Does this make sense for TARDIS system evolution?

[senko]

I've been thinking lately about the conflicting information we get on the TARDIS's ability to repair itself. . .

1) Comments in recent seasons the doctor isn't performing routine maintenance.

2) Things like the failure of the mercury fluid links stranding them.

3) The doctor taking systems offline to conduct repairs.\

4) The equipment to make any machine in its database.

5) The TARDIS completely rebuilding itself form major damage.

and so on. Then I got to thinking about the war TARDIS's and the comments about timelords fearing their power which gave birth to this theory.

In the begining time lords were pushing the boundaries of what they could do with their technology so they came up with systems and implemented them to improve its facilities in every way. However as they began to become more independant moving from semi-sentient to fully sentient the time lords where worried their own creations may become too powerful for them to deal with. So we get the decomissioned and modern TARDIS's that were made deliberately (with the exception of some experimental and CIA models) both with certain resources they could not duplicate being retained and severe limits on their capabilities. Not just repair ones but independant power sources, databases and so on that were not included to keep them controlled. This required that a timelord using one of these models to perform routine maintenance on certain systems and repair damage it couldn't deal with themselves. Finally we come to the advanced war TARDIS made in a time when the time lords were gearing up for war and it contained not only all the systems that they had deliberately held back but the latest versions of these systems. Meaning these (gamemaster permission required) TARDIS are nearly fully self sustaining able to keep themselves in new condition indefinately unless they take enough damage to both take out the repair facilities in that area and not trigger a full restoration. They'll also have weapons, internal eyes of harmony and other options to allow them to function far beyond the limits a TARDIS of an earlier type would have. Basically . . .

Ancient

No limits on what technology could be included but its also old technology that can only be upgraded so far and contains resources that can't be easily replaced or repaired without outside help. Can find all sorts of old (plot hooks) inside but wont have the latest tech options. May require repair of excessively damaged components but wont need regular mainteanance.

Decomissioned/Modern

Deliberately made with certain technlogies forbidden (unless an experimental or CIA model), certain hard to repair/replace components deliberately retained and again can only be upgrade so far. May have an occasional easter egg (database that was removed because it was believed to be unneeded) or special tech in an experiemental model. However will have mcguffins that can fail and strand the party in an adventure. Also require regular maintenance to keep going.

Advanced

Best tech and any forbidden tech is possible on these models but will lack "obsolete" information and technology that was delieberately removed as feeling it has no further use in a modern TARDIS. Can self repair indefinately (Unless the repair components are damaged enough to take them offline) and have no mcguffin (fluid link) that can fail and strand them but may suffer "quirks' as new and experiemental technology don't quite work as intended, are more independant than all but the ancient models. So while a mercury fluid link wont fail and strand you on a primitive planet the TARDIS might because you hurt his feelings or he thought you were safe and decided to respond to an S.O.S he picked up.

Thoughts?

[Catsmate]

Three points.

It's quite possible that obsolete TARDISes that were stolen by renegade Time Lords (quite a few of them it seems^[1]) may have been partly stripped or have malfunctioning system unrepaired. This means that those time Lords may have made repairs with inadequate parts.

There's no real reason for a sanctioned TARDIS to be able to operate for long periods away from the maintenance bays in Gallifrey.

My favourite TARDIS model is the Type 65 from the FASA RPG; the infamous "secure recon model". The incorporated various measure to prevent intrusion, theft and stowaways linked to an elaborate internal security system. There was a secondary computer system (SID) that identified authorised persons and allowed them access while stopping intruders with various systems, starting with trick doors that routed someone back outside, through non-lethal chemical agents to lethal weapons.
Naturally SID was prone to bizarre malfunctions...






[1] Let's see; the Doctor, the Rani, the Master (several, six in the FASA supplement), Drax, the President (EU), the Monk, et cetera.

[senko]

Fair points and that really is why I'm thinking this could be the case. The older ancient models were built in a period of exploration and pushing the bounds and we know there is ancient time lord tech they can't duplicate these day's. The decomissioned and Modern ones as you say don't need to operate for long periods of time away from Gallifrey (unless they're on a CIA mission), don't need to go too far forward, backward or sideway's, don't want to be made to powerful. So while they're still improving and adding tech there would be things that are deemed either too dangerous, unnecesseray or faulty to include like Sid which is both dangerous and faulty. On the other hand War TARDIS's (advanced) may need to go outside the range of Gallifrey's power supply, operate away from regular maintenance and fight so all these things that were left off get added back in.

[Catsmate]

Oct 12, 2019 20:23:58 GMT senko said:

Fair points and that really is why I'm thinking this could be the case. The older ancient models were built in a period of exploration and pushing the bounds and we know there is ancient time lord tech they can't duplicate these day's. The decomissioned and Modern ones as you say don't need to operate for long periods of time away from Gallifrey (unless they're on a CIA mission), don't need to go too far forward, backward or sideway's, don't want to be made to powerful. So while they're still improving and adding tech there would be things that are deemed either too dangerous, unnecesseray or faulty to include like Sid which is both dangerous and faulty. On the other hand War TARDIS's (advanced) may need to go outside the range of Gallifrey's power supply, operate away from regular maintenance and fight so all these things that were left off get added back in.

Plus there's always the possibility of later customisation/upgrading in a manner analogous to vintage car enthusiasts or 'boy racers'.
Such could have rebuilt a long obsolete model into something unique, rather like Brazellamantleg's first incarnation, only to completely changed after a regeneration.

War and Battle TARDISes are a special case; no need for laboratory facilities but heavy weapons and defenses and long independent operating capacity (repair, supplies et cetera).

[senko]

Exactly what I was thinking about travelling beyond the reach of the eye of harmony is really only necessary for an occasional exploratory vessel that could easily operate on stored power long enough for one mission or a war TARDIS that may need to operate for prolonged times beyond its range. Which is why I picture them having a modified version of the eye of harmony. That one can power all Gallifrey + thousands of TARDIS's at once a single TARDIS only needs enough power for itself, double that for a war model so you could make a much smaller but similar longevity fuel source for them. That is. . .

Eye of Harmony: generates 1 to the 100 quadra-billion (or what have you) able to generate 12 million Omega's a second indefinately.
Eye of Harmony - Tardis variant: draws X Omega's from the main one and stores Y Omegas to allow operationg for Z time.
Eye of Harmony - Battle Tardis Variant: generates 1 to the 10,000 Omega's a second indefinately.

But I digress.