Howling:Mankind protected by the Laws of Time?

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Hi, I'm a big fan of the new Doctor Who series, and between episodes I've had a lot of time to think about certain things, and I've come to a conclusion that I would like to hear the opinions of others on:

We know that there are fixed events in time and space, events that "must happen", and according to the Doctor, must happen in a particular way, and as we've seen, any attempt to alter these events simply causes time to work around the alteration. (Evidence for this is the fixed event featuring Captain Adelie Brooke.

Now, we know that Captain Brookes death was a fixed point in time, and even though it needn't have happened on Mars, or the Mars base, it had to happen roughly within the context that it did (she had to die so that she could inspire mankind to explore the universe, I apologise if this is wrong, I can't quite recall the exact reasons.)

Now with that in mind, does this mean that since Captain Brookes death within this context is fixed, does that mean that the human race as a whole, is protected from any genocidal attempt that would wipe out the entire human race (or at least a large portion of it.) Particularly Captain Brooke's family blood line?

My reasoning behind this theory is thus:

1. Captain Brookes death is fixed in time. It must happen.

2. If the human race were to be wiped out, or significantly damaged, this could alter history in one of the "in flux" moments, possibly resulting in the stunting of mankinds technological progress. Or possibly wipe out Captain Brookes bloodline.

3. If this were to happen, then the fixed point in time concerning Captain Brooke could not happen.

4. Captain Brookes death within it's context is a fixed point in time. It *must* happen.

5. Any events such as the genocide of the human race, or detrimental effects to the space programs must be circumvented or rewritten by time itself in order for the fixed event of Captain Brooke's death to occur.

I would very much like to hear the opinions of my fellow Who fans on this matter, so without further adieu: Discuss =D

62.255.129.104 18:41, June 3, 2010 (UTC) Anonymous, 3rd June, 2010, 19:41 (GMT)

There's some question about how the whole "fixed points in time" thing actually works. Does some force actually prevent these from being changed, or is it just "really bad" (as in potentially Logopolis bad) if they're changed?

I think it's the latter. Davros and Rassilon both planned to destroy the entire multiverse, which would surely have wiped out all those fixed points, and they weren't worried that it was impossible to do; the only reason they failed was that the Doctor and friends stopped them.

And why would the Doctor, the pre-LGTW Time Lords, and even the Reapers be so concerned so often with preventing people from changing the timeline or rectifying the situation after the fact, unless it were actually possible?

If so, The Master didn't need to create a paradox machine out of the Doctor's TARDIS to pull off what he attempted; he needed that to pull off what he attempted without some kind of nasty consequences that he didn't want. The consequences might be something like spacetime being torn apart, or just something like the Reapers eating all of human history--either way, that would ruin the Master's plans, but Davros and Rassilon in the next two finales wouldn't care.

If you haven't tried GAME: City of the Daleks yet, there's a bit more revealed there. The Daleks exterminate all of humanity in 1963. This wipes out countless "fixed points in time" in one fell swoop, which is exactly what you're talking about. Apparently, the Daleks shouldn't have had the power or tech or something to pull that off. But, thanks to the Eye of Time, they do. Well, the Doctor tells the Emperor that, even if it's possible, it's still wrong, and will seriously damage the space-time continuum. But when do the Daleks ever listen to the Doctor? So of course he has to stop them.

As for Adelaide Brooke, I think all that happened there was that she thought what the Doctor was doing was wrong, and chose to prevent it--of her own free will, not because of some mysterious force that prevents fixed points from being changed--just as the Doctor's done so many times to other would-be history-changers.

If you really enjoy thinking about this stuff, you should read the mid-period Eighth Doctor Adventures (especially the Faction Paradox plotline), even though that was all written before the "fixed points in time" concept was invented. --Falcotron 19:25, June 3, 2010 (UTC)

Wait, if the Daleks wiped all of humanity out in 1963, why is everything fine in the TV series post-1963? The Daleks would have created a new timeline now, meaning the Doctor and Amy no longer exist on the one where the world is living past 1963. Oh, my bloody head. Delton Menace 21:24, June 3, 2010 (UTC)

Play the game, or at least read the plot summary. That's half the point of the story.

Anyway, who said everything was fine in the TV series post-1963? It just took until 26 years for the BBC to notice and cancel the show. :) --Falcotron 22:01, June 3, 2010 (UTC)