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Question about Doctors age and regenerations thats been puzzling me....


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Old 03-05-2010, 16:44
Vabosity
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The Seventh Doctor celebrated his 1,000th birthday in Transit.
I remember Transit. Well, vaguely. The Brigadier's African love child? A tube ride to Mars? I just thought it was a ridiculous novel, and disliked it intensely. And I was, at the time, so looking forward to reading it as it had been written by Ben Aaronovitch, who'd previously scripted Rememberance of the Daleks, which I'd absolutely loved.

Besides, when he's taking about years, whats to say hes talking about human years?
Good point. When Gallifrey existed, he may have been counting his age in Gallifreyan years. When it ceased to exist, perhaps he couldn't bring himself to use them anymore and started counting in human years.
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Old 03-05-2010, 17:31
Johna456
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i think i read some where or heard on one of the big finish audios that he gives his age depending on which planet or universe he is, In one place he could be 2 years old on ours he's 907
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Old 03-05-2010, 17:34
Johna456
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So from my perspective only the TV series is canon, where I appreciate novels extra are canon to other fans.
lol don't open that can of worms
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Old 04-05-2010, 19:59
Evil Genius
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I remember Transit. Well, vaguely. The Brigadier's African love child? A tube ride to Mars? I just thought it was a ridiculous novel, and disliked it intensely. And I was, at the time, so looking forward to reading it as it had been written by Ben Aaronovitch, who'd previously scripted Rememberance of the Daleks, which I'd absolutely loved.

First time I read Transit I hated it too. But I went back & read it again a year later & loved it. I just found it made sense to me on the second reading.
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Old 04-05-2010, 22:57
ScampDoodle
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As the doctor is a time traveller.
Is it not entirely possible that his own timeline is not linear.

Could it not be that whenhe states his age he has been telling the truth on every occaision.

As he travels forward and backward in time can he not consider his age to be reflected by the date. So if he is 907 in 2010. Could he not state that if he travelled to 1960 that he is in fact 857? Not necessarily lying just fitting his age into the timeline he has travelled within?

So an earlier incarnation could have travelled to a time period where he would be considerably older and state an older age. Much like the computer system making Amy's age up in the beast below when she is infact 21?
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Old 04-05-2010, 23:56
ductur
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I remember Transit. Well, vaguely. The Brigadier's African love child? A tube ride to Mars? I just thought it was a ridiculous novel, and disliked it intensely.

So long as you don't meant the novel 'Transit' by Edmund Cooper, which is a fantastic novel, and well worth adapting to a Doctor Who story..

D
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Old 05-05-2010, 09:48
kev-g
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No-the sixth Doctor only ever gave his age as 900, the seventh stated he was 953 (the same age as the Rani) in Time & the Rani; it was a significant plot point. The first time the Doctor ever mentioned his age on screen was in The Tomb of the Cybermen, when he calculated that he was around 450, meaning that over 450 years passed for him between 1967 and 1987 as far as we're concerned. Quite obviously, a lot of time passes between stories-we're only seeing the more interesting parts of his life. As for why he now seems to be claiming to be younger than before: no idea. Maybe 900 is the Gallifreyan equivalent of 29, and he's unwilling to admit to being older.
cant remember which story it is but tb claimed to be 749 that was only in his 4th regeneration
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Old 05-05-2010, 10:30
tingramretro
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cant remember which story it is but tb claimed to be 749 that was only in his 4th regeneration
And a few years after that he claimed to be 756, and was corrected by Romana who added a couple of years.`
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Old 05-05-2010, 16:47
amos_brearley
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More like about 300 years, according to Transit, Orbis, the EDAs 'Earth' arc...


NOT canon! I don't care about cans or worms, only that what is shown on television is canon and everything else is an absolutel minefield with no more right to exist in official circles than anyone else's fanfiction. So nerrh.
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Old 05-05-2010, 17:41
Shrike
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i think i read some where or heard on one of the big finish audios that he gives his age depending on which planet or universe he is, In one place he could be 2 years old on ours he's 907
He said something along those lines in Orbis. He seemed to have been on Orbis for generations (though I suspect the locals were quite short-lived) - he did seem to have forgotten about Lucy Miller though.
Even so it also seemed a bit of a nod & wink to these sort of threads.
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Old 05-05-2010, 17:45
tingramretro
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NOT canon! I don't care about cans or worms, only that what is shown on television is canon and everything else is an absolutel minefield with no more right to exist in official circles than anyone else's fanfiction. So nerrh.
That's your opinion, not BBC policy. Fan fiction is not for profit, amateur stuff written by fans. The novels and audios are created by professionals, for profit, and officially licensed by the BBC. Not fan fiction. And there is no official statement on canon.

So, as you so eloquently put it, 'nerrh'.
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Old 05-05-2010, 17:52
Vabosity
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NOT canon! I don't care about cans or worms, only that what is shown on television is canon and everything else is an absolutel minefield with no more right to exist in official circles than anyone else's fanfiction. So nerrh.
Your view, which you are fully entitled to in a democracy and on a civilised forum like this one. My view is that the audios and novels are very much canon. I won't say nerrh, it's childish, I'll just say let's agree to disagree ..... amicably.
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Old 06-05-2010, 00:43
DavetheScot
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As long as the books and audios aren't referred to on the TV series, we can regard them as canon or not, but it doesn't make a shred of difference.
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