The Timeless Children (TV story): Difference between revisions

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'''''The Timeless Children''''' was the tenth and final episode of [[series 12 (Doctor Who)|series 12]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
'''''The Timeless Children''''' was the tenth and final episode of [[series 12 (Doctor Who)|series 12]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.


The episode revealed that the [[Timeless Child]] was the Doctor all along; a child from another dimension or reality and found on [[Planet (The Timeless Children)|another planet]] who had been [[adoption|adopted]] by one of the earliest [[Gallifrey]]ans, the [[Shobogan (species)|Shobogan]] [[Tecteun]], and who originally had the ability to [[regenerate]] infinitely. The episode at the same time seemed to conclude various loose ends on why the [[First Doctor]] might not have been the first, mostly seen in expanded media, such as [[The Doctor (The Brain of Morbius)|the mysterious 8 faces]] from ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'' and others such as [[The Doctor (Fugitive of the Judoon)|the incarnation]] from ''[[Fugitive of the Judoon (TV story)|Fugitive of the Judoon]]'',  although it pointedly refused to confirm whether those specific faces had been among the Timeless Child's many regenerations.
The episode brought to light an account of [[the Doctor]]'s origins in which, [[The Doctor's early life|prior]] to becoming the [[First Doctor]], they had lived many forgotten lives as the [[Timeless Child]]. This new thread in the ongoing tapestry brings the Doctor, [[The Other|once again]], to the forefront of [[Gallifreyan history|Time Lord history]].
 
In this new account, the Timeless Child was discovered near a [[boundary]] to another dimension or reality by the [[Shobogan (species)|Shobogan]] traveller [[Tecteun]], who took her in as her own. Her [[regeneration|regenerative]] abilities were attentively studied by Tecteun, and eventually replicated. This is put forward as the true origin of regeneration on [[Gallifrey]]. A radical result of this [[retroactive continuity]] is that the Doctor, in their earliest lives, was the biological template upon which [[Time Lord]] society was founded.
 
It also offers a new explanation for pre-Hartnell incarnations like the so-called [[The Doctor (The Brain of Morbius)|"Morbius" Doctors]], and continues to push the mystery around the [[The Doctor (Fugitive of the Judoon)|incarnation]] played by [[Jo Martin]].


== Synopsis ==
== Synopsis ==

Revision as of 05:44, 2 March 2020

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The Timeless Children was the tenth and final episode of series 12 of Doctor Who.

The episode brought to light an account of the Doctor's origins in which, prior to becoming the First Doctor, they had lived many forgotten lives as the Timeless Child. This new thread in the ongoing tapestry brings the Doctor, once again, to the forefront of Time Lord history.

In this new account, the Timeless Child was discovered near a boundary to another dimension or reality by the Shobogan traveller Tecteun, who took her in as her own. Her regenerative abilities were attentively studied by Tecteun, and eventually replicated. This is put forward as the true origin of regeneration on Gallifrey. A radical result of this retroactive continuity is that the Doctor, in their earliest lives, was the biological template upon which Time Lord society was founded.

It also offers a new explanation for pre-Hartnell incarnations like the so-called "Morbius" Doctors, and continues to push the mystery around the incarnation played by Jo Martin.

Synopsis

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Plot

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Cast

Special guest appearance by Jo Martin as The Doctor

Crew

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References

Species

Culture 

  • When showing the destroyed Citadel to the Doctor, the Master references Ozymandias, a sonnet by Percy Shelley.

Story notes

  • This episode used the same kind of "cold opening" used in Spyfall: Part Two; a recap of the preceding episode.
  • This episode had the most extensive use of archive footage in any of the Doctor Who episodes or any other media, and indeed any of the spin-offs as of 2020.
  • This is the first series finale since Death in Heaven to end on a cliffhanger that leads directly into a seasonal special.
  • Tecteun's regeneration is the first female-to-male regeneration shown on screen.

Ratings

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Filming locations

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Production errors

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.

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Continuity

Home video releases

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External links