Web of Time

The Web of Time was the orderly co-existence of events within Time.

It was not a necessary fundamental aspect of the universe, but rather a meta-structure created and imposed on history by the Time Lords. It could not exist until Rassilon built the Eye of Harmony and used it as what has been described as "the hitching post of chronology." (AUDIO: Neverland) This probably allowed Rassilon to choose what species developed, as he did when he imprisoned the Divergence, a possible rival to the Time Lords. (AUDIO: Zagreus) While not a fundamental universal aspect, the Web maintained a balance which reflected the holistic nature of Time. (TV: The Two Doctors)

This balance could be upset, as the Web was not invulnerable; for example, the Sixth Doctor once explained that to destroy the planet Earth in 1985 would disrupt the Web of Time. Additionally, Lytton spoke of the destruction of Mondas in 1986 as "now" being a part of the Web, implying its destruction wasn't necessarily fixed. (TV: Attack of the Cybermen) As a part of the Web, Mondas had always been destroyed and always will be. For it to not happen would wreck the Web and cause disastrous repercussions in every corner of the universe. Billions would die, major civilizations would instantly disappear, and even the Doctor wasn't certain the fabric of the universe could withstand such upheaval. (PROSE: Attack of the Cybermen)

Additionally, preventing disasters could cause others to take their place. Because of the Titanic sinking, all later ships would have round-the-clock radio surveillance, enough lifeboats, and the International Ice Patrol would be formed. Saving the Titanic would condemn the other ships to follow. (PROSE: The Left-Handed Hummingbird) If Adolf Hitler was prevented from rising to power, a more competent man would have taken control of the Nazi party and World War II would've ended differently. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Exodus)

The Doctor would interfere with the Web in different situations. When his friend Remnex was murdered by a dagger through the eye, the Seventh Doctor rewrote history so that he died peacefully in his sleep instead and was never possessed by Vilus Krull. (AUDIO: The Dark Flame)

Events that were part of the Web included:

• The destruction of Mondas. (TV: Attack of the Cybermen)
• The sinking of the Titanic. (PROSE: The Left-Handed Hummingbird)
• The destruction of the Halcyon race through the Ice Warriors creating an atmosphere on Halcyon more suited to them. (AUDIO: The Resurrection of Mars)
• Deimos becoming an artificial sun that heated Mars. (AUDIO: The Resurrection of Mars)
• The R101 crashing and all passengers dying. (AUDIO: Storm Warning)
• Adolf Hitler becoming Chancellor of Germany. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• Edward VIII abdicating. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• German forces invading Poland. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• The evacuation of Dunkirk. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• Peladon entering the Galactic Federation. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• Zephon overthrowing the Embodiment of Gris. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• Mavic Chen being elected Guardian of the Solar System. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• Dalek forces assembling on Kembel. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• The Daleks and Movellans being engaged in 4-X-Alpha-4 in 4949. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• The Cult of Morbius being established. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• Plans for a Doomsday Weapon being stolen by the Master. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• Chancellor Goth visiting Tersurus. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• President Romana and Etra Prime being taken by the Daleks. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• The Dalek Invasion of Gallifrey being repelled by Romana. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• A Dalek Time fleet being captured in the Time Vortex. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• The paradox of Charley Pollard surviving the R101 leading to Anti-Time infecting the Universe became part of the Web after Charley saved the Web of Time. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• The burning of Joan of Arc. (AUDIO: Cobwebs)
• The assassination of Francis Ferdinand. (AUDIO: Cobwebs)
• The Manussan Empire overthrown in Manussan year 2326. (AUDIO: The Cradle of the Snake)
• Magnus Greel dying in the 1800s. (AUDIO: The Butcher of Brisbane)

Time vs. Web

The distinction between the Web of Time and Time itself was unclear when it came to the fact that time could change and be rewritten (TV: Flesh and Stone) without mention of effects on the Web. The Trickster's Brigade made small changes that the universe was able to compensate for, (TV: Turn Left) and the universe itself was able to find a place for Elizabeth Klein who's history had been first negated then rewritten twice. (AUDIO: Colditz, The Architects of History, Daleks Among Us)

Whereas the destruction of Mondas would've damaged the Web if it didn't happen, the Web was never considered when other events and people actually were erased from time, including the CyberKing walking over London, (TV: The Next Doctor) the 21st century Dalek invasion, (TV: The Stolen Earth/Journey's End), the Weeping Angels on the Byzantium, (TV: The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone) and Rory Williams, (TV: Cold Blood) possibly indicating that prevention didn't mean erasure; if something was erased from history, it's possibility was still imprinted on the structure of the universe. (PROSE: Falls the Shadow)

Sometimes events that were prevented became alternate timelines, such as the First Doctor defeating WOTAN. (PROSE: The Time Travellers, TV: The War Machines) Because this was later changed, it indicated that WOTAN conquering Earth was not a fixed point in time, but what connection these points had to the Web was also unknown.

Whether or not he was part of the Web, the Doctor's eleventh incarnation was erased from history on two occasions. In the first instance there was no immediate evidence of damage to the rest of the universe, perhaps indicating that only his eleventh self had been erased. (TV: The Big Bang) In the second instance, most if not every act by the Doctor was undone by the Great Intelligence killing him at every point in his time stream, the resulting effects on the the universe happening immediately. (TV: The Name of the Doctor) However, this erasure of the Doctor was later seen to be part of an alternate timeline. (TV: The Time of the Doctor)