User:SOTO/Forum Archive/The Panopticon/@comment-24894325-20170121220436/@comment-28349479-20170121233724

Amorkuz wrote: As this change would affect more than one page, it should rightfully be discussed at Panopticon so that editors of other affected pages would be given a chance to participate.

Granted. I just don't want anyone to think I was trying to just slip this change under the radar, as your post made it seem (to me).

TARDIS was called a species, Type 40 was another species, and Mark 3 was a third species, not yet having a page.

More accurately, the species was listed as "Type 40, Mark 3, TARDIS", with links to each of the relevant pages. Right now, it's "Type 40, Mark 3 TARDIS". I agree that the templates are flawed - the way they autolink some things really drives me batty, especially when it's just a matter of brackets - but I really don't think that's so big a difference.

But going to the page TARDIS, one would not see a mention of it being a species. There it is a time-space vessel, no different from Dalek time machines or any other member of Category:Space-time vessels for that matter. ... As I said, if you want to change the point of view of this Wiki that TARDISes are individuals, there are tons of pages you need to change. Potentially, every page in Category:TARDIS is affected. In addition, the category tree will have to undergo changes itself, changes that, at the very least, require careful consideration. Thus, I insist that such a change not be taken lightly.

Please don't conflate my words: I'm not trying to say that all TARDISes are individuals. I'm trying to say that the Doctor's TARDIS is an individual. There are already many TARDISes that are individuals that exist in the category tree just fine, per the many many examples in my last comment. Do you intend to change those to "Objects"?

Amorkuz wrote: So you seriously think that the central plot device of the 50+-year-old DWU has not been prominently featured in the policies of the Wiki? Okay, challenge accepted. How about the conveniently named T:TARDIS? To quote the opening line: "TARDIS is the thing the Doctor flies around in." If it's the thing, clearly, it is not an individual.

Lol! That's a bit of a stretch. Do you seriously believe that the TARDIS is not a living thing? Not only does that quote have nothing to do with infoboxes, there are plenty of "things" in the Doctor Who universe that are also "individuals": for instance, K9 is a "thing" in every sense that the TARDIS is, but he's listed under the Individual Infobox!