Doctor Who (1963) - 20 questions

Question: If the Doctor gets a TARDIS, does that mean other Timelords get a TARDIS as well?

Answer: TARDISes are generally available for properly authorised use on Gallifrey; they're not usually assigned to a particular Timelord on a long-term basis. The Doctor stole his when he left his homeworld.

Question: In which season and episode is Gallifrey destroyed, or is it just a shocking new plot development for the new series?

Answer: It was never destroyed on-screen; it was intact at the end of the TV movie, and destroyed by the start of the 2005 series. It was destroyed in the novel "The Ancestor Cell," but in a completely different manner to what happened in the series.

Question: Is it ever at all stated why the Doctor left Gallifrey?

Answer: It's principally related to the Time Lord's strict non-intervention policy, which stated that they should only observe events, not interfere in any way. The Doctor staunchly disagreed, believing that they had a moral duty to protect the universe from evil. That, combined with his own wanderlust and desire to see and experience the wonders of the cosmos, was what ultimately drove him to steal the TARDIS and take up the life of a renegade.

Question: Out of all the robotic arms the Daleks could have equipped themselves with, why did they select toilet plungers?

Answer: Because Dalek toilet technology is the only area where they are inferior to the rest of the universe. Approximately 1960's. You'd have to ask the designer of the Daleks. It is shown in the new series to be a very nasty weapon indeed, some sort of point singularity projection device, like a mini-black hole launcher.

Question: It's stated in The Sarah Jane Adventures that Ian and Barbara haven't aged since the 60s. Why?

Answer: No reason for this has yet been disclosed.

Question: Why does Dortman only play with white chess pieces at the beginning of episode 3?

Answer: If you look carefully, they are white and grey.

Question: Why did The Daleks want Earth? What was it that made them specifically choose Earth to invade? Also, why did they intend on turning the Earth into a massive spacecraft when they already have their own fleet?

Answer: In the mockumentary "Whatever happened to Susan Foreman?" it is sugested that some Daleks may have survived the events of "The Daleks," rebuilt the race and gone back in time to take revenge on Ian and Barbra by invading 20th century Earth, but suffered a fuel shortage which left them stranded in the 22nd century. Presumably that would also leave them incapable of interstellar travel.

Question: Why did The Doctor leave Susan?

Answer: The Doctor left Susan because she fell in love with a human who had asked her to marry him. The Doctor probably thought that it was better for Susan to stay in one place rather than travelling all over the cosmos with him.

Question: What caused the first Doctor to regenerate? Was it old age?

Answer: No, it was the result of the Cybermen's draining Earth of energy to their world, that also affected the Doctor, draining his energy as well, causing him to regenerate.

Question: Why does this serial only survive in black and white. If it was made in colour, why did the BBC have black and white copies in the first place?

Answer: The reason this serial only exsists in black and white when it was recorded in colour is because in the 60's and 70's the BBC wiped and reused video tapes, some of which were Doctor Who. Luckily copies were made and sent to other countries, most of which didnt have colour TV's. These copies were later found and returned to the BBC archive.

Question: Why did the crewmember have his hand on the throne? What reason did he have to be there?

Question: Is it ever stated why The Master looks in such a bad condition?

Answer: The Master has run out of regenerations - he's keeping his failing body alive through sheer willpower, but it's a losing battle, as his appalling condition shows.

Question: Why exactly is the Watcher present during this story? What's his purpose? Why is he never present during any other of the Doctors' regenerations?

Answer: The Watcher is The Doctor in a transitional state between regenerations. He likely shows up only this time because the entire existence of the universe is at stake.

Question: Towards the end of episode 4, The Master transmits a message to the peoples of the universe, saying that if they do not acknowledge his rule, he will send a signal to close the CVE and restart the collapse of the universe. My questions are: How does The Master expect the peoples of the universe to respond to him in time? And what happens if the peoples of the universe don't comply with The Master's demands? Would he just close the CVE anyway?

Answer: Two possibilities. 1: They can reply on the same frequency he's transmitting from. 2: He intends to close the CVE anyway and this is simply an act of cruelty.

Question: The Master has shown himself to be extremely intelligent, so why didn't he know that killing all those Logopolitans would set off a chain reaction, resulting in the end of the universe? Also, why did he hold the planet to ransom? What was he hoping to gain by doing this?

Answer: The Master seemed to know what would happen, and exploited this to his own ends. His goal was to gain control of the entire universe, by giving people a choice: die with the universe as it is destroyed (by natural means, no less!), or accept his as their Master, with the only way to keep the universe going.

Question: If The Master had closed the CVE it would have resulted in the total destruction of the universe. Would he have really closed the CVE if the peoples of the universe hadn't responded to him? Isn't that the complete opposite of what The Master wants, i.e. complete control of the universe? Also, if the universe had been destroyed, who and what would he have left to control?

Answer: The Master is insane. If he can't control the universe, he'd rather see it destroyed.

Question: In Earthshock, season 19, at the end of episode 3, the Cyber Leader views his troops marching down the corridor. Each column is headed by a Cyber Leader. Is this a mistake, or is there more than one Cyber Leader allowed per army?

Answer: In 'The Five Doctors', three separate Cyberleaders are definitely used. So it's likely that Cyberleaders are like unit commanders, of which a fair-sized army might have several.

Question: Why does The Master come up with these ridiculously elaborate plans to kill The Doctor when he could have killed him at the beginning of the first episode, just after his regeneration, when he was very weak?

Answer: Because he wouldn't be satisfied simply killing The Doctor when he's weak and infirm. The Master needs to outsmart him.

Question: During The Five Doctors, why did Borusa give The Doctor enemies to fight? Wouldn't he want The Doctor's journey to the Dark Tower to go as smoothly as possible without the threat of death and interference?

Answer: They were a diversion to keep The Doctors focused on escape rather than thinking about who had collected them from time and why.

Question: What caused the sixth Doctor to regenerate into the seventh? Is it ever stated?

Answer: Injuries sustained by having his TARDIS yanked out of the Time Vortex by The Rani.