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The '''Web of Time''' or '''Spiral Politic''', also called the '''Kaliyuga''', was the orderly structure of [[ | The '''Web of Time''' or '''Spiral Politic''', also called the '''Kaliyuga''', was the orderly structure of [[history]], built and maintained by the [[Time Lord]]s. It was [[Gallifrey]]'s [[noosphere]]. , which allowed the Time Lords to map out history and ensure its stability. | ||
== | == Structure == | ||
Rather than being a necessary fundamental aspect of the universe, the Web of Time was a meta-structure created and imposed on [[history]] by the [[Time Lord]]s ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Neverland (audio story)|Neverland]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') during the [[anchoring of the thread]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') when [[Rassilon]] used the [[Eye of Harmony]] as "the hitching post of chronology". ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Neverland (audio story)|Neverland]]'') Before this, the universe had no [[history]] or defined set of physical laws. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Christmas on a Rational Planet (novel)|Christmas on a Rational Planet]]'') | Rather than being a necessary fundamental aspect of the universe, the Web of Time was a meta-structure created and imposed on [[history]] by the [[Time Lord]]s ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Neverland (audio story)|Neverland]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') during the [[anchoring of the thread]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') when [[Rassilon]] used the [[Eye of Harmony]] as "the hitching post of chronology". ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Neverland (audio story)|Neverland]]'') Before this, the universe had no [[history]] or defined set of physical laws. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Christmas on a Rational Planet (novel)|Christmas on a Rational Planet]]'') | ||
It could be visualised as a map of [[history]], with [[the Homeworld]] at its center. The Homeworld was immediately surrounded by a core set of worlds over which it had the most influence, locked into place as protections against the uncertainty outside. Like any [[noosphere]], the Spiral Politic had an edge, the [[frontier in time]], beyond which the [[Great House]]s had great difficulty penetrating or even observing. Worlds made up the majority of the historical systems on the map of the Spiral Politic, but there were some significant exceptions. These included regions outside normal time, like the [[Eleven-Day Empire]] and the [[City of the Saved]], as well as a rare few individuals of blinding historical importance. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') | |||
[[Homeworlder]]s were directly linked to their noosphere. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') The [[Ninth Doctor]] told [[Rose Tyler]] that he could see all that was and all that could ever be, and it was maddening. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'') The Web was in constant flux, like an ocean of shifting possibilities; it could only be frozen into certainty by a Time Lord's direct touch or [[intervention]], through the [[observer effect]]. It was for this reason that the Time Lords established their [[non-interference policy]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Gallifrey Chronicles (novel)|The Gallifrey Chronicles]]'') | |||
[[ | [[Amaranth]]s could also be used to rebuild unstable or discontinuous elements of the [[N-Space|universe]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Christmas on a Rational Planet (novel)|Christmas on a Rational Planet]]'') along the lines of the established laws of the Spiral Politic. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Against Nature (novel)|Against Nature]]'') | ||
The [[ | == Flexibility and fixed points == | ||
The [[Eighth Doctor]] explained that the Web of Time was resilient. In some cases, events could be reshaped; for instance, some people could safely have been made to die early if they led quiet, unobtrusive lives without any children. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Zygon Who Fell to Earth (audio story)|The Zygon Who Fell to Earth]]'') For instance, [[Andrew Edwardson]] lived a quiet life on his own, so his death could not disrupt causality. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[My Dinner with Andrew (audio story)|My Dinner with Andrew]]'') In legal terms, such people whose [[death]]s would have little to no impact on the [[causal nexus]] were deemed "[[future-proof]]". ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Moving Target (audio story)|Moving Target]]'') | |||
In other cases, when specific events were removed from the Web, analogous events would take their place. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Left-Handed Hummingbird (novel)|The Left-Handed Hummingbird]]'') For instance, if [[Adolf Hitler]] was prevented from rising to power, a different man would have taken control of the [[Nazi]] party and begun [[World War II]], though the War would've ended differently. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Timewyrm: Exodus (novel)|Timewyrm: Exodus]]'') | |||
However, some events called [[fixed point in time|fixed points in time]] had effects so significant that they would cause significant disruption to the Web if changed. This could cause disastrous repercussions in every corner of the universe, killing billions, instantly disappearing major civilisations, and threatening the fabric of the universe itself. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Attack of the Cybermen (novelisation)|Attack of the Cybermen]]'') An early death for [[the Doctor]] would cause the [[star]]s to go out, ([[TV]]: ''[[Turn Left (TV story)|Turn Left]]'', ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'', [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Furies (audio story)|The Furies]]'') and when the fixed point of the [[Eleventh Doctor]]'s apparent death was altered, [[time]] itself began to fall apart. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Wedding of River Song (TV story)|The Wedding of River Song]]'') The [[Tenth Doctor]] explained to [[Donna Noble]] that only Time Lords could tell the difference between [[fixed points in time]] and events that were in flux. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)|The Fires of Pompeii]]'') | |||
The [[ | The [[Sixth Doctor]] once explained that the Web of Time would be disrupted if [[Earth]] were destroyed before its time, ([[TV]]: ''[[Attack of the Cybermen (TV story)|Attack of the Cybermen]]'') as Earth was a [[nexus world]] linked to the destinies of many major intergalactic powers. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Alien Bodies (novel)|Alien Bodies]]'') The saving of the ''[[Titanic]]'' would have similarly perturbed the Web by condemning all the later ships that were saved by round-the-clock [[radio]] surveillance, [[lifeboat]] capacities, or the [[International Ice Patrol]], all of which were developed due to the ''Titanic''{{'}}s sinking. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Left-Handed Hummingbird (novel)|The Left-Handed Hummingbird]]'') | ||
Early in the [[War in Heaven]], [[the enemy]] would often drastically alter certain worlds' relationships with history. On the map of the Spiral Politic, these previously-static worlds would appear to suddenly shoot across the chart. If one of these "[[shooting star]]" worlds collided with the Homeworld, it could take the Homeworld's place and retroactively replace it as the centre of history, wiping the Great Houses and their influence from the [[timeline]] and securing victory for [[the enemy]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') | |||
Even concerning events that were not fixed points, time could be [[crystallized time|crystallized]] along a particular web-way, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Sands of Time (novel)|The Sands of Time]]'') making that event a fixed part of the Web of Time so that it had always happened and would always happen. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Attack of the Cybermen (novelisation)|Attack of the Cybermen]]'') This could occur when a person learned about their personal future, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Sands of Time (novel)|The Sands of Time]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[The Angels Take Manhattan (TV story)|The Angels Take Manhattan]]'') an effect first predicted by [[Blinovitch]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Sands of Time (novel)|The Sands of Time]]'') | |||
== Events in the Web of Time == | == Events in the Web of Time == | ||
Events the Doctor stated as being part of the Web included the destruction of [[Mondas]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Attack of the Cybermen (TV story)|Attack of the Cybermen]]'') the sinking of the ''[[Titanic]]'', ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Left-Handed Hummingbird (novel)|The Left-Handed Hummingbird]]'') the destruction of the [[Halcyon (species)|Halcyon race]] through the [[Ice Warrior]]s creating an [[atmosphere]] on [[Halcyon (planet)|Halcyon]] more suited to them, ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Resurrection of Mars (audio story)|The Resurrection of Mars]]'') [[Deimos]] becoming an [[artificial sun]] that heated [[Mars]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Resurrection of Mars (audio story)|The Resurrection of Mars]]'') [[Gallifrey]]'s [[Racnoss Wars]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Empire of the Racnoss (audio story)|Empire of the Racnoss]]'') the burning of [[Joan of Arc]], the assassination of [[Francis Ferdinand]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Cobwebs (audio story)|Cobwebs]]'') the [[Manussan Empire]] overthrown in [[Manussan year]] [[2326]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Cradle of the Snake (audio story)|The Cradle of the Snake]]'') [[Magnus Greel]] dying in the [[1800s]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Butcher of Brisbane (audio story)|The Butcher of Brisbane]]'') and [[human]]ity's 50-year war with [[the Eminence]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Death of Hope (audio story)|The Death of Hope]]'') | {{section cleanup|The second paragraph here is almost entirely unsourced.}} | ||
Events the Doctor stated as being part of the Web included the destruction of [[Mondas]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Attack of the Cybermen (TV story)|Attack of the Cybermen]]'') the sinking of the ''[[Titanic]]'', ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Left-Handed Hummingbird (novel)|The Left-Handed Hummingbird]]'') the destruction of the [[Halcyon (species)|Halcyon race]] through the [[Ice Warrior]]s creating an [[atmosphere]] on [[Halcyon (planet)|Halcyon]] more suited to them, ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Resurrection of Mars (audio story)|The Resurrection of Mars]]'') [[Deimos]] becoming an [[artificial sun]] that heated [[Mars]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Resurrection of Mars (audio story)|The Resurrection of Mars]]'') [[Gallifrey]]'s [[Racnoss Wars]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Empire of the Racnoss (audio story)|Empire of the Racnoss]]'') the burning of [[Joan of Arc]], the [[assassination]] of [[Francis Ferdinand]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Cobwebs (audio story)|Cobwebs]]'') the [[Manussan Empire]] overthrown in [[Manussan year]] [[2326]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Cradle of the Snake (audio story)|The Cradle of the Snake]]'') [[Magnus Greel]] dying in the [[1800s]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Butcher of Brisbane (audio story)|The Butcher of Brisbane]]'') and [[human]]ity's 50-year war with [[the Eminence]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Death of Hope (audio story)|The Death of Hope]]'') | |||
Events in the Web that were explicitly recorded in [[the Matrix]] included the ''[[R101]]'' crashing and all passengers dying, [[Adolf Hitler]] becoming [[Chancellor of Germany]] (and being alive to continue [[World War II]]), [[Edward VIII]] abdicating the [[British monarchy|British throne]], [[German]] forces invading [[Poland]], the [[evacuation of Dunkirk]], [[Peladon]] entering the [[Galactic Federation]], [[Zephon (The Daleks' Master Plan)|Zephon]] overthrowing the [[Embodiment of Gris]], [[Mavic Chen]] being elected [[Guardian of the Solar System]], [[Dalek]] forces assembling on [[Kembel]] and being engaged with the [[Movellan]]s in [[4-X-Alpha-4]] in [[4949]], the [[Cult of Morbius|Cult]] of [[Morbius]] being established, plans for the [[Doomsday Weapon]] being stolen by [[the Master]], Chancellor [[Goth]] visiting [[Tersurus]], President [[Romana]] and [[Etra Prime]] being taken by the Daleks and the subsequent Dalek invasion of [[Gallifrey]] being repelled by Romana, and a Dalek time fleet being captured in the [[Time Vortex]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Neverland (audio story)|Neverland]]'') [[Charley Pollard]] was added to the Web when she saved it, not having died in the crash of the ''[[R101]]'' as had been recorded. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Storm Warning (audio story)|Storm Warning]]'', ''[[Neverland (audio story)|Neverland]]'') | Events in the Web that were explicitly recorded in [[the Matrix]] included the ''[[R101]]'' crashing and all passengers dying, [[Adolf Hitler]] becoming [[Chancellor of Germany]] (and being alive to continue [[World War II]]), [[Edward VIII]] abdicating the [[British monarchy|British throne]], [[German]] forces invading [[Poland]], the [[evacuation of Dunkirk]], [[Peladon]] entering the [[Galactic Federation]], [[Zephon (The Daleks' Master Plan)|Zephon]] overthrowing the [[Embodiment of Gris]], [[Mavic Chen]] being elected [[Guardian of the Solar System]], [[Dalek]] forces assembling on [[Kembel]] and being engaged with the [[Movellan]]s in [[4-X-Alpha-4]] in [[4949]], the [[Cult of Morbius|Cult]] of [[Morbius]] being established, plans for the [[Doomsday Weapon]] being stolen by [[the Master]], Chancellor [[Goth]] visiting [[Tersurus]], President [[Romana]] and [[Etra Prime]] being taken by the Daleks and the subsequent Dalek invasion of [[Gallifrey]] being repelled by Romana, and a Dalek time fleet being captured in the [[Time Vortex]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Neverland (audio story)|Neverland]]'') [[Charley Pollard]] was added to the Web when she saved it, not having died in the crash of the ''[[R101]]'' as had been recorded. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Storm Warning (audio story)|Storm Warning]]'', ''[[Neverland (audio story)|Neverland]]'') | ||
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The [[Sixth Doctor]] believed summoning a [[Chronovore]] onto [[21st century]] [[Earth]] threatened the Web of Time. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Quantum Archangel (novel)|The Quantum Archangel]]'') | The [[Sixth Doctor]] believed summoning a [[Chronovore]] onto [[21st century]] [[Earth]] threatened the Web of Time. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Quantum Archangel (novel)|The Quantum Archangel]]'') | ||
During the [[the Cataclysm|first battle]] of the [[War in Heaven]] on [[Dronid]], the [[Great | During the [[the Cataclysm|first battle]] of the [[War in Heaven]] on [[Dronid]], the [[Great House]]s discovered that [[the enemy]] had constructed their own meta-structure of the universe to replace the Spiral Politic. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') | ||
The [[Celestial Intervention Agency]]-operated [[Klyst Institute]] arranged to recruit their test subjects at the end of their lives in order to preserve the Web of Time. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Unregenerate! (audio story)|Unregenerate!]]'') | The [[Celestial Intervention Agency]]-operated [[Klyst Institute]] arranged to recruit their test subjects at the end of their lives in order to preserve the Web of Time. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Unregenerate! (audio story)|Unregenerate!]]'') | ||
Since the [[Yssgaroth]] emerged during the creation of the Spiral Politic, the Yssgaroth taint remained in the fabric of the universe, irremovable except through the unweaving of [[time|time itself]]. ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'' speculated that the [[Yssgaroth]] were areas of hostile anti-structure produced by the collision of the Spiral Politic with the [[Spiral Yssgaroth]]'s foreign and hostile structures and protocols. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') [[Lolita]] thought that the [[Eternal War|Vampire Wars]] had dictated the shape of the Spiral Politic for | Since the [[Yssgaroth]] emerged during the creation of the Spiral Politic, the Yssgaroth taint remained in the fabric of the universe, irremovable except through the unweaving of [[time|time itself]]. ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'' speculated that the [[Yssgaroth]] were areas of hostile anti-structure produced by the collision of the Spiral Politic with the [[Spiral Yssgaroth]]'s foreign and hostile structures and protocols. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') [[Lolita]] thought that the [[Eternal War|Vampire Wars]] had dictated the shape of the Spiral Politic for its first ten million years. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Toy Story (short story)|Toy Story]]'') | ||
The [[Great House]]s kept a backup of the Spiral Politic in their [[Shada (prison)|prison]] outside the universe, so that it could be remapped onto the universe if time was ever altered. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[A Labyrinth of Histories (audio story)|A Labyrinth of Histories]]'') | |||
[[Iris Wildthyme]] derisively called | [[Iris Wildthyme]] derisively called the Spiral Politic the "Tale Without Meaning". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[First Meetings (short story)|First Meetings]]'') | ||
Ancient [[Gallifreyan]] prophecies recorded in [[the Matrix]] forewarned that [[the Hybrid]], standing in the ruins of Gallifrey, would | Ancient [[Gallifreyan]] prophecies recorded in [[the Matrix]] forewarned that [[the Hybrid]], standing in the ruins of Gallifrey, would unravel the Web of Time. ([[TV]]: ''[[Hell Bent (TV story)|Hell Bent]]'') | ||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
{{fpx|Spiral Politic|Spiral Politic}} | {{fpx|Spiral Politic|Spiral Politic}} | ||
[[pt:Teia do tempo]] | |||
[[Category:Web of Time| ]] | [[Category:Web of Time| ]] | ||
[[Category:Gallifreyan technology]] | [[Category:Gallifreyan technology]] | ||
[[Category:Causality]] | [[Category:Causality]] | ||
