Regeneration: Difference between revisions

'''Regeneration''' was the process of "molecular readjustment" ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Destiny of the Daleks (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Destiny of the Daleks]]'') by which [[Time Lord]]s and others renewed themselves, causing a complete physical and often psychological change. It could happen because of severe illness, ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Spiders (TV story)|Planet of the Spiders]]'', ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'', ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', ''[[Day of the Moon (TV story)|Day of the Moon]]''; [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Brink of Death (audio story)|The Brink of Death]]'') old age, fatigue, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet (TV story)|The Tenth Planet]]'', ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'', ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'') or injury. ([[TV]]: ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]'', ''[[Time and the Rani (TV story)|Time and the Rani]]'', ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'', ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'', ''[[Let's Kill Hitler (TV story)|Let's Kill Hitler]]'', ''[[Hell Bent (TV story)|Hell Bent]]'', ''[[The Doctor Falls (TV story)|The Doctor Falls]]'', ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'', ''[[The Timeless Children (TV story)|The Timeless Children]]'', ''[[The Power of the Doctor (TV story)|The Power of the Doctor]]'', {{cs|The Giggle (TV story)}}, [[PROSE]]: ''[[Interference - Book Two (novel)|Interference - Book Two]]'') It could also be invoked by choice, whether voluntary ([[TV]]: ''[[Destiny of the Daleks (TV story)|Destiny of the Daleks]]'', ''[[The Twin Dilemma (TV story)|The Twin Dilemma]]'', ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]'', ''[[Nightmare in Silver (TV story)|Nightmare in Silver]]'') or involuntary. ([[TV]]: ''[[The War Games (TV story)|The War Games]]'', ''[[The Power of the Doctor (TV story)|The Power of the Doctor]]'', [[COMIC]]: ''[[The Night Walkers (comic story)|The Night Walkers]]'')

Conversely, regeneration could be prevented by choice, although choosing not to regenerate from fatal damage was essentially an act of suicide. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'') However, a Time Lord could delay the actual change in appearance and enter "a [[state of grace]]" for a brief period of time. ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', ''[[The Doctor Falls (TV story)|The Doctor Falls]]'', ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'') Precise damage to a Time Lord could also cause a delay in the regeneration starting. ([[TV]]: ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'', ''[[The Doctor Falls (TV story)|The Doctor Falls]]'')

There was a general lack of consensus upon whether regeneration was a natural process which all [[Gallifreyan]]s possessed, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[A Brief History of Time Lords (novel)|A Brief History of Time Lords]]'') a natural process which the Time Lords developed through exposure to the [[Time Vortex]] ([[TV]]: ''[[A Good Man Goes to War (TV story)|A Good Man Goes to War]]'') or the [[Eye of Harmony]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Legacy of Gallifrey (short story)|The Legacy of Gallifrey]]'') or if it was a manufactured process, created through experimentation, and possibly by being stolen from other beings predating the Time Lords. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Timeless Children (TV story)|The Timeless Children]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'')

Regeneration was described by the scientist [[Davros]] as "the ancient [[magic]] of the Time Lords", ([[TV]]: ''[[The Witch's Familiar (TV story)|The Witch's Familiar]]'') and was also described as "[[witchcraft]]" by the [[Sycorax]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]'')