Observation about Galifrey <SPOILERS>

[Meredith]

Spoiler: The End of Time

When we saw Galifrey appear over earth it looked 2-3 times as large and it probably a few more times massive. So Galifrey looks to be one of those "Super Earths" that the planet hunters are talking about. With a planet that much larger the gravity must totally suck, but of course with gravity like that you would need 2 hearts to keep the blood going to your brain. That and it also explains why the doctor can run like a maniac on earth and never really be that far out of breath.

Actually it explains a whole lot...

 

[26138]

It could be made of less dense material, so the gravity wouldn't be so bad.

 

[BlastHardcheese]

Or time lord technology reduces the effects.

 

[Awesome Possum]

Or time lord technology reduces the effects.

They still would had to evolve with the gravity and would likely have no reason to change it. It would be like us reducing the gravity of Earth.

 

[Cutter John]

Or perhaps it just a manifestation of the time bubble and not a physical object at all.

 

[JoeZhang]

Spoiler: The End of Time

When we saw Galifrey appear over earth it looked 2-3 times as large and it probably a few more times massive. So Galifrey looks to be one of those "Super Earths" that the planet hunters are talking about. With a planet that much larger the gravity must totally suck, but of course with gravity like that you would need 2 hearts to keep the blood going to your brain. That and it also explains why the doctor can run like a maniac on earth and never really be that far out of breath.

Actually it explains a whole lot...

If that was true, that would have been squat little creatures - you only need very minor changes in gravity to have great changes of the evolution of a race. It would not lead to super-strength (Superman) or two hearts.

 

[BlastHardcheese]

What amazes me even more is that nobody has nitpicked about the fact that a planet the size of Gallifrey appearing closer to the earth than the moon would tear the earth apart from the tidal forces.

In fact, Gallifrey appeared as close to the Earth as GPS satellites are. I won't buy any BS that it was all a projection/illusion or a "manifestation of the time bubble" for two reasons.

1. The time lords and the president were very real. The doctor even stated they were bringing back not just the race, but the whole planet.

2. It caused very real earthquakes. The ground shook. A projection does not do that.

RTD & Co. may not have realised exactly how much damage a planet 5 times as massive as the earth would do if it appeared at such a close proximity. When Gallifrey first appeared and was still some distance away, I do not doubt that its own gravity would've immediately begun pulling people off the earth's surface and into space towards it. At the same time, the earth would fall down onto Gallifrey within minutes and shatter both planets.

 

[JoeZhang]

RTD & Co. may not have realised exactly how much damage a planet 5 times as massive as the earth would do if it appeared at such a close proximity.

I suspect that they simply didn't care - Doctor Who is a fantasy show with a few Sci-fi trappings.

 

[Timofnine]

My theory (that explains all this perfectly!) is that Gallifrey is made of a much less dense material then most other planets... maybe a thin crust over a molten core which has 'shrunk'. Think of it a bit like a natural dysons sphere with people living on the outside. This way, the planet could be 5 times bigger then earth, but more or less dense.

Bah, it's science fantasy anyway, who cares

 

[Awesome Possum]

RTD & Co. may not have realised exactly how much damage a planet 5 times as massive as the earth would do if it appeared at such a close proximity.

I suspect that they simply didn't care - Doctor Who is a fantasy show with a few Sci-fi trappings.

Yeah, if you want to get all nit-picky time travel is probably impossible.

 

[BlastHardcheese]

Yeah, if you want to get all nit-picky time travel is probably impossible.

There are many astrophysicists who would eagerly dispute that point with you. But what they would not dispute is that a planet the size of Gallifrey coming so close to Earth would turn the Earth inside-out even before it completely filled the sky.

 

[Timofnine]

Yeah, if you want to get all nit-picky time travel is probably impossible.

There are many astrophysicists who would eagerly dispute that point with you. But what they would not dispute is that a planet the size of Gallifrey coming so close to Earth would turn the Earth inside-out even before it completely filled the sky.

Erm, unless there was a fantasy reason like I mentioned above for it not to crush earth. Don't take it so seriously. Do you think Joe public cared?

 

[Cutter John]

Well lets see. I can either chalk it up to, 'OMG RTD sucks!' or try to come up with some way to explain it. I choose the latter. So if I've decided its a time bubble, or it was Gallifrey (in which case its a giant ball of flaming gas) but it hasn't fully become corporal yet, well thats my prerogative.

 

[Awesome Possum]

I'm going with "it's just a show, I really should relax". Helps me with most things.

 

[USS KG5]

I'm going with "it's just a show, I really should relax". Helps me with most things.

Seconded.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Or perhaps it just a manifestation of the time bubble and not a physical object at all.

That works for me. Certainly would explain why Gallifrey's close proximity to Earth didn't tear it up.

What amazes me even more is that nobody has nitpicked about the fact that a planet the size of Gallifrey appearing closer to the earth than the moon would tear the earth apart from the tidal forces.

Sorry I'm late!

Seriously, I don't really care one way or the other either. Hell, the Moon didn't tear up Earth in Sarah Jane Adventures and I didn't care then either.

 

[The Lensman]

As for Gallifrey not destroying Earth.....well, since the Time Lords chose that specific method, I assume they had vast and advanced science to achieve the not destroying Earth thing. Earth crashing into Gallifrey would've wreaked destruction on a massive scale, and been completely catastrophic.

 

[Cutter John]

Sorry if my last post sounded a bit hostile. I'd just spent an hour browsing through GB and the general negativity was starting to get to me.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Don't worry about it. I know how you feel about nitpickers. I once was a horrible nitpicker but I've loosen up quite a bit.

 

[Australis]

Yeah, I think that attitude is very wise. GB and TrekXI forum are good examples.

Oaky, logical explanation for Gallifrey

<rubs hands furiously together, poises over keyboard...>

Thanks to the signal of four beats/ diamond, Gallifrey was translating itself
around/past/through the timelock. But hadn't fully arrived. This is evinced by the Timelords standing in a white lit area (and the Master disappeared into it with them when the link was broken). So, to me, they hadn't come all the way through. And neither had the planet. Gallifrey was beginning to manifest itself, and the effects of that were beginning to be felt, but not fully there yet. No planet could move so fast across the sky and be fully physical present (just go with it ). And when the link was broken, the planet went, and the partial effects went.

There y'go. You're welcome.