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Rassilon

EJA

Fleet Captain
Are there any theories as to how Rassilon could have returned to Gallifrey to become the Lord President during the Time War, as seen in "The End of Time"? And what happened to Romana, the former President?
 
Romana being the former president is just one of those ideas the Who novels played with. It's not as if it were written in stone.
 
Russell T. Davies referred to Romana as being the President of Gallifrey in an article he personally wrote explaining some of the back-story of the Time War for the 2006 annual. And whether or not she was ever "really" in that position, there's still the question of how Rassilon returned and took it.
 
And whether or not she was ever in that position, there's still the question of how Rassilon returned and took it.
Gallifrey was surrounded by the Wailing Hordes of Noôo commanded by the Elder Moon Dervish, so the Time Lords, who were desperate, used the Third Ascetic Voice of the Great Staircase of Oblivion to raise Rassilon's ectoplasmic psyonic imprint from the dead.
 
actually, according to the tv series episode "The Five Doctors"
Rassilon had achieved "total perpetual regeneration".. as quoted by President Barusa..

I personally think that Rassilon's Tomb, was actually a Prison when the Time Lord council overthrew his Imperial regime..

thus Imprisoning Rassilon in the Tomb, and leaving him there until the time war, when he was then revived and regenerated, and then took control as voted by the council to Lord President..

that's my theory anyway..
 
Well, the Time Lords resurrected the Master to fight in the Time War. Maybe they brought Rassilon back as well (probably a little easier, since he wasn't actually dead) and he took over and started running things.
 
Its all there in The Five Doctors. Theres that transmat to his tomb (where he "lay in eternal sleep") in the council chambers. They teleported over disabled the stasis field/forcefield or whatever was keeping him imprisoned. He revived, and the TL's begged him to come save their asses. Pretty simple really.

But what do you suppose became of those other timelords he had imprisoned in his pedestal?
 
1) Rassilon's mind exists in the Matrix (Invasion of Time), or he's alive but inactive in the Dark Tower in the Death Zone (FIve Doctors), or alive in the Divergent universe (the 8th Doctor CDs partly written by Gary Russell, who also script edited End of Time). Three possible ways for his mind to come back and be reincarnated.

2) It's a mystical thing: the once and future king, who like King Arthur, will return in Gallifrey's last hour to lead the fight.

3) He's a Time Lord who, on becoming President, adopts the title Rassilon (just as Roman emperors adopted the titles Caesar and Augustus).
 
In the audio dramas (specifically Neverland, Zagreus, and sequels), we learned that Rassilon existed within the Matrix and was planning on returning to existence to spread Gallifrey's dominion through the Universe again. What happened in "The End of Time" works with that, so I figured the Time Lords realized that in their most desperate hour they needed someone like that, and brought him back (from the Divergent Universe, where was imprisoned in The Next Life).

Of course, all of the Rassilon stories from Zagreus onwards are terrible and ruined what Neverland did with the character, but whatever.
 
1) Rassilon's mind exists in the Matrix (Invasion of Time), or he's alive but inactive in the Dark Tower in the Death Zone (FIve Doctors), or alive in the Divergent universe (the 8th Doctor CDs partly written by Gary Russell, who also script edited End of Time). Three possible ways for his mind to come back and be reincarnated.

2) It's a mystical thing: the once and future king, who like King Arthur, will return in Gallifrey's last hour to lead the fight.

3) He's a Time Lord who, on becoming President, adopts the title Rassilon (just as Roman emperors adopted the titles Caesar and Augustus).
4) The name "Rassilon" is the Gallifreyan equivalent of "Dave".
 
Why did they have to make it Rassilon (i.e, the Timelord President in TEOT)? People gnash their teeth at the thought of ideas which have even a hint of 'fanwank', but surely making the President of Gallifrey be Rassilon (presumably Rassilon the Great) is the biggest fanwank possible?
 
Things were very desperate a the end of the time war, so they brought back Rassilonl, which, in retropect, was a big mistake.
 
Why did they have to make it Rassilon (i.e, the Timelord President in TEOT)? People gnash their teeth at the thought of ideas which have even a hint of 'fanwank', but surely making the President of Gallifrey be Rassilon (presumably Rassilon the Great) is the biggest fanwank possible?

Actually, I think it makes for an interesting parallel with Davros. Both were the founders of their respective societies, and both were brought back to lead both sides during the Time War.

And, in the end, both tried to bring their side ultimate victory by destroying everything else.
 
I like that they made Timothy Dalton's Lord President Rassilon, since I think it makes perfect sense that the Time Lords would resurrect Rassilon. After all, if they brought back a criminal like the Master, than why not their founding father?

My own personal theory, at some point in the Time War, Gallifrey's Lord President was killed. The Time Lord High Council choose to resurrect Rassilon and make him the new Lord President, feeling his leadership is exactly what the Time Lords need to win the Time War.
 
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^ My theory was that the Time Lord Council was growing tired with Lady President Romana's tactics in the war and felt that a more aggressive stance to defeat the Dalaks so they chose to depose Romana and resurrect Rassilon.
 
^ My theory was that the Time Lord Council was growing tired with Lady President Romana's tactics in the war and felt that a more aggressive stance to defeat the Dalaks so they chose to depose Romana and resurrect Rassilon.

Your theory is definately in character with that the Time Lords we saw in The End of Time would do. And indeed I do like the idea that they foolishly started themselves down the path that would eventually lead to their extinction. It shows how truly twisted the Time Lords had become.

But I like to think they were simply desperate and out of this desperation, they made the unfortunate mistake of choosing the leader with the agenda that gets everyone killed. This makes things more tragic for the Time Lords (all they wanted was peace and it cost them their lives) and why I like this particular theory.
 
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