Dr Who .. who remembers the original? am I going mad when I think

[TwigTwoolett]

that at some stage they said that the doctor could only regenerate 7 (or was it 9?) times

how did they cover that one off in the new series??

[southeastastra]

he can regeneration 13 times apparently.

[SamhainWitch]

I think it might be 12.

[Freckle]

But no doubt he'll undergo some space phenomenon at some point which means he can regenerate more times - otherwise they'll have to lock some poor actor into a lifetime contract.

[SoupDragon]

You're right Twig. I'm sure it was 7 too. I think they've conveniently forgotten that.

[SoupDragon]

Wikipedia says 12 though. In the 1975 episode "The Deadly Assassin"

[SoupDragon]

but in the 1996 television movie the Eighth Doctor explicitly said that a Time Lord has "thirteen lives".

[silverfrog]

I'm sure it was 7 too. I think that the writers of the very bad TV movie that was made in the 1990s came up with some kind of explanation (as the McGann brother who played the doctor (can never remember which brother is which...) was the eighth docotr at that point) but can't remember what the explanation was...

[anniebear]

I couldn't possibly remember the original

[Blandmum]

I thought it was 12 times

[JoolsToo]

you sad lot!

[southeastastra]

oops meant regenerate

[futurity]

i read recently it was 13 times which is why they put a reference in recently to him having children to cover themselves in the future incase he uses up all his regenerations but they want the show to continue...they can use Dr Who Jnr!

[Eowyn]

I had a vague memory that it was 9 times,but I may have got him muddled up with cats...

[lemonAIIEEE]

It was an artifical limit imposed by the Time Lords for some kind of resource-rationing purpose, IIRC. Therefore I suspect that now that there aren't any more Time Lords, and certainly isn't the Time Lord bureaucracy that established the rule in the first place, he can probably regenerate as often as he likes. At least that's my theory (and I've suspected that that's why they wiped out the Time Lords in the backstory to the new Doctor Who).

I think the reference to being a father was just there because he is -- he had a granddaughter in the first series, after all, and unless there's some wacky Time Lord way of skirting the issue that does imply at least one child. So if the subject of having children comes up it would seem odd if he didn't mention it.

[lemonAIIEEE]

Oh dear. I'm a geek, aren't I?

[SamhainWitch]

Yes 13 lives, which is 12 regenerations.

[Bomper]

Bet they were REALLY pissed off with Christopher Ecclestone who kind of wasted a regeneration!!

[rustycreakingdoorbear]

It's possible that the second regeneration (Patrick Troughton to Jon Pertwee)wasn't really a regeneration, but just a change of appearance: it was part of his sentence for the crime of meddling with the affairs of other planets.
I think lemonAIIEEE is right about it being an artificial limit - and no, I don't think you're a geek

[SamhainWitch]

No, that wouldn't work because they have referred to previous Drs by their number in various scripts.

[SamhainWitch]

I used to work with a guy who did his college dissertation on Dr Who. Now I?m all for a bit of sci-fi trivia, but trust me ? you did NOT want to get onto the topic when this guy was around!

[southeastastra]

we know someone who knows drwho inside out and back to front, writes tons about it, i just can't get it, but my sons are heading the same way

[UnquietDad]

It's 12 regenerations, giving 13 bodies.

Not that Russell T Davies and the current team are going to pay the slightest bit of attention to this, and nor should they! I'm amazed anybody outside hardcore fandom actually knows or is bothered!!

[UnquietDad]

cat64 - be careful what you say in jest!

lookee here

[AshNotTheHousewaresOne]

it was Rassilon who put the regeneration limit at 12 during Gallifrey's 'old times' ...but it is possible for a Time Lord to regenerate more than this (the high council offered the Master a complete new life cycle in 'the five doctors').....Rassilons 'secret' of immortality was hidden in his tomb in the death zone on Gallifrey, a clever ploy by him to trap those who would wish to achieve it and do away with them.....probably with the time lords gone they'll find an excuse to extend his regenerative cycle (trip to the sisterhood of karn maybe?).......
hopefully i'm not a geek too!