When Did He Stop Using the Randomizer?

[Mr Light]

At the end of the Key to Time season the Doctor has to install a randomizer into the TARDIS' circuits so that the Black Guardian can't catch him.

At what point did they completely stop mentioning this? And was there ever an in-story reason for this?

I was just watching "City of Death" and he did mention it there, but that's only two episodes after it happened.

 

[captcalhoun]

In the end the Doctor chose to take his chances with the Black Guardian, removing the Randomiser as its components were needed within the Tachyon Recreation Generator on Argolis. He made no effort to replace the device despite his earlier concerns. (DW: The Leisure Hive)

 

[Rarewolf]

Its a bit like the Warp speed restrictions in the last season of TNG. Instead of randomly travelling through time And space for season 17 he randomly travels through time and space. And where's the first place it takes him? Skaro followed by Earth.

Since he was answering a message from Chronotis in Shada, he must of overwritten it then too.

After Meglos the Doctor vanished off the map in E-Space anyway

Still the Black Guardian obviously did take notice - if you want to get revenge then get him on Earth.

 

[od0_ital]

Its a bit like the Warp speed restrictions in the last season of TNG.

Not to get off topic, but the warp restrictions were dealt with when new warp reactor designs (seen on the Defiant & Voyager) and ships with a more streamlined design (seen with the Enterprise-E and Voyager).

Problems solved!



As for the randomizer, I have no clue...sorry.

 

[Marc]

Given the inability of the Doctor to actually get the TARDIS where he wanted, wasn't the randomiser redundant anyway?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Surely after the Turlough won Enlightenment it was all bad cricket and nonsportsmanlike for the Black Guardian to continue his vendetta?

Then is you listened to the second key to time adventures on Audio...

 

[Rarewolf]

Its a bit like the Warp speed restrictions in the last season of TNG.

Not to get off topic, but the warp restrictions were dealt with when new warp reactor designs (seen on the Defiant & Voyager) and ships with a more streamlined design (seen with the Enterprise-E and Voyager).

Problems solved!

That's what I mean though, it was a problem for the rest of that season (and I suppose hightened the situation when they were allowed to break it) but they quickly and quietly abandoned that limit ASAP.

Back on topic, even Creature From The Pit must have had a controlled short hop out into space to deal with the missle, and another to get back to the planet afterwards; Horns Of Nimon he follows the ship as Romana's a prisoner, and City Of Death back and forward in time (a few times) to deal with Scaroth and drop off Dugan.

The Doctor probably makes less random trips whilst he has the Randomizer than when he was on his normal adventures!

 

[starsuperion]

hmmm... here is another interesting conundrum..
if the ship reformats itself via the architectural config sys. (via energy/Matter transference ala Star Trek Replicators) and the internals change, then does the randomizer remain with the console, and take on a new form or does the newly configured console design change to a default type setting?? So the console's exterior changes, but do the internal components as well??

 

[Stevil2001]

Given the inability of the Doctor to actually get the TARDIS where he wanted, wasn't the randomiser redundant anyway?

The producers at the time felt the Doctor's journeys had become random far less often. All throughout The Key to Time he's obviously piloting it just fine (though he's not picking the destinations). But as pointed out, stories with the randomiser did the same things as ones without it: the Doctor didn't know where he was going when the plot didn't want him to, and did know where he was going when the plot did.

hmmm... here is another interesting conundrum..
if the ship reformats itself via the architectural config sys. (via energy/Matter transference ala Star Trek Replicators) and the internals change, then does the randomizer remain with the console, and take on a new form or does the newly configured console design change to a default type setting?? So the console's exterior changes, but do the internal components as well??

In the novel Interference, we learn that when the TARDIS reconfigured itself for the TV movie, the time-space telegraph the Doctor gave unit also reconfigured itself-- becoming so large it destroyed the filing cabinet it was stored in.

 

[Marc]

Given the inability of the Doctor to actually get the TARDIS where he wanted, wasn't the randomiser redundant anyway?

The producers at the time felt the Doctor's journeys had become random far less often. All throughout The Key to Time he's obviously piloting it just fine (though he's not picking the destinations). But as pointed out, stories with the randomiser did the same things as ones without it: the Doctor didn't know where he was going when the plot didn't want him to, and did know where he was going when the plot did.

Though in the key to time they also had the Tracer pluged in to the navigation circuits.

 

[timelord1010]

Though in the key to time they also had the Tracer pluged in to the navigation circuits

And didn't the White Guardian put a hole or plug in the control console for the Tracer to fit in so he might have repaired the TARDIS so it could find the Key to Time.