Butterfly effect: Difference between revisions

The [[Seventh Doctor]] often cited this effect ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Dark Flame (audio story)|The Dark Flame]]''), describing butterflies as a "million multi-coloured pieces of time" and being called himself "the butterfly." ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Fearmonger (audio story)|The Fearmonger]]'') According to one account, he described the butterfly effect to [[Ingiger]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Curse of Fenric (novelisation)|The Curse of Fenric]]'') He later realised that, like that theoretical butterfly, his interference in [[Earth]]'s history had resulted in [[Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart]] learning who he was and discovering time travel. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Transit (novel)|Transit]]'') While in the year [[1993]], [[Romulus Terrin]], who was from the year [[2381]], assured [[James Rafferty]] that he was not going to go treading on any butterflies. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Dimension Riders (novel)|The Dimension Riders]]'') [[Ace]] told [[Sesehset]] about the butterfly effect while in [[Egypt]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Set Piece (novel)|Set Piece]]'') After a game of [[chess]] with [[Oskar Steinmann]], the Doctor described the butterfly effect to him. Steinmann thought the solution would be to kill all the butterflies, or make them flap their wings only when ordered. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Just War (novel)|Just War]]'')

A literal example of the butterfly effect was regularly caused by the [[Council of Eight]] when they tried to fill the void left by the [[Time Lord|Time Lords]] after they were wiped out, who regularly despatched their Time Agents through [[Time corridor|Time corridors]] to events to ensure predicted outcomes in history came to pass; in one case a Time Agent released a butterfly in the atmosphere in a location in [[Africa]], which resulted in changes to the atmosphere which led to the sinking of the [[Spanish Armada]]. ([[PROSE]]: [[Sometime Never... (novel)|Sometime Never...]])

[[Martha Jones]] recognised this theory from its appearances in Earth [[film]]s, and was concerned about whether or not it was safe to "move around and stuff" in her past, recalling that "You step on a butterfly, you change the future of the [[human]] race." The [[Tenth Doctor]] advised her "don't step on any butterflies", and asked her, "What have butterflies ever done to you?" ([[TV]]: ''[[The Shakespeare Code (TV story)|The Shakespeare Code]]'')