One of the traits of regeneration in the modern series of Doctor Who has been the orange energy release that flares from the Doctor as he reconfigures. At first, it was just the Doctor's regenerations that were shown to have this effect, but subsequently it has also occurred during River Song's regenerations and so now is probably considered a standard form of regeneration. These energy bursts have been shown to become increasingly more dramatic and destructive (the 11th Doctor destroyed an entire Dalek fleet with it in 'Time of the Doctor'). But upon rewatching Bad Wolf recently I had a realization...

I got the impression that the energy release when the 9th Doctor regenerated was the release of the artron energy that Rose had become infused with from her exposure to the Eye of Harmony and which the Doctor had subsequently absorbed. Certainly it married up visually with the effect on Rose. It wasn't a by-product of the regeneration itself, simply the regenerating body expelling the energies, presumably back into the TARDIS. Of course, it was a nice dramatic effect too, but has its narrative purpose been missed or misunderstood? With hindsight I don't get the impression it was intended to be a standard form of regeneration, at the time the script was written, just a nice dramatic idea that RTD had at the time for that particular one. I would be really interested to see the scripts for the episode to see how the scene was described.

If my reading is correct it does rather beg the question: what is this energy we see exuding from Time-Lords (not only the Doctor any longer) upon regeneration? Do all Time-Lords possess a degree of artron energy? My fan-theory / 'head canon' (call it what you will) has always been that regeneration was something the Time-Lords implemented with their incredible technology but this has made me rethink and consider the possibility that it is actually a consequence of Time-Lords being somewhat naturally 'irradiated' by arton energy, through their exposure to the Time Vortex (which was, after all, stated as the reason River Song was partially Time-Lord). This would make sense of the increasingly massive build-ups within the Doctor as he gets older and stores more of the artron energy. On top of that, he also travels through the Time Vortex far more than most Time-Lords apparently do and so would be particularly 'irradiated'. This would also help to explain River Song's regenerations as she was conceived on the TARDIS and presumably was infused with it from inception.

Thoughts?

Except for some reason in Sarah Jane Adventures Artron radiation is depicted by a blue lightning effect... I assume the same stuff that pinged the Tardia around the vortex in the earlier seasons of new Who... But there could conceivably be different types I guess... You've supplied me a new conundrum to think on now... I'm quite partial to a head cannon discussion. Thanks.

Yes

But it's probably not the same as Regeneration Energy (though according to at least one novel they do need Artron energy to regenerate).


http://www.chakoteya.net/doctorwho/14-3.htm

The most common way to pick up excess Artron energy is to travel in the Vortex.

Maybe the term arton energy is not correct then in this context. Let's call it 'Bad Wolf' energy.

But the main gist of my thought is that if you watch Bad Wolf in its own context it seems obvious that the energy release is supposed to be the Doctor's body expelling the harmful TARDIS energies (whatever they are) that were killing him. That's why he was regenerating after all. He transferred the energy from Rose into himself and it was killing him. Now the penny has dropped on that for me, I can't imagine anything other than that was RTD's intention when he wrote it (subsequently of course, they've used it as a standard by-product of regeneration, presumably because they liked it's iconic effect) .

So, one has to wonder, from an 'in universe' perspective why the Doctor's subsequent regenerations have also happened like that, and indeed River Song's and the Master's in Utopia.

It would make sense that a Timelords body could absorb so much of this energy, just as a human body can handle so much radiation without effect, but an overdose of if would kill them. Clearly the 9th Doctor had far more than a 'safe' dose of it. One would also have to suppose that it is in a Timelord's DNA, passed from generation to generation, making it a natural

Maybe the term arton energy is not correct then in this context. Let's call it 'Bad Wolf' energy.

But the main gist of my thought is that if you watch Bad Wolf in its own context it seems obvious that the energy release is supposed to be the Doctor's body expelling the harmful TARDIS energies (whatever they are) that were killing him. That's why he was regenerating after all. He transferred the energy from Rose into himself and it was killing him. Now the penny has dropped on that for me, I can't imagine anything other than that was RTD's intention when he wrote it (subsequently of course, they've used it as a standard by-product of regeneration, presumably because they liked it's iconic effect) .

So, one has to wonder, from an 'in universe' perspective why the Doctor's subsequent regenerations have also happened like that, and indeed River Song's, and the Master's in Utopia.

It would make sense that a Timelords body could absorb so much of this energy, just as a human body can handle so much radiation without effect, but an overdose of if would kill them. Clearly the 9th Doctor had far more than a 'safe' dose of it. One would also have to suppose that it is in a Timelord's DNA, passed from generation to generation, making it a natural thing for them to regenerate. Whether a born-human time-traveller, without the energy being a part of their genetic make-up from conception, and given their very short life-span, could ever absorb enough of the energy to regenerate is doubtful.

Whether 'artron energy' is the correct terminology I don't know.


Edit: sorry about the erroneous double post.

Well it's the third strand of Time Lord DNA which enables regeneration (though with a biochem head on how that stuff unzips rearranges and then rezips is a mystery, probably to do with the very pretty glow though.) In universe, the other type of radiation with a yellow glow which which is contained handily within the heart of the TARDIS are huon particles. Now Time Lords destroyed them because they were unstable but evidently not all of them, as they're obviously important for powering the TARDIS otherwise they wouldn't be there. But maybe the yellow glow is created by some sort of by particle related to huons, which is not nearly as unstable but is still explosive in it's reactions.

Not just all Time Lords, but all Tardis passengers have it. In fact you only have to touch the Tardis, which is why Clyde had it in SJA.

Considering the "Rose" energy looked similar to the "doctor" energy, I always assumed that's what the Tardis looks like under the hood, and indeed have created my own "head canon" detailing the fact that bonding with this energy upon graduating the academy and being assigned to a TARDIS is what separates a Time Lord from a mere gallifreyan.

Think about it, the Tardis may be more of an energy creature than a bona-fida machine.
I'm sure when The Doctor first regenerated he called the process "a part of the tardis, without which I can't survive"

So when he stole the Tardis he bonded with it, taking a degree of its energy aboard, allowing him a much longer life and the ability to travel in time.

As to why taking the energy out of Rose caused a regeneration?
Well, either Rose didn't know what she was doing and instead of merely becoming "Human-Plus" like River, she overdosed and took far too much of it into her system, leading the Doctor to have to take it out of her and sacrifice himself.
OR the energy would've been fine in the Doctor's system BUT the Time Lords knew the danger of having one of their own people becoming the "Angry god" as 9 put it, so installed a safety device that meant if a Time Lord absorbed too much of the TARDIS energy, he would automatically trigger a regeneration, thus expelling it and protecting the universe from a potentially omnipotent being wreaking bloody vengance through time

But, as I say, this is just head canon.

Still better than crap like Time Lords are woven on looms, however

Where is all of this information sourced from? Is it novels? Big Finish audios? Or your own head canon?

Oh goodness, that'd be the show itself. Sorry I just have a crazy memory so forget to quote sources... Bad habit... I work with kids, they don't require the same level of referencing as adults. Lol.

So artron energy is established as a blue lightning effect in Sarah Jane Adventures (The Wedding of Sarah Jane- an episode featuring the 10th Doctor). Clyde Langer picks up a massively unusual dose as he touches the TARDIS as it's phasing between two pocket dimensions which are a second apart.

The third strand of Time Lord DNA Is apparently firstly established by novels (which I haven't read) so my primary source is again the show. Vastra establishes that Melody Pond has three stranded time Lord DNA (A Good Man goes to War), and that it might even be enough to regenerate. Now using a bit of Sci-Fi I'd guess that as she was Human+ two of the strands of her DNA were human as we all have, and it was the third strand which gave her regenerative capabilities was the Timelord DNA, which like I sort of made reference to earlier must have a slightly different way of coding to standard as it's established that the Doctor says all his DNA changes when he regenerates. (9the Doctor- Parting of the Ways)

Huon particles are encountered by the Doctor via Donna in The Runaway Bride. It's the only instance of that yellow like glow being used again... It's established it's a massive source of energy, as the Racnoss children need it to awaken. It's also established it's in the TARDIS, which is why the pen ended up in the glass, sorry Donna ended up in the TARDIS, as it magnetises when activated (apparently by strong emotions? Donna in this case getting married) as seeks to find another source of Huon which is also active, in this case the Huon the Doctor says in contained in the heart of the TARDIS... Some of which must've ended up in Rose during her Bad Wolf moment and which the Doctor says only existed in the what he calls the Dark Times at the beginning of the universe as it was a massively unstable particle which the Timelords disposed of. The only head canon bit is that maybe some of the Huon effects were distilled or refined (a bit like making petrol from crude oil) by the Time Lords when they were first playing around with regeneration as it's the use of the Time Vortex which caused their regenerative capabilities and part of that travel must use Huons if they are in the Heart and they are the only other source of yellowy glow in the show.

Apart from the Source the big ball of chemicals and gas in The Doctors Daughter but that glow was more green... But some of this chemicals may also be to do with regenerative effects as they possibly played a role in bringing Jenny back to life somehow -the glow she breaths out is more Sourcelike than regen like [greeny] and caused massive changes to an entire planet.

Does that make more sense. Sorry if I got carried away further up in my second post it's just like I said I forget other people don't keep their heads full of random stuff about radiation and visual effects as shown in Doctor Who...

I assumed that the more violet, fiery regenerations were a result of the potion that the Eighth doctor was given by the Sisters of Karn?

Before then, regenerations had been more peaceful, but when Eight asked if it would hurt, he was told 'Yes.' As he had experienced many regenerations before, for him to ask at all must have meant he was expecting something different from the norm, and was in unknown territory.

His was also the first regeneration (chronologically) of that type, so the method (chemistry??) of the Doctor's regeneration might have been irreparably altered from that point.

I suppose we will never know.

Like this theory.

The only trouble with this theory is that the Master also had the same effect when he regenerated from Derek Jacobi into John Simm. But I do like your theory...

Both the Doctor and Master had been brought back from the dead though. The Doctor by the Sisters of Karn and the Master by the Time Lords.




Not that I particularly agree with this theory but them both being dead prior to exhibiting the violent regenerations could explain why they both have it.

Didn't we also get the same/similar glowy visual effect for Idris jump starting the lashed together TARDIS console room in The Doctor's Wife?

I think the false premise is that Eccleston's yellow energy is the Bad Wolf stuff. I don't think this was intended. Looking at the script, right now...

"CU ROSE, shining white.
"ROSE: The Time War ends."

"FX SHOT: Rose blazing with light, the Doctor holding her hand. And gently, carefully, he leans in. Presses his lips against hers. FX SHOT: the light streams from Rose, to the Doctor. Fills him, makes him shine."

"FX SHOT: the Doctor stands there, the unearthly light playing round his body, glowing with power."

RTD described the Bad Wolf effect, pretty consistently, as a white light. Contrast the regeneration energy...

"He lifts up his hand, looks at it. FX SHOT: his hand shimmers with strange, hot, boiling orange energy, then gone."

"Again, the orange energy ripples all over him - just his skin, not his clothes, then gone."

"FX WIDE SHOT: orange energy EXPLODES out of his skin! Strong, like a blast of steam, of lava."

Consistently different. So yeah, it's meant to be different stuff! I do see how it looks pretty similar, and the idea that he's flushing the Bad Wolf stuff out is very neat, would make sense... but it's not what's happening. Regeneration is often assisted by the TARDIS, stands to reason that the regeneration energy is like the Bad Wolf stuff, but it's not the same thing.

I'd say that's huons seen as Idris is essentially the heart of the TARDIS and the Artron energy was still in the physical Tardis as that's what House was eating.