The Time of the Doctor (TV story): Difference between revisions

The Doctor is among thousands of ships orbiting a planet after hearing a message being broadcast from it, a message that no-one can understand. He visits a ship, holding a Dalek [[Dalek Eyestalk|eyestalk]] to show his bravery, and that he comes in peace. Unfortunately, the ship belongs to Daleks, who fire at him until he teleports back to [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]], where a disembodied Cyberman head that he calls "[[Handles]]" is plugged into the console. Clara calls the Doctor via the [[TARDIS phone]], and pleads that he pretend to be her boyfriend for her family's Christmas dinner. The Doctor then accidentally visits a Cybership while holding Handles, where he is also shot at until he returns to the TARDIS again.

The Doctor picks up Clara from her home. Upon entering the TARDIS, she is shocked to see he is naked. He explains by saying he is naked because he plans to go to Church. He uses a holographic filter to project an image of clothes. She takes him inside to meet her family. They appear very embarrassed in meeting him. Clara initially does not understand why, but the Doctor suggests it might be because he didn't update his holographic suit to be visible to her family. She ushers him out of the room. They take the turkey to the TARDIS to cook it - or, possibly, bring it back to life, the Doctor points out. Dematerialising, he takes her to the planet's orbit. When asked to identify the planet, Handles claims it is [[Gallifrey]], which the Doctor refutes. They are then invited aboard the [[Papal Mainframe]], a space church headed by Mother Superious [[Tasha Lem]]. The Doctor gives Clara a pill so that she too will have holographic clothes, as nudity in the Papal Mainframe is considered a mark of respect. Tasha and the Doctor discuss the signal coming from the mysterious planet, while Clara repeatedly sees and forgets several Silents that surround her. She bursts into the room where the Doctor and Tasha are conversing, but forgets why after she does so.

The Doctor takes out a copy of the Seal of the High Council he once took from [[The Master]] in the [[Death Zone]]. He attaches it to Handles to have him decode the message using an algorithm imprinted in the seal's atomic structure. Handles analyses that the message is a request for information- in other words, a question. Annoyed, the Doctor bickers at Handles for not being frank, but the Cyber-head continues to relay its analysis. The message is being sent through all of space and time on a repeating cycle, which the Doctor deduces is the "oldest question in the universe, hidden in plain sight", as [[Dorium Maldovar]] once prophesised to him. Handles issues a warning that the translation will be available to anyone in range of listening. He begins to utter a version of the three tones refined into three constant syllables, which then refines further into the voice of the [[The General]]. The message is a repeat of the same question: [[The First Question|"Doctor who?"]] The Doctor realises that this is the Time Lords, trapped in the pocket universe he and his previous selves sent them to, trying to get out. They are issuing a question only he can answer, and set in place a truth field so he must answer without lying. If the Doctor speaks his real name, the Time Lords will know they are in the right place and come through, and all the alien species above will descend on the planet and begin the Time War anew.

Horrified, the Doctor figures out the true stakes of the prophecy: he is facing the threat of all hell coming down on his and Clara's heads if the Time Lords come back.  He has Clara take a device to the TARDIS and place it in the charger slot for the sonic screwdriver. With half the universe is already above the planet, waiting to open fire, he strongly pleads with her to do as he says. Clara returns to the TARDIS and inserts the device in the charger for the sonic screwdriver. The TARDIS goes into autopilot and it returns to Earth, but as soon as she exits the doors, it begins to dematerialise without her. The Doctor has tricked Clara into plugging a device into the TARDIS that transports her home, for her own safety. However, Clara refuses to abandon the Doctor. She sticks her key into the door lock and grabs hold of the TARDIS before it can leave her behind.

From above, a huge Dalek mothership and several Dalek fighter pods surround the clock tower. A booming Dalek voice from the mothership demands for the Doctor to show himself. Suffering memory issues, he mistakes a young man for Barnable who comes into his tower dwelling to warn him of the Daleks' arrival. Sadly, Barnable is long gone and the Doctor can't recognise that fact, and buys him off with the notion he has a plan. Unfortunately, the senescent Doctor has no more plans left after his 900 years on Trenzalore. At the very brink of his final incarnation's death from natural causes, he still won't release the Time Lords, knowing that it would mean hell for all the universe. All his enemies have withdrawn save for the Daleks, whom he has been fighting with the aid of the Silence. Only the Daleks have chosen to remain in battle with the Doctor, because unlike the other alien races who have fought the Doctor, they have a very personal stake in the siege. The Doctor is threatening to unleash their nemesis species from the crack in time. After experience the fury of the warring Time Lords once, the Daleks will see this battle through to the end if it means preventing another Time War with their greatest enemies. The Daleks launch their final attack and the Doctor, finally out of ideas, weapons and regenerations, goes to meet them. The Doctor is committed to dying, thinking this is the way things are fated to happen. Clara refuses to let him do this, but the Doctor believes death is unavoidable now that the Time Lords are removed from the universe and cannot change the course of events. He asks Clara to promise she will stay hidden and safe, calling it "one last victory". Intending to impart a final farewell on Clara, he wipes her tears as he says, "Allow me that. Give me that, my impossible girl. Thank you. And goodbye." The Doctor slowly totters up the bell tower with his walking stick in his worn out clothes to face his extermination, expecting it to be a while before his death since the Daleks "take so long to say anything".  

Then. the crack appears in the night sky and through it, energy emanates out to the Doctor and enters his mouth. His eyes widen with surprise when he realises what just happened, and his mood completely turns over when he sees his hands glowing with the all-too familiar force that has saved him from death before. The Doctor notices regeneration energy building inside him: the Time Lords have granted the Doctor a new cycle of regenerations. The Daleks begin to taunt him: "The rules of regeneration are known! You have expended ''all ''your lives!" Suddenly reinvigorated, the Doctor begins to dance around and act like his old self again. He twirls his walking stick and defies his enemies with a little advice: "Tell me the truth if you think you know it, lay down the law if you're feeling brave, but, Daleks, never, ever tell me 'the rules'!". He begins boasting that his unprecedented thirteenth regeneration is "breaking some serious science" and is "gonna be a whopper"! As his regeneration process begins, Christmas town's clock strikes twelve. The Daleks begin to panic as they realise he really is regenerating, and the Doctor triumphantly roars: "If you want my life - Come. And. GET IT!" He whips his arms around and channels his regeneration energy to destroy the Daleks and their ship. Several Dalek fighter pods are blown right out of the sky, and Clara rushes out to tell the people of Christmas to hurry and take shelter from the chaos about to begin. All of the citizens dive into the tower as obliterated Daleks and explosions rain down on the townscape. With a final, devastating blast to the Dalek mothership, he shouts into the sky: "Love from Gallifrey, boys!" The Doctor directs all of the energy he has left through his hands and head. His finishing assault climbs very far into the air and wreaks havoc on the gunship, eliminating it from the skyline. An enormous explosion results from this regeneration energy, wiping out every single Dalek attacking the planet as the shockwave blows them to smithereens. The ground quakes, embankments of snow rumble loose in cascading avalanches, and the top of the clock tower is blown apart. The force of the explosion is so powerful, it even rocks the TARDIS.