Romana III
Accounts differed on the identity and activties of Romanadvoratrelundar’s third incarnation, i.e. the one who followed Romana II’s regeneration.
By most accounts, the third Romana served as President of the High Council during an all-encompassing time war between Gallifrey and another major temporal power. (PROSE: The Shadows of Avalon [+]Loading...["The Shadows of Avalon (novel)"]; AUDIO: Luna Romana [+]Loading...["Luna Romana (audio story)"]) Other accounts, however, suggest that Romana had eschewed the Presidency during this incarnation and served the universe in other ways. (PROSE: Lord Romanadvoratrelundar [+]Loading...["Lord Romanadvoratrelundar (feature)"]; PROSE: The Little Book of Fate [+]Loading...["The Little Book of Fate (short story)"])
War Queen of the Nine Gallifreys[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Main article: Romana III (The Shadows of Avalon)
According to one account, during the first decades of her Presidency, Romana II regenerated into a snub-nosed woman with green eyes and dark hair, styled into a fringe, who apparently resembled the Doctor's mother. (PROSE: The Shadows of Avalon [+]Loading...["The Shadows of Avalon (novel)"])
By this account, Romana would lead Gallifrey as it approached an all-encompassing temporal conflict with the Enemy known as the War in Heaven. (PROSE: The Ancestor Cell [+]Loading...["The Ancestor Cell (novel)"], et al.) However, after Faction Paradox invaded Gallifrey, the War was averted and Gallifrey was destroyed. This resulted in a new form of reality where history was “fundamentally altered” and both Gallifrey and the Time Lords were wiped from the timeline. (PROSE: The Ancestor Cell [+]Loading...["The Ancestor Cell (novel)"], The Adventuress of Henrietta Street [+]Loading...["The Adventuress of Henrietta Street (novel)"])
In her official capacity as Lady President of the High Council of Gallifrey, she would go by titles such as the War Queen and Mistress of the Nine Gallifreys. (PROSE: The Shadows of Avalon [+]Loading...["The Shadows of Avalon (novel)"], The Ancestor Cell [+]Loading...["The Ancestor Cell (novel)"])
Leading Gallifrey though its "darkest hour"[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Main article: Trey
In an aborted timeline, however, Romana II regenerated into a young woman with blue eyes and long dark hair styled into a fringe. This regeneration came about as a means of preventing the host ship Moros from becoming a black hole and destroying Gallifrey. (AUDIO: Enemy Lines [+]Loading...["Enemy Lines (audio story)"])
By this account, Romana would lead Gallifrey through its “darkest hour” (AUDIO: Luna Romana [+]Loading...["Luna Romana (audio story)"] as it engaged in a large-scale temporal conflict with Omega and his adherents. (PROSE: Enemy Lines [+]Loading...["Enemy Lines (audio story)"]) This Time War would escalate to the point wherein Romana, Narvin, and Ace were found guilty of high treason. However, after Romana sent her friend Irving Braxiatel back in time to avert her regeneration, the War was averted. This resulted in a new timeline wherein she resigns from the Presidency and is succeeded by Livia and is unsure if she would eventually regenerate into the same third incarnation or not. (AUDIO: Enemy Lines [+]Loading...["Enemy Lines (audio story)"])
When a projection of this incarnation appeared through the Matrix to aid her predecessor, she went by the title of Trey. (AUDIO: Renaissance [+]Loading...["Renaissance (audio story)"], Ascension [+]Loading...["Ascension (Gallifrey audio story)"])
The fortune teller[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Main article: Romana (The Little Book of Fate)
By one account, at some point during a “forever war spreading through all of time and space”, Romana II regenerated into a woman with a young face but “the quiet self-possession of one much older”, who styled herself wearing a black beret and a waistcoat, with a scarf knotted at her throat.
This incarnation worked with Laszlo and other Tharils to rescue refugees from the all-encompassing temporal conflict. This temporal refugee camp was disguised as a traveling carnival, in which she posed as a fortune teller. (PROSE: The Little Book of Fate [+]Loading...["The Little Book of Fate (short story)"])
The Lord Cardinal[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Main article: Romana (Time Fracture)
Within the confines of a temporal anomaly known as the Time Fracture, time began to repeat itself. At some point during this time loop, (PROSE: Hello And Congratulations! [+]Loading...["Hello And Congratulations! (short story)"]) Romana, who was now a Lord Cardinal, regenerated into an incarnation with blue eyes and short, blonde hair.
UNIT had speculated that this incarnation of Romana would make for a powerful ally should she survive Gallifrey’s destruction. (PROSE: Lord Romanadvoratrelundar [+]Loading...["Lord Romanadvoratrelundar (feature)"])
Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- As is apparent from the above, various writers from across different mediums have attempted to introduce the third incarnation of Romana. While some writers have attempted to distinguish these often contradictory depictions, others have further conflated them.
- The first depiction of Romana III, as seen in Paul Cornell’s The Shadows of Avalon [+]Loading...["The Shadows of Avalon (novel)"] was based on that of American silent film actress Louise Brooks.
- James Goss, who penned Juliet Landau’s first story portraying “Trey” for Big Finish initially contrasted her with “other future Romanadvoratrelundars” such as the “brilliantly glacial flapper”, Romana III, despite the physical resemblance Landau had to the original depiction of the character. (VOR 56)
- Later on, however, Steve Gallagher would introduce his own depiction of Romana III, who serves on the outskirts of some sort of Time War in The Little Book of Fate [+]Loading...["The Little Book of Fate (short story)"]. While a short story with no illustrations, the description of this incarnation specifically portrays her as wearing a combination of two outfits worn by Landau during the photoshoot for her portrayal of the character: a scarf knotted at her throat, a waistcoat, and a black beret. When asked about the similarity on Twitter, Gallagher responded that it “[w]ould work rather well, wouldn’t it?”"[1]
