Gallifrey - Notes on the Planet's Background (short story)

was a fictional history of the Intuitive Revelation originally written for Virgin Books by Andrew Cartmel, Ben Aaronovitch, and Marc Platt circa 9 November 1990 to explain the 'Cartmel Masterplan' which had not been fully realized in the television series. As such, the story fills in the gaps of the version of Gallifreyan history presented in these writers' works, particularly Platt's novels. Used internally by Virgin authors as the Virgin New Adventures were being written, the text offers insight more generally to various novels' depictions of Menti Celesti, looms, Great Houses, and the Other.
The story was later publicly released in the appendices of A History of the Universe, albeit with the final half-page detailing Susan Foreman's origins and the Doctor's connection to the Other removed to not spoil Lungbarrow.
== Summary ==
Gallifrey is one of the oldest and most powerful oligarchies in the universe. In the ancient Old Time, the Gallifreyans were a communally telepathic race who worshipped the Menti Celesti. A select few achieve an individuality of private thought against the population's mass mind, becoming revered Gallifreyan Heroes. Most heroes serve Gallifrey's rulers, the Pythia, wise seers whose guidance maintained a sophisticated Empire which also has a barbaric side. The Empire maintains a slave trade and uses primitive Time Scoops to import aliens to the Death Zone for Games which quell extreme emotions within Gallifrey's crowd mind.
Rassilon emerges as a high-ranking Hero following his defeat of a Vampire invasion which threatened the galaxy. Viewing the Pythias as a threat to Gallifrey's true destiny as a supreme power, he masses a group of supporters and deposes the Pythia, initiating the Intuitive Revelation. The Pythia had embodied the planet's fertility, and indeed in some way was "Gallifrey" herself, so when the final Pythia kills herself she curses Gallifrey to be sterile. Unborn babies die in wombs and no more children exist, forcing Rassilon to find an immediate solution.
Early in his rule, Rassilon repeatedly rejects offers to become absolute ruler of the planet, insisting he cannot rule alone and founding the High Council. The Council's members represent the Chapterhouses, who are comprised of groups of the ancient Families of Gallifrey. This connection between government and Family plays into Rassilon's plans to save the population. Pythia's surviving sisters in the Sisterhood of Karn attempt to hold Gallifrey to ransom using the Elixir of Life, but Gallifrey instead develops genetic banks known as looms. Every Family receives a Family Loom from which a set quota of Family Members can be generated, creating a world in which Cousin is the only familial relation. As the Looms are installed in Family Houses, the Houses are adapted into living bio-architectures with a low degree of sentience in all their furnishings, acting as vague replacements for any parental functions that Cousins cannot fulfil. One Cousin of each generation is to be selected as a Housekeeper. Thus, a new form of Family is created defined by the Cousins, the Loom, and the House.
The Chapters are given Academies whose leaders are appointed Cardinals to serve on the Council in the newly-built Capitol. Gallifreyans in lower positions supporting the Council are Ordinals, and below the Ordinals are the plebians. Rassilon has the Matrix developed as an extra-dimensional computer net containing all Gallifreyan knowledge, able to give judgement on the past and predict the future. In many ways, the Matrix replaces the Pythia, taking on the embodied role of "Gallifrey", the essence of the planet and culture.
To achieve these reforms, Rassilon forms an inner sanctum which formulates plans before they are shown to the Council. Of the two other members, one was Omega, Rassilon's Cousin and the chief of the scientific fraternity, and the third was a mysterious figure remembered only as "the Other". This Triumvirate seek to create a new form of time travel which relies on science rather than Pythian telepathy. Omega develops the Hand of Omega to create a supernova, and in using the Hand is lost. The sacrifice offers unlimited power to the Gallifreyans, allowing them to become Time Lords.
When early Time Lords cause the destruction of Minyos, Rassilon and the Other are faced with re-evaluating Rassilon's dream of Gallifrey as a supreme power, instead contemplating becoming guardians of time and space. For Gallifrey's safety, they decide on the latter. Motivated by this decision, Rassilon enters the black hole left by Omega and astonishingly seals its singularity into the Eye of Harmony. Bringing the Eye home, Gallifrey's existence is thus balanced against the colossal energy of the black star, becoming unassailable. The Eye's stability influences Gallifreyan culture from this point forwards, slowing down cultural development and making telepathy dwindle.
A final product of the Intuitive Revelation, Validium, is decided to be too dangerous and so it is hidden in an asteroid.
While Rassilon and Omega go down in history, the Other remains an unknown, remembered only in the minor holiday of Otherstide. Speculation says that he left Gallifrey entirely, legends say that he grew weary of being an all-powerful player in the chess game of the universe and opted to somehow become a pawn in the thick of the game, and common sense indicates he retired quietly.
== Characters ==
* Final Pythia
* Rassilon
* Omega
* The Other
== Worldbuilding ==
* The Dark Time is another name for the Old Time, the Time of Chaos.
* Menti Celesti, literally meaning "heavenly minds", are the free-thinking Gods.
* The Other never served on the High Council. Some legends say that he may not have been born on Gallifrey, and others say that he was endowed with powers greater than any Gallifreyan which he kept veiled beneath the Gallifreyan shape he wore.
== Notes ==
* Lance Parkin's introduction to the story in A History of the Universe notes that the authors used concepts from The Deadly Assassin, Silver Nemesis, The Five Doctors, State of Decay, The Brain of Morbius, The Invasion of Time, Trial of a Time Lord, Remembrance of the Daleks and its novelisation, The Three Doctors, Underworld, The Time Monster, and Planet of the Spiders, as well as the unmade serials Cat's Cradle and Lungbarrow.
== Continuity ==
* The Old Time is a time of Gallifreyan Heroes and empire. (PROSE: Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible, The Infinity Doctors)
* The Pythias maintain a slave trade and use primitive Time Scoops to import aliens to the Death Zone for Games. (TV: The Five Doctors, PROSE: Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible, COMIC: Medicine Man)
* The connection between a House and its Family can sometimes become frighteningly possessive. (PROSE: Lungbarrow)
* Rassilon and Omega are cousins. (PROSE: Remembrance of the Daleks)
Category:1996 short stories
Category:Time Lord short stories
Category:Rassilon short stories
Category:Omega short stories
Category:Stories set in the Dark Times