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[[Image:st--6e02.jpg|thumb|[[Hedin]], a Time Lord. ([[DW]]: ''[[Arc of Infinity (TV story)|Arc of Infinity]]'')]]
:''For the role-playing gamebook by [[Ian Marsh]] and [[Peter Darvill-Evans]], see [[Time Lord (role playing book)]].''
: ''For the role-playing gamebook by [[Ian Marsh]] and [[Peter Darvill-Evans]], see [[Time Lord (role playing book)]].''


The '''Time Lords''' and '''Time Ladies''' (sometimes called "'''Lords of Time'''" or, rarely, "'''Chronarchs'''") were the oligarchic rulers of the planet [[Gallifrey]].
The '''Time Lords''' and '''Time Ladies''' (sometimes called "'''Lords of Time'''" or, rarely, "'''Chronarchs'''") were the oligarchic rulers of the planet [[Gallifrey]].


==Time Lords versus Gallifreyans==
[[Image:St--4p09.jpg|thumb|[[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]] and [[Runcible]], both Time Lords. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]'')]]
It is unclear if all Gallifreyans were Time Lords, or if "Time Lord" was a title reserved for Gallifreyans who matriculated from the planet's Time Academies. 


One, possibly apocryphal account, portrays a time line in which [[Ace]], a [[Human]], receives the power and knowledge of the Time Lords, suggesting that not all Time Lords were necessarily Gallifreyans. ([[WC]]: ''[[Death Comes to Time]]'') [[Seventh Doctor|The Doctor]] had said on another occasion that he hoped that this could happen to her, though, according to the other account, it did not come to pass. ([[NA]]: ''[[Lungbarrow]]'')
==Government==
[[Image:Arc infinity ep2.JPG|thumb|Members of the [[High Council]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Arc of Infinity (TV story)|Arc of Infinity]]'')]]
The Time Lords were led by the [[High Council]]. The Council consisted of the [[Lord President|Lord or Lady President]], the [[Lord Chancellor |Lord or Lady Chancellor]], the [[Castellan]] and [[Lord Cardinal]]s. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]'')  


==History==
The [[Inner Council]] consisted of the three most powerful members of the High Council. The Lord President was the most powerful member of the Council and had near absolute authority, and used a link to [[the Matrix]], a vast [[computer]] network containing the knowledge and experiences of all past generations of Time Lords, to set Time Lord policy and remain alert to potential threats from lesser civilizations. (''Source?'') The [[Lord Chancellor|Lord or Lady Chancellor]] was next in power, and handled many of the government functions. The [[Castellan]] controlled the [[Chancellery Guard]] and therefore the safety of Gallifrey. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]'')
:''See [[Gallifreyan history]].''


The Gallifreyans possessed one of the oldest and most powerful civilizations in the [[Universe]]. As the Time Lords, they would hold absolute power for some ten million years. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Ultimate Foe]]'')
The rest of the High Council was made up of the [[Lord Cardinal]]s, which represented the various [[:Category:Gallifreyan Chapters|Gallifreyan Chapters]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]'')


==Physiology and abilities==
[[Image:Arc infinity ep1.JPG|thumb|left|[[Maxil]], a member of the [[Chancellery Guard]], investigating a crime. ([[DW]]: ''[[Arc of Infinity (TV story)|Arc of Infinity]]'')]]
:''See [[Gallifreyan physiology]]''
===Crime and Punishment===
The protection of the Time Lords was carried out by the [[Chancellery Guard]]. They protected the [[Capitol]], investigated crimes and captured criminals. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]'') More secretive or questionable matters were handled by the [[Celestial Intervention Agency]], which was created to be a covert arm of the [[High Council]] to safeguard the Time Lords' interests. ([[DW]]: ''[[Shada (TV story)|Shada]]'') Much of what they did went against the [[Non-interference policy]], leading them to use agents (like [[the Doctor]]) to protect their secrets.


Time Lords also have unique powers not shared by other Gallifreyans.
The punishments used for crimes varied in severity.
*For his breaking of the [[Non-interference policy]], [[Second Doctor|the Doctor]] was forced in [[regeneration]] and was exiled to [[Earth]] with a non-functioning [[TARDIS]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The War Games]]'')
*For the genocide of the [[Vervoid]]s, [[Sixth Doctor|the Doctor]] would lose all of his remaining [[regeneration]]s. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'')
*For the various crimes [[the Master]] committed, his punishment would have been the reversal of his time stream, such that he had never existed. ([[DWN]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons]]'')


===Time Lord brains===
The Time Lords also used imprisonment for criminals, such as the ones in [[Shada (planet)|Shada]] ([[DW]]: ''[[Shada (TV story)|Shada]]'') or the [[Dalek]]s in the [[Genesis Ark]] ([[DW]]: ''[[Doomsday]]'').
[[The Rani]] referred to Time Lord brains as "time brains". (''[[Dimensions in Time]]'') Through physiology or training, Time Lord brains were quite similar: the Doctor said, of the Master, "He's a Time Lord.  In many ways, we have the same mind." ([[DW]]:''[[Logopolis]]'')
The [[Timewyrm]] noticed that on a quantum level, [[Seventh Doctor|the Doctor]]'s brain could receive information from possible futures, possibly without even realizing it consciously. ([[NA]]: ''[[Timewyrm: Revelation]]'')


The Time Lord brain was much more complex than that of a Human brain and also larger. This size differences meant brain transplants into a Human body would be impossible. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius]]'') They were [[telepathy|telepathically]] linked to one another and are even capable of joining the entire Time Lord intelligence as one. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Invisible Enemy]]'') In times of psychic or physiological stress, Time Lords may even enter a self-induced coma. Time Lords can also separate the hemispheres of their brain, allowing them to multi task easily. ([[PDA]]: ''[[Island of Death]]'')
==Education==
One of the major institutions of the Time Lords was the [[Time Lord Academy]]. It was split up into [[:Category:Gallifreyan Chapters|Chapters]], each of which being identified by their distinctive colours. The subjects at the academy ranged from the study of '''Cosmic Science''' ([[DWN]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons]]'') to '''Vintage Vehicles''' to '''[[Gallifreyan]] [[flutterwing]]s''' ([[DW]]: ''[[The Pirate Planet]]'').


Time Lords have an additional lobe to their brain dedicated to mechanical and other bodily functions. ([[BFA]]: ''[[Spare Parts]]'')
Children began instruction at the Time Lord Academy at the age of 8 in a special ceremony. The Gallifreyans would be forced to look into the [[Untempered Schism]], which showed the entirety of the [[Time Vortex]] and the power that the Time Lords had. The Gallifreyans subjected to its terrifying effects would react differently - "Some would be inspired, some would run away, and some would go mad." ([[DW]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums]]'')


===Longevity and regeneration===
==Culture==
:''See [[Regeneration]]''
Time Lords appreciated music, as indicated by such artefacts as the [[Harp of Rassilon]] and the use of nursery rhymes to entertain children. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Five Doctors]]'') They also appreciated art, although painting on Gallifrey was done by [[computer]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[City of Death]]'')


:''We do not know with certainty whether other Gallifreyans can regenerate or the aging rate of common Gallifreyans. We do know that other species have often spoken of the power to regenerate as associated with the Time Lords.''
Like most other sentient species, Gallifreyans enjoyed games. [[Time Lord Academy|Academy]] students sometimes played a (dangerous) game called "Eighth Man Bound". The multidimensional game of Perigosto, played with a ball and a specialized Perigosto stick, was also a favourite, as was a complicated board game called Sepulchasm. (''Source?'')


Time Lords had the ability to regenerate their bodies. They could renew their bodies in case of mortal illness or injury, advanced old age, or even because they willed it. This process allows them to live for centuries, even millennia. Even without regeneration, Time Lords had considerable lifespans. Within one regeneration, Time Lords could live for hundreds of years, yet looking much younger than a Human of equivalent age. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Leisure Hive]]'')
During a darker, more barbarous time in the planet's past, Gallifreyans enjoyed watching time-displaced individuals fight to the death in a dedicated area called the [[Death Zone]], but that practice had been entirely abandoned by [[the Doctor]]'s day. ([[DW]]:''[[The Five Doctors]]'')  


===Rassilon Imprimatur===
==Science and Technology==
The cellular structure of Time Lords was marked by symbiotic nuclei, also known as the [[Rassilon Imprimatur]], which bonds a Time Lord to his TARDIS and allows him to withstand the molecular stresses of  [[time travel]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Two Doctors]]'')
The Time Lords had a wide variety of advanced technology.
 
[[Image:St--6k01.jpg|thumb|The console of a [[Type 40]] [[TARDIS]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Five Doctors]]'')]]
===Transport===
The most characteristic technology used by the Time Lords was their [[time travel]] technology of the [[TARDIS]]es. The TARDIS was derived from the early Gallifreyan technology of the [[Time Scaphe]]. ([[NA]]: ''[[Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible]]'') The TARDISes were one of the few types of technology that was updated, from the obsolete [[Type 40]] (from Mark I to Mark IV) ([[DW]]: ''[[The Ribos Operation]]''), the more advanced [[Type 57]] ([[DW]]: ''[[Warriors of the Deep]]'') and the [[humanoid]] [[Type 102]] ([[EDA]]: ''[[Alien Bodies]]''). As well, [[Battle TARDIS]]es and [[War TARDIS]]es also existed. ([[EDA]]: ''[[The Taking of Planet 5]]'', [[BFA]]: ''[[Neverland]]'')


:''It may also be tied in with a Time Lord's ability to [[regenerate]].''
Apart from the TARDISes, the Time Lords had little interest in creating other forms of transport. As such, they relied on them instead of other methods of travel. ([[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who: Starships and Spacestations]]'')


==Society and Culture==
===Stellar Manipulation===
===Government===
[[Image:Hand of Omega.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Hand of Omega]], a [[stellar manipulator]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]'')]]
By [[First Doctor|the Doctor]]'s time, Time Lord society was governed by the [[High Council]], consisting of cardinals representing several electoral colleges, with an [[Inner Council]] comprising of the [[Castellan]], [[Lord Chancellor|Chancellor]], and the [[Lord President]]. The President had near absolute authority, and used a link to [[the Matrix]], a vast [[computer]] network containing the knowledge and experiences of all past generations of Time Lords, to set Time Lord policy and remain alert to potential threats from lesser civilizations. The Castellan was in charge of security, while the Chancellor in turn oversaw the Castellan's actions and acted as the President's second. Security and law were enforced by the [[Chancellory Guard]].


Punishments for crimes varied by the severity of the crime. For his breaking of the [[Non-interference policy]], [[Second Doctor|the Doctor]] was forced in [[regeneration]] and was exiled to [[Earth]] with a non-functioning [[TARDIS]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The War Games]]'') For the various crimes [[the Master]] committed, his punishment would have been the reversal of his time stream, such that he had never existed. ([[DWN]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons]]'')
The Time Lords had the capability to control and use the power of [[star]]s. [[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]] went so far as to claim that the Time Lords invented [[black hole]]s. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Satan Pit]]'')


Time Lord society was generally complacent in nature, owing to their policy of non-intervention. This led to a stagnation which may have contributed to the decision by [[the Doctor]] and certain other Time Lords to leave [[Gallifrey]]. It probably also contributed to the demise of the Time Lords in [[the Last Great Time War]].
Using the [[Hand of Omega]], the Time Lords could speed up the development of [[star]]s. ([[DW]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]'') One such star had been turned into a [[black hole]] and was kept under the [[Panopticon]] as the [[Eye of Harmony]] to power the civilization of the Time Lords. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]'')


===Culture and the arts===
===Weaponry and Defences===
Time Lords appreciated music, as indicated by such artefacts as the [[Harp of Rassilon]] and the use of nursery rhymes to entertain children. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Five Doctors]]'') They also appreciated art, although painting on Gallifrey was done by [[computer]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[City of Death]]'')
The Time Lords had little in the way of defences and their offensive technology was lagging behind many other civilization. This may be due in part to the [[transduction barrier]], which covered the [[planet]] and which was almost completely impenetrable by outside forces or their general policy of [[non-interference policy|non-interference]]. As such, when they were invaded by the [[Sontaran]]s, they were unable to defend themselves with their regular [[staser]]s and [[Fourth Doctor|the Doctor]] needed to use an ancient Time Lord weapon called the [[De-mat Gun]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Invasion of Time]]'')


The drinking of [[tea]] may have been practised by Time Lords, perhaps brought from [[Earth]]. The question "What's for tea?" was misinterpreted by [[Borusa]] as "What is tea?" - to which he supplied a textbook definition of tea as it is normally prepared for drinking on [[Earth]]. This implies both knowledge of tea-drinking and an ignorance of the human (and particularly [[Britain|British]]) custom of a light meal called "tea" or "high tea". ([[DW]]: ''[[The Invasion of Time]]'')
:''This lack of military knowledge may have been a factor in their destruction during the [[Last Great Time War]].''


==Science and Technology==
[[Image:GenesisArk.jpg|thumb|The [[Genesis Ark]], a Time Lord prison. ([[DW]]: ''[[Doomsday]]'')]]
===Transport===
===Miscellaneous Technology===
The Time Lords had little interest in creating ships after they had created the [[TARDIS]]es. As such, they relied on them instead of other methods of travel. ([[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who: Starships and Spacestations]]'')
Some other Time Lord technology includes [[the Matrix]] ([[DW]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]''), [[Validium]] ([[DW]]: ''[[Silver Nemesis]]''), the [[Genesis Ark]] ([[DW]]: ''[[Doomsday]]'') and the [[Chameleon Arch]] ([[DW]]: ''[[Human Nature (TV story)|Human Nature]]'').
*[[TARDIS]]  
:*[[Battle TARDIS]]
:*[[War TARDIS]]
*[[Bow Ship]]


===Weapons===
==History==
*[[Staser]]
:''See [[Gallifreyan history]].''
*[[De-mat Gun]]
*[[Parallel Cannon]]


===Other Technology===
The Gallifreyans possessed one of the oldest and most powerful civilizations in the [[Universe]]. As the Time Lords, they would hold absolute power for some ten million years. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Ultimate Foe]]'')
*[[The Matrix]]
*[[Nemesis]]
*[[Hand of Omega]]
*[[Paradox Machine]]
*[[Genesis Ark]]  


==People==
==See also==
*[[List of Individual Time Lords]]
*[[List of Individual Time Lords]]
*[[Gallifreyan]]s


== External links==
== External links==
*[http://meshyfish.com/~roo/index.html "Rassilon, Omega and The Other guy"]
*[http://meshyfish.com/~roo/index.html "Rassilon, Omega and The Other guy"]


{{Stub}}
[[Category:Time Lords|*]]
 
[[Category:Time Lords| ]]

Revision as of 22:17, 29 August 2008

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For the role-playing gamebook by Ian Marsh and Peter Darvill-Evans, see Time Lord (role playing book).

The Time Lords and Time Ladies (sometimes called "Lords of Time" or, rarely, "Chronarchs") were the oligarchic rulers of the planet Gallifrey.

Government

The Time Lords were led by the High Council. The Council consisted of the Lord or Lady President, the Lord or Lady Chancellor, the Castellan and Lord Cardinals. (DW: The Deadly Assassin)

The Inner Council consisted of the three most powerful members of the High Council. The Lord President was the most powerful member of the Council and had near absolute authority, and used a link to the Matrix, a vast computer network containing the knowledge and experiences of all past generations of Time Lords, to set Time Lord policy and remain alert to potential threats from lesser civilizations. (Source?) The Lord or Lady Chancellor was next in power, and handled many of the government functions. The Castellan controlled the Chancellery Guard and therefore the safety of Gallifrey. (DW: The Deadly Assassin)

The rest of the High Council was made up of the Lord Cardinals, which represented the various Gallifreyan Chapters. (DW: The Deadly Assassin)

File:Arc infinity ep1.JPG
Maxil, a member of the Chancellery Guard, investigating a crime. (DW: Arc of Infinity)

Crime and Punishment

The protection of the Time Lords was carried out by the Chancellery Guard. They protected the Capitol, investigated crimes and captured criminals. (DW: The Deadly Assassin) More secretive or questionable matters were handled by the Celestial Intervention Agency, which was created to be a covert arm of the High Council to safeguard the Time Lords' interests. (DW: Shada) Much of what they did went against the Non-interference policy, leading them to use agents (like the Doctor) to protect their secrets.

The punishments used for crimes varied in severity.

The Time Lords also used imprisonment for criminals, such as the ones in Shada (DW: Shada) or the Daleks in the Genesis Ark (DW: Doomsday).

Education

One of the major institutions of the Time Lords was the Time Lord Academy. It was split up into Chapters, each of which being identified by their distinctive colours. The subjects at the academy ranged from the study of Cosmic Science (DWN: Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons) to Vintage Vehicles to Gallifreyan flutterwings (DW: The Pirate Planet).

Children began instruction at the Time Lord Academy at the age of 8 in a special ceremony. The Gallifreyans would be forced to look into the Untempered Schism, which showed the entirety of the Time Vortex and the power that the Time Lords had. The Gallifreyans subjected to its terrifying effects would react differently - "Some would be inspired, some would run away, and some would go mad." (DW: The Sound of Drums)

Culture

Time Lords appreciated music, as indicated by such artefacts as the Harp of Rassilon and the use of nursery rhymes to entertain children. (DW: The Five Doctors) They also appreciated art, although painting on Gallifrey was done by computer. (DW: City of Death)

Like most other sentient species, Gallifreyans enjoyed games. Academy students sometimes played a (dangerous) game called "Eighth Man Bound". The multidimensional game of Perigosto, played with a ball and a specialized Perigosto stick, was also a favourite, as was a complicated board game called Sepulchasm. (Source?)

During a darker, more barbarous time in the planet's past, Gallifreyans enjoyed watching time-displaced individuals fight to the death in a dedicated area called the Death Zone, but that practice had been entirely abandoned by the Doctor's day. (DW:The Five Doctors)

Science and Technology

The Time Lords had a wide variety of advanced technology.

Transport

The most characteristic technology used by the Time Lords was their time travel technology of the TARDISes. The TARDIS was derived from the early Gallifreyan technology of the Time Scaphe. (NA: Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible) The TARDISes were one of the few types of technology that was updated, from the obsolete Type 40 (from Mark I to Mark IV) (DW: The Ribos Operation), the more advanced Type 57 (DW: Warriors of the Deep) and the humanoid Type 102 (EDA: Alien Bodies). As well, Battle TARDISes and War TARDISes also existed. (EDA: The Taking of Planet 5, BFA: Neverland)

Apart from the TARDISes, the Time Lords had little interest in creating other forms of transport. As such, they relied on them instead of other methods of travel. (REF: Doctor Who: Starships and Spacestations)

Stellar Manipulation

The Time Lords had the capability to control and use the power of stars. The Doctor went so far as to claim that the Time Lords invented black holes. (DW: The Satan Pit)

Using the Hand of Omega, the Time Lords could speed up the development of stars. (DW: Remembrance of the Daleks) One such star had been turned into a black hole and was kept under the Panopticon as the Eye of Harmony to power the civilization of the Time Lords. (DW: The Deadly Assassin)

Weaponry and Defences

The Time Lords had little in the way of defences and their offensive technology was lagging behind many other civilization. This may be due in part to the transduction barrier, which covered the planet and which was almost completely impenetrable by outside forces or their general policy of non-interference. As such, when they were invaded by the Sontarans, they were unable to defend themselves with their regular stasers and the Doctor needed to use an ancient Time Lord weapon called the De-mat Gun. (DW: The Invasion of Time)

This lack of military knowledge may have been a factor in their destruction during the Last Great Time War.
File:GenesisArk.jpg
The Genesis Ark, a Time Lord prison. (DW: Doomsday)

Miscellaneous Technology

Some other Time Lord technology includes the Matrix (DW: The Deadly Assassin), Validium (DW: Silver Nemesis), the Genesis Ark (DW: Doomsday) and the Chameleon Arch (DW: Human Nature).

History

See Gallifreyan history.

The Gallifreyans possessed one of the oldest and most powerful civilizations in the Universe. As the Time Lords, they would hold absolute power for some ten million years. (DW: The Ultimate Foe)

See also

External links