Rory Williams: Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox Individual
{{Infobox Individual
|individual name = Rory Williams
|image          = [[file:New Rory.png|250px]]
|image          = [[file:Rory.png|250px]]
|individual name = Rory Williams (Auton)
|alias          = <ul><li>Mr. Pond</li><li>The Boy Who Waited</li><li>[[The Doctor]]<li>Rory the Roman</li>
|alias          = The Lone Centurion
|species           = [[Human]]
|race           = [[Auton]]
|home planet    = [[Earth]]
|home planet    = [[Earth]]
|appearances    = [[Rory Williams - List of Appearances|Full list of appearances]]
|appearances    = [[DW]]: ''[[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]]''/''[[The Big Bang]]''
|mentions        = <ul><li>[[DW]]: ''[[Flesh and Stone]]''</li><li>[[DW]]: ''[[Vincent and the Doctor]]''</li><li>[[SJA]]: ''[[Death of the Doctor]]''</li><ul>
|actor          = [[Arthur Darvill]]}}
|actor          = [[Arthur Darvill]]}}
{{semi-protect}}
:''For the human the [[Auton]] was based on, see [[Rory Williams]]''
:''For the [[Auton]] based on Rory, please see [[Rory Williams (Auton)|here]].''
'''Rory Williams''' was an [[Auton]]-based duplicate of the [[Eleventh Doctor]]'s companion [[Rory Williams]], who had been killed by a [[Silurian]] and then erased from history by the [[Time Field]] emanating from the cracks in space and time.
'''Rory Williams''' is the husband of [[Amy Pond]]. He was previously her "sort of" boyfriend and later fiancé. He became a companion of the [[Eleventh Doctor]], but later died and was removed from time after being absorbed by the [[Time Field]]. Following the "Big Bang 2" he was restored to the timeline, marrying Amy and continuing to travel with her and the Doctor.


==Biography==
== Biography ==
===Early life===
The Auton that took the form of Rory Williams was created as part of a plan by an [[The Alliance|Alliance]] of races that had united to prevent the [[Eleventh Doctor]] from destroying the universe. This alliance included the [[Nestene Consciousness]], creators of the living plastic creatures known as Autons.
Rory was a childhood friend of [[Amy Pond|Amelia Pond]]. He was privy to her tales of the [[Eleventh Doctor|&quot;raggedy Doctor&quot;]], and an unwilling participant in the dress-up games she based around her stories. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Eleventh Hour]]'') At one point in his youth, Rory was a member of the Cub Scouts. ([[DWA]]: ''[[If You Go Down to the Woods Today]])''


=== Meeting the [[Eleventh Doctor]] ===
Utilizing psychic residue obtained from the home of the Doctor's companion [[Amy Pond]] - including a children's book on Roman soldiers and a photograph of Amy and her fiancé Rory Williams taken at a costume party (at which Rory had worn a Roman soldier costume) - the Nestene Consciousness created a faux Roman army, including a replicant of Rory Williams, and placed them near [[Stonehenge]] in the year [[Early human history|102]] AD as part of an elaborate trap for the Doctor. While the Auton Roman soldiers believed they were, indeed, Romans -- and were even susceptible to [[River Song]]'s [[Hallucinogenic lipstick]] -- the Auton version of Rory retained the memories and personality of the real Rory, and initially Auton Rory dismissed his other life as a dream.
[[file:Rory and Amelia.png|thumb|left|Rory realizes he's talking to "the [[Eleventh Doctor|Eleventh Raggedy Doctor]]". ([[DW]]: ''[[The Eleventh Hour]]'')]]
==== First Meeting ====
Whilst working as a [[nurse]] at [[Royal Leadworth Hospital]], Rory witnessed the Doctor defeat [[Prisoner Zero]] and warn the [[Atraxi]] away from [[Earth]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Eleventh Hour]]'') He later got engaged to Amy. ([[DW]]: ''[[Flesh and Stone]]'')


=== Travels with the Doctor ===
[[file:DoctorAndRory.png|thumb|200x|right|The [[Eleventh Doctor|Eleventh Doctor]] is surprised to see Rory. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]]'')]]  
[[file:RoryAmyTARDIS.png|thumb|right|Rory accepts [[Amy Pond|Amy]]'s proposal. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Vampires of Venice]]'')]]
When news came to the Roman encampment of strange visitors, Auton Rory decided to volunteer to help, which led him to encounter both the Doctor and Amy, saving the latter by destroying a [[Cyberman (Pete's World)|Cyberman]] with his sword, though Amy was knocked unconscious. The Doctor initially did not recognize him', but eventually welcomed him back after an awkward reunion, though how Rory still existed was a mystery - as the Doctor was not aware of the Auton connection as yet.
After having his stag party crashed by the Doctor, Rory and Amy were taken on a "romantic break" to Venice. There, they encountered the [[Saturnynian]]s, who planned to flood Venice. The Doctor defeated the Saturnynians and Rory agreed to continue travelling with the Doctor after Amy asked him to do so.
([[DW]]: ''[[The Vampires of Venice]]'')


As he assisted the Doctor, Auton Rory learned he had been erased from time, and from Amy's memory, when she did not recognize him after regaining consciousness. Encouraged by the Doctor - who returned the engagement ring that Rory had given Amy before his death - Auton Rory set out to try and make Amy remember him. His efforts were successful, as Amy's memories began to return. However, Rory's Auton nature briefly reasserted itself as the Alliance's trap began to close around the Doctor. Rory attempted to resist the Nestene orders while the other "Romans" came under its control. He urged Amy to run, but she refused. Just as she hugged him, the Auton programming activated and the duplicate Rory's hand opened up into a blaster which shot Amy, seemingly killing her. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]]'')


After spending some time aboard [[the Doctor's TARDIS]], Rory fell victim to the same [[Psychic Pollen]] that ensnared his companions in two shared dreams. Rory escaped the trap after the Doctor figured out what was happening. ([[DW]]: ''[[Amy's Choice]]'')
[[file:RW 5.png|thumb|200x|left|Rory cries after he was forced to shoot [[Amy Pond|Amy]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]]'')]]
As Auton Rory wept over the body of Amy, the Doctor suddenly appeared in front of him, informing him that Amy wasn't quite dead and instructing him (after a couple of interruptions) to open the Pandorica using the [[sonic screwdriver]] and rescue the Doctor's earlier self. Rory followed the Doctor's instructions, which led to a reunion with a somewhat bewildered Doctor. In hopes of saving Amy, the Doctor placed his companion in the Pandorica, where her life functions would be restored, though she would be in there for close to 1,900 years. The Doctor, using a time vortex manipulator, offered to take Auton Rory to retrieve Amy in the future, but Rory refused, stating that he had to make sure no harm came to the Pandorica. The Doctor admired Rory's humanity, Auton or no, and left him to his duty.


Rory later arrived in [[Cwmtaff]], [[Wales]], [[2020]]. After stopping a group of [[Silurian]]s from attempting to kill humanity, Rory was shot by their leader and fell into a crack in time. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Hungry Earth]]'', ''[[Cold Blood]]'')
Rory watched over Amy for nearly two thousand years, following the box wherever it went and becoming the stuff of legend as the 'The Lone Centurion' - a mysterious figure dressed as a Roman soldier who stood guard over the Pandorica. During the [[London Blitz]] of [[1941]], Rory was spotted moving the Pandorica out of harm's way during a bombing, but after that the Lone Centurion disappeared from history and was believed killed or destroyed. In reality, Rory continued to look after the Pandorica in other ways, and by 1996 was working as a security guard in the [[National Museum]], where the Pandorica was on display.
[[file:SoPretty.png|thumb|right|Before dying, Rory tells Amy that she is beautiful. ([[DW]]: ''[[Cold Blood]]'')]]


When [[the Alliance]] scanned Amy's mind, they used her dormant memories of Rory to create an [[Rory Williams (Auton)|Nestene duplicate]], which, due to Amy being affected by the crack in her room, possessed Rory's actual emotions and personality. Once the Nestenes trap for the Doctor was complete, the Nestenes tried to control him, which caused him to shoot Amy. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]]'')
After a younger version of Amelia Pond freed her older self, and the Doctor arrived from the past, the group was immediately attacked by a [[Stone Dalek]] from Stonehenge that coincidentally had been put on display with the Pandorica and had been restored by the Pandorica's energy. Rory rescued them by shooting the Dalek with his hand-laser.
A version of the Doctor from the future came to Rory, instructing him to place Amy's body in the [[Pandorica]], which had the ability to keep its occupants alive. Rory watched over Amy for over two thousand years, following the box wherever it went. After the Doctor succeeded in saving the universeand closed the cracks in time, the real Rory was never erased. [[file:Rory_and_Amy.jpg|thumb|214px|Amy and Rory as a newly-married couple ([[DW]]: ''[[The Big Bang]]'')]]
[[file:Autonrory.jpg|thumb|Rory's Auton gun arm ([[DW]]: ''[[The Big Bang]]'').]]
The real Rory was brought back and he married Amy. The Doctor then arrived at the wedding and took them to the TARDIS for more adventures. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Big Bang]]'')


The pair continued with their honeymoon on board a spaceship in the honeymoon suite, where Rory donned his auton counterpart's roman armour. The ship began to crash, and the Doctor had just under an hour to save Rory and Amy, in addition to the other 4001 people on the ship. With help from Amy and Rory, the Doctor succeeded, and the trio left for another honeymoon location. ([[DW]]: [[A Christmas Carol (TV story)|''A Christmas Carol'']])
A tearful and romantic reunion with Amy followed, but the Doctor pulled them away in order to rescue River Song from a time loop within the exploding [[The Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]], but not before Auton Rory informed the Doctor about his earlier encounter with the "future Doctor", which led to the Doctor taking care of old business.


==Personality==
The Auton Rory continued to express his innate humanity as the Doctor encountered ''another'' future Doctor, this one apparently deceased, though this was later discovered to be a ruse. Ultimately, the Doctor was able to pilot the Pandorica into the heart of the exploding TARDIS, which restored the universe, but in the process rewrote aspects of history. The Doctor, for one, was removed from history. And with him removed from history, the Auton version of Rory was likewise removed from history as the original, human Rory was restored, his death having never occurred.
Rory appeared somewhat timid during his first encounter with the Doctor. He was easily intimidated by [[Dr Ramsden]] and was unsettled by the ensuing events caused by the Doctor and Prisoner Zero. Despite this, he did have the presence of mind to record evidence in order to prove that his patients were appearing outside the hospital. He also assisted Amy in attempting to clear the hospital of patients before Prisoner Zero could exploit them. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Eleventh Hour]]'') During the events in Venice, Rory was unnerved that the Doctor actually wanted to get back into the [[Saturnynian]] stronghold. However, he was capable of bravery, as shown when he challenged [[Francesco]] in order to protect Amy, ([[DW]]: ''[[The Vampires of Venice]]'') and later when he took a lethal Silurian energy beam meant for the Doctor. ([[DW]]: ''[[Cold Blood]]'') It was also notable that when he saw Francesco had attacked a girl, his immediate reaction was to check the girl was all right. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Vampires of Venice]]'') He was greatly devoted to Amy. Perhaps the greatest testament to this personality trait was when his Auton self was willing to guard the Pandorica, with Amy in it, for almost two thousand years, even knowing that he would remain conscious the entire time. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Big Bang]]'')


==Behind the scenes==
Despite the fact the Auton Rory never existed, elements of his memory remained within the human Rory. After Amy was successful in restoring the Doctor and the TARDIS through her own memories, Rory likewise remembered having been an Auton, uttering "I was plastic!" at one point. Also, the Doctor himself considered the human Rory to be a continuation of Auton Rory, privately admiring Rory's devotion to Amy over 2,000 years, dubbing him "The Boy Who Waited". ([[DW]]: ''[[The Big Bang]]'')
*In a deleted scene from ''[[The Hungry Earth]]'', the Doctor admits to Amy that he likes Rory a lot.
*Rory's death is very similar in nature to Jenny's ([[DW]]: ''[[The Doctor's Daughter]]''). In both cases they died taking a shot intended for the Doctor, and in both cases the shooter was a violent member of a race that the Doctor had helped bring peace to. ([[Cobb]] and Restac respectively.)


===Nametag controversy===
:''Aside from remembering he was plastic, it remains to be seen whether the human Rory retains any specific memories of the Auton replicant over its near 1,900-year existence.''
[[file:Rory's ID.jpg|thumb|right|Rory's troublesome ID badge]]
The question of Rory's "home" time period is one that baffled fans in the aftermath of the broadcast of [[The Eleventh Hour|''The Eleventh Hour'']]. This was largely fueled by an image of Rory's [[Royal Leadworth Hospital]] identification badge, that was given an extreme closeup in the episode. This closeup plainly shows the badge to have been issued on [[30th November]] [[1990]], which would seem implausible given the presence of various bits of technology in the episode, such as laptop computers and the named 2008 [[Blackberry]] phone. The existence of Facebook, Bebo, and Twitter were also mentioned; the phone had Facebook. So perplexing was this badge ID that [[Steven Moffat]] was specifically asked about it in [[New York City|New York]] by an [[American]] fan on [[13th April]] [[2010]]. His response was recorded and released in the podcast, ''Meet the Filmmaker'':
{{quote|I have never actually looked at Rory's name tag to be completely honest with you...it's not a signficant plot thing.|Steven Moffat at the SoHo Apple Store}}
Though it seemed a genuine, spontaneous answer, Moffat had earlier enthusiastically extolled the virtues of lying to the public and press about the content of ''Doctor Who'', in a question-and-answer session following the New York theatrical screening of ''The Eleventh Hour''. In any event, judging by the technology in existence at the time of the Atraxi incident, it seems unlikely that the 1990 date on the name tag could be genuine. But adding fuel to the fire, 1990s cars were seen, but so were cars said to be of a 2005+ period. ''[[Flesh and Stone]]'' later had the Doctor remark that June 25th/26th 2010 was "Amy's time", meaning that the 1990 date was an error.


However, in the same latter episode, the clock in Amy's bedroom jumped from 11:59am June 25th to 12pm June 26th, twelve hours missed in one second - and it was night time outside. This was likely also a production error, and was supposed to transition from 11:59 pm to 12:00 am. In the episode ''[[Amy's Choice]]'', Leadworth was referred to as "the village that time forgot," these things all together causing many fan theories that something has gone wrong with Leadworth involving time itself. It was discovered in The Big Bang that time was shrinking due to the cracks. This may have caused these events, although it was not explicitly stated.
The real Rory somehow obtained his Roman armour from this incarnation (or he used the armour from the picture seen in a photo in ''[[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]]'') and used it during his Christmas adventure. ([[DW]]: ''[[A Christmas Carol (TV story)|A Christmas Carol]]'')
 
===Mickey comparison===
Rory is comparable in some ways with the [[Tenth Doctor]]'s companion, [[Mickey Smith]]. Rory, like Mickey, is the boyfriend of the main companion, and is not present during the companion's initial meeting with [[the Doctor]]. They are then present during the second adventure, getting left behind when the companion, [[Amy Pond|Amy]] and [[Rose Tyler|Rose]] respectively, leaves with the Doctor to go travelling. Through their similar personalities and initial antagonism towards the Doctor, they are both often used for comic relief.
 
The number of appearances as a companion seem to be identical, as both Mickey and Rory, after the episode in which they joined the Doctor, had two on-screen adventures, the second one being a two-part story in both instances, before leaving the TARDIS in a way that they can seemingly never return, in Rory's case, dying and being erased from time and Mickey being left in a sealed-off parallel dimension, only to rejoin the Doctor for the series finale. Also, both companions have had [[Auton]] duplicates. However, while Mickey's was an imperfect copy and obviously plastic, Rory's aesthetically mimicked his human body perfectly and housed his consciousness after his human form had been erased from existence.


==Behind the scenes==
* The special circumstances surrounding Auton Rory have led to some fans considering him a separate companion. If so, it is a matter of debate whether Auton Rory should be considered a deceased companion as he technically no longer exists, even though at least some memories live on in the human Rory.
*An [[Mickey Smith (Auton)|Auton duplicate]] of [[Mickey Smith]] was also made. This makes Rory the second Male companion to be turned into an Auton. ([[DW]]: ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'')
*Auton Rory is technically the third duplicate of a companion to be created based on the memories of another; during the novel ''[[Interference: Book Two (The Hour of the Geek)|Interference]]'', the [[Eighth Doctor]]'s companion [[Fitz Kreiner]] was abducted and apparently killed by [[Faction Paradox]], the Doctor eventually 'replacing' him with a [[Kode|biomass duplicate]] created from others' memories of the original Fitz.
{{Companions of the Eleventh Doctor}}
{{Companions of the Eleventh Doctor}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Rory}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Rory}}
[[Category:human nurses|Williams, Rory]]
[[Category:Artificial beings]]
[[Category:The Alliance]]
[[Category:Auton facsimiles]]
[[Category:Companions of the Eleventh Doctor]]
[[Category:Companions of the Eleventh Doctor]]
[[Category:21st century individuals]]
[[Category:Enemies of the Daleks]]
[[Category:Centenarians]]

Revision as of 20:04, 22 April 2011

For the human the Auton was based on, see Rory Williams

Rory Williams was an Auton-based duplicate of the Eleventh Doctor's companion Rory Williams, who had been killed by a Silurian and then erased from history by the Time Field emanating from the cracks in space and time.

Biography

The Auton that took the form of Rory Williams was created as part of a plan by an Alliance of races that had united to prevent the Eleventh Doctor from destroying the universe. This alliance included the Nestene Consciousness, creators of the living plastic creatures known as Autons.

Utilizing psychic residue obtained from the home of the Doctor's companion Amy Pond - including a children's book on Roman soldiers and a photograph of Amy and her fiancé Rory Williams taken at a costume party (at which Rory had worn a Roman soldier costume) - the Nestene Consciousness created a faux Roman army, including a replicant of Rory Williams, and placed them near Stonehenge in the year 102 AD as part of an elaborate trap for the Doctor. While the Auton Roman soldiers believed they were, indeed, Romans -- and were even susceptible to River Song's Hallucinogenic lipstick -- the Auton version of Rory retained the memories and personality of the real Rory, and initially Auton Rory dismissed his other life as a dream.

When news came to the Roman encampment of strange visitors, Auton Rory decided to volunteer to help, which led him to encounter both the Doctor and Amy, saving the latter by destroying a Cyberman with his sword, though Amy was knocked unconscious. The Doctor initially did not recognize him', but eventually welcomed him back after an awkward reunion, though how Rory still existed was a mystery - as the Doctor was not aware of the Auton connection as yet.

As he assisted the Doctor, Auton Rory learned he had been erased from time, and from Amy's memory, when she did not recognize him after regaining consciousness. Encouraged by the Doctor - who returned the engagement ring that Rory had given Amy before his death - Auton Rory set out to try and make Amy remember him. His efforts were successful, as Amy's memories began to return. However, Rory's Auton nature briefly reasserted itself as the Alliance's trap began to close around the Doctor. Rory attempted to resist the Nestene orders while the other "Romans" came under its control. He urged Amy to run, but she refused. Just as she hugged him, the Auton programming activated and the duplicate Rory's hand opened up into a blaster which shot Amy, seemingly killing her. (DW: The Pandorica Opens)

File:RW 5.png
Rory cries after he was forced to shoot Amy. (DW: The Pandorica Opens)

As Auton Rory wept over the body of Amy, the Doctor suddenly appeared in front of him, informing him that Amy wasn't quite dead and instructing him (after a couple of interruptions) to open the Pandorica using the sonic screwdriver and rescue the Doctor's earlier self. Rory followed the Doctor's instructions, which led to a reunion with a somewhat bewildered Doctor. In hopes of saving Amy, the Doctor placed his companion in the Pandorica, where her life functions would be restored, though she would be in there for close to 1,900 years. The Doctor, using a time vortex manipulator, offered to take Auton Rory to retrieve Amy in the future, but Rory refused, stating that he had to make sure no harm came to the Pandorica. The Doctor admired Rory's humanity, Auton or no, and left him to his duty.

Rory watched over Amy for nearly two thousand years, following the box wherever it went and becoming the stuff of legend as the 'The Lone Centurion' - a mysterious figure dressed as a Roman soldier who stood guard over the Pandorica. During the London Blitz of 1941, Rory was spotted moving the Pandorica out of harm's way during a bombing, but after that the Lone Centurion disappeared from history and was believed killed or destroyed. In reality, Rory continued to look after the Pandorica in other ways, and by 1996 was working as a security guard in the National Museum, where the Pandorica was on display.

After a younger version of Amelia Pond freed her older self, and the Doctor arrived from the past, the group was immediately attacked by a Stone Dalek from Stonehenge that coincidentally had been put on display with the Pandorica and had been restored by the Pandorica's energy. Rory rescued them by shooting the Dalek with his hand-laser.

File:Autonrory.jpg
Rory's Auton gun arm (DW: The Big Bang).

A tearful and romantic reunion with Amy followed, but the Doctor pulled them away in order to rescue River Song from a time loop within the exploding TARDIS, but not before Auton Rory informed the Doctor about his earlier encounter with the "future Doctor", which led to the Doctor taking care of old business.

The Auton Rory continued to express his innate humanity as the Doctor encountered another future Doctor, this one apparently deceased, though this was later discovered to be a ruse. Ultimately, the Doctor was able to pilot the Pandorica into the heart of the exploding TARDIS, which restored the universe, but in the process rewrote aspects of history. The Doctor, for one, was removed from history. And with him removed from history, the Auton version of Rory was likewise removed from history as the original, human Rory was restored, his death having never occurred.

Despite the fact the Auton Rory never existed, elements of his memory remained within the human Rory. After Amy was successful in restoring the Doctor and the TARDIS through her own memories, Rory likewise remembered having been an Auton, uttering "I was plastic!" at one point. Also, the Doctor himself considered the human Rory to be a continuation of Auton Rory, privately admiring Rory's devotion to Amy over 2,000 years, dubbing him "The Boy Who Waited". (DW: The Big Bang)

Aside from remembering he was plastic, it remains to be seen whether the human Rory retains any specific memories of the Auton replicant over its near 1,900-year existence.

The real Rory somehow obtained his Roman armour from this incarnation (or he used the armour from the picture seen in a photo in The Pandorica Opens) and used it during his Christmas adventure. (DW: A Christmas Carol)

Behind the scenes

  • The special circumstances surrounding Auton Rory have led to some fans considering him a separate companion. If so, it is a matter of debate whether Auton Rory should be considered a deceased companion as he technically no longer exists, even though at least some memories live on in the human Rory.
  • An Auton duplicate of Mickey Smith was also made. This makes Rory the second Male companion to be turned into an Auton. (DW: Rose)
  • Auton Rory is technically the third duplicate of a companion to be created based on the memories of another; during the novel Interference, the Eighth Doctor's companion Fitz Kreiner was abducted and apparently killed by Faction Paradox, the Doctor eventually 'replacing' him with a biomass duplicate created from others' memories of the original Fitz.