Rory Williams
- For the human the Auton was based on, see Rory Williams
Rory Williams, also known as "The Lone Centurion" was an Auton copy of the the 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 The Alliance of races that had united to prevent the the Doctor from destroying the universe. This alliance included the Nestene Consciousness, creator 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, the Auton version of Rory retained the memories and personality of the real Rory, though initially dismissing this 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, though Amy was knocked unconscious. The Doctor initially did not recognize him, but eventually welcomed him back, 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)
As Auton Rory wept over Amy, the Doctor suddenly appeared in front of him, informing him that Amy wasn't quite dead and instructing him to open the Pandorica with the sonic screwdriver and rescue the Doctor's earlier self. Rory followed the instructions, which led to a reunion with a somewhat bewildered Doctor. Because most of the universe had been erased and the Nestenes were now non-existant, Rory's mind was fully restored and he was now in full control of his actions.
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 not, 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 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 attacked by a Stone Dalek from Stonehenge that had been restored by the Pandorica's energy. Rory rescued them by shooting the Dalek with his hand-laser.
After a tearful reunion with Amy followed, the Doctor pulled them away in order to rescue River Song. Before that, Auton Rory informed the Doctor about his earlier encounter with the "future Doctor", which led to the Doctor taking care of old business. 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.
Memories
Despite the fact that the Auton Rory now 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, calling him "The Boy Who Waited". (DW: The Big Bang)
The real Rory somehow obtained his Roman armour from this incarnation (or wore costume armour) and used it during his Christmas adventure. (DW: A Christmas Carol) The real Rory was shown to have the memories of the Auton version of himself, when the Doctor said that he was at Rome when the empire fell with Rory replying "So was I." Rory told the Doctor that he could remember being the Lone Centurion but he didn't always remember, it was like a "door" in his mind and he tried not to think about it. (DW: Day of the Moon) At the Doctor's suggestion, Rory wore the armor again while on a mission to rescue Amy and their infant daughter Melody from Madame Kovarian and the Headless Monks. (DW: A Good Man Goes to War)
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. However, he can also be considered the same entity as the human Rory, as the Doctor stated that Rory's actual mind and soul were copied by the Alliance because Auton Rory was made from Amy's memories and Amy's mind had been affected by the Time Field crack in her bedroom wall.
- 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 the second 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 Kode, a biomass duplicate created from others' memories of the original Fitz as he assumed that the original Fitz had died, 'perfecting' the duplicate by allowing him to be shaped by both the Doctor and the TARDIS's own 'perceptions' of Fitz.
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