Bedbed but..

[green_amber]

have been lurking reading reviews (with short interlude to pub)

Found this:

"In theory, once he's got the TARDIS back he got do anything he likes, including the preventing the entire sequence of events happening in the first place - though that logic applies to EVERY Dr Who story, if you think about it. But the logic of this story (ha!! he said logic!) is that once the Doctor receives the folder, recounting the story from Sally's point of view, he is committed to performing exactly as specified, or risk changing the sequence events that put the folder in his hand in the first place. The Sally who gave him the folder had already seen Billy Shipton die as an old man, so the Doctor couldn't alter that. Indeed, for the most of this story the Doctor is simply following Sally's instuctions. Of course Sally is following the Doctor's instructions. Of course the Doctor is following Sally's instructions. Of course ....

And so on.

This does appeal, as some Doctor Who stories do, to the idea that time cannot be rewritten - whereas some other Doctor Who stories (including ones written by me) appeal to the idea it can.

There are three ways of dealing with time travel in Doctor Who (you might want to print this out for future use.)

1. Look, it's just a story, time travel is completely impossible, the whole thing's a farrago of lies, ooh, look at those monsters.

2. Time can only sometimes be rewritten, and the Doctor has a vast and terrible Time Brain that allows him to see when events can be altered and when they are fixed, but for us mere mortals, such insight would turn our brains to soup, ooh, look at those monsters.

3. Ooh, look at those monsters!

I like 3. It's quicker."

http://www.doctorwhoforum.com/showpost.php?p=5262270&postcount=49

Comments

[trav28.livejournal.com]

quit taunting me with the Dr Who goodness, lady!

;)

[bibliofile.livejournal.com]

Okay, I need a geek icon.

In a recent episode, didn't he say that some things were fixed and couldn't be changed, that they were fixed points in history? I think it was the Pompei episode.

re: 3
As polyfrog said at WisCon, embrace the power of "and."

[gominokouhai]

I was in the process of shouting out loud no, no, no, that's bollocks until I realised, halfway through the sentence I was reading, that you were actually quoting a post the Moff made on OG. What does that say about me?

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

I dunno - that unlike me you know what OG stands for??

[gominokouhai]

On reflection it might not have been Outpost Gallifrey, but I know it was one of his posts in one of the various online fora.

[dalmeny]

I generally presume 2.

[devilgate.livejournal.com]

Man, that site makes it hard to read, never mind post. My registration is in a moderation queue, apparently.