'Doctor Who' Season 12 Episode 10 finally reveals the truth about Timeless Child but puts canon in jeopardy
Spoiler alert for 'Doctor Who' Season 12 Episode 10 'The Timeless Children'
Ever since Chris Chibnall took over as showrunner for 'Doctor Who', the show has been teasing the Timeless Child, a secret from Gallifrey's past that has Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) at its heart. Now that mystery has finally been resolved and it complicates all of the show's long history.
'The Timeless Children' revealed that the Time Lords were once a normal species of beings until an explorer discovered a child from another dimension who had the ability to regenerate. This explorer then raised the child as her own and used the child's DNA to give the rest of the people on Gallifrey regeneration powers as well, allowing them to become the masters of time and space.
This child, the episode reveals, was the Doctor and her memories of this past life were hidden from her by the elite of Time Lord society. While that is pretty messed up, it's nothing compared to how much this revelation faults the established canon.
So far, it was an established fact that the Time Lords became the way they are, regenerations and all included, because of their exposure to the time vortex. In fact, we have a case in point in River Song (Alex Kingston) who was born a normal human but became a Time Lord (Time Lady?) because she was conceived within the TARDIS while it was traveling through the time vortex.
As far as we know, the Doctor never spliced their DNA into River and if they did, that would make their marriage later on in life very weird indeed. Perhaps there is another explanation, though we're yet to think of one and for all we know, we're just going to have to accept this earthshattering change as given and move on.
'Doctor Who' Season 12 Episode 10 was broadcast on BBC America on March 1.