Why get rid of one of the biggest Time Lord rules though?

Is there another way around this problem?

So what now?

If I were to want to start watching Doctor Who then where would I start with the least confusion?  It seems like a lot of people on the Vine love the show but I've never been able to get into it

I'll tell you how to get around those rules:  MAKE A NEW CHARACTER.  The series biggest enemies are trashcans with laser beams.  It's time to move on.

It would make sense to do something like this since they are running out of regenerations. It is not a bad show, I watch it from time to time.

Hopping bodies thing won't really work well since there are no Timelords left and most fans would prefer the Doctor staying Timelord
 
I bet that between the 12th and 13th there will be this weird event that resets the Doctor's regeneration energy and at the same time giving birth to the Valeyard.

all time lords could regenerate 12 times because there were a whole bunch but now since there is only one he can regenerate an unlimited number of times due to the fact that there only one tapping into the energy that allows them to regenerate.  as to where the energy comes from let's say it's from the tartus since it has an unlimited energy core or something.

" If I were to want to start watching Doctor Who then where would I start with the least confusion?  It seems like a lot of people on the Vine love the show but I've never been able to get into it "

God i can't believe i'm actually coming back to this, but this needs to be sorted out... 
 
1. The Doctor is not immortal, he can just Regenerate an unlimited amount of times now... 
 
2. This has LONG been hinted at... even going far back as the sixth and seventh Doctor's...  
 
The Doctor is no ordinary Time Lord... this has been long stated in both the show and the books previously.. you  just have to read Lungburrow to see that, even the High President of Gallifrey knows something about The Doctor's origins that is forbidden for common knowledge.   in the novels it's alluded that he is in fact The Other, which would put him far above any other Time Lord on the planet, and would explain the extra regenerations. 
 
For further information on "The Other" and possible connotations to Gallifrey and The Doctor... you want to read Lungburrow, The Infinity Doctors and the Vampire Wars books... there are probably some others that i can't think of at the moment that list his history more. 
 
M

" @danhimself said:

" If I were to want to start watching Doctor Who then where would I start with the least confusion?  It seems like a lot of people on the Vine love the show but I've never been able to get into it "

Same question! "

I jumped on to Doctor Who with Christopher Eccleston. It's brilliant! I'm slowly bringing myself to watch the David Tennant episodes. Not that I expect they'll suck, no not at all. I just found that there are novels that fit between episodes; so, I'm gearing up to watch some Season Two, then read another six novels...The Season One Doctor Who novels were fantastic! I'm fine with The Doctor being immortal, because of the episodes I've seen - he is. Isn't Captain Jack immortal, too? 

I personally might make him change bodies using a favorite from season 3, The Chameleon Arc,  would use it to store is memories and 'powers' when he's about to go then, a two parter were some humans discover the abandoned TARDIS and ends in one of them using the arc to become the new doctor or something. Basically the effect will be throughout the 2 parter fans will have to guess witch one the new doctor will be.

If they're going to explain it without using The Other as a storyline, then more than likely they are going to use The Matrix as a storyline with regards to what happened to it after Gallifrey was destroyed 
 
M

...bullshit

Well it makes sense in a dollars and cents sort of way but just retconning seems a bit weak. Doctor who has always been a creatively written series and the history of the show deserves a better attempt at least

Having said that I think most fans of the new series don't know about the limited regenerations and there's no way they'd end it over a cannon technicality. It's a good series and I'd be sad to see it go.

" Well it makes sense in a dollars and cents sort of way but just retconning seems a bit weak. Doctor who has always been a creatively written series and the history of the show deserves a better attempt at least Having said that I think most fans of the new series don't know about the limited regenerations and there's no way they'd end it over a cannon technicality. It's a good series and I'd be sad to see it go. "

" all time lords could regenerate 12 times because there were a whole bunch but now since there is only one he can regenerate an unlimited number of times due to the fact that there only one tapping into the energy that allows them to regenerate.  as to where the energy comes from let's say it's from the tartus since it has an unlimited energy core or something. "

Has it ever been stated exactly why there is a limit to the number of regenerations? Was it a physiological thing, or was it some sort of edict of the Time Lord Council? It's been so long since I watched any of the older Who, that I really can't recall.

Maybe Dr.Who read the issue of Justice Society of America where Wildcat found out he always has nine lives.

lol i actually came back because i'm off work now until after christmas, so i actually have a decent stable internet connection again :D 
 
Woo hoo 
 
not that i was complaining about living above a dungeon with 4 dominatrix' for a living... but being back home is definitely awesome 
 
M

I'm not happy about this, Rules in place like this being part of the character and the mythology shouldn't be tampered with just because it has because it has become a new money making machine, the integrity of the story and the charters should always come first but i guess that really doesn't count for much these days.

Not a difficult one to get around, really. It'd be easy enough just to have a throwaway line stating that the 12 regeneration rule was simply something imposed by the Timelord council. They're gone, and so is their crappy rule. I'd much rather see the show continue for a 14th Doctor than see it be shut down over something which isn't, at this point, all that important.

In his vast amount of adventures it wouldn't seem unbelievable that the Doctor was exposed to something that allowed him to regenerate an infinite amount of times. They must have known that they would run into this problem eventually. I don't really watch Doctor Who however it wouldn't bother me if they did it like that rather than a retcon. I can't really speak for a hardcore fan however.

" Has it ever been stated exactly why there is a limit to the number of regenerations? Was it a physiological thing, or was it some sort of edict of the Time Lord Council? It's been so long since I watched any of the older Who, that I really can't recall. "

it's by edict of the Time Lord High Council... the High President of Gallifrey can actually award or take away regeneration cycles... it's happened a few times before  M "

well i'm hoping they're going to bring Gallifrey back soon... 
 
5 years without it is long enough i think 
 
M

I always figured he'd be "given" a new life cycle, like for all the good (meddling) he did. The Master's cheated death so we know there is no finality to them. Also, as long as the show is kicking ass and people are watching (and there's money to be made), there's nothing in time or space that could stop the BBC from finding a way past a twelfth regeneration.

" well i'm hoping they're going to bring Gallifrey back soon...  5 years without it is long enough i think  M "

Doctor Who has thirteen lives not twelve, a normal time lord would have twelve but The Doctor has thirteen lives because of he is half human on his mother side. This is mentioned a few times not to any real great length but it was canon before the new series started. 

" Doctor Who has thirteen lives not twelve, a normal time lord would have twelve but The Doctor has thirteen lives because of he is half human on his mother side. This is mentioned a few times not to any real great length but it was canon before the new series started.  "

I am interested in seeing how the writers justify this.

it's easy to explain, say that the cycle isn't in fact biological but is instead,  Gallifreyan law, now with all the Time Lords gone and the entire culture trapped in time..he can decided that space and time still need a time lord to fix things that no normal being can..with no one to enforce the law he makes the choice to ignore it in order to be the last time lord to stand against the throngs of tyrants through time..figure that's the easiest way to do it..

I always thought he had 13 regenerations O_o

" I say dont do it. Reboot his counter if needed but dont make the guy immortal. Mortality is the key concept in danger in the end. When you can be killed people worry andd get soaked in. If your just garanteed to come back tomarow then whos going to care? "

IF a character makes money, he or she lives forever. Simple as that. Doctor Who is no longer a character, he's a cash machine as BBC America has continued to get someone younger and younger to dial into that audience. Is this any different than whoring the Spidey line of books? Nope.
 
Now, the question is, Doctor Who worth keeping around even longer? I say yes.

"God i can't believe i'm actually coming back to this, but this needs to be sorted out...  1. The Doctor is not immortal, he can just Regenerate an unlimited amount of times now...  2. This has LONG been hinted at... even going far back as the sixth and seventh Doctor's...   The Doctor is no ordinary Time Lord... this has been long stated in both the show and the books previously.. you  just have to read Lungburrow to see that, even the High President of Gallifrey knows something about The Doctor's origins that is forbidden for common knowledge.   in the novels it's alluded that he is in fact The Other, which would put him far above any other Time Lord on the planet, and would explain the extra regenerations.  For further information on "The Other" and possible connotations to Gallifrey and The Doctor... you want to read Lungburrow, The Infinity Doctors and the Vampire Wars books... there are probably some others that i can't think of at the moment that list his history more.  M "