]] later tried to stop him from visiting his grave on [[Trenzalore]]. He believed this visit had made his fate unchangeable, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'') though with the Time Lords' help he was able to change the future. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'')
One Law of Time dictated that Time Lords were sworn to prevent any alien aggression that was deemed to threaten the indigenous population. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Hand of Fear (TV story)|The Hand of Fear]]'') Although, criticised for interfering in [[history]] so often, the Doctor defended himself by stating he could only prevent "outside interference". ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Dead Man's Hand (comic story)|Dead Man's Hand]]'')


The [[Eleventh Doctor]] was content to bring a young [[Kazran Sardick]] into his own future in an attempt to change his past. ([[TV]] ''[[A Christmas Carol (TV story)|A Christmas Carol]]'')
The [[Fifth Doctor]] stated that Time Lords served time and not the other way around. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Axis of Insanity (audio story)|The Axis of Insanity]]'')


Due to the actions of [[the Moment]], the Doctor crossed his own timestream in a big way when he met the [[War Doctor]] and the Tenth Doctor and they shared an adventure together. They later broke the law in an even bigger way by calling forth every incarnation of themselves to help with their plan. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'')
The [[Sixth Doctor]] informed the [[Sontaran]]s that allowing them [[time travel]] to rectify their past defeats would be against the Laws. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The First Sontarans (audio story)|The First Sontarans]]'')
 
The [[Twelfth Doctor]] refused to help [[Clara Oswald]] save [[Danny Pink]] as it meant crossing her own timeline which was a bad idea. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dark Water (TV story)|Dark Water]]'') Unknown to the Doctor, he had earlier accidentally crossed his own timeline when Clara piloted the TARDIS from the [[end of the universe]] and they landed in [[Barn (The Day of the Doctor)|a barn]] where the young [[First Doctor]] was crying. However, Clara kept the Doctor from knowing the truth and convinced him never to return to find out when and where they had travelled to. ([[TV]]: ''[[Listen (TV story)|Listen]]'')
 
== Other laws of time ==
One of the Laws of Time stated that an object from a non-existent [[timeline]] cannot be present in the current timeline. [[Justine (Alien Bodies)|Cousin Justine]] of the [[Faction Paradox]], a [[time-aware]] faction opposed to the Time Lords had a mask from another timeline.
 
The [[Seventh Doctor]] once joked that the first law of space-time travel was "avoid voids". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Highest Science (novel)|The Highest Science]]'')
 
The [[Tenth Doctor]] told [[Martha Jones]] that "crossing into established events is strictly forbidden, except for cheap tricks". ([[TV]]: ''[[Smith and Jones (TV story)|Smith and Jones]]'')
 
Lesser Protocols of the Great Houses included bans on breed-mixing with the [[lesser species]], but those were lifted to create [[regen-inf]] soldiery. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'')


== Other information ==
== Other information ==
Before the Laws were actually enforced, a Time Lord librarian visited the histories of planets. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Love and War (novel)|Love and War]]'')
Prior to the time that the Laws were actually enforced, a Time Lord librarian visited the histories of planets. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Love and War (novel)|Love and War]]'')
 
The [[Fifth Doctor]] stated that Time Lords served time rather than the other way around. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Axis of Insanity (audio story)|The Axis of Insanity]]'') They were pledged to uphold the Laws of Time and to prevent alien aggression, as the [[Fourth Doctor]] specified: "only when such aggression is deemed to threaten the indigenous population. I think that's how it goes." ([[TV]]: ''[[The Hand of Fear (TV story)|The Hand of Fear]]'') Although criticised for interfering in [[history]] so often, the Doctor defended himself by stating he could only prevent "outside interference." ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Dead Man's Hand (comic story)|Dead Man's Hand]]'')


The [[Sixth Doctor]] told the [[Sontaran]]s that allowing them time travel to correct past defeats would be against the Laws. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The First Sontarans (audio story)|The First Sontarans]]'')
The Doctor stated that he was "Defender of the Laws of Time" in his [[Seventh Doctor|seventh]] and [[Eighth Doctor|eighth]] incarnations. ([[TV]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[Vampire Science (novel)|Vampire Science]]'')


The Doctor stated that he was "...Defender of the Laws of Time" in his [[Seventh Doctor|seventh]] and [[Eighth Doctor|eighth]] incarnations. ([[TV]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[Vampire Science (novel)|Vampire Science]]'')
After the supposed destruction of the Time Lords in the [[Last Great Time War]], the [[Tenth Doctor]] claimed that the Laws of Time were his and that they would "obey" him. He quickly regretted his interference with established history. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Waters of Mars (TV story)|The Waters of Mars]]'')


After the destruction of the Time Lords in the [[Last Great Time War]], the [[Tenth Doctor]] said he was in control of the Laws of Time, claiming they were his and that they would obey him. However, he quickly regretted his interference with established history. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Waters of Mars (TV story)|The Waters of Mars]]'')
The [[Eleventh Doctor]] said that the Laws of Time were too powerful for anyone to control wholesale, and that repeatedly acting in disregard of them would make time "fold in on itself" and destroy all of existence. ([[GAME]]: ''[[City of the Daleks (video game)|City of the Daleks]]'')


The [[Eleventh Doctor]] said that the Laws of Time were too powerful for anyone to totally control, and that repeatedly acting in disregard of them would make time "fold in on itself", threatening to destroy all of existence. ([[GAME]]: ''[[City of the Daleks (video game)|City of the Daleks]]'')
After the destruction of time caused by the explosion of [[the Doctor's TARDIS]], the Eleventh Doctor implied that the laws of time no longer applied. He met himself in order to buy more time. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Big Bang (TV story)|The Big Bang]]'')


After the destruction of [[time]] caused by the explosion of [[the Doctor's TARDIS]], the [[Eleventh Doctor]] implied that the laws of time no longer applied. He met himself to buy more time. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Big Bang (TV story)|The Big Bang]]'')
By using an [[extraction chamber]], the [[Twelfth Doctor]] removed [[Clara Oswald]] from the moment before a [[Quantum Shade]] [[execution|executed]] her. In doing so, the Laws of Time were bent to keep her in a [[time loop]] that would allow her to continue experiencing life (of a kind). This meant her existence was now confined to a window of time between her penultimate and final heartbeats, while the Time Lords' technology allowed them to manipulate other elements of time so she would still be able to remain fully conscious and interact with other people. This effectively placed her on borrowed time. She now existed as an anomaly, but because her physical state was looped, she did not breathe, have a heart beat or age. ([[TV]]: ''[[Hell Bent (TV story)|Hell Bent]]'')


By using an [[extraction chamber]], the [[Twelfth Doctor]] was able to remove [[Clara Oswald]] from the moment before a [[Quantum Shade]] killed her, but in doing so, the Laws of Time were bent to keep her in a [[time loop]] that would allow her to continue experiencing life. However, this meant her existence was now contained to a small window of time between her penultimate and final heartbeats before being slain, while the Time Lords' technology allowed them to manipulate other elements of time so she would still be able to remain fully conscious and interact with others. This effectively placed her on borrowed time. She now existed as an anomaly who was still able to move around, but because her physical state itself was caught in a loop, things she needed to do while under normal effects of time or would experience under the normal effects of time were no longer in effect, such as breathing, heartbeat and ageing. In the case of breathing, it was reduced to a peripheral habit- Clara didn't need to draw breath anymore because she was perpetually stuck on one breath. ([[TV]]: ''[[Hell Bent (TV story)|Hell Bent]]'')
== External links ==
{{fpx|Protocols of the Great Houses|Protocols of the Great Houses}}


[[pt:Leis do Tempo]]
[[Category:Temporal theory]]
[[Category:Temporal theory]]
[[Category:Time Lords]]
[[Category:Time Lords]]
[[Category:Gallifreyan laws]]
[[Category:Gallifreyan laws]]
[[pt:Leis do Tempo]]

Latest revision as of 01:30, 21 September 2024

The Laws of Time (TV: The Three Doctors) or Time Laws, (PROSE: The Three Doctors, COMIC: The Incomplete Death's Head [+]Loading...["The Incomplete Death's Head (comic story)"]) also called the Protocols of the Great Houses, (PROSE: The Book of the War) were the laws the Time Lords observed and enforced regarding the use of the power over Time. (TV: The Three Doctors, et. al.)

These laws were hardwired into the structure of the Spiral Politic. As most were synonymous with the laws of physics, (PROSE: The Book of the War, A Brief History of Time Lords) the ones usually mentioned were the ones with "a moral basis". (PROSE: Love and War, The Book of the War) Unlike most species, who view preserving life as the highest moral imperative, the Great Houses considered the preservation of history of greater importance. (PROSE: The Book of the War)

Although at least one late Time Lord historian speculated that the Laws of Time had predated Rassilon, and that the legendary Gallifreyan founder had deceptively described inherent truths of the universe as his own commands in order to increase his mystique, (PROSE: A Brief History of Time Lords) many accounts agreed that Time and its laws did not exist in the Dark Times (AUDIO: The Enemy of My Enemy) that preceded the anchoring of the thread, and, indeed, that the very purpose of the anchoring had been to bind the whole of the Spiral Politic to the edicts of the early Time Lords. (PROSE: The Book of the War, Christmas on a Rational Planet) In the post-Time Lord era, the laws of time became closer to "suggestions". (GAME: A Christmas Carol [+]Loading...{"page":"113","1":"A Christmas Carol (game)"})

Merlin, whose magic allowed him to send others backwards or forwards in time, knew that there were "laws that [could] not be broken, even by black magic" forbidding a man from leaving his original era entirely and living out his life in the past. (COMIC: Dr. Who's Time Tales)

First Law of Time[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: First Law of Time

The First Law of Time, (TV: The Three Doctors) also called Linearity, was the most important and widely-discussed of the Protocols. (PROSE: The Book of the War) It forbade Gallifrey's present from interacting with its own subjective past or future. (PROSE: Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible, Lungbarrow, Alien Bodies, The Book of the War) As the Seventh Doctor explained to Bernice Summerfield, travel within Gallfirey's own time stream wasn't allowed for a number of "very good reasons". (COMIC: Flashback)

One consequence was that Time Lords could not meet each other out of temporal sequence (PROSE: Goth Opera) or meet their former selves. (TV: The Three Doctors) That restriction could even apply to non-Time-Lords: the Fourth Doctor refused to return Eldrad to her native time because that would have been a "distortion of history" that "contravened the First Law of Time". (TV: The Hand of Fear)

Another consequence was that if a Homeworlder were to leave the Homeworld for five years, though they could theoretically return moments after they left, upon their return they would inevitably find that five years had passed there as well. In effect, whenever an agent entered an area of time outside the Homeworld, their relative histories would be temporarily linked so that their "present"s would be indistinguishable, despite being aeons apart. (PROSE: The Book of the War)

This law could be bent without breaking. For instance, the Doctor's incarnations were pulled together several times through Time Lord sanction (TV: The Three Doctors, The Five Doctors, The Two Doctors, PROSE: World Game) or by accident. (TV: Time Crash, Twice Upon a Time) The Time Lord Volnar noted that while technically impossible by the Laws of Time, meeting one's past selves thusly would have been somewhat less impossible with an advanced TARDIS, though the fact that the Doctor could possibly do it with "an antiquated Type 40" boggled his mind. (PROSE: The Eight Doctors)

Other laws of time[[edit] | [edit source]]

A Law of Time forbade the presence of objects from nonexistent timelines in the current one. In deliberate violation of this, Cousin Justine of the Faction Paradox, a time-aware faction antithetical to Time Lord philosophy, possessed a mask from another timeline. (PROSE: Alien Bodies)

The Seventh Doctor once joked that the first law of space-time travel was to "avoid voids". (PROSE: The Highest Science)

The Tenth Doctor told Martha Jones that "crossing into established events is strictly forbidden, except for cheap tricks". (TV: Smith and Jones)

Lesser Protocols of the Great Houses included bans on breed-mixing with the lesser species, but those were lifted to create regen-inf soldiery. (PROSE: The Book of the War)

One Law of Time dictated that Time Lords were sworn to prevent any alien aggression that was deemed to threaten the indigenous population. (TV: The Hand of Fear) Although, criticised for interfering in history so often, the Doctor defended himself by stating he could only prevent "outside interference". (COMIC: Dead Man's Hand)

The Fifth Doctor stated that Time Lords served time and not the other way around. (AUDIO: The Axis of Insanity)

The Sixth Doctor informed the Sontarans that allowing them time travel to rectify their past defeats would be against the Laws. (AUDIO: The First Sontarans)

Other information[[edit] | [edit source]]

Prior to the time that the Laws were actually enforced, a Time Lord librarian visited the histories of planets. (PROSE: Love and War)

The Doctor stated that he was "Defender of the Laws of Time" in his seventh and eighth incarnations. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks, PROSE: Vampire Science)

After the supposed destruction of the Time Lords in the Last Great Time War, the Tenth Doctor claimed that the Laws of Time were his and that they would "obey" him. He quickly regretted his interference with established history. (TV: The Waters of Mars)

The Eleventh Doctor said that the Laws of Time were too powerful for anyone to control wholesale, and that repeatedly acting in disregard of them would make time "fold in on itself" and destroy all of existence. (GAME: City of the Daleks)

After the destruction of time caused by the explosion of the Doctor's TARDIS, the Eleventh Doctor implied that the laws of time no longer applied. He met himself in order to buy more time. (TV: The Big Bang)

By using an extraction chamber, the Twelfth Doctor removed Clara Oswald from the moment before a Quantum Shade executed her. In doing so, the Laws of Time were bent to keep her in a time loop that would allow her to continue experiencing life (of a kind). This meant her existence was now confined to a window of time between her penultimate and final heartbeats, while the Time Lords' technology allowed them to manipulate other elements of time so she would still be able to remain fully conscious and interact with other people. This effectively placed her on borrowed time. She now existed as an anomaly, but because her physical state was looped, she did not breathe, have a heart beat or age. (TV: Hell Bent)

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

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