Murder: Difference between revisions

From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
 
(37 intermediate revisions by 19 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{wikipediainfo}}
{{wikipediainfo}}
{{First pic|A Body in the Library! (HQ) - Doctor Who - The Unicorn and the Wasp - BBC|The [[Tenth Doctor]] investigates a murder. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)|The Unicorn and the Wasp]]'')}}
{{First pic|A Body in the Library! (HQ) - Doctor Who - The Unicorn and the Wasp - BBC|The [[Tenth Doctor]] investigates a murder. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)|The Unicorn and the Wasp]]'')}}
'''Murder''' was a criminal offence involving the deliberate killing of one or more individuals.{{fact}}
'''Murder''' was the deliberate killing of an individual. Murdering a being could result in numerous penalties. Common ones were life imprisonment and [[execution]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The New World (TV story)|The New World]]'') Killing beings on a battlefield did not usually count as murder. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Caretaker (TV story)|The Caretaker]]'') A killing classified as murder usually meant it was a targeted attack on a single individual. Serial killers would target multiple people over a period of time. ([[TV]]: ''[[They Keep Killing Suzie (TV story)|They Keep Killing Suzie]]'') The killing of an entire race was called [[genocide]]. It was one of the most serious [[crime]]s in the [[universe]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)|Evolution of the Daleks]]'', ''[[The Doctor's Daughter (TV story)|The Doctor's Daughter]]'', ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'')


Murdering a being could result in numerous penalties. Common ones were life imprisonment and [[execution]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The New World (TV story)|The New World]]'') Killing beings on a battlefield did not usually count as murder. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Caretaker (TV story)|The Caretaker]]'') A killing classified as murder usually meant it was a targeted attack on a single individual. Serial killers would target multiple people over a period of time. ([[TV]]: ''[[They Keep Killing Suzie (TV story)|They Keep Killing Suzie]]'') Murder of an entire race was called [[genocide]]. It was one of the most serious [[crime]]s in the [[universe]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)|Evolution of the Daleks]]'', ''[[The Doctor's Daughter (TV story)|The Doctor's Daughter]]'', ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'')
In the [[51st century]], murder was seen in a less serious light. Unlike most cultures around the [[21st century]], murder was considered an addiction like drugs and alcohol and instead of a death penalty or imprisonment, the murderers would be sent to [[Rehabilitation|rehab]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (TV story)|Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang]]'')
 
In the [[51st century]], murder was seen in a less serious light. Unlike most cultures around the [[21st century]], murder was considered an addiction like drugs and alcohol and instead of a death penalty or imprisonment, the murderers would be sent to [[rehab]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (TV story)|Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang]]'')


== Morality ==
== Morality ==
Line 12: Line 10:


== The Doctor ==
== The Doctor ==
[[File:Do I Have The Right? - Genesis of the Daleks - Doctor Who - BBC|thumb|"Do I have the right?" ([[TV]]: ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]'')]]
{{video|Do I Have The Right? - Genesis of the Daleks - Doctor Who - BBC|thumb|"Do I have the right?" ([[TV]]: ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]'')}}
[[The Doctor]] himself often battled over whether he "had the right", to take another person's life, even toward altruistic ends. ([[TV]]: ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]'', ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'', ''[[The Witch's Familiar (TV story)|The Witch's Familiar]]''{{facts}}) In some cases, he took this option. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Wheel in Space (TV story)|The Wheel in Space]]'', ''[[State of Decay (TV story)|State of Decay]]'', ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]'', ''[[Dinosaurs on a Spaceship (TV story)|Dinosaurs on a Spaceship]]'', ''[[Deep Breath (TV story)|Deep Breath]]'', [[COMIC]]: ''[[Terrorformer (comic story)|Terrorformer]]'')
On several occasions, [[the Doctor]] often battled over whether they "had the right", to take another person's life, even toward altruistic ends. ([[TV]]: ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]'', ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'', ''[[The Witch's Familiar (TV story)|The Witch's Familiar]]'') In some cases, they took this option. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Wheel in Space (TV story)|The Wheel in Space]]'', ''[[The Seeds of Death (TV story)|The Seeds of Death]]'', ''[[Day of the Daleks (TV story)|Day of the Daleks]]'', ''[[The Talons of Weng-Chiang (TV story)|The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]'', ''[[State of Decay (TV story)|State of Decay]]'', ''[[Earthshock (TV story)|Earthshock]]'', ''[[Arc of Infinity (TV story)|Arc of Infinity]]'', ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks (TV story)|Resurrection of the Daleks]],'' ''[[Planet of Fire (TV story)|Planet of Fire]]'', ''[[Attack of the Cybermen (TV story)|Attack of the Cybermen]]'', ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]'', ''[[Terror of the Vervoids (TV story)|Terror of the Vervoids]]'', ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'', ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]],'' ''[[Dinosaurs on a Spaceship (TV story)|Dinosaurs on a Spaceship]]'', ''[[Deep Breath (TV story)|Deep Breath]]'', ''[[The Doctor Falls (TV story)|The Doctor Falls]]''; [[COMIC]]: ''[[Master of Spiders (comic story)|Master of Spiders]], [[Terrorformer (comic story)|Terrorformer]]'')


The Doctor counted the number of [[children]] on [[Gallifrey]] that died at the end of the [[Time War]], when he destroyed the planet. The [[Tenth Doctor]] knew this number well, as 2.47 billion, but by his [[eleventh incarnation]], he had forgotten this. The Eleventh Doctor expressed that he "moved on." ([[TV]]: ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'')
The Doctor counted the number of [[children]] on [[Gallifrey]] that died at the end of the [[Time War]], when he destroyed the planet. The [[Tenth Doctor]] knew this number well, as 2.47 billion, but by his [[eleventh incarnation]], he had forgotten this. The Eleventh Doctor expressed that he had "moved on". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'')


By his [[twelfth incarnation]], the Doctor did not keep track of how many people he had killed, as he felt the need to move on and save other people's lives outweighed an obligation to honour those he had failed. ([[TV]]: ''[[Thin Ice (TV story)|Thin Ice]]'')
By his [[twelfth incarnation]], the Doctor did not keep track of how many people he had killed, as he felt the need to move on and save other people's lives outweighed an obligation to honour those he had failed. ([[TV]]: ''[[Thin Ice (TV story)|Thin Ice]]'')
{{quote|"There are situations when the options available are limited. Sometimes the choices are very ..."|[[Twelfth Doctor]]|Thin Ice (TV story)}}
== Examples of murder ==
== Examples of murder ==
In [[1893]], the [[serial killer]] [[Clarence DeMarco]] was due to be [[execution|executed]] for murdering fourteen women. He was spared due to his information on the Doctor's secret ([[TV]]: ''[[The Name of the Doctor]]'')
In [[1893]], the [[serial killer]] [[Clarence DeMarco]] was due to be [[execution|executed]] for murdering fourteen women. He was spared due to his information on the Doctor's secret. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'')


In [[December]] [[1916]], the [[Russia]]n mystic [[Grigori Rasputin]] was murdered by Prince [[Felix Yusupov]] and his co-conspirators Grand Duke [[Dmitri Pavlovich]] and [[Vladimir Purishkevich]] in the [[Moika Palace]], Prince Felix's residence, in [[St Petersburg]] in [[St Petersburg]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Wages of Sin (novel)|The Wages of Sin]]'')
In [[December]] [[1916]], the [[Russia]]n mystic [[Grigori Rasputin]] was murdered by Prince [[Felix Yusupov]] and his co-conspirators Grand Duke [[Dmitri Pavlovich]] and [[Vladimir Purishkevich]] in the [[Moika Palace]], Prince Felix's residence, in [[St Petersburg]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Wages of Sin (novel)|The Wages of Sin]]'')


On [[11 June]] [[1925]], [[George Cranleigh]] murdered several servants at [[Cranleigh Hall]] in [[Oxfordshire]]. The [[Fifth Doctor]] was accused of having committed these murders. ([[TV]]: ''[[Black Orchid (TV story)|Black Orchid]]'')
On [[11 June]] [[1925]], [[George Cranleigh]] murdered several servants at [[Cranleigh Hall]] in [[Oxfordshire]]. The [[Fifth Doctor]] was accused of having committed these murders. ([[TV]]: ''[[Black Orchid (TV story)|Black Orchid]]'')


In [[June]] [[1926]], [[Gerald Peach|Professor Gerald Peach]], [[Chandrakala|Miss Chandrakala]] and [[Roger Curbishley]] were murdered by the [[Vespiform]] [[Arnold Golightly|Reverend Arnold Golightly]]. He did so in the style of [[Agatha Christie]]'s novels. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp]]'')
In [[June]] [[1926]], [[Gerald Peach|Professor Gerald Peach]], [[Chandrakala|Miss Chandrakala]] and [[Roger Curbishley]] were murdered by the [[Vespiform]] [[Reverend]] [[Arnold Golightly]]. He did so in the style of [[Agatha Christie]]'s novels. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)|The Unicorn and the Wasp]]'')


[[The Master]] murdered untold numbers of people over their lifetimes. Some of their victims included [[Tegan Jovanka]]'s aunt [[Vanessa (Logopolis)|Vanessa]] and a [[police]]man when they found [[The Master's TARDIS|his TARDIS]] in [[London]] on [[28 February]] [[1981]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]'') Another of the Master's victims was [[Thomas Milligan]], whom he murdered with his [[laser screwdriver]] in an [[Year That Never Was|alternative timeline]] in [[2008]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords]]'')
[[The Master]] murdered untold numbers of people over their lifetimes. Some of their victims included [[Tegan Jovanka]]'s aunt [[Vanessa (Logopolis)|Vanessa]] and a [[policeman]] when they found [[The Master's TARDIS|his TARDIS]] in [[London]] on [[28 February]] [[1981]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]'') Another of the Master's victims was [[Thomas Milligan]], whom he murdered with his [[laser screwdriver]] in an [[The Year That Never Was|alternate timeline]] in the [[2000s]].{{note|name="tytnw"|According to the episode ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'', [[Martha Jones]]' present day during [[Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 3]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' takes place over a six-day period, with {{Simm}} being elected three days after ''Smith and Jones'', and the [[Toclafane]] [[Toclafane invasion|invading Earth]] five days after ''Smith and Jones''. However, [[Aliens of London dating controversy|sources differ on which dates these stories are set]]. According to [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Paradox Moon (short story)|The Paradox Moon]]'', the Toclafane invasion happens on [[23 June]] [[2007]], placing the events of ''Smith and Jones'' on [[18 June]]. According to [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Hysteria (audio story)|Hysteria]]'', ''Smith and Jones'' takes place in [[2008]], with a [[UNIT]] mission log in [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Recruits (audio story)|Recruits]]'' referring to the recovery of moon rocks from [[Royal Hope Hospital]] in [[March]] 2008. A newspaper clipping in [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Secret Lives of Monsters (short story)|The Secret Lives of Monsters]]'' places ''Smith and Jones'' on a [[Sunday]] [[4 June]], thus placing the Toclafane invasion on [[Friday]] [[9 June]]. In the real world, these dates do not fall on a Sunday and Friday in either 2007 or 2008.}} ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')


In [[1985]], [[Shockeye of the Quawncing Grig]] murdered [[Oscar Botcherby]] when he wouldn't accept a twenty [[narg]] note for payment of his restaurant bill. The [[Sixth Doctor]] later murdered Shockeye with [[cyanide]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Two Doctors]]'')
In [[1985]], [[Shockeye o' the Quawncing Grig]] murdered [[Oscar Botcherby]] when he wouldn't accept a twenty [[narg]] note for payment of his restaurant bill. The [[Sixth Doctor]] later murdered Shockeye with [[cyanide]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]'')


Unusual and unexplained murders often occurred on and around the land that the [[Hawthorne (The Zero Imperative)|Hawthorne]] clinic was built on dating back to the [[13th century]]. This was as a result of its proximity to the [[reservoir of evil]]. [[Daniel O'Kane]] murdered his [[Eustace O'Kane's wife|mother]], [[Eustace O'Kane|father]] and [[Eustace O'Kane's daughters|sisters]] in [[1945]] and, through supernatural means, numerous people including [[William Bruffin]] and [[Colin Dove]] in [[1993]] and [[1994]]. ([[HOMEVID]]: ''[[The Zero Imperative (home video)|The Zero Imperative]]'')
Unusual and unexplained murders often occurred on and around the land that the [[Hawthorne (The Zero Imperative)|Hawthorne]] clinic was built on, dating back to the [[13th century]]. This was as a result of its proximity to the [[reservoir of evil]]. [[Daniel O'Kane]] murdered his [[Eustace O'Kane's wife|mother]], [[Eustace O'Kane|father]] and [[Eustace O'Kane's daughters|sisters]] in [[1945]] and, through supernatural means, numerous people including [[Clegg (The Zero Imperative)|Clegg]], [[William Bruffin]] and [[Colin Dove]] in [[1993]] and [[1994]]. ([[HOMEVID]]: ''[[The Zero Imperative (home video)|The Zero Imperative]]'')


[[Oswald Danes]] was a convicted murderer, [[rapist]] and [[paedophile]]. In [[2006]], he [[rape]]d and murdered 12-year-old [[Susie Cabina]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The New World]]'')
[[Oswald Danes]] was a convicted murderer, [[Rape|rapist]] and [[paedophile]]. In [[2006]], he raped and murdered 12-year-old [[Susie Cabina]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The New World (TV story)|The New World]]'')


On [[25 December]] [[2006]], the [[Tenth Doctor]] accused [[Harriet Jones]] of mass murder when she ordered [[Torchwood One|Torchwood]] to shoot down the escaping [[Sycorax spaceship|ship]] full of [[Sycorax]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion]]'')
On [[25 December]] [[2006]], the [[Tenth Doctor]] accused [[Harriet Jones]] of mass murder when she ordered [[Torchwood One|Torchwood]] to shoot down the escaping [[Sycorax spaceship|ship]] full of [[Sycorax]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]'')


In [[2008]], [[Lucy Saxon]] murdered the Master with a gun. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords]]'')
In the [[2000s]],{{note|name="tytnw"}} [[Lucy Saxon]] murdered the Master with a gun. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')


[[River Song]] was convicted in the [[52nd century]] of murdering the [[Eleventh Doctor]] at [[Lake Silencio]] on [[22 April]] [[2011]], but the Doctor faked his death using a [[Teselecta]] double, of which she was aware. She was sentenced to twelve thousand consecutive life sentences for the crime, but was later pardoned after the Doctor removed himself from all databases in the universe, erasing all evidence of his existence. ([[TV]]: ''[[Flesh and Stone]]'', ''[[The Wedding of River Song]]'', ''[[The Angels Take Manhattan]]'')
[[River Song]] was convicted in the [[52nd century]] of murdering the [[Eleventh Doctor]] at [[Lake Silencio]] on [[22 April]] [[2011]], but the Doctor faked his death using a [[Teselecta]] double, of which she was aware. She was sentenced to twelve thousand consecutive life sentences for the crime, but was later pardoned after the Doctor removed himself from all databases in the universe, erasing all evidence of his existence. ([[TV]]: ''[[Flesh and Stone (TV story)|Flesh and Stone]]'', ''[[The Wedding of River Song (TV story)|The Wedding of River Song]]'', ''[[The Angels Take Manhattan (TV story)|The Angels Take Manhattan]]'')


The [[Fourth Doctor]] murdered [[Mehendri Solon]] by injecting [[cyanide]] gas into his laboratory. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius]]'')
On [[1 January]] [[2019]], [[Lin (Resolution)|Lin]] murdered two [[police]] officers and stole their [[car]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Resolution (TV story)|Resolution]]'')
 
The [[Fourteenth Doctor]] and the [[Noble family]] [[took]] [[the Meep]] to [[safety]] from the [[Wrarth Warrior]]s, only for the "[[cute]] [[li'l]] Meep" to turn out to be a "[[rampaging]] [[psychopathic]] killer". ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Doctor's Busiest Day (short story)|page=8}})
 
The [[Fourth Doctor]] murdered [[Mehendri Solon]] by injecting [[cyanide]] gas into his laboratory. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'')


In [[2367]], the [[Eleventh Doctor]] murdered [[Solomon (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship)|Solomon]] by placing a beacon (being tracked by missiles) on Solomon's spaceship. The missiles made contact with his spaceship moments later, killing Solomon. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dinosaurs on a Spaceship (TV story)|Dinosaurs on a Spaceship]]'')
In [[2367]], the [[Eleventh Doctor]] murdered [[Solomon (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship)|Solomon]] by placing a beacon (being tracked by missiles) on Solomon's spaceship. The missiles made contact with his spaceship moments later, killing Solomon. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dinosaurs on a Spaceship (TV story)|Dinosaurs on a Spaceship]]'')


In [[2472]], [[Dent (Colony in Space)|Captain Dent]] murdered [[Eric Leeson|Eric]] and [[Jane Leeson]] using an [[IMC robot]] while using a visual trick to shift the blame on a giant lizard. ([[TV]]: ''[[Colony in Space]]'')
In [[2472]], [[Dent (Colony in Space)|Captain Dent]] murdered [[Eric Leeson|Eric]] and [[Jane Leeson]] using an [[IMC robot]] while using a visual trick to shift the blame on a giant lizard. ([[TV]]: ''[[Colony in Space (TV story)|Colony in Space]]'')


In [[4126]], [[Klineman Halpen]] murdered [[Ryder (Planet of the Ood)|Dr Ryder]] by throwing him into the [[Ood Brain]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Ood]]'')
In [[4126]], [[Klineman Halpen]] murdered [[Ryder (Planet of the Ood)|Dr Ryder]] by throwing him into the [[Ood Brain]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Ood (TV story)|Planet of the Ood]]'')
 
In [[5343]], [[River Song]] attempted to murder [[Hydroflax]] to claim the [[Halassi Androvar]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Husbands of River Song (TV story)|The Husbands of River Song]]'')


A [[Dalek]], pretending to help [[human]]s of the [[Dalek Foundation]], murdered some survivors of a [[train]] crash and the medics tending to them while there were no witnesses. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Dalek Generation (novel)|The Dalek Generation]]'')
A [[Dalek]], pretending to help [[human]]s of the [[Dalek Foundation]], murdered some survivors of a [[train]] crash and the medics tending to them while there were no witnesses. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Dalek Generation (novel)|The Dalek Generation]]'')


In [[50000|50,000]], the bounty hunter [[Ahab]] murdered [[Zanthus Pia]]. He tried shifting the blame on [[K9 Mark I|K9]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Bounty Hunter]]'')
In the year [[50000|50,000]], the bounty hunter [[Ahab (The Bounty Hunter)|Ahab]] murdered [[Zanthus Pia]]. He tried shifting the blame onto [[K9 Mark I|K9]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Bounty Hunter (TV story)|The Bounty Hunter]]'')
 
In the [[far future]], [[Sarah Jane Smith]] declared [[Styre]] a murderer after he shot down a retreating [[Roth]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sontaran Experiment (TV story)|The Sontaran Experiment]]'')
 
== References to murder ==
In [[Letter (A Letter from the Doctor)|an introduction]] that {{delgado}} wrote for ''[[Doctor Who Magazine (periodical)|Doctor Who Magazine]]'', he admitted that his life as the [[megalomaniac's megalomaniac]] wasn't all "murder, [[miniaturisation]], and [[mercenary]] acts", and did have acts of so-called "[[charity]] work", which often involved more murder. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|A letter from the Master (short story)}})
 
During the [[Thal-Dalek battle]], the [[First Doctor]] noted that the [[Dalek]]s' plan to irradiate [[Skaro]]'s [[atmosphere]] to the point where only they could survive was "sheer murder". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Daleks (TV story)|The Daleks]]'')
 
[[Mickey Smith]] was believed to have murdered his girlfriend, [[Rose Tyler]], when she disappeared, due to leaving to travel with the [[Ninth Doctor]] and returning home a year later than she intended. As a result, he was shunned by the [[Powell Estate]], especially when Rose's mother, [[Jackie Tyler]], continuously spread rumours of his guilt. Two weeks after Rose's return on [[6 March]] [[2006]], ([[TV]]: {{cs|Aliens of London (TV story)}}) the [[people]] around the estate began being more helpful to Mickey, now that they knew he wasn't a murderer, ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Essay Competition (short story)}}) although the youths of the estate still theorised he was. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Winner Takes All (novel)|chaptnum=16|page=189}})
 
In [[2013]], the [[Eleventh Doctor]] compared the [[Great Intelligence]]'s scheme of harvesting human minds to murder, though [[Rosemary Kizlet]] simply called it "life", likening it to [[Burger King]]'s love for [[cattle]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Husbands of River Song (TV story)|The Husbands of River Song]]'')
 
== Footnotes ==
{{notelist}}


In the [[far future]], [[Sarah Jane Smith]] declared [[Styre]] a murderer after he shot down a retreating [[Roth]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sontaran Experiment]]'')
[[Category:Murder and homicide| *]]
[[Category:Murder and homicide]]
[[Category:Death sentence]]
[[Category:Death sentence]]
[[Category:Psychology from the real world]]
[[Category:Psychology from the real world]]

Latest revision as of 07:17, 22 October 2024

Murder

Murder was the deliberate killing of an individual. Murdering a being could result in numerous penalties. Common ones were life imprisonment and execution. (TV: The New World) Killing beings on a battlefield did not usually count as murder. (TV: The Caretaker) A killing classified as murder usually meant it was a targeted attack on a single individual. Serial killers would target multiple people over a period of time. (TV: They Keep Killing Suzie) The killing of an entire race was called genocide. It was one of the most serious crimes in the universe. (TV: Evolution of the Daleks, The Doctor's Daughter, Journey's End)

In the 51st century, murder was seen in a less serious light. Unlike most cultures around the 21st century, murder was considered an addiction like drugs and alcohol and instead of a death penalty or imprisonment, the murderers would be sent to rehab. (TV: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang)

Morality[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Seventh Doctor felt that, fundamentally, the only argument against murder that could stand up was utilitarian: "we don't [ourselves] want to get murdered." (PROSE: Original Sin)

"In the end, Pryce was right. There is no reason why one person should not kill another. No argument against murder stands up to scrutiny. For every religious prohibition saying, "Thou shalt not kill", there's another one that allows killing under certain special circumstances – sinners are fair game, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live", and so on. Moral codes are no better; they're just formalised opinions, without any logical backup. The sociological history of almost every race is riddled with examples of laws against murder standing beside legalized examples of murder, be they executions, wars or euthanasia. Ultimately, every single argument that we can come up with, stripped of its pretty words, boils down to a fundamental truth: we disagree with murder because we don't want to be murdered. No more and no less than that."Seventh Doctor [Original Sin (novel) [src]]

The Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

"Do I have the right?" (TV: Genesis of the Daleks)

On several occasions, the Doctor often battled over whether they "had the right", to take another person's life, even toward altruistic ends. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks, The Parting of the Ways, The Witch's Familiar) In some cases, they took this option. (TV: The Wheel in Space, The Seeds of Death, Day of the Daleks, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, State of Decay, Earthshock, Arc of Infinity, Resurrection of the Daleks, Planet of Fire, Attack of the Cybermen, The Two Doctors, Terror of the Vervoids, Remembrance of the Daleks, The Runaway Bride, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, Deep Breath, The Doctor Falls; COMIC: Master of Spiders, Terrorformer)

The Doctor counted the number of children on Gallifrey that died at the end of the Time War, when he destroyed the planet. The Tenth Doctor knew this number well, as 2.47 billion, but by his eleventh incarnation, he had forgotten this. The Eleventh Doctor expressed that he had "moved on". (TV: The Day of the Doctor)

By his twelfth incarnation, the Doctor did not keep track of how many people he had killed, as he felt the need to move on and save other people's lives outweighed an obligation to honour those he had failed. (TV: Thin Ice)

Examples of murder[[edit] | [edit source]]

In 1893, the serial killer Clarence DeMarco was due to be executed for murdering fourteen women. He was spared due to his information on the Doctor's secret. (TV: The Name of the Doctor)

In December 1916, the Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin was murdered by Prince Felix Yusupov and his co-conspirators Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich and Vladimir Purishkevich in the Moika Palace, Prince Felix's residence, in St Petersburg. (PROSE: The Wages of Sin)

On 11 June 1925, George Cranleigh murdered several servants at Cranleigh Hall in Oxfordshire. The Fifth Doctor was accused of having committed these murders. (TV: Black Orchid)

In June 1926, Professor Gerald Peach, Miss Chandrakala and Roger Curbishley were murdered by the Vespiform Reverend Arnold Golightly. He did so in the style of Agatha Christie's novels. (TV: The Unicorn and the Wasp)

The Master murdered untold numbers of people over their lifetimes. Some of their victims included Tegan Jovanka's aunt Vanessa and a policeman when they found his TARDIS in London on 28 February 1981. (TV: Logopolis) Another of the Master's victims was Thomas Milligan, whom he murdered with his laser screwdriver in an alternate timeline in the 2000s.[nb 1] (TV: Last of the Time Lords)

In 1985, Shockeye o' the Quawncing Grig murdered Oscar Botcherby when he wouldn't accept a twenty narg note for payment of his restaurant bill. The Sixth Doctor later murdered Shockeye with cyanide. (TV: The Two Doctors)

Unusual and unexplained murders often occurred on and around the land that the Hawthorne clinic was built on, dating back to the 13th century. This was as a result of its proximity to the reservoir of evil. Daniel O'Kane murdered his mother, father and sisters in 1945 and, through supernatural means, numerous people including Clegg, William Bruffin and Colin Dove in 1993 and 1994. (HOMEVID: The Zero Imperative)

Oswald Danes was a convicted murderer, rapist and paedophile. In 2006, he raped and murdered 12-year-old Susie Cabina. (TV: The New World)

On 25 December 2006, the Tenth Doctor accused Harriet Jones of mass murder when she ordered Torchwood to shoot down the escaping ship full of Sycorax. (TV: The Christmas Invasion)

In the 2000s,[nb 1] Lucy Saxon murdered the Master with a gun. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)

River Song was convicted in the 52nd century of murdering the Eleventh Doctor at Lake Silencio on 22 April 2011, but the Doctor faked his death using a Teselecta double, of which she was aware. She was sentenced to twelve thousand consecutive life sentences for the crime, but was later pardoned after the Doctor removed himself from all databases in the universe, erasing all evidence of his existence. (TV: Flesh and Stone, The Wedding of River Song, The Angels Take Manhattan)

On 1 January 2019, Lin murdered two police officers and stole their car. (TV: Resolution)

The Fourteenth Doctor and the Noble family took the Meep to safety from the Wrarth Warriors, only for the "cute li'l Meep" to turn out to be a "rampaging psychopathic killer". (PROSE: The Doctor's Busiest Day [+]Loading...{"page":"8","1":"The Doctor's Busiest Day (short story)"})

The Fourth Doctor murdered Mehendri Solon by injecting cyanide gas into his laboratory. (TV: The Brain of Morbius)

In 2367, the Eleventh Doctor murdered Solomon by placing a beacon (being tracked by missiles) on Solomon's spaceship. The missiles made contact with his spaceship moments later, killing Solomon. (TV: Dinosaurs on a Spaceship)

In 2472, Captain Dent murdered Eric and Jane Leeson using an IMC robot while using a visual trick to shift the blame on a giant lizard. (TV: Colony in Space)

In 4126, Klineman Halpen murdered Dr Ryder by throwing him into the Ood Brain. (TV: Planet of the Ood)

In 5343, River Song attempted to murder Hydroflax to claim the Halassi Androvar. (TV: The Husbands of River Song)

A Dalek, pretending to help humans of the Dalek Foundation, murdered some survivors of a train crash and the medics tending to them while there were no witnesses. (PROSE: The Dalek Generation)

In the year 50,000, the bounty hunter Ahab murdered Zanthus Pia. He tried shifting the blame onto K9. (TV: The Bounty Hunter)

In the far future, Sarah Jane Smith declared Styre a murderer after he shot down a retreating Roth. (TV: The Sontaran Experiment)

References to murder[[edit] | [edit source]]

In an introduction that the Master wrote for Doctor Who Magazine, he admitted that his life as the megalomaniac's megalomaniac wasn't all "murder, miniaturisation, and mercenary acts", and did have acts of so-called "charity work", which often involved more murder. (PROSE: A letter from the Master [+]Loading...["A letter from the Master (short story)"])

During the Thal-Dalek battle, the First Doctor noted that the Daleks' plan to irradiate Skaro's atmosphere to the point where only they could survive was "sheer murder". (TV: The Daleks)

Mickey Smith was believed to have murdered his girlfriend, Rose Tyler, when she disappeared, due to leaving to travel with the Ninth Doctor and returning home a year later than she intended. As a result, he was shunned by the Powell Estate, especially when Rose's mother, Jackie Tyler, continuously spread rumours of his guilt. Two weeks after Rose's return on 6 March 2006, (TV: Aliens of London [+]Loading...["Aliens of London (TV story)"]) the people around the estate began being more helpful to Mickey, now that they knew he wasn't a murderer, (PROSE: Essay Competition [+]Loading...["Essay Competition (short story)"]) although the youths of the estate still theorised he was. (PROSE: Winner Takes All [+]Loading...{"page":"189","chaptnum":"16","1":"Winner Takes All (novel)"})

In 2013, the Eleventh Doctor compared the Great Intelligence's scheme of harvesting human minds to murder, though Rosemary Kizlet simply called it "life", likening it to Burger King's love for cattle. (TV: The Husbands of River Song)

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. 1.0 1.1 According to the episode The Sound of Drums, Martha Jones' present day during series 3 of Doctor Who takes place over a six-day period, with the Saxon Master being elected three days after Smith and Jones, and the Toclafane invading Earth five days after Smith and Jones. However, sources differ on which dates these stories are set. According to PROSE: The Paradox Moon, the Toclafane invasion happens on 23 June 2007, placing the events of Smith and Jones on 18 June. According to AUDIO: Hysteria, Smith and Jones takes place in 2008, with a UNIT mission log in AUDIO: Recruits referring to the recovery of moon rocks from Royal Hope Hospital in March 2008. A newspaper clipping in PROSE: The Secret Lives of Monsters places Smith and Jones on a Sunday 4 June, thus placing the Toclafane invasion on Friday 9 June. In the real world, these dates do not fall on a Sunday and Friday in either 2007 or 2008.