crl (06/09/82)
If memory serves me right, the Doctor did get his TARDIS by less than honorable means. The Time Lords, at the beginning of the series, had decided that they would no longer meddle in the affairs of the universe, and made it illegal for anyone to do so. The Doctor was disgusted by this, and stole a TARDIS that was in a repair shop. I'm pretty sure that this is right since I have heard that a working TARDIS should be able to alter its outside appearance to suit the exterior landscape (remember the Master's TARDIS?). Obviously, the Doctor's is frozen in appearance, and also, not always in 100% tip-top operating condition. The first two Doctors galavanted about the universe, but then the Time Lords caught up with him, regenerated him, and imprisoned him on Earth. This is where the third Doctor (John Pertwee) spent most of the series. Charles LaBrec Purdue Univ.
bstempleton (06/10/82)
We must remember, Doctor Who has been running since '63, and has had many many writers. A great number of them have decided to completely ignore precedents set up by other writers, in particular from the very early days. Certainly the new Baker->Davison regeneration was nothing like the previous. But let's look at more: 1) The Time Lords can easily control the Tardis and the Doctor. Common ideas today seem to be he is allowed to dabble in time (and is a member of the Celestial Intervention Agency, some high ranking Galifrean society) as long as he does a few jobs. Remember the beginnings of "Genesis of the Daleks" and "The Brain of Morbius". The Doctor never stays long, or fights for a known cause when asked too. Romana did just this when she quit. 2) Somehow, in some way, Doctor Who is the President of the Time Lords. He did lose his memory after use of the Great Key, but I don't see how that means he must give up his presidency. He can have a fancy Tardis when he likes by this. Anyway, at LOGOPLIS, they fixed his Tardis so that it can change shape. No doubt Davison wants to not use the Police Box as much.