Time Travel is an odd beast.  Many different concepts have been created to explain how it might be possible, but I will address to some extent my theories of how it works in the Doctor Who (Classic & New Series).

Here’s a small overview of what I plan to Address…

• The Normal Flow of Time
• The Temporal Vortex
• How a TARDIS travels
• The Ripple Effect
• Time In Flux
• Fixed Points in Time

The Normal Flow of Time

The Normal flow of Time is linear.  Cause precedes effect, 10:55 is before 10:56, and so forth.  But we know that TimeLords preceive time differently.  There are hints that they have an “Time Sense”, and can preceive distortion in Time.  Even so, The Doctor has indicated in a few occasions that they have to be careful, “any alteration to history” could be harmful.  So The Doctor and his companions still need to be careful.  Their actions can be harmful to history, as well as beneficial.

The Temporal Vortex

The Temporal Vortex (aka Vortex) is a bridging of dimensions, and maybe a completely artifical gateway that Omega & Rassilon helped create, it has never been explained fully…  But we know that the 51st century Time Agents used Vortex Manipulators to travel through time and space, so it is not just an “Time Lord” technology.

Think of the Vortex as a corridor with an infinite number of Portals.  Each Portal opens to a different time/space location, each portal with it’s own unique location (coordinates).  The energies contained in the Vortex are hazardous to life, but some life forms are known to exist in there (new series & big finish plays).

How the TARDIS travels

What we see 9 times out of 10, is that the TARDIS dematerializes and rematerializes somewhere else.  How does that happen?  Well, we know that the interior of the Tardis does exist in another dimension, so that exterior is only a shell.  This shell contains the dimensional bridge to the interior, and has been described as being virtually indestructible.

What happens is that the exterior shell is the only section of the Tardis that normally moves.  The exterior shell is (by some mechanism) transferred to the Vortex, moves to the proper coordinates, and then brought back into the “real world”.  If we continue with the Portal analogy, the dematerialization process is the Tardis exterior shell being moved through the portal into the Vortex.  The rematerialization process is the reverse, the Tardis Exterior shell being sent through the portal back to the “real universe”.

Now, how does this explain the scenes with the Tardis interior bouncing around?  Well, the most sensible answer is that the interior and exterior (Tardis Shell) dimensions orientations are linked.  Why?  Well, it would be odd to have a doorway open up, and see the folks on the other side standing on the ceiling….

Presumably there are safeguards to help prevent the interior of the Tardis from becoming a “Pinball” machine, with the occupants being bounced every which way, but as we know The Doctor “borrowed” to Tardis while it was in the Repair depot.  He’s not exactly the best pilot, after all don’t forget about the “Blue” (Boring!) Stabilizers (Time of the Angels).

Now the Tardis can travel through conventional space but doing that seems to place significantly more strain on the Tardises Systems…

The Ripple Effect

So, we now have a loose theory on how the Tardis works…  But why can The Doctor and other Timelords make changes in time?  Well, it’s a Time Stream.  No, literally.  Think of the normal progression of time, as if it was a stream or river.  Anything placed in the stream would normally flow along with the fast moving water.

But a temporal disturbance is like a pebble being thrown into the water.  The smaller the disruption, the small the disruption in the river.  The larger the disruption, the larger the ripples.  Normally, this ripples would fade away, but occassionally the ripples would feedback and cause a larger disruption.

Now, this implies that Time itself is relatively resistant to change, any small changes will eventually be lost in the “ebb & flow” of the Time Stream.  Any significant changes would need to be large, or well thought out …  You could in theory engineer many little changes that reinforce each other to cause the equivalent of a large disruption.

But consider this, would it really make a large difference if Television was introduced in 1923 instead of 1932?  Would we be flying in Jet Cars?  Now what would of the impact be if the Apollo 11 Moon Landing was 2 years earlier?   Or 2 years later?

Time In Flux

Now The Doctor has mentioned Time being in Flux in the past, both in the old series, and the new series…  What does that mean?  Time in Flux is just another way to describe the temporal interference that is happening when a disruption has occurred in time, causing temporal ripples..  Why in flux?  Because they are actually in the middle of the “ripples”, the event that caused the disruption has occurred, but the ripples and eddies have not yet been smoothed away by the Time Stream.  Or the event has caused so much distortion that the only solution is for the Time Stream to be diverted and branch off.  Thus cause Time to be rewritten…

Fixed Points In Time

What is a Fixed Point in Time?  Other than an invention of the RTD era?  Well, there a few different theories around.  A Fixed Point in time appears to be points in time which is crucial to history, but where the events have not been documented.  The two Fixed Points in time that we have seen are in “Fires of Pompeii” and “Waters of Mars”.  The Doctor was afraid of affecting the flow of history, especially since he was unaware of  what was suppose to happen normally.

A Fixed Point in Time, is not really defined at this point.  It has been used twice in the new series, and never was raised in the old series…  So at this time, it is the haziest concept at this point.

Any questions, suggestions, or concerns, please feel free to leave a comment…  Or email me.