Think of the TARDIS more like an infinite computer mind with thoughts (rooms and structures) from it's beginning to thoughts (rooms and structures) to the end of it's time... The TARDIS rooms are spread out, in one configuration and static. As you advance through the TARDIS you move into a new time zone relative to the previous room. Time is allocated to each section to make it real, however the central computer maintains the TARDIS internal structure via it's power from the Eye of Harmony. Think of the Tardis rooms, and the corridors as a projection. They are real because it's made from particles, they exist because time is allocated to them and have space because time is allocated. however, in distressful circumstances, the Architectural configuration can become compromised (the computer code which dictates where one room exists, and the time-space allocated to it) when this happens a room can blink out of it's relative position and end up phased together with another section, hence the Library ending up with the pool room in it. It's mathematical code which is generated by the time given to it, and particles assembled can become convoluted, mixing them together and allocating time-space in one format. In extreme catastrophic circumstances older time sections can become mixed with current running time sections, and one could end up in an earlier version of the ship, out of time and stuck in an older model, or future version. Think of each room as an assembly of particles in a wave format, given mathematical structure realized by a constant vibrational frequency on a quantum string level, maintained by the infinite power generated by the EYE of Harmony This function is also how the TARDIS can similarly, when working correctly, can create multiple copies of rooms, and as in "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" can create "Echo Rooms" which are in the same position as the Original room, just outside of the Original Rooms allocated time. They share the same space-but not the same time. Flickering at infinite speeds existing in the same space. This is how the Doctor can align them briefly to Grab Clara out of that Echo Room and bring her into alignment with his console counterpart. There are different configurations in the TARDIS which exist in the same space, but are out of sync with this particular configuration in allocated time. For example, the Doctor's 1st Version of the ship exists in the same space, complete with the roundels, and original console room, spare rooms, and such. That original configuration is technically still there, but because it is in a different time zone relative to the current TARDIS in use it is not accessible. In the comic book called Tesseract, the TARDIS dimension becomes compromised, and pieces of the various old TARDIS's become mixed with the current 10th DOCTOR's version. This is because the Allocated relative time zones that separate each TARDIS configuration are blurred. The TARDIS configurations all exist at the same time, just as old versions are still in existence in the same space as the current running version, so too are future versions also in existence running in a different time zone relative to the current version. This is how the TARDIS when in the form of Idris is able to say that she has multiple copies of about 30 of the console room, already saved because as they all exist in the same space, just in different time zones. This function of the TARDIS is where the TESSERACT nature of it comes into play, but that TESSERACT like function is for the overall configuration of the Ship, and is not just limited to one room. "Basically each TARDIS version exists in the same spot as the others, just out of sync in time relative to the one you are currently existing in. They overlap each other but are separated by allocated time." This allocated time is controlled by the Time console and maintained by the infinite power supplied by the EYE of HARMONY. this is because in the Dimension the TARDIS exists, time is not running linear as in our universe, and so the ship has to break up time to make it linear for 3 dimensional beings like us to exist within it. The creation of the TARDIS dimension itself is expanded by allocating time, which causes SPACE to expand to accommodate time (see the Doctor WHO Movie 1960's), which creates in effect existence. This allocation of time is also how the Doctor can reduce Space and collapse the Dimension, because the Time column Is what dictates such allocations of time. When the 3rd Doctor removes the Time Column and console from the interior dimensions, the rest of the ship ceased to be, because no time was allocated to the interior to create the existence. In essence the Interior essentials of the ship still exist in their own dimension because the EYE of HARMONY is infinite power, it was not accessible to the interior of the outer plasmic shell, once the Time Column and console were removed. When that occurred, the rest of the ship's interior dimensions, and rooms ceased to be, but the core engine, and Eye of Harmony, and Architectural Configuration room still exist as they are tied to the outer plasmic shell, which is the DOORWAY to those essential sections. When the 3rd Doctor re-allocated time to the dimension, and reconnected the console to the console room, he then could input a new internal configuration and create via machine code, and block math computation, fed to the Architectural configuration system, which in tern generates a vibrational field, which manipulates the particles on a quantum string level, and generates matter according to the math given to it. The console works in conjunction with this system by allocating time, which expands space to accommodate time, because time-space are essentially one, and this is how Trans-Dimensional engineering works. once time is allocated to the Dimension, it also is allocated to the other previous sections of the TARDIS that existed before, and those that exist in the future simultaneously, via the infinite nature of the EYE of HARMONY. The TARDIS interior dimension must exist at all times as an entire package for it to work, like a universe with a start and end. So when time is allocated to the Dimension to make it a functional reality, time MUST also be allocated to the Beginning of the ship's existence, and all the way up to the end of it's existence. The Doctor just dwells in portions of the TARDIS time allocations, and configurations at particular linear events. I am working up a detailed design of the ship's interior, and here are the first few pages of the Technical manual. Note: Since the TARDIS is constructed of Living metal, composed by re-arranging particles according to a Mathematical Formula, it's entire structure acts as one massive transmitter, and as such no outside dishes, or transmitter devices are necessary to generate the vibrational frequencies necessary to create and reformat matter to build or send signals to make rooms, and structures needed. This feature also allows the ship to transmit powerful signals via the time vortex to space-time in N-Space for communication. When describing the Time allocations and previous/future versions of the ship, please be aware that it does not refer to the desk top feature, which is not the same thing. the desk top feature is for the current utilized time zone commissioned by the pilot. Previous versions of the ship are separate and contain their own desk top themes, which can also be changed via the architectural configuration system. Thanks for your consideration. I will be doing more, and trying to convey the long text above in art and design media format in as simple terms as I can to break down the text as an example of how time allocation works with respect to the TARDIS ship. I hope you guys like what I have done so far. Good to be back Ya'll! Cheers Mates!
One little point. Our Tardis is a mark one, as per Time Meddler, where the Monk has a Mk4. Presumably both type 40, though that's a retcon.
You know, I kept thinking it was a Mark I, In fact I know it was always referred to as one, but I kept seeing Mark Three in other spots.. Citations: http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Type_40 notation in the Wiki: Doctor's TARDIS was then called a Mark I, while the Monk's was a superior Mark IV. Many fans have retconned this early Hartnell model number with the later "Type 40" by suggesting that the Doctor's TARDIS was a "Type 40, Mark I", or "Mark I, Type 40". There is, however, no dialogue which calls for such an assumption. The actual type numbers of other Time Lords' TARDISes has never been given in televised stories. However, other type numbers have been mentioned in other media. More recently, the Doctor's TARDIS has been given the designation TT Type 40, Mark III by the onboard computer on the Teselecta in the episode Let's Kill Hitler based on the new designation, cited in the recent TV series, I decided to remain current for the newer fans by sticking with the Mark 3 designation... it could also be that the TARDIS was upgraded to a higher Mark designation during his return to Gallifrey during the Time war..
One more thing.. the Real reason the Logopolis calculations were so important, and how it relates to the TARDIS as a whole. The hint is in the beginning of the Episode, where Adric sees the Doctor in the Cloister room, and the Doctor is discussing Thermal Dynamics, and entropic decay. The Doctor knows the TARDIS mind is capable of learning, and by getting the Logopolitans to reformat it's exterior plasmic shell, teaching the TARDIS their mathematical modeling, which is superior and is done differently, it can show the TARDIS the correct way of modeling real space-time events (matter) correctly and with an added bonus of being more stable, and less prone to Entropic decay.. The Logopolitans use Block math transfer (which is the process of modeling a 3 dimensional object in mathematical form) and Mutter in tone (vibrational frequency effecting Quantum Strings vibrations changing the building blocks of matter) those calculations are used to effect pure matter conversion. This is because on the Quantum string level, the strings Vibrate at specific frequencies which creates particles, which assembled into atomic structures can form matter. The Tardis does block math transfer computations (again the process) however it uses it's entire metal structure as the transmitter to affect particle change through broadcasting the vibrational waves within the dimension, and internal rooms, and such. When the 4th Doctor took the TARDIS to Logopolis, it was because the TARDIS computations had developed a fault, and by correcting that by using the calculations he and Adric had written down based on the Police box in Northern England, the Logopolitans could reformat the exterior, and with those calculations in place, the Interior could also be corrected, reformatted based on the mathematical example the logopolitans did with the Police box model, in effect teaching the correct math to the TARDIS main computer, which in tern would allow it to reformat the interior to escape it's current Entropic decay. Logopolitan calculations include a superior format in mathematical form that seeks to reduce the Amount of entropy suffered by a 3 dimensional object. It's in the math! By extrapolating this math trick (the formula arithmetic), the TARDIS then uses these calculations to create the precise Vibrations necessary to effect the Quantum Strings within it's structure and change the interior. Basically, and I can see the Doctor some day saying this to the Ship,"Very Sloppy! lazy Math!" it was using Sloppy math to model it's interior structure before Logopolis. I can see the Doctor saying "Very Sloppy! " to the ship if it models a room that is just wrong..or prone to faults in the future..
Welcome back, Starsuperion! And with more gorgeous graphics. Your absence was keenly felt. I watched "Journey to the Center of the TARDIS" and thought it was just a fun romp. Disappointing in that I wanted to see so much more, but cool for some of the events, locations, and visuals. But at no point did I even consider trying to rationalize the functionality of what I watched. But you've quite believably applied reason where I saw none. The work you do is nothing short of brilliant. The best science fiction is that which is plausible, and while Doctor Who is fun and even fascinating at times, it's rarely plausible. It's a hodgepodge of gobbledygook held together with verbal prestidigitation, knowing winks, and a lot of wishful thinking. And then you come along and suddenly one's bamboozled into nodding along with everything you write and draw and the whole fantastic universe of Doctor Who suddenly feels just within one's grasp! My only regret is that Moffat et al have not hired you to function as the show's Mike Okuda, Rick Sternbach, and André Bormanis (Star Trek's graphics artists, and technical and science consultants). With your services, they could start putting together shows with remarkable technical consistency. Now get back to work, please. I want to stroll the time-allocated particle corridors of the TARDIS some more.
Psion, I am extremely humbled by this post. to date this is the warmest reception I have had coming back here, and I must say that I feel completely happy knowing that I did well in trying to think logically about the nature of the ship. It has been a long road to this point, and after several.. no wait.. hundreds of different positions, changes in thinking, theories, reading up on physics, watchin physics videos, some so extremely boring it took sludge coffee to remain engaged.. Not to mention the tireless hours of contemplation and nagging myself to try to write out the theories rolling around in me noggin. I final have piece of mind and clarity, which is something that has been lacking in this whole endeavor from the moment I committed to figuring out the secret behind the ship itself. I think I went mad at some point, and came back to reality, and then back to Madness, and reality over and over again! I now know so much and understand so much about it, that I think if Mankind ever got our act together and developed technology advanced enough, we could indeed become Timelords ourselves! Your encouragement has spurred me on, and I promise to not disappear again, as this time I have a secure place to live, and a clear and clarified direction from which to do the TARDIS Technical manual from, and a formal understanding of Physics to ground anything I do going forward. If I was ever asked to be a Technical consultant on the show, I would certainly do so, as long as the BBC allowed me to teach the concept theories to the actor playing the Doctor and the writer's involved. That way they can keep it tight and real, and give that sense of Magic and wonder, while giving hope at the same time.. to me the magic and wonder of Star Trek has always been that it could be possible to one day attain such a desired technology and philosophy. I would jump at a chance to join Starfleet, but I would give up my left kidney to become a Timelord and pilot a TARDIS!!! More art to come which will be an explanation of the above Nature of the TARDIS text in diagram format, I will be posting it here for all to see! thanks again Psion, for the warm welcome, and the kind words of encouragement. I am truly humbled by it, and am glad to be back here and hear from you again my friend.
Update.. An example of a growing TARDIS within it's own dimensional bubble, curved in on itself. the rift next to it on the right is the symbol used from page 1 to denote Quantum foam. http://time-lord-rassilon.deviantart.com/art/TARDIS-TT-Capsule-Type-40-Mark-III-Page-1-289920952 the console, and other schematics will be uploaded later..
kay, I need forum help here.. which version of tardis dimensional bubble should I use? the one above or this robust full version?? On page 3, it shows an expanded version of the basic structure and is the view of the ship inside it's dimension, if you were to take that expansive view and add all these rooms, it would be a huge page! running in all directions. But because this view of the ship is from the vantage point of being outside the actual dimensional BUBBLE looking in, which only you and I and maybe the Eternals could ever see, it looks all wound up.. again Refering to page 3..now imagine this structure spread all out like that, but with missile silos and weapons factories. When a war TARDIS models its interior on it's exterior shell it would look like an imposing massive city nation of death and destruction. All piloted by 6 Timelords! Amazing!
Then there are the Torchwood and NuWho complications of the Tardii being spaceborne coral creatures carved for use. With them flipping back and forwards between it being a sentient "she" to a highly tempermental sentient AI "it". From the Eye of Harmony being on Gallifrey and the corresponding room on the TARDIS being an energy receptor, to it being a literal Eye on the ship, that between the Tenth Doctor (TARDIS running out of power, Eye useless) to having a newly implaced 'permanently dying' (WTH even?) star somehow installed by the Doctor alone. Which either needs a new second, larger "bigger on the inside" pocket dimension nearly 1 AU in size, or some funky spatial compression to make everything smaller, requiring a new massive room to accomodate it. (Shown in JttCotT console to be much larger than even the engine room). So it's either a living entity of finite size with cybernetic implants early in it's life, the Replicator Tree from 'Journey' allowing it to use the Eye's energy to materialise new rooms in hours. Coupled with near infinite ability to create new pocket dimensions. Or a machine through and through using it to build more of itself, including the ability to accomodate an entire star and it's habitable (ish) zone inside as needed. Better to just say "magic" and leave it.
Uhh... no. Sorry for airing a pet peeve, but I get tired of the affectation of using "-ii" as a mock-Latin plural for totally inappropriate words. "Tardii" could only work as the plural of "Tardius" (because the actual plural of "-us" is simply "-i" and there's only a second "i" if it's part of the root, as in radius/radii). The "-is" suffix is Greek, not Latin, so if "Tardis" were a Greek word rather than an English acronym, the appropriate fake plural would be "Tardes." (Cf. analysis/analyses.)
I'm deeply disappointed to see Christopher encouraging this business of using fake Greek plurals, which are a pet peeve of mine. Since TARDIS is an acronym: the AP standard for pluralizing an acronym ending in "s" is to use apostrophe-s, hence TARDIS's.
Oh, and to the OP's most recent question: I'd go "robust full." And if you'll forgive the utilization of an obscure colloquialism, holy balls that is amazing work and I'd like to second what Psion said earlier.
Well, I tend to take the tact that the ship itself is a construct of living metal. It's interior dimension is a single pocket universe within itself. Being made of living metal means it can also act as a transmitter for vibrational waves, needing no central area for additional room generation, since it can broadcast that signal throughout it's entire structure, not to mention communication signals, and openings to the main entrance section outer plasmic shell (via River song's fall in the pool) to any other area desired. the eye of harmony I am okay with that being a source of unlimited energy, but that infinite energy being needed to support the Dimension, and not directly related to fueling the engines themselves. I mean if you are going to create an artificial pocket universe with near infinite energy, then that will pretty much take up most of that considering the infinite nature of the dimensional pocket, and the fact that you have to allocate time from the beginning of that dimension to it's end of existence, which means an additional source is needed to fuel those engines. infinite not meaning infinitely allocated to all aspects of the ship. I think that the coral is a mask, or chameleon form of the living metal, or maybe a base material, which resides within each architectural configuration holding orbs. Coral was and still is of actual canon just part of the architectural configuration for the console room desk top, and since that part of the show where the meta crisis doctor receiving coral to build his own, was never really aired, I tend to see that as just "magic Coral" which isn't truly real, IMHO. I have spent the last 10 years or so studying physics, and reading anything I can on electromagnetism, and gravity, and particle physics, not to mention researching Doctor who classic, and the theories of others online..etc..etc. My point is that I am applying real world physics to this endeavor, and though I am happy to hear that same old and rather over used phrase once more "magic Box" as a scifi fan, and not a fantasy fan, I prefer the practical approach to Doctor Who, rather then the oblivious. I want to believe what I see, and can not bring myself to just count it as simply a good story.
Hm, a nanite/liqui-metal combination forming itself into a coral like network to form the basis of the entire structure would still fit. I just thought it was interesting that the Radio Times teased the baby Tardis sapling taken from the first one. As really, although it's a baby now, when it achieves adulthood it could travel back, they could have had a Jack from the future turning up with the offspring Tardis. They still might lol. Something as large and complex (and old) as the Tardis with advanced enough AI could achieve some form of sentience either way. It's the "permanently dying" star that annoys me, as if it's on the verge of becoming a singularity, the amount of power needed to hold a star about to supernova is probably more than the thing is giving out, and gravitationally very hard to compensate for when inside an already carefully crafted spacetime pocket.
Really? Hmm. I never heard that before. I thought it was never appropriate to use an apostrophe for a plural. Apparently, MLA says no apostrophe with an acronym, and Turabian allows it only if the acronym contains periods or a mix of capital and lowercase letters. Apparently there are differing conventions, though. The Wikipedia entry says that for abbreviations ending in S, one can use either -'s or -es. Although it could be argued that "Tardis" has become a word in its own right regardless of its acronymic origins, like radar, scuba, or laser. (Or Taser, a brand name that's actually short for "Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle," an in-joke reference to the old Tom Swift adventure stories.) So it would be pluralized like any other English word, as "Tardises." Which is the form actually used in the show, in episodes like "Logopolis," "Time Crash" (if that can be called an episode), "Journey's End," and "The Doctor's Wife."
Hmm, that is actually a neat Idea. I like that. Though I would see that nanite structure forming a coral like substance as more of a lattice like structure similar to the new and widely celebrated carbon nano tubing..which apparently has a natural tendency to form hexagonal truncated forms, which makes it extremely durable and strong. Well when it comes to the permanently dying star, there are ways to modify that to keep it in stasis. If you take for example the Higgs Boson which controls mass, and if the time lords figured out how to modify the quantum strings that comprise all matter, then it would make sense that they could use the Failing star's own gravity against it as a feed back of sorts to hold it in orbit where ever they liked.. modifying the Higgs field around such an object would make it extremely easy to carry off, especially if you took away 99% of it's mass. Or you used the time dilation effect of space time coupled with the energy derived from that failing star, they could make it suspend itself in time. The key to their experiments was definitely figuring that out. A singularity would be too strong to control, and even with taking the nucleus out of the centre of a failing sun, and suspending it indefinitely, that would need an enormous amount of quantum trickery to hold it stable and keep that energy flow coming, in relation to the size of the star's mass. that mini copy of the original eye of Harmony though quite large in the Tardis, is no where near the scale and size of the actual version they originally took. It was a mathematical model based on the original, which was then set up by a catalyst, and then fed energy directly from the original eye, while being created through block math computation via vibrational signals effecting quantum strings, creating the particles according to the mathematical formula derived from the original eye. To me, it is possible..just not entirely confident of how...........YET... what if the acronym was what susan made up, and the actual name, like car, boat, etc.. is really TARDIS, then Tardises would be the appropriate plural name, err.. I think?? right??
Actually before I found out what the actual acronym meant, when I was like 11.. I came up with this: TARDIS Time Arranging (references to the rooms and the outer plasmic Shell dematerializing) Re-Arranging (same reference to re-materialization, and reformatting the interior Dimensional Inter-Dimensional Subsystem-like a subway transport system, or subsystem of travel outside the normal spaceship.. LOL