The Timeless Children (TV story): Difference between revisions

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* The Master refers to the [[Great Cyber War]], which he claims to have lived through. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Last of the Cybermen (audio story)|Last of the Cybermen]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]'')
* The Master refers to the [[Great Cyber War]], which he claims to have lived through. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Last of the Cybermen (audio story)|Last of the Cybermen]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]'')
* The Master recalls fleeing from [[Borusa]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]]'' et al.{{facts}}) when they were young.
* The Master recalls fleeing from [[Borusa]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]]'' et al.{{facts}}) when they were young.
* The Master names his Time Lord-converted Cybermen under his command the "[[CyberMaster]]s". Previously, {{Simm|n=he}} transformed humanity into what he dubbed the "[[Master Race]]". ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'') Before that, {{Jacobi|n=he}} named himself "[[Cyber-Master]]" while posing as a converted Cybermen. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Master of Worlds (audio story)|Master of Worlds]]'')
** Incidentally, [[Karl (Silver Nemesis)|Karl]] believed the Cybermen to be "the [[master race]]". ([[TV]]: ''[[Silver Nemesis (TV story)|Silver Nemesis]]'')
* The Doctor's memories used to overwhelm the Matrix are of {{Dhawan}}, ([[TV]]: ''[[Spyfall (TV story)|Spyfall]]'') [[Ashad]] and his [[Cyberguard]]s, ([[TV]]: ''[[Ascension of the Cybermen (TV story)|Ascension of the Cybermen]]'') herself absorbing the Cyberium, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Haunting of Villa Diodati (TV story)|The Haunting of Villa Diodati]]'') [[Rakaya]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Can You Hear Me? (TV story)|Can You Hear Me?]]'') [[Gat]], the "Fugitive" Doctor and [[Captain]] [[Jack Harkness]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Fugitive of the Judoon (TV story)|Fugitive of the Judoon]]'') [[Nikola Tesla]] and the [[Queen of the Skithra]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror (TV story)|Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror]]'') a [[Dreg]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Orphan 55 (TV story)|Orphan 55]]'') the TARDIS beside the ruined Capitol, a [[Kasaavin]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Spyfall (TV story)|Spyfall]]'') the [[reconnaissance scout]] [[Dalek (Resolution)|Dalek]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Resolution (TV story)|Resolution]]'') the [[Ux]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (TV story)|The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos]]'') the [[Solitract]] as [[Grace O'Brien]], ([[TV]]: ''[[It Takes You Away (TV story)|It Takes You Away]]'') a [[Morax (species)|Morax]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Witchfinders (TV story)|The Witchfinders]]'') [[Umbreen and Prem's wedding]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Demons of the Punjab (TV story)|Demons of the Punjab]]'') a [[Kerb!am Man]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Kerblam! (TV story)|Kerblam!]]'') the [[Pting (The Tsuranga Conundrum)|Pting]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Tsuranga Conundrum (TV story)|The Tsuranga Conundrum]]'') [[Giant spider (Arachnids in the UK)|giant spider]]'s [[web]]s, ([[TV]]: ''[[Arachnids in the UK (TV story)|Arachnids in the UK]]'') [[Rosa Parks]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Rosa (TV story)|Rosa]]'') the [[remnant]]s on [[Desolation]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Ghost Monument (TV story)|The Ghost Monument]]'') [[Tim Shaw]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'') [[Davros]], [[Rose Tyler]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'') the [[Sycorax leader|leader]] of the [[Sycorax]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]'') [[Donna Noble]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Partners in Crime (TV story)|Partners in Crime]]'') a [[Slitheen]], ([[TV]]: ''[[World War Three (TV story)|World War Three]]'') [[Amy Pond]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)|The Impossible Astronaut]]'') the [[Abzorbaloff]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Love & Monsters (TV story)|Love & Monsters]]'') [[River Song]], ([[TV]]: ''[[A Good Man Goes to War (TV story)|A Good Man Goes to War]]'') an [[Animated scarecrow (Human Nature)|animated scarecrow]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Family of Blood (TV story)|The Family of Blood]]'') [[Wilfred Mott]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'') [[Clara Oswald]]{{source}}, [[General]] [[Staal]] of the [[Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Poison Sky (TV story)|The Poison Sky]]'') [[Bill Potts]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]'') an [[Ood]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Impossible Planet (TV story)|The Impossible Planet]]'') [[Martha Jones]]{{source}}, the [[Empress of the Racnoss (The Runaway Bride)|Empress]] of the [[Racnoss]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'') [[Rory Williams]], ([[TV]]: ''[[A Good Man Goes to War (TV story)|A Good Man Goes to War]]'') [[Jatt]] of the [[Sisters of Plenitude]], ([[TV]]: ''[[New Earth (TV story)|New Earth]]'') [[Sarah Jane Smith]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'') the [[Twelfth Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Listen (TV story)|Listen]]'') the [[Eleventh Doctor]]{{source}}, the [[Tenth Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'', ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'') the [[Ninth Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'', ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'') the [[War Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'', ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'') the [[Eighth Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]'', ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'') the [[Seventh Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (TV story)|The Greatest Show in the Galaxy]]'') the [[Sixth Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Ultimate Foe (TV story)|The Ultimate Foe]]'', ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]'') the [[Fifth Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'') the [[Fourth Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Pyramids of Mars (TV story)|Pyramids of Mars]]'', ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'') the [[Third Doctor]]{{source}}, the [[Second Doctor]]{{source}}, the [[First Doctor]]{{source}}, a [[Sea Devil]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sea Devils (TV story)|The Sea Devils]]'') {{Simm}}, ([[TV]]: ''[[World Enough and Time (TV story)|World Enough and Time]]'') [[Sil]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]'') {{Gomez}}{{source}}, [[Sharaz Jek]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'') [[the Rani]]{{source}}, an [[Auton]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Terror of the Autons (TV story)|Terror of the Autons]]'') {{Jacobi}}, ([[TV]]: ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'') a [[Voc]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Robots of Death (TV story)|The Robots of Death]]'') {{Roberts}}, ([[TV]]: ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'') [[Sutekh]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Pyramids of Mars (TV story)|Pyramids of Mars]]'') an [[Ogron]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Day of the Daleks (TV story)|Day of the Daleks]]'') {{Ainley}}, the [[Ancient One]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Curse of Fenric (TV story)|The Curse of Fenric]]'') {{Pratt}}, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]]'') {{Delgado}}{{source}}, [[Scaroth]], ([[TV]]: ''[[City of Death (TV story)|City of Death]]'') [[The Doctor (The Brain of Morbius)|the faces]] seen during the mental battle against [[Morbius]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'') [[Brendan Bildbriain|Brendan]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Ascension of the Cybermen (TV story)|Ascension of the Cybermen]]'') the [[The Doctor (Fugitive of the Judoon)|"Fugitive" Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Fugitive of the Judoon (TV story)|Fugitive of the Judoon]]'') and the Timeless Child. ([[TV]]: ''[[Spyfall (TV story)|Spyfall]]'', ''[[Can You Hear Me? (TV story)|Can You Hear Me?]]'')
* The Doctor's memories used to overwhelm the Matrix are of {{Dhawan}}, ([[TV]]: ''[[Spyfall (TV story)|Spyfall]]'') [[Ashad]] and his [[Cyberguard]]s, ([[TV]]: ''[[Ascension of the Cybermen (TV story)|Ascension of the Cybermen]]'') herself absorbing the Cyberium, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Haunting of Villa Diodati (TV story)|The Haunting of Villa Diodati]]'') [[Rakaya]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Can You Hear Me? (TV story)|Can You Hear Me?]]'') [[Gat]], the "Fugitive" Doctor and [[Captain]] [[Jack Harkness]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Fugitive of the Judoon (TV story)|Fugitive of the Judoon]]'') [[Nikola Tesla]] and the [[Queen of the Skithra]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror (TV story)|Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror]]'') a [[Dreg]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Orphan 55 (TV story)|Orphan 55]]'') the TARDIS beside the ruined Capitol, a [[Kasaavin]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Spyfall (TV story)|Spyfall]]'') the [[reconnaissance scout]] [[Dalek (Resolution)|Dalek]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Resolution (TV story)|Resolution]]'') the [[Ux]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (TV story)|The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos]]'') the [[Solitract]] as [[Grace O'Brien]], ([[TV]]: ''[[It Takes You Away (TV story)|It Takes You Away]]'') a [[Morax (species)|Morax]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Witchfinders (TV story)|The Witchfinders]]'') [[Umbreen and Prem's wedding]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Demons of the Punjab (TV story)|Demons of the Punjab]]'') a [[Kerb!am Man]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Kerblam! (TV story)|Kerblam!]]'') the [[Pting (The Tsuranga Conundrum)|Pting]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Tsuranga Conundrum (TV story)|The Tsuranga Conundrum]]'') [[Giant spider (Arachnids in the UK)|giant spider]]'s [[web]]s, ([[TV]]: ''[[Arachnids in the UK (TV story)|Arachnids in the UK]]'') [[Rosa Parks]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Rosa (TV story)|Rosa]]'') the [[remnant]]s on [[Desolation]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Ghost Monument (TV story)|The Ghost Monument]]'') [[Tim Shaw]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'') [[Davros]], [[Rose Tyler]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'') the [[Sycorax leader|leader]] of the [[Sycorax]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]'') [[Donna Noble]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Partners in Crime (TV story)|Partners in Crime]]'') a [[Slitheen]], ([[TV]]: ''[[World War Three (TV story)|World War Three]]'') [[Amy Pond]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)|The Impossible Astronaut]]'') the [[Abzorbaloff]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Love & Monsters (TV story)|Love & Monsters]]'') [[River Song]], ([[TV]]: ''[[A Good Man Goes to War (TV story)|A Good Man Goes to War]]'') an [[Animated scarecrow (Human Nature)|animated scarecrow]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Family of Blood (TV story)|The Family of Blood]]'') [[Wilfred Mott]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'') [[Clara Oswald]]{{source}}, [[General]] [[Staal]] of the [[Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Poison Sky (TV story)|The Poison Sky]]'') [[Bill Potts]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]'') an [[Ood]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Impossible Planet (TV story)|The Impossible Planet]]'') [[Martha Jones]]{{source}}, the [[Empress of the Racnoss (The Runaway Bride)|Empress]] of the [[Racnoss]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'') [[Rory Williams]], ([[TV]]: ''[[A Good Man Goes to War (TV story)|A Good Man Goes to War]]'') [[Jatt]] of the [[Sisters of Plenitude]], ([[TV]]: ''[[New Earth (TV story)|New Earth]]'') [[Sarah Jane Smith]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'') the [[Twelfth Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Listen (TV story)|Listen]]'') the [[Eleventh Doctor]]{{source}}, the [[Tenth Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'', ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'') the [[Ninth Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'', ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'') the [[War Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'', ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'') the [[Eighth Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]'', ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'') the [[Seventh Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (TV story)|The Greatest Show in the Galaxy]]'') the [[Sixth Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Ultimate Foe (TV story)|The Ultimate Foe]]'', ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]'') the [[Fifth Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'') the [[Fourth Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Pyramids of Mars (TV story)|Pyramids of Mars]]'', ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'') the [[Third Doctor]]{{source}}, the [[Second Doctor]]{{source}}, the [[First Doctor]]{{source}}, a [[Sea Devil]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sea Devils (TV story)|The Sea Devils]]'') {{Simm}}, ([[TV]]: ''[[World Enough and Time (TV story)|World Enough and Time]]'') [[Sil]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]'') {{Gomez}}{{source}}, [[Sharaz Jek]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'') [[the Rani]]{{source}}, an [[Auton]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Terror of the Autons (TV story)|Terror of the Autons]]'') {{Jacobi}}, ([[TV]]: ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'') a [[Voc]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Robots of Death (TV story)|The Robots of Death]]'') {{Roberts}}, ([[TV]]: ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'') [[Sutekh]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Pyramids of Mars (TV story)|Pyramids of Mars]]'') an [[Ogron]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Day of the Daleks (TV story)|Day of the Daleks]]'') {{Ainley}}, the [[Ancient One]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Curse of Fenric (TV story)|The Curse of Fenric]]'') {{Pratt}}, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]]'') {{Delgado}}{{source}}, [[Scaroth]], ([[TV]]: ''[[City of Death (TV story)|City of Death]]'') [[The Doctor (The Brain of Morbius)|the faces]] seen during the mental battle against [[Morbius]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'') [[Brendan Bildbriain|Brendan]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Ascension of the Cybermen (TV story)|Ascension of the Cybermen]]'') the [[The Doctor (Fugitive of the Judoon)|"Fugitive" Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Fugitive of the Judoon (TV story)|Fugitive of the Judoon]]'') and the Timeless Child. ([[TV]]: ''[[Spyfall (TV story)|Spyfall]]'', ''[[Can You Hear Me? (TV story)|Can You Hear Me?]]'')
* The Doctor seeks to uphold the rule "No humans on Gallifrey", echoing her reason for leaving behind [[Sarah Jane Smith]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Hand of Fear (TV story)|The Hand of Fear]]'')
* The Doctor seeks to uphold the rule "No humans on Gallifrey", echoing her reason for leaving behind [[Sarah Jane Smith]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Hand of Fear (TV story)|The Hand of Fear]]'')

Revision as of 12:53, 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 of the Doctor played by Jo Martin.

The Timeless Children also brought another redesign of the Cybermen not long after the warrior-class Cybermen in Ascension of the Cybermen in the form of CyberMasters - a branch created by the Master with the ability to regenerate.

Synopsis

Gallifrey is dead, the Master is in control of an army of Cybermen ready to take over the universe, and Graham, Ryan, and Yaz are trapped, being hunted down with the last remnants of humanity. But for the Doctor, one question remains... Who is the Timeless Child?

Plot

to be added

Cast

Special guest appearance by Jo Martin as The Doctor

Crew

to be added

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.[source needed]
  • This is the first series finale since Death in Heaven to end on a cliffhanger that leads directly into a seasonal special.

Ratings

to be added

Filming locations

to be added

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.

to be added

Continuity

Home video releases

to be added

External links