Chameleon circuit: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
[[Image:St--7d67.jpg|thumb|right|The Rani's TARDIS in the form of a translucent pyramid in "Time and the Rani."]]The '''chameleon circuit''' enables the outer shell of a [[TARDIS]] to assume any shape, in order to blend in with its surroundings. A TARDIS with a functioning chameleon circuity can appear as almost anything, if its owner desires. | [[Image:St--7d67.jpg|thumb|right|The Rani's TARDIS in the form of a translucent pyramid in "Time and the Rani."]]The '''chameleon circuit''' enables the outer shell of a [[TARDIS]] to assume any shape, in order to blend in with its surroundings. A TARDIS with a functioning chameleon circuity can appear as almost anything, if its owner desires. | ||
The chameleon circuit of [[the Doctor]]'s TARDIS, however, has rarely worked properly since the [[First Doctor]] made a sudden departure from [[Totter's Lane]], [[Shoreditch]], [[1963]], and has usually remained in the shape of a [[London]] [[police box]]. ( | ==The Doctor's chameleon circuit== | ||
The chameleon circuit of [[the Doctor]]'s TARDIS, however, has rarely worked properly since the [[First Doctor]] made a sudden departure from [[Totter's Lane]], [[Shoreditch]], [[1963]], and has usually remained in the shape of a [[London]] [[police box]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[An Unearthly Child]]'') | |||
The Doctor has occasionally attempted to fix his TARDIS's chameleon circuit. He hoped to repair it in [[Logopolis]] by using [[block transfer computations]], but [[the Master]] interfered with the Logopolitans' calculations. ( | The Doctor has occasionally attempted to fix his TARDIS's chameleon circuit. He hoped to repair it in [[Logopolis]] by using [[block transfer computations]], but [[the Master]] interfered with the Logopolitans' calculations. ([[DW]]: ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]''). He succeeded in repairing it for a brief period when he returned to Totter's Lane in [[1986]], but it quickly reverted to its usual police box form. ([[DW]]: ''[[Attack of the Cybermen]]'') | ||
The Doctor once referred to the chameleon circuit as a "cloaking device", possibly for the benefit of the [[American]] [[Grace Holloway]], who was probably familiar with ''[[Wikipedia:Star Trek|Star Trek]]''. | The Doctor once referred to the chameleon circuit as a "cloaking device", possibly for the benefit of the [[American]] [[Grace Holloway]], who was probably familiar with ''[[Wikipedia:Star Trek|Star Trek]]''. The fact that the Doctor hesitated slightly before using the term "cloaking device" suggests that he was trying to think of an alternative to "chameleon circuit". ([[DW]]: ''[[Doctor Who: The TV Movie]]'') | ||
:''It has been suggested that when the Doctor "borrowed" his TARDIS from [[Gallifrey]], it was in for repairs, and one of the broken systems was the chameleon circuit.'' | :''It has been suggested that when the Doctor "borrowed" his TARDIS from [[Gallifrey]], it was in for repairs, and one of the broken systems was the chameleon circuit.'' | ||
Other TARDISes have displayed the versatility of which a working chameleon circuit is capable. | ==Other chameleon circuits== | ||
Other TARDISes have displayed the versatility of which a working chameleon circuit is capable. | |||
[[ | The [[Monk]]'s TARDIS appeared as a sarcophagus in an [[England|English]] church of [[1066]], ([[DW]]: ''[[The Time Meddler]]''), a large stone on [[Tigus]], and a stone block in Ancient [[Egypt]]. The Doctor caused it to appear as an Ionic column, a stage coach, a tree, an igloo, a rocket, and a biplane before impishly setting it as a police box. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Daleks' Master Plan]]'') | ||
[[The Rani]]'s TARDIS took the form of a cabinet ( | [[The Master]]'s TARDIS has appeared as a horse box ([[DW]]: ''[[Terror of the Autons]]''), a computer bank ([[DW]]: ''[[The Time Monster]]''), a Corinthian column ([[DW]]: ''[[The Time Monster]]'', ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]'', "[[Time-Flight]]"), a grandfather clock ([[DW]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]'', ''[[The Keeper of Traken]]''), the calcified [[Melkur]] ([[DW]]: ''[[The Keeper of Traken]]''), a police box ([[DW]]: ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]''), a fireplace ([[DW]]: ''[[Castrovalva (TV story)|Castrovalva]]''), a [[Concorde]] airplane ([[DW]]: ''[[Time-Flight]]'') and an "[[iron maiden]]" ([[DW]]: ''[[The King's Demons]]''). | ||
[[The Rani]]'s TARDIS took the form of both a cabinet ([[DW]]: ''[[The Mark of the Rani]]") and a translucent pyramid ([[DW]]: ''[[Time and the Rani]]''). | |||
[[Category:TARDIS]] | [[Category:TARDIS]] | ||
Revision as of 15:55, 18 January 2007
The chameleon circuit enables the outer shell of a TARDIS to assume any shape, in order to blend in with its surroundings. A TARDIS with a functioning chameleon circuity can appear as almost anything, if its owner desires.
The Doctor's chameleon circuit
The chameleon circuit of the Doctor's TARDIS, however, has rarely worked properly since the First Doctor made a sudden departure from Totter's Lane, Shoreditch, 1963, and has usually remained in the shape of a London police box. (DW: An Unearthly Child)
The Doctor has occasionally attempted to fix his TARDIS's chameleon circuit. He hoped to repair it in Logopolis by using block transfer computations, but the Master interfered with the Logopolitans' calculations. (DW: Logopolis). He succeeded in repairing it for a brief period when he returned to Totter's Lane in 1986, but it quickly reverted to its usual police box form. (DW: Attack of the Cybermen)
The Doctor once referred to the chameleon circuit as a "cloaking device", possibly for the benefit of the American Grace Holloway, who was probably familiar with Star Trek. The fact that the Doctor hesitated slightly before using the term "cloaking device" suggests that he was trying to think of an alternative to "chameleon circuit". (DW: Doctor Who: The TV Movie)
- It has been suggested that when the Doctor "borrowed" his TARDIS from Gallifrey, it was in for repairs, and one of the broken systems was the chameleon circuit.
Other chameleon circuits
Other TARDISes have displayed the versatility of which a working chameleon circuit is capable.
The Monk's TARDIS appeared as a sarcophagus in an English church of 1066, (DW: The Time Meddler), a large stone on Tigus, and a stone block in Ancient Egypt. The Doctor caused it to appear as an Ionic column, a stage coach, a tree, an igloo, a rocket, and a biplane before impishly setting it as a police box. (DW: The Daleks' Master Plan)
The Master's TARDIS has appeared as a horse box (DW: Terror of the Autons), a computer bank (DW: The Time Monster), a Corinthian column (DW: The Time Monster, Logopolis, "Time-Flight"), a grandfather clock (DW: The Deadly Assassin, The Keeper of Traken), the calcified Melkur (DW: The Keeper of Traken), a police box (DW: Logopolis), a fireplace (DW: Castrovalva), a Concorde airplane (DW: Time-Flight) and an "iron maiden" (DW: The King's Demons).
The Rani's TARDIS took the form of both a cabinet (DW: The Mark of the Rani") and a translucent pyramid (DW: Time and the Rani).
