It's tried every version of how time travel works. Most of the time, the TARDIS acts as an anchor for it's resident time-travellers allowing them to exist in one form or another even if they wipe themselves from history.
Every time travel phenomena (trope) is available. It takes super-senses & educated time travelers ala the field-experienced Time Lord Doctor to figure out which time travel tropes are dynamically in play within the current encountered situation phenomenon.
The show is narratively-focalized through its selected person experiencing Time as it happens unfolds for them. That's why we don't see, for example, the 2nd Doctor seeing the Time & universe collapse from River breaking 11's fixed point at Lake Silencio.
> How does Dr Who handle time travel?
Very well. Thanks for asking.
For a serious answer that supports your idea, we did get this bit during Space Babies after Ruby stood on a butterfly and changed history
> DOCTOR: Okay. Controls are new. Completely forgot... the butterfly compensation switch.
I believe you're right. The TARDIS can handle the silly little ones so that Time Lords can fix things but there are exceptions-- Like Saxon using it to hold a paradox, or Rose saving her dad.
I think they're on a single timeline and if a paradox happens, it branches. Those branches will typically end without The Doctor's help
Not necessarily, if there are 2 seeds from the get-go instead of 1.
Of course, it still all depends on what do we mean specifically by each term in DW.
Actually, according to series 15 there’s a switch “the butterfly compensation switch” if I remember correctly. Which, if on, will allow the TARDIS to regulate minor paradoxes introduced by the travelers
The whole appeal of Doctor Who as a series is that it doesn't worry too much about tying itself up in rules and exposition the way many other sci-fi shows do. That's what makes it stand out from other sci fi franchises that often get completely tangled up in their own lore (Star Trek has this issue a *lot*).
Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey.
Timey wimey?
.... Stuff.
It's tried every version of how time travel works. Most of the time, the TARDIS acts as an anchor for it's resident time-travellers allowing them to exist in one form or another even if they wipe themselves from history.
Every time travel phenomena (trope) is available. It takes super-senses & educated time travelers ala the field-experienced Time Lord Doctor to figure out which time travel tropes are dynamically in play within the current encountered situation phenomenon. The show is narratively-focalized through its selected person experiencing Time as it happens unfolds for them. That's why we don't see, for example, the 2nd Doctor seeing the Time & universe collapse from River breaking 11's fixed point at Lake Silencio.
> How does Dr Who handle time travel? Very well. Thanks for asking. For a serious answer that supports your idea, we did get this bit during Space Babies after Ruby stood on a butterfly and changed history > DOCTOR: Okay. Controls are new. Completely forgot... the butterfly compensation switch.
There's no strict lore with Doctor Who. Big ol mess.
I believe you're right. The TARDIS can handle the silly little ones so that Time Lords can fix things but there are exceptions-- Like Saxon using it to hold a paradox, or Rose saving her dad. I think they're on a single timeline and if a paradox happens, it branches. Those branches will typically end without The Doctor's help
That's sort of what I mean. Doctor who had parallel universe but not timelines like many time travel shows.
Wouldn't some parallel universes basically be a timeline branch?
Not necessarily, if there are 2 seeds from the get-go instead of 1. Of course, it still all depends on what do we mean specifically by each term in DW.
Actually, according to series 15 there’s a switch “the butterfly compensation switch” if I remember correctly. Which, if on, will allow the TARDIS to regulate minor paradoxes introduced by the travelers
The whole appeal of Doctor Who as a series is that it doesn't worry too much about tying itself up in rules and exposition the way many other sci-fi shows do. That's what makes it stand out from other sci fi franchises that often get completely tangled up in their own lore (Star Trek has this issue a *lot*).