TARDIS (Doctor Who)

The TARDIS, an acronym for Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space, is The Doctor's mode of transportation in Doctor Who, capable of travelling through both time and space. TARDISes are time travel vehicles used by Time Lords, beings from the planet Gallifrey. Canonically, the Doctor stole his TARDIS and ran away to embark on adventures across time and space. 
Due to a problem with the chameleon circuit, the ship's camouflage system, the TARDIS appears as a blue police call box from the 1960s throughout most of the series. Because of its transdimensional nature, the TARDIS is "bigger on the inside," a running joke throughout the series which has become a widely understood pop culture reference outside of Doctor Who fandom. 
The Doctor's TARDIS is commonly referred to by both the show and the fandom as simply 'The TARDIS', though the name also refers to the ships as a whole. Other TARDISes are usually referred to by their owners, such as 'The Master's TARDIS', or by different names altogether, such as the character Compassion.
The TARDIS and The Doctor seem emotionally attached to each other, in both canon and fanon. The TARDIS also shows signs of sentience, and the Doctor frequently holds conversations with her, using "she" to refer to the ship. She has also been embodied (i.e. taken forms other than a TARDIS) in canon - refer to Canon for more on this.
==Canon==
The TARDIS was a 'Type 40', which is a class of TARDIS that was considered old and dated by the time The Doctor stole it.
The TARDIS control room changes periodically (referred to as "changing the desktop theme" in the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor era), and the TARDIS has many rooms and levels and hallways.See A Partial Map of Your TARDIS (Subject to Change) by alibi_factory - Eleventh Doctor era-ish fanwork posted at LiveJournal community dwfiction on 21 May 2010. (Accessed 30 Jan 2012) Sometimes, the TARDIS has to eject some of its rooms and features (including the swimming pool)See: .
The TARDIS shows signs of sentience and is considered a character in her own right by many Doctor Who fans, even before the TARDIS became embodied a few times in canon. The most well known and influential example is in the Neil Gaiman-penned episode The Doctor's Wife in series six, in which the TARDIS possesses the one-off character Idris. Subsequently, the TARDIS-possessed Idris will sometimes be featured in fanworks.
In The Doctor's Wife, the TARDIS indicated to The Doctor that she liked it when he called her sexy and that she would always be there for him, and even whispered 'I love you' upon leaving her embodied form. The Doctor has also expressed dismay multiple times in canon when the TARDIS seemed headed for imminent demise.
The TARDIS sort of possessed companion Rose Tyler in the series one episode The Parting of the Ways.
In the Doctor Who Expanded Universe, the TARDIS is revealed to have had a child with the Fifth Doctor's robot companion Kamelion, something often touted by fans as an example of the "weird" world of the extended universe.
===Other TARDISes===
*Compassion, formerly a companion of the Eighth Doctor whose biodata was warped to become a Type 102 TARDIS
==In Fandom==
Multiple zines are named for the TARDISSee some of the examples at the TARDIS disambiguation page., and the TARDIS features frequently in Doctor Who fanworks, often as The Doctor's spaceship, abode, and refuge, but also as a sentient being. Fics will frequently take place within the TARDIS, often in the main console room of the respective Doctor, other times in many of the other spaces within the ship. Some of these rooms, such as the library or swimming pool, have been seen or referenced in canon; others will be original ideas from the fic writer.
===Shipping===
The TARDIS is most frequently paired with The Doctor.For example, there are 334 fanworks tagged The Doctor/The Doctor's TARDIS at the Archive of Our Own as of 27 Dec 2022; 69 of these are Eleventh Doctor/TARDIS, followed in popularity by Thirteenth Doctor/TARDIS with 40 works. Many other pairings exist. She's also shipped with the likes of Captain Jack Harkness,You Carry It With You (a burden, a blessing) by iamshadow, Pairing: Jack/TARDIS, 20 Oct 2009, see also the userpic for the LiveJournal community omnijaxual. (Accessed 30 Jan 2012) Amy Pond and Clara Oswald. There are also many gen works looking at the TARDIS's relationship with various regenerations of the Doctor and his companions. 
The TARDIS also appears in fanfiction alongside other well-known ships and cars. The TARDIS has been paired with the USS EnterpriseThe Doctor's TARDIS/USS Enterprisetag at Fanfiction website Ao3 in fanfiction, and even Crowley's Bentley from Good Omens. The Tardis has also been shipped with the Metallicar: the Impala from Supernatural. This pairing has been called Baby/Sexy.Impala (Supernatural)/The Doctor's TARDIS tag at Ao3
===In Science===
The scientific community has, for many years, felt the influence of the Doctor Who fandom. Naturally, many scientists are drawn to the challenge of explaining how the TARDIS works and there have been several papers on the subject Van Winkle, Dan. Two Actual Physicists Wrote a Paper on How a Real TARDIS Would Work, The Mary Sue, 5 November 2013. (Accessed 11 March 2015.) , and it's discussed at length in Brian Cox's lecture The Science of Doctor Who. In honor of the show's 50th anniversary, Robert Doyle and his daughter Alex Doyle built and launched a TARDIS satellite into orbit.Casey, Dan. MEET THE MAN WHO IS LAUNCHING A TARDIS INTO ORBIT, Nerdist, 27 June 2013. (Accessed 11 March 2015.) The ship's appeal is not limited to physicists however, and in 2007 a group of biologists sent 3000 Tardigrades into space for a project "Tardigrades In Space", a.k.a. "TARDIS".Zel, Martin. Tiny Animals Survive Exposure to Space. Article on the ESA's website (Accessed 11 March 2015.)
==Fanworks==
The TARDIS is a particularly popular subject in Doctor Who fan art, fancraft and cosplay,tumblr tag tardis cosplay being a fandom fancraft inspiration alongside the likes of The Scarf and Daleks.
===Fanfiction===
* by Bloff, Tardis POV (2007)
* by vvj5, Pre-series First Doctor & The TARDIS (2013)
* by Kalya_Lee, When her girl goes, she does not mourn - her girl is autumn, and autumn always comes back. (2014)
* by dbskyler, an advertisement for the Type 40 model TARDIS (2015)
* by AuroraCloud, After the Paradox, the TARDIS heals. So do those aboard her.(2018)
* by OneOfThoseThings, The TARDIS takes care of her Doctor. And their pets. (2022)
===Fanart===
* TARDIS Fan-Art by Umanimo, a series of pieces done in different historic art styles. Reviewed in fanart-recs 13 March 2013.
* Tardis by cheshirecatart (May 29, 2013)
* Tardis by jasric
* Doctor Who by Joe-Roberts
* Tardis pixel - My first DD! by Aqua-Spirit22
* by DarraChese
* The TARDIS taking a walk through space and time by CtrlMajTom
===Cosplay/Fancraft===
* A fan-built collapsible and portable TARDIS, documented in this YouTube vid I built a TARDIS by sillysparrowness, Dec 31, 2011. (Accessed 31 Jan 2012)
* The Augmented Reality TARDIS: It's Bigger On The Inside built by Greg Kumparak
* worn by Sasha Trabane and painted by Andy Coyle (Arisia 2013)
===Vids===
*Laura Shapiro's vid Mothership struck at least one fan as being a tribute to the TARDIS rather than to The Doctor or other characters on the show."[...] the vid ended, and we had this conversation:
BB: Aw, that was great. A tribute to all things -Me, delightedly: TARDIS!BB, giving me a Look: - Doctor.
And right there you have the essence of our difference of opinion about Doctor Who. Best Beloved seems to believe it's about this guy. Whereas I know in my heart it's about the tech. (Could you have all the things that happen in these clips without the TARDIS? No. No, you could not. The TARDIS is far more essential than the Doctor, obviously.) But, whatever you happen to believe - I understand there are even some people who believe this show is about the companions, which, whatever: I love you even if you're strange - you will adore this vid. If for no other reason than you can get your groove on. (With the TARDIS!)" From The One That Proves That Some Songs Compel Even the Planet Earth to Do a Little Dance. at 197: My Happy Place rec post by thefourthvine, 9 Oct 2009. (Accessed 30 Jan 2012)
* The TARDIS • "That Sound Brings Hope Wherever it Goes." by ItsATwinThing (2015)
* Doctor Who | 'TARDIS' for Short by MomentOfMa (2022)
===Fan Songs===
* Type 40, a song by Trock band Chameleon Circuit
==Example Art Gallery==
File:Cosmicmasque1.jpg|Cover art of Cosmic Masque #1 by unknown artist (1977)
File:Gatewaytotime1.jpg|Cover art for Gateway to Time #1 by John Bishop (1984)
File:Visitor3.jpg|Cover art for The Visitor #3 by unknown artist (1984)
File:Facesoftime4-6.jpg|Art from Faces of Time #4, with the first five Doctors, by Mary Bloemker (1984)
File:Androzani5.jpg|Cover art for Androzani #5 by unknown artist (1985)
File:Seaviewsex6art3.jpg|Art by unknown artist from Seaview Sextant #6 (1986)
File:Infinitedreamscover.jpg|Cover art for Infinite Dreams #2.3 by unknown artist (unknown date)
File:TARDIS in space.jpg|TARDIS in space (Jun 2017) by beareen
File:Idris - The Doctor's Wife.jpg|Idris - The Doctor's Wife (Aug 2011) by gilgameshwing
===Crossover Art===
The TARDIS often appears in crossover art, with or without The Doctor
File:Avononline2-6.jpg|Art from the Blake's 7 zine Avon: On-Line, for the story Vortex. (1989)
File:Doctorenterpriseinsideartfrompioneer1.jpg|Art by Mahlon Fawcett for The Doctor and the Enterprise, a crossover with Star Trek (1989)
File:Impardis by sirgeorgprime.png|Impardis by sirgeorgprime, imagines Supernatural's Impala as a Tardis (2011)
File:Castiel in the Tardis.gif|Manip gifset of Supernatural's Castiel inside the TARDIS, by ohmystarsy (2012)
File:An equestrian journey.png|An Equestrian Journey, crossover art with My Little Pony, by Hewison (2013)
==Meta==
*has anyone else ever stopped to think how the tardis feels when doctors and companions leave... (Nov 2022) - Tumblr post by cosmicallyavg
==Archives and Links==
* by alibi_factory - Eleventh Doctor era-ish fanwork posted at LiveJournal community dwfiction in 2010, which was signal-boosted by io9.com among others 
* Fanworks tagged "TARDIS" at AO3
==Resources==
* at the Doctor Who wiki (canon resource)
* TARDIS page at Wikipedia (canon resource)
* Official TARDIS page (listed under characters) (offline, archived) at the Doctor Who section of the BBC website
==References==
Category:Glossary Category:Doctor Who Fandom Glossary‎ Category:Whoniverse Characters